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Partials (Partials #1)
by Dan Wells |
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Summary from Goodreads:
"Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.
When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.
Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.
Rating:
Partials is one of those books that you’d feel incredibly grateful that you stuck through it ‘til the end.
My first theory about Partials when I saw it was: this human [girl] protagonist would eventually fall for a guy from the enemy lines and then she’ll be a fugitive... blah, blah, blah... love... tragedy...rescue or find a way to be with true love...ending... then wait for the next book. This is one of those moments that I’m so happy I was wrong! What’s even great is that my prediction wasn’t even close to what Partials offered. *laughing like an evil queen in fairy tales*
Okay I’m sounding completely like a crazy person... moving on...
Partials is more of a plot-driven book. With the growing list of YA books belonging to the Dystopian category (which in Partials case is Dystopian AND Post-Apocalyptic), I’ve gotten used to the character-driven ones (majority of those I’ve read are), so hooray for change!
For those who might be planning on reading this and thinking it would fall on some sort of romantic story, you may want to not keep your hopes up on that. There aren’t much gushy scenes here (a few here and there, still I don’t think they count) but that doesn’t make this book less interesting. In fact, you hardly even notice the absence of it. The story itself keeps you on your toes, not to mention the scientific stuff and all that genetic discussions that you’ll encounter. Trust me when I say if you’re not a fan of those then you’ll have to pay close attention as best as you can.
Have you ever had that feeling when you’re watching a movie that you come to a scene where you can’t make sense of what the characters are talking about but you go along with anyway since you are very eager to see how the entire story ends? Well, that’s kind of how Partials made me feel. Seriously, I feel like one of those characters from Japanese Anime cartoons with blood running down their noses when Kira was explaining her research! LOL. Now don’t be intimidated, it’s not that hard to understand, the author has done his best to explain it in the simplest terms, it is just a little out of my field so I had to reread a few lines back.
Anyway, I guess I was pretty much caught up by the plot more than the characters. I’m not saying they’re not memorable, Kira’s a fine protagonist. I just didn’t have that much chance to get to know her deeper. Forgivable, given that her role in saving the human race from extinction is far more important than discovering her inner personality. I’m not a fan of her boyfriend though. The other characters where pretty much okay considering what role they play, but I do believe that Samm and Jayden stood out most. Speaking of Jayden... *sigh* ... Jayden, Jayden, Jayden *shaking head in dismay*. I think he deserved to be given more credit. *sniff*
Now to sum up how I feel about Partials, I only need two words: FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!!
Readers just have to stick with it and have the patience to go along with some of the technical parts to fully appreciate the story. I know the first part may drag a bit but the wait would definitely be worth it. Partials is a really good book that you wouldn’t want to miss out.
