Partials

Partials by Dan Wells
Release Date ~ 2/28/12
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ Balzar + Bray
Source ~ Balzar + Bray
Rating ~ 4.5/5

Summary: The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to 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 threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into 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 discover 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 pulse-pounding 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.

My Review: Partials was one of those books that felt like you were lifted into a whirlwind of awesome characters, heart racing action, and one flipping unstable world!

   The setting of this was very vivid, and it added a ton to the story. Kira's world was a polar opposite of the stable, normal world we live in. And the settings were well described and painted an excellent (and sometimes depressing) picture in my mind.  

   If I do say so myself, it was very easy to predict some of the plot line. Though there was a lot of suspense, I had the main character figured out by page 10. I hope as the series progresses, the plot thickens and adds more depth.

   Kira was a main character that I cared about. Wells did an excellent job of making her like-able. She was passionate about what she believed in and didn't take no for an answer. 
    This book had the perfect amount of action! There were lots of action sequences, but the plot never took the backseat to the action. Like The Hunger Games it was a perfect blend.

   On the down side, this book lacked character development. In many dystopians the characters change a lot into something better. I don't think there was a single transformation in this book. I hope that in the 2nd and 3rd books we see more of a transformation in some of the characters *crosses fingers*.

    In the end, Partials was an excellent series starter. It needed a tiny bit more to get itself 5 stars, but like The Hunger Games it will sweep you up with it's fast-moving plot and action. 

4.5/5

Cover Comments: This cover looks so ominous, especially with the buildings! I love the mix of brown, black, and yellow!

This book counts in the following reading challenges:

Harper/Harper Imprints January Reading Challenge: 3

2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge: 3

2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 2

1st in a Series Reading Challenge: 3

The Book Trailer: