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• There have been a number of post apocalypse novels over the years and this is up there among the better ones.At the opening of the novel, it is a few days following the “Detonations” and the world is all but obliterated, when those who are left hear a droning in the sky above them. Millions of pieces of paper spin and fall to the ground. Their message is clear, but still puzzling. “We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, one day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar, benevolently.”Right from the start, we know that there are the haves and the have nots. A not unusual dystopian scenario, but things are far more complicated than that. Pressia and her grandfather are two of the have nots and life is a daily struggle. They exist in a destroyed former barber shop, scratching out a living and trying to stay alive. Pressia is nearing her sixteenth birthday and her grandfather is desperate for her to remain hidden from the OSR, to whom she must turn herself in on the sixteenth date of her birth.Within the Dome, resides seventeen year old Partridge, who has a charmed existence, well removed from that of Pressia. He is attending a history lesson in a climate controlled classroom, when he is summoned to see his father at the medical centre over which he presides.But, Pressia and Partridge are inextricably linked and far closer than they seem.Their story and that of those people they encounter within the pages of this addictive tale, is heartrending at times. However, it is the well researched attention to detail that impresses. The terrible toll the “Detonations” have wrought on the world is painstakingly retold. Those who did not die immediately, have been left disfigured and fused to either each other or pieces of everyday objects, animals or birds. Pressia herself has a doll’s head fused to her wrist, a doll she was carrying when the nuclear bombs hit when she was seven years old. Julianna Baggott has written several books for younger readers and I think this novel would also appeal to readers from mid teens onwards.I won’t recall further details, so as not to spoil things for future readers….but read it you must. You won’t regret it. I can also see it making a great movie.This book was made available to me, prior to publication, for an honest review.

  5.00 out of 5

  teresa1953

• Positively Pure Genius* Book will be released February 8, 2012* ARC read via Around The World ARC Tours5 out of 5 gnomesI love this book because it just puts you through the ringer while reading it. I swear your feelings will be all over the place as you read.Full of darkness, heart, love, betrayal, and lots of crazy twists.This is a book where different Points of View are used to very great effect. Having these multiple characters gives you a more well rounded look at this world where nothing is as black and white as it seems. Having these peeks into other characters gives them more depth and makes you root for everyone in the story to find the right answers and path that they're looking for. It just goes to show you that every character can be important and just because they see the world differently doesn't mean that they can't change.The world building in this book is just done so well. You have the Dome on one side and the wretches on the other who don't exactly live a cushy life. After the detonations you had those who were inside the Dome safe and sound and those left on the outside. There are a myriad of scary situations to contemplate throughout the story. The people and pretty much everything else in the outside world changed at a molecular level. The main character Pressia has a doll's head for a hand because it fused over her original hand, her differences are minimal compared to others in this world. While reading I wondered what I would have fused with and thought I'd probably be fused with a book of some kind. It's common to have metal, glass, etc fused to you if you're lucky. Some though aren't lucky at all like her grandfather who has a fan fused in his neck and others who have fused with animals or other people. Then there are the extreme cases of people that fused with the earth itself and loose their humanity in the process, these are called Dusts and they enjoy eating other people.Pressia is a complex character because at first she seems content with how her life will turn out. You can see sparks of rebellion in her though, especially through the small mechanical creatures she makes out of bits and pieces that she finds, like a butterfly that actually flaps its wings. Through the people she meets and the things that she shes, Pressia starts to realize that the world is more complex than she ever imagined.Partridge, a Pure from the Dome, has a mission that can only be done if he goes into the outside world. His naive views almost get him killed a lot at first but he slowly grows into the type of character that you can care for and want to succeed. Mothers and parents are a running theme in the story with almost everyone searching for or looking for answers from a parent. You'll also meet a group of mothers, let's just say that they're a group that you'll never forget.Most of the character's goals are just to live through this whole ordeal and perhaps change the world for the better. It seems that everyone is looking for answers or hiding a secret, this makes for quite an intriguing read.The last chapters in this book are crazy intense. You'd have thought you know how it's going to end but you'd probably be wrong. There are more deaths than I thought possible and some extremely surprising relationships that are revealed and formed. This is a definite must read for 2012 and a reread for every year beyond that.

  5.00 out of 5

  raboyer

• Wonderful addition to the young adult dystopian romance genre! Loved the creative world-building and the interplay of the main characters from the two different societies. Recommended for fans of Marie Lu's Legend and Veronica Roth's Divergent.

  5.00 out of 5

  LeanneSF

• This book presents a terrifying post-apocalyptic world, where a privileged few escaped to The Dome immediately prior to The Detonations. Contrast these “Pure” with other survivors (“wretches”) – burned by nuclear bombs and fused to anything (or anybody) they might have been carrying or touching at the time by nano-technology. Pressia lives on the outside; like other children on the outside, she envies those inside the Dome and wishes she could be like them. Partridge on the other hand lives inside the Dome; he is afraid of the “coding” he receives (will he lose his individuality?), and misses his mother, whom he thought dead but now believes must be alive on the outside.Partridge escapes from the Dome; and when he is struggling to survive in the strange world outside the Dome, Pressia is the one to help him. Gradually they discover that it is more than mere chance that has brought them together.This is an absolutely brilliant dystopian story. The damage done to people and things after the Detonations is richly and inventively (and scarily) imagined, reminding me of China Mieveille in a way no other author has ever done! It is also a coming of age story – as both Partridge and Pressia have to re-evaluate what they have been told about their respective childhoods and almost invent themselves anew.This story is complex and multi-faceted; I particularly liked the feeling of uncertainty that runs through it – who can they trust? whose stories are true?. Young adult fiction, yes, but bold enough and rich enough to hold the adult reader. A truly wonderful story – easily my favourite read of 2011.NB: I normally HATE books that don’t tell you up front that they are part of a series. However, this book has none of the weaknesses of you expect of the first book in a series (too much scene setting / character introduction); it stands as an exciting and complete story. It was only in the last 30 pages or so that I realised there was too much going on to end it all now … and I eagerly await the next instalment!

  5.00 out of 5

  hashford

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