Ashley's Review of Partials by Dan Wells

My Pre-Reading

Paul's Pre-Reading

Paul's Review

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I really love a good post-apocalyptic novel, and this one nailed it right on the head. I guess you could call it a YA dystopian, but I felt like it was more sci-fi than anything. A virus that killed nearly the entire human population, man-made beings that are basically enhanced humans, and a city trying to rebuild after a devastating war? Plus, all of the virology included throughout most of the book. Definitely more sci-fi than dystopian, I would say. Plus, it just takes place in the future, with all of the cities and burroughs and everything retaining their previous names.

I really liked Kira's character, and I absolutely loved how much she grows and changes over the course of the book. She starts out with one mentality, although she does sometimes disagree with the Senate, but by the end of the book she ends up a completely different person. She's a great, strong heroine, and I think Wells did an excellent job of taking a girl in bad circumstances and turning her into such a dynamic character. Actually, almost all of the characters are dynamic and changing and multi-dimensional.

I also really enjoyed how Wells constructed the world that Kira and her friends live in. It was different enough from this present world to be something new and exciting, but similar enough so that it was relateable. The people that survive RM are completely diverse, and I found that really refreshing. It's kind of nice to read a book where the author specifically notes that people of all races and creeds can come together and join forces in light of a tragedy.

And of course, the secret tying the Partials and the humans together. I found it really interesting, and I cannot wait to see how the rest of the series progresses in an attempt to solve that conflict. And I have so many other questions that I need answers to as well, so I'm hoping the sequel doesn't leave as many open ends!

Although some parts of the plot did drag on a bit, and the virology tends to be a little bit long winded, I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to fans of sci-fi YA, and even dystopian YA. I will most definitely be reading the sequel and the prequel novella! A very strong 4/5 for this one, and I think if the pacing was a little quicker, a couple more questions had been answered, and we hadn't been left hanging so much at the end that it would definitely have been a 5! Go pick this up and read it soon, this is a book you won't want to miss.


--Ashley

Paul's Partials Review

My Pre Reading Post

REVIEW: 

I enjoy reading dystopian books and due to the current trend in YA, there are plenty of them out there. I like how dystopian books take our current culture and evaluate what could  happen if something catastrophic took place. In Partials, 99.9% of the population is dead. A deadly virus known a RM was released. This ended a war with the "Partials", genetically engineered soldiers. 

Before reading this I thought there may be some similarities to the Battlestar Galactica series. There were some. The Partials look exactly like humans so anyone could be a Partial. Also, the human race is almost extinct. The government does all it can to try and increase the human population, going as far as enacting the Hope Act in which all 18 year old females are required to get pregnant. 

I liked how Wells addressed survival and freedom. There were some times that I wished he would have shown more and let me infer my own opinions. Many things were detailed out. It wasn't until the last third of the book that I really got into it. The start of the book moved slowly. There was a lot of details given of the government and science/biology. I enjoyed the biology and virology, but I don't know if a casual reader would. 

There were a lot of characters introduced at the beginning of the novel. Sometimes it took me a minute to remember who someone was. 

I really liked the world building in this novel. I felt like it was very believable. The differences between the Partials and the humans were also very interesting. I liked the way Wells incorporated diversity into the humans left alive. The protagonist is described as mostly Indian. Although, the front cover looks awfully Caucasian to me. I guess she may be very light skinned.

The terrorist group in this novel is known as "The Voice". It took me at least half of the novel to stop imagining Christina Aguilera pushing a red button. 

The romance in this novel is not overpowering. It was okay. I like where the novel ended with it. 

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but it started slow and I didn't get into it until the end. I will definitely be reading the prequel novella and sequel. I give this book a 3/5. 

-PAUL

Paul's Partials Pre Reading

Title: Partials
Author: Dan Wells
Year Published: 2012

Amazon  | Goodreads

Synopsis:  The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of "I Am Not a Serial Killer," takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

Why?: This was Ashley's September pick. I have heard good things about this book, but I haven't looked into it much. I'm a fan of Dystopian novels and this one seems like a near future one. It reminds me of Battlestar Galactica, with the humans and the humanlike nonhumans. 

Expectations: I am expecting a YA dystopia with a strong heroine with a small amount of romance (the cover for the sequel has a guy on it, so I'm just guessing). I expect this book to address some modern day controversial topics involving science. I'm interested how the mandatory pregnancy laws will be dealt with.

Judging a book by its cover:  This cover is very generic for YA these days. I have seen it in the bookstore a lot. I have only picked it up and looked at it because of the good reviews I have seen. 

-PAUL

Ashley's September Book: Partials (Pre-Reading)

Title: Partials

Author: Dan Wells
Year Published: 2012

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Why?: I've heard nothing but good things about this book, and it's been a while since I've read a dystopian YA. I think the idea of Partials isn't really that far off, so it will be interesting to see how they came about and why they were created. Also, I like that there's a mystery involved - I'm already dying to know what the connections between humans and Partials are!

Expectations: I expect an epic dystopian story, set not too far in the future, full of adventure and mystery. A kick-butt heroine, and probably a love interest.

Judging a book by its cover: The cover is kind of interesting. A girl, with silver streaks in her hair, looking at a city in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure if I would pick this book up off of a shelf based on the cover alone, since it's a little generic, but it would at least catch my eye.


--Ashley