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Pure

(Pure #1)

Julianna Baggott (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 23,509 ratings · 3,183 reviews

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and ...more

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Hardcover, 431 pages

Published February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing

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Feb 04, 2012 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: welcome-author, the-end, free-from-work

pure makes the 100 notable books list, even though it is a pretty perfunctory list this year. but this one's inclusion was a pleasant surprise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/boo...

Before the Detonations, there were many survivalists living off the grid in those woods. One neighbor, an old man who'd been in a war or two, taught El Capitan how to hide his guns and ammo. El Capitan did everything Old Man Zander told him to. He bought 40 PVC pipe with end caps, six inches in diameter, and some

...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Emily May rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, dystopia-utopia, young-adult, 2011

3 generous stars for excellent world-building and interesting ideas but no more because of the novel's density and lack of actual plot.

When I recieved this ARC, I immediately discovered some very interesting facts from the back of the book. This is taken directly from the back cover:

• Won by GCP during a heated two-day auction
• International language rights sold overnight in nine countries
• Film rights sold to Fox 2000 Pictures with Karen Rosenfelt, lead producer of the Twilight saga

You'd ...more

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Dec 05, 2014 Christopher Moore rated it really liked it

Pure was a nice surprise and a great break from the current trend of dystopian societies that have been portrayed lately in YA literature. The post-nuked world that Baggott describes outside of the dome city is bizarre and dark, rick, and surreal, with people fused with objects they were near when the bombs went off. The result is on of the most imaginative and, at times, disturbing cast of characters I've encountered since China Mieville's early novels.

I'm sure others will summarize the action ...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Reynje rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

When I was a teenager I uncovered a photo album in my grandparent’s house, tucked into the back of a cabinet, dusty and long neglected under stacks of hoarded papers. The album was full of pictures taken in Japan, where my grandfather had been stationed after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII. It was like looking at stills from a black and white horror film – destruction on a scale I had never seen before, fragments of the devastat ...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Eve Davids rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf

Some books try too much. Pure is that book. It tries to be chilling and gritty and blah blah. It's just plain weird. On the ARC there is some publisher heavy weight telling you this is going to be the next Hunger Games. Yeah. Choke me.
(Read the comment session for more ....)

This book wont really appeal to teens, for several reasons I cant be bothered to list. The science in it, is called fantasy.

The good part? The main character isnt too bad. The girl. The boys are sort of meh. And the writing ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it liked it

Shelves: cover-lust, arc-2012, dystopia, reviewed-in-2012, multiple-povs, never-saw-it-coming, netgalley, post-apocalyptic, wake-me-up-next-year, young-adult

Pure was deliciously dark and twisted, but to me, it just wasn’t good enough.

Three women step out – all fused – a tangle of cloth hiding their engorged middle. Parts of each face seem to be shiny and stiff as if fused with plastic. Groupies, that’s what they’re called. One of the women has sloped shoulders, a curved spine. There are many arms, some pale and freckled, the others dark.

It took me about 120 pages to really get into this book – much more than it should have, of course. I always Pure was deliciously dark and twisted, but to me, it just wasn’t good enough.

Three women step out – all fused – a tangle of cloth hiding their engorged middle. Parts of each face seem to be shiny and stiff as if fused with plastic. Groupies, that’s what they’re called. One of the women has sloped shoulders, a curved spine. There are many arms, some pale and freckled, the others dark.

It took me about 120 pages to really get into this book – much more than it should have, of course. I always struggle with dystopias at first, but it’s usually for two or three chapters, not more than that. The beginning was very slow, and although I understand the need to build the atmosphere, especially in a book whose main goal seems to be to shock and repulse, I felt that it should have been done gradually, or at least differently. As much as I appreciated (though not enjoyed) the descriptions of people fused with objects or other people, I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s all I would ever get. Fortunately, things started moving just a little faster after those 120 pages, but Baggott still kept pressing the “pause” button on her action scenes in order to describe every little thing her characters came across. Everyone who knows me at least a little bit knows that I’m a big fan of descriptive writing when it serves to evoke a wide palette of emotion. My problem with Pure was that it aimed to evoke only one - disgust. After a hundred pages or so, it became extremely tiresome.

The story is told from multiple points of view. Oddly enough, the one I preferred, the one I could easily identify with, was neither Pressia nor Partridge, it was Lyda, the girl Partridge sort of liked, but mostly just used to get out of the Dome. I eventually started liking Partridge too, even though that took a while, but Pressia never really came alive for me. I still have no idea who she really is and how I’m supposed to feel about her. I would have loved to know more about the creatures she made to trade them on the market, but the one thing I wanted described in detail was just mentioned once or twice in passing.

As far as I’m concerned, the most important thing in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel isn’t the romance, the action, or even the writing – it’s social structure. You can be the most skilled writer on the planet, but if your society isn’t convincing enough, you will lose my interest before you can say ‘write a better book’. For me, this is where Baggott failed the most- I wanted to know more – more about the government on both sides (but more outside the Dome), about how it all came to be, and especially about the day when the world went to hell in a handbasket. I want to know how Partridge’s father became the most important person in the world, the only real decision maker. Where were the old governments? Who exactly pulled the strings ever since Partridge’s parents were young? Instead of focusing on endless descriptions of Groupies and Dusts, I would have liked to see at least some of those questions answered. Unfortunately, the little information I was offered wasn’t nearly believable enough.

That doesn’t mean that Pure was all bad. There were things I liked a lot, especially the fact that it managed to surprise me a few times. In a genre where predictability is accepted and even expected, Baggott somehow included quite a few twists and turns that I never saw coming.
I think I would have liked Pure more if it were about a hundred pages shorter. It had its moments and I believe I will read book 2 when it comes out, but unfortunately, this one left a lot to be desired.

Favorite quote:
She glances back before stepping into the alley, and she catches her grandfather looking at her the way he does sometimes – as if she’s already gone, as if he’s practicing sorrow.

For this review and more, please visit The Nocturnal Library
...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Trudi rated it really liked it

Shelves: apocalyptic-types, dystopia, science-fiction, series, 2012, love-the-premise, kick-ass-heroines

This book is dark. It is disturbing. It is ruthless in places and feels dangerous in others. Despite the fact that Pure has been released by its publisher as Adult fiction, it has been quickly embraced as YA. Though I feel as such, it should maybe come with some sort of disclaimer. Fans of popularized YA dystopias choosing Pure for the same satisfying adrenaline injection packaged in a safe, sanitized story with a sweet romantic subplot are likely going to be put off (even repulsed) over what th This book is dark. It is disturbing. It is ruthless in places and feels dangerous in others. Despite the fact that Pure has been released by its publisher as Adult fiction, it has been quickly embraced as YA. Though I feel as such, it should maybe come with some sort of disclaimer. Fans of popularized YA dystopias choosing Pure for the same satisfying adrenaline injection packaged in a safe, sanitized story with a sweet romantic subplot are likely going to be put off (even repulsed) over what they encounter here. Furthermore, the conscientious detail in the world-building will seem heavy-handed to readers seeking a fast-moving thrill ride. Pure does not give up its secrets easily or all at once. Not all loose ends are tied up, not all questions are answered. There’s enough juiciness and potential left over for the sequel. At least this is my hope – because I’m hooked now and want to know everything.

There is such heartrending beauty in Baggott’s vivid descriptions of Earth’s utter destruction and the devastating deformities of the survivors. I will never think of the word “fusion” the same way again. At the height of the Cold War, an entire generation of people lived with the mind-numbing fear of nuclear annihilation. It’s a fear that’s largely left us now, though I’m hard pressed to think why; the weapons still exist and there are still enough crazy mofos out there, in charge or gone rogue, to make use of them if they so choose. Even the most cursory research into the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will chill the blood and horrify the mind. This is what we are capable of doing to one another. To think that it can’t or won’t ever happen again is wishful thinking I figure of the most deluded kind. But I am grateful we've stopped crouching under desks and building bomb shelters in our spare time. That shit just ain't healthy, you know?

Pressia is a survivor of the Detonations – a global nuclear holocaust that has left her and every other survivor with a diversity of glaring malformations and “fusions”. When the blasts came, they were so strong, the light so bright, humans fused with whatever material closest to them at the time of the explosion, whether it be inanimate, human or animal. Pressia, a child at the time, held her favorite doll and now carries the mark of that day in her doll’s head hand. Such external deformities are a physical manifestation of the pain and loss carried by all survivors, whose souls have surely been burned and scarred just as severely as their bodies.

There are other survivors of the Detonations however – Pures – who have been safely harbored in the Dome. These are the select privileged, protected, their skin perfect. But the Dome has its secrets too, and while the wretches outside the Dome have been busy surviving, those inside the Dome have been watching, and waiting, with a plan of their own.

This was a convincing world to me that left me wanting to know more about everything. The characters are strong and there without coming across as overly sentimental. It takes a while to get to know them, and it takes even longer to warm up to them and start to care. I really enjoyed that slow build. In no way could Pure be labeled a shocking or controversial novel; however, there were several scenes that jolted me, and if you can surprise me in that way where I flinch or my mouth gapes open, I figure you are doing something right. This book has been called "cinematic" and it is a very visual novel (I'm also not surprised to find out that Hollywood has already come a-courting). Parts of the Dustlands and Meltlands even reminded me of Stephen King's Dark Tower landscape (and that is high praise indeed).

What more can I say? If you are looking for a meatier dystopian read with teeth then this is the book for you. ...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Giselle rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, own

A doll-face for a hand! Babies protruding from necks! Do I have your attention yet? Ok, this book is harsh! The world is ~~one of~~ THE most disturbing dystopian world I've ever read. It's cruel, it's very bizarre, and it's strangely fascinating. Some things are definitely hard to swallow, but a merciless world such as this - that is built with excellence, might I add- makes for a spine-chilling read that you will not soon forget!

Pressia lives in the aftermath of an atomic bomb that almost destroyed ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Penny rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopian, i-think-i-m-gonna-be-sick, sci-fi, weirds-me-out, adventure

~~Wow. I don't even...~~

~~I mean, there's just so much to...~~

I don't even know where to begin, seriously.

I guess I'll just start by saying this book is so...gross. That's it, this book is gross. And frightening. It's everything Anna Dressed in Blood wishes it was—disgusting and terrifying. I mean, homicidal ghosts? Pshh. That's child's play. But post-apocalyptic life with all the food shortages, diseases, no order, no normalcy, mutants—like really nasty looking mutant-y mutants—and horrible ways to ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Catie rated it really liked it

Recommended to Catie by: Emily May

Shelves: series, sci-fi, for-review, read-in-2011

3 1/2 stars

I’ve definitely read my way around this premise before, in a few of its different iterations. “Dome” fiction and movies have been around for at least a century, and in the past decade alone we’ve had Under the Dome, The Sky Inside, Gone, Inside/Out, Incarceron…and I’m sure that I’ve missed a few. There’s even a list here on goodreads called, “Help! I’m stuck in a Dome!”

I’ve even toured Biosphere 2 in Arizona. For whatever reason, this idea of surviving in a hermetically sealed and ha ...more

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Nov 22, 2010 oliviasbooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, steampunk, read-2010, re-read-2013, scifi-dystopian-apocalyptic, favorites-of-2013, beautiful-writing, stays-with-me, favorites, zombies-monsters

A wonderful, cruel and excruciatingly beautiful, almost poetic piece of steampunk-dystopia.

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Aug 01, 2012 Kara Babcock rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, 2012-read, science-fiction, from-library, post-apocalyptic, utopia-dystopia, steampunk

So what if someone set us up the bomb, or several bombs, and instead of nuclear winter and all the survivors dying of cancer, they got fused to each other and bits of glass and animals and broken doll heads? Pure is a horror story about atomic detonations gone wrong. Yeah—if that isn’t a terrifying thought, I don’t know what is. Julianna Baggott postulates a post-apocalyptic world that is the fevered vision of a madman in a dome. And that’s where it all starts falling apart.

I’m so over dystopian ...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it really liked it

Recommended to Aly (Fantasy4eva) by: Nomes

Shelves: dark-and-gritty, my-kinda-protagonist, received-for-review, arc, boys-that-make-me-swoon, action-packed

Rating: 3.5

This is a bit of a tricky book for me. Originally, I struggled with it, and I contemplated setting this one aside. I'm glad I went ahead with it anyway. It may have not really kicked in for me until the second half but I do think it was worth it.

The premise is truly frightening and the book can be disturbing at parts. You know, it's hardly gory or anything of the sort, but some of the things they have to go through and the way these innocent people have suffered is pretty traumatising Rating: 3.5

This is a bit of a tricky book for me. Originally, I struggled with it, and I contemplated setting this one aside. I'm glad I went ahead with it anyway. It may have not really kicked in for me until the second half but I do think it was worth it.

The premise is truly frightening and the book can be disturbing at parts. You know, it's hardly gory or anything of the sort, but some of the things they have to go through and the way these innocent people have suffered is pretty traumatising.

When I think of Aribelle and Sedge and her granddad, I mean my heart just goes out to them. Of course everyone is a victim here but I think it was these three who touched me most. It's funny, how they seemed to reduce me nearly to tears although I hardly know them.

Each character holds their own in this novel. Sometimes, we are a little frustrated at lack of characterisation and then let it slide reminding ourselves that it's the first book in the series, surely we will get to know them more during the future instalments? This book shows that there should be no such excuse. There may be characters that you'd like to know a little more but that connection is there, there is enough depth to them to make you truly care.

If I had to pick two favourite characters, it would have to be El Capitan and Bradwell. Although El Captian is originally on a very different side, he shows real compassion towards a girl he hardly knows when he doesn't have to, when it goes against everything that he is a part of. How can you not admire that about a man? Also, I found it interesting how he dealt with his younger brother who is forever fused to him. Bradwell is a real swoon magnet. The funny thing is, he's not made out to be gorgeous or anything, but there's definitely something very attractive about him. A girl can admire a strong, brave man, right? It's so lovely how you watch as him and Pressia start to become more aware of each other. I absolutely love how the author really takes her time with these two. How Bradwell simply touching her hair, or embracing her could fill me with such warmth and happiness. Sometimes the subtle gestures can mean so much more. Lyda and Partridge kind of fell into the background whenever the other two were around. Unfortunately, for me, personally, they just didn't stand out as much.

Of course, let's not forget the cool moments. Once a few things were revealed I was pretty psyched! Ermm, can I just give Glassings a shout-out! He is so freaking awesome.

A part of me just can't help but wish that it was a standalone. It would have been so much more satisfying if they could have just fit it all in one book. Series tend me make me weary. Although I ended up liking the book and being glad that I continued reading it, it wasn't the most easy reading experience out there, and for that reason I can't guarantee that this will be for everyone. I'm not sure how I feel about reading the future books. I think that will have to be decided when it is time. ...more

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Nov 26, 2013 Lyn rated it it was ok

This is going to sound mean, but it occurs to me that someone could make a ton of money if they wrote the following kind of series: in a dystopian world where pockets of humanity struggle to survive, clans of vampires and packs of werewolves come to humanity’s aid to band together against the zombie hordes, led by a tyrannical leader in a totalitarian state. Amidst the chaos, a young girl learns to become a woman, and finds love.

Certainly, the author would need to be talented, there would be ed ...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Stacey (prettybooks) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-my-twenties, adult-fiction, read-after-university

4.5/5

Pure would win an award for one of the most imaginative post-apocalyptic worlds I’ve come across. At first, the characters are seemingly in a usual end-of-the-world situation: a cataclysmic event has caused everything to be destroyed; people are left with nothing – no food, no comfortable shelter, just injured bodies and loved ones who have died. But there’s a twist. A horrifying, brilliant twist. I really wish I could mention it in this review – and I was originally going to – but I th ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Mizuki rated it it was ok

Shelves: bad-bad-bad-romance, what-the-hell, chinese-translation, unable-to-suppress-my-disbelief

The first thing you must know when you read Pure, by Julianna Baggott: You must abandon all your hard-earned knowledge of science and your common sense.

Okay, I admit the author has some original ideas going for her, but as soon as the first chapter, I found myself unable to suppress my disbelief when I was told after being exposed to a massive, destructive explosion which destroyed the world as we knew it, the main girl was merged together with a plastic doll, and her grandfather has a fan merge ...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Sarah (saz101) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012-releases, young-adult, dystopia

Ten years ago, atomic bombs destroyed the world, leaving two groups of survivors: those maimed, burned, and horrifically deformed by the fire and radiation; and ‘Pures’—a lucky and select group who escaped the explosions unharmed, safely tucked away in a massive glass bubble called The Dome.

Pressia survived the explosions outside. Life is hard, food is scarce, and Pressia is nearing her sixteenth birthday—the time when she will be drafted for military service with OSR. She’ll be forced to kill, ...more

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May 07, 2011 Krystle rated it did not like it

This book was excruciatingly torturous to read. I took forever to finish this book. In fact, it took me over a month to read this whole thing and I wanted to drop it more than a dozen times but I just had to persevere because I’ve become lazy and have dropped too many books recently. If you know me, you know that I read at a fairly rapid rate, finishing a book (if I don’t jump around) in about two or three days if time allows. Well, the length of time is explanatory itself.

Pure was just so dull This book was excruciatingly torturous to read. I took forever to finish this book. In fact, it took me over a month to read this whole thing and I wanted to drop it more than a dozen times but I just had to persevere because I’ve become lazy and have dropped too many books recently. If you know me, you know that I read at a fairly rapid rate, finishing a book (if I don’t jump around) in about two or three days if time allows. Well, the length of time is explanatory itself.

Pure was just so dull and draggy. There was a flash of interest in the first fifty pages or so (maybe it was less) and then it became a mind numbing test of endurance. Long scenes were thinly connected by an almost invisibly thread for a barely there plot. In fact, most of the things that happened jumped around without so much as a transition or apparent connection to the plot.

I think this is in due part to the writing. It was lacking urgency, life, and spark. Sure, there were some great descriptions and poignant lines but it all just flew over your head in the context of everything. There was nothing driving the story forward and because of this you didn’t connect with any of the characters. That’s not to say they were bad. They were all right, I guess. None of them were pathetic, passive, and ineffective losers but I just really didn’t care about any of them. It didn’t help that the book employed the multiple pov method, where each chapter or some chapters were told from other characters. It was too many, too often, and made everything way too jumpy.

By the time the ending came around all I could do was express and exhilarating scream of relief and took a hefty nap to celebrate. Naps, ftw!

The premise and world building of this book was fabulous, though. So I’m really disappointed by that. It’s clear the author did a lot of research and spent a lot of time thoroughly inventing all aspects of her world which a lot of dystopian novels nowadays don’t take account for. I’m just sad the story didn’t live up to it. The plot twists were surprising too but my lack of interest in the book merely left with a raised eyebrow than the wow reaction I’m sure this is supposed to garner.

Pure tackles a lot of dark things and there is some really weird stuff in it. Like the whole deformities and people fusing to animals and things. There’s that whole manipulation of genetics in their coveted domed world of protection and safety. You know, weeding out the unwanteds from the wanted, which they did to the people outside the dome originally by dropping nuclear bombs on them but are now doing it to themselves. Scary stuff.

Such great ideas but let down by the inadequate execution. ...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Nomes rated it liked it

Shelves: faves-of-2011, 2011, books-that-linger, post-apocalyptic-dystopia

4.5 stars

This was gripping and intense and quietly horrifying. Also, beautifully written and fully realised. If dystopia's your thing, you should prioritise checking this out, hey. Full review to come. ...more

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May 01, 2015 Katerina Kondrenko rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: writing-touching-moments, genre-dystopia-utopia, genre-apocalyptic, mood-creepy, target-young-adult, reviewed-by-me-full, 09-out-of-10, plot-driven-by-characters, pov-3rd-person, characters-relatable-ones

9 out of 10

ревью на русском/review in russian

I like gutting books, dismantle stories, taking my time, listening to my feelings. But not this time.

I feel too much. It's like being drummed to death from within. You know?

I agree. I don’t have to delve into my feelings. Reading this book, I wasn't worried about having nothing to say about it in the end. On the contrary, I was careful not to spill those emotions that were born as the story progressed and instantly turned into words. A ...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Arie rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopia-and-post-apocalypse, young-adult

It's taken a while for me to work out the words to write this review, and to be honest I still don't have them, but as I read this a while ago now I thought it best to get some words down at least.

When I read Angelfall I remember thinking the weirdness was just... too weird. Something about it felt forced and odd, to me, but I couldn't quite put a finger on what the "right" kind of weirdness would be. Now I know - this book.

The suspense of disbelief is definitely required a little here, but it ...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Crowinator rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopia-post-apocalypse, ya, genre-science-fiction, 2012-reads, memorably-scary-or-disturbing, everything-is-turning-out-so-dark, adult, favorites-2012

First Line: “There was a low droning overhead a week after the Detonations; time was hard to track.”

Cover Story: Paperweight.

I’d put this paperweight on my desk. It would look snazzy. As a book cover, though, I don’t know; the butterfly and dome both figure into the story, but the image isn’t as evocative as it should be for a purely symbolic cover. I don’t think it accurately conveys the tone of the book. (Maybe that is the point but I often pick up a book based on the cover, and I think this o ...more

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May 10, 2011 Brooke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dystopian-sci-fi, i-own-a-copy, out-in-2012, arc, big-bad-evil-people, multi-pov

4.5 stars.

Pure is a gritty, intense, gruesome, disturbing, gripping and incredibly original post-apocalyptic / dystopian novel.

Set in a world 10 years after what could only be described as a nuclear holocaust, the Detonations, the reader is quickly made aware that there are two distinct groups of people. The first are the Pures, a 'superior' group of healthy, well cared for individuals with (seemingly) no imperfections. The Pures are people who were either inside a structure called the Dome, des 4.5 stars.

Pure is a gritty, intense, gruesome, disturbing, gripping and incredibly original post-apocalyptic / dystopian novel.

Set in a world 10 years after what could only be described as a nuclear holocaust, the Detonations, the reader is quickly made aware that there are two distinct groups of people. The first are the Pures, a 'superior' group of healthy, well cared for individuals with (seemingly) no imperfections. The Pures are people who were either inside a structure called the Dome, designed to withstand a disaster like the Detonations, or those lucky enough to make it in in the moments following the disaster. The second group are the wretches, people who were not in or around the Dome, people who have been fused to metal, glass, animals, objects, nature and even other people. The thing they are fused to is whatever (or whoever) they were standing closest to or holding on to when the Detonations took place.

Pressia is a wretch. She lives in an abandoned Barber shop with her grandfather and pet Cicada, Freedle, left to scavenge and barter for food with trinkets she learned to make from scraps of metal and wire she recovers from the debris on the streets. As is the law, when Pressia's 16th birthday rolls around, her name is listed on a notice, indicating that it is her time to turn herself in to the OSR to be trained as a Soldier or worse, used as a live target for Soldier training. Pressia's Grandfather tells her she must escape, she knows they will be looking for her, so she turns to an acquaintance for somewhere to hide.

Bradwell is the acquaintance, a fellow wretch with birds fused into his back. Bradwell has been living alone since approximately 9 years of age, after his parents were murdered in their sleep. His carers were killed in the detonations, and he has well and truly learnt to fend for himself. Together, he and Pressia hear rumors of a Pure who has escaped from the Dome. Such an escape is unheard of, and it isn't long before rumors are running wild.

Partridge, a Pure, is the son of Ellery Willux, the man in charge of the Dome and also one of the Dome's original creators. After his brother's apparent suicide, and being told that his mother was killed trying to save victims of the Detonations, Partridge feels more alone then ever and decides that he wants out.

The three meet, cue action. The story alternates between 5 points of view (the other two being additional characters were are introduced to, El Capitan and Lyda - I will leave their stories for you to discover on your own) which may sound like a lot, however is wonderfully executed. It was easy to keep up with each alternation as the story flowed flawlessly - while you may be going from an outside-of-the-dome setting to an inside-the-dome setting, everything continues on in sequence.

As someone has described an another early review, Pure has the perfect balances character and plot development, each spurred on by the other. There were pages which felt a bit like 'fillers' and didn't really add anything to the book and, if anything, caused a bit of a lull in the story progression. They certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole though, but they could be removed and nothing would be missed.

As for the comparisons to Suzanne Collins' 'The Hunger Games' I don't think that the comparisons really warranted, if I am being honest. The two are incredibly different, and while there are similarities (i.e. the Dome "bugs" people - they can see, hear what the bugged person is seeing / hearing, similar to the Capitol monitoring the Districts / Tributes etc.), the plots are most certainly, unrelated and not comparable.

I eagerly await the release of the next book in this series, I can't wait to see where things go from here. An excellent novel from Julianna Baggott!

Nic - on to you next!
...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Cathy Day added it

Shelves: 2011-books, for-my-students

This book "crosses over" between literary and genre in a way that Hunger Games does not (although I certainly liked Hunger Games). What qualities push a book from genre towards "literary?" In this case, it's 1.) the cultural commentary, the idea, the speculative nature of the premise and subject matter; Pure is more overtly political than Hunger Games, and this appeals to me as an adult reader and what dissatisfied me about H.G. And, 2.) Pure is better on the on the sentence level, more psycholo ...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Diana Stormblessed rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian, series-to-finish, series

I have never had a harder book to review. While reading this book, knowing I was going to review it, I would fluctuate between 2 and 4 stars depending on where I was in the book. I guess its just so different than what I had expected. The best way I can describe this book is a mix between The Road (except instead of zombies eating people, its post-nuclear mutants eating people) and Under the Never Sky (where its the people in a dome vs the savages outside it, except this would be less YA and wit I have never had a harder book to review. While reading this book, knowing I was going to review it, I would fluctuate between 2 and 4 stars depending on where I was in the book. I guess its just so different than what I had expected. The best way I can describe this book is a mix between The Road (except instead of zombies eating people, its post-nuclear mutants eating people) and Under the Never Sky (where its the people in a dome vs the savages outside it, except this would be less YA and with more death and gore).

This book is not for everyone. The author creates a world where you can not only see the horrible life that these survivors are living, but you can feel it. in terms of world building, I give this book an A+. The problem is that in a world this horrible I could have done with a little less detail. I don't need to imagine every mutation on every survivor, every horror, every disgusting detail possible, every possible way to die. I know this world is a horrible place, and the real world has some horrible places as well, but after a point, it felt like the author was trying too hard. Making sure the idea was drilled into your head. I have to add, I cannot believe this book is YA. No, there's no sex, but still I wouldn't want to read this as a teen.

But as a book goes, the writing was fabulous. The imagery was wonderfully descriptive. The book was written from 4 points of view. Mostly Pressia and Partridge, but also El Capitan and Lyda in certain parts. I liked the way the book was split, because it gave us different views, and in a book like this, its nice to see from multiple eyes. Pressia and Partridge are pretty easy characters to empathize with, and even El Capitan tugged at my heart. I especially liked Bradwell. He was the only character that I really thought was an interesting, well written, strong character. The one I felt for the most. Lyda, on the other hand, I thought was fairly pointless, and the chapters about her basically bored me. Additionally, her "relationship" with Partridge felt forced. They barely knew each other, but she went through so much for him. I couldn't believe it.

Overall, it was a wonderfully written book about a horribly depressing subject. It started a little slow but picked up quickly and stayed captivating. I didn't agree with how easily some of the pieces fit together, but overall it made sense. In the end, though, I was left with questions about the explosion (Did it take out the whole US? Was it just one city? If so, where's the rest of the help? If it was the whole country, was there only 1 dome? I didn't really get the point of the explosion in the first place. And a few more questions that would qualify as spoilers.) This book is definitely worth a read, but I could have done with a little less detail and a little more getting to the point.

To read more reviews check out: http://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/ ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Megan rated it liked it

PURE has the distinction of being one of the most hyped books of early 2012. Film rights, a massive auction and a huge advance to the author, a great deal of talk from every corner of the publishing community. As a book that straddles the line between YA and traditional adult fiction, PURE has a lot going for it on paper. And the idea for the book itself is wonderful. I read the synopsis and knew immediately that I needed to read the book. But the moment I turned on my kindle and started reading PURE has the distinction of being one of the most hyped books of early 2012. Film rights, a massive auction and a huge advance to the author, a great deal of talk from every corner of the publishing community. As a book that straddles the line between YA and traditional adult fiction, PURE has a lot going for it on paper. And the idea for the book itself is wonderful. I read the synopsis and knew immediately that I needed to read the book. But the moment I turned on my kindle and started reading, I ran into a large number of issues that damaged my reading experience.

The story of a young girl named Pressia, a victim of the Detonations left with a doll’s head fused in place of her hand, and Partridge, a boy raised in the Dome, PURE is a post-apocalyptic, science fiction-heavy adventure story. On page one I realized immediately that PURE was going to have a lot of one thing – description. Baggott is a wonderful descriptive writer, with a great attention to detail and imagery that leaps off the page. When description is not accompanied by plot, though, it becomes boring very quickly. We are treated to pages of descriptive passages of deformities and the wastelands after the Detonations, but it wasn’t until 50% in exactly for me that anything began to happen. When a book takes over 200 pages to reach a firm start to the book, it’s not a good sign.

Where PURE suffered was pacing. For me, it took 75% of the book before we get to the real chunk of the story with break-neck action, real character development, and the revelation of plenty of things I had begun to suspect. In fact, a lot of the twists were obvious and convenient while others were definitely awesome and took me by surprise. Pressia, Partridge, and their comrades are for the most part very well written, strong characters. For the most part. Secondary characters, though, often faded into the background or simply served as set dressing. Some even seemed like flat caricatures created from clichés, and others were there and gone without any real purpose. I also felt that the two additional points of view besides the important leads Pressia and Partridge – the POVs of El Capitan and Lyda – detracted from the narrative, especially since neither brought much to the table besides access to additional intrigue that the reader did not need to know.

The world building for me was standard YA-level post-apocalyptic dystopian world building. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the atomic blast did not create anywhere near the level of mutations caused, leaving me scratching my head, especially after Hiroshima is mentioned (also, if you ever visit Japan, Hiroshima is a very lovely city – try the okonomiyaki!). If you are a victim of a nuclear bomb, three things might happen – you’ll die a quick and painless death, you’ll die of radiation poisoning (either a few days or weeks later, or maybe even months or years thanks to cancer) and it will hurt, or you’ll be lucky and just have a lot of burns or be crushed by a building you’re in. Fun times.

(I have been told that I need to stop poking holes in this, that this is a book and not real life, but still, I think people have a right to know that a nuclear bomb isn’t going to fuse them to their cat or their beloved cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen. But in case you are curious, click HERE to learn more about surviving a nuclear bomb.)

However, this book is extremely thought provoking, particularly aspects of the culture inside the dome and the role of women in their society. It definitely drives to the heart examining gender roles, and also the way that human beings cope in the face of danger. Picturing myself in their situation, I don’t know how I’d have made it either way. Being fused to my computer would totally suck, and having to breathe through a fan in my throat? No thanks!

I will definitely be reading book 2 if only to see what Baggott can think up next, but I hope her editor helps her cut down on a lot of the random excess description. If this book had been more about plot and the progression of the story rather than about description, it would have been five very enthusiastic stars.

VERDICT: Bogged down with too much description and attention to detail, PURE’s wonderful premise and interesting characters are overshadowed by the world they live in – which is rarely a good thing.
...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Samantha rated it did not like it

Shelves: least-favorites, didn-t-finish, goodreads-first-reads

I won Pure as a giveaway from Goodreads First Reads. Pure is a dystopian novel about the world after an atomic bomb has been dropped. A select group of people were saved from the disastrous effects and live in a highly protected dome. The survivors outside the dome are gruesomely deformed; fused to whatever they were touching when the bomb hit. The main character Pressia has a doll head fused to her hand; others have it worse and are fused to birds, siblings, or even the ground.

I couldn't finis ...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Heidi rated it liked it

Three and a half stars: This book takes you to a dark ravaged existence after a nuclear apocalypse.

Pressia adjusts the ratty sock that covers the doll head fused to her hand, as she hurries down the dark alley, anxious to get home to her ailing grandfather. She glances up at the darkened sky. Everywhere there is swirling ash and dust. It is a landscape devoid of color, everything is black, grey and dirty. The world is one of decay, ash, scars and death. Pressia, is among the many survivors, ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Steph rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 2011, 4-star-recs

Originally posted @ The Night Bookmobile

Pure is one of the most original post-apocalyptic stories I’ve come across. Patridge’s world inside the dome reflects a more familiar setting, the sort of dystopia story we are used to, with residents of the dome living under a strict new set of rules put in place by the new leaders, to supposedly protect them from repeating their tragic history. The citizens of the dome listen to only sanctioned songs, dine on soytex pills for their meals, and only those Originally posted @ The Night Bookmobile

Pure is one of the most original post-apocalyptic stories I’ve come across. Patridge’s world inside the dome reflects a more familiar setting, the sort of dystopia story we are used to, with residents of the dome living under a strict new set of rules put in place by the new leaders, to supposedly protect them from repeating their tragic history. The citizens of the dome listen to only sanctioned songs, dine on soytex pills for their meals, and only those selected as genetically superior are allowed to breed. Life outside the dome, however, is much different. Both sides of the Dome are filled with characters who long for the littlest bits of the past, and both lives are horrifying, in their own way.

Outside the Dome, the word “good” doesn’t mean what you think it means… Pressia’s world is suffering the after effects of an unusual cocktail of atomic bombs. It hurts the heart to think that my very own country has used atomic bombs against people. These are not things that we can afford to forget. Pressia’s story is not entirely unrealistic, and I think that’s why this story hits so close to home, and felt more terrifying to me than other dystopian plots.

Pressia was definitely my favorite character in the novel. Her personality was endearing. In another environment, Pressia would probably be a quieter character. You see a lot of that in her inner voice. Pressia’s world forces her to be more pragmatic, a survivor, much more than the normal sixteen year old girl that she so desperately wants to be. Pressia was seven when the detonations hit. She does not know what handshakes are and she doesn’t remember eggs or lemonade. Pressia’s journey isn’t one of rebellion. Like all of the kids in this novel, she is just trying to survive in a world gone horribly wrong.

I found the parts of the plot that focused on who got into the Dome to be very interesting. Without giving too much away, those who got into the Dome were very rich, very religious, and very powerful. Before the end, church attendance was a matter of public record, and a group called the “feminine feminists” gave off a very Handmaid’s Tale vibe. The leaders in the Dome choose to describe the people left behind as sick in the head and criminally insane. This is frightening given the state of politics in our world.

Many comparisons are drawn in the novel between Pressia and Partridge’s worlds. What is the definition of beauty? Can it exist inside the Dome walls when most of life inside is fabricated? Can it exist outside where the atomic bombs have caused such destruction and created such deformities? Lyda, a resident of the Dome, spends time looking out a window that has been created to represent the scenery outside, but is not actually real. The window makes Lyda feel manipulated. Outside, Pressia makes beauty out of recycled parts and turns them into birds and other little creatures, despite being ashamed of her own mutation. I think the conclusion is, life outside the Dome will always be more beautiful, because despite everything else it’s real. The survivor’s scars and mutations are beautiful because it means they have survived.

As a side note, I am even more afraid of motherhood after reading this novel. If you’ve read, you will see why! Also, I may never wear gaudy jewelry again.

Recommendation: I do think that Pure will appeal to only a certain reader. Others will find it too dark or too grotesque. The people in Pure tend to have mutations that will make you rather uncomfortable. There also isn’t a whole lot of rebellion here, for those of you who prefer the more action packed “fist pump” dystopias. There is action here, but it’s of a different kind, and much time is spent unraveling how this world came to be and the character’s roles in that. To sum it up: you should read this if you are looking for something different from the genre, you can appreciate a slower story, and you aren’t easily unnerved. It’s worth it. ...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Gayle rated it it was amazing

If you liked THE HUNGER GAMES, you'll love PURE. The best dystopia I've ever read. We know there will be two more books in the series plus a movie. My concern is I won't live long enough to see it all come to fruition.
I admire Julianna Baggott and her talent, no matter which name she uses to publish. (Bridget Asher, N.E. Bode)

In PURE the devastation was far reaching, causing melding of bodies or objects with bodies. Our heroine, Pressia, has a doll head for her left hand. A mother has a child mo ...more

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About Julianna Baggott

Julianna Baggott

1,366 followers

Connect with Julianna Baggott on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/JuliannaBaggott

Check out the new novel -- PURE
http://www.pure-book.com

Also writes under the pen names N.E. Bode and Bridget Asher.

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott is the author of eighteen books, most notably her recent novel PURE, the first in a dystopian trilogy, a New York Times Book Review's Editor's Cho ...more