ARC Review: Burn by Julianna Baggott PERFECTION!

Title: Burn (Pure #3)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 4th 2014 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Provided by the kind publisher..

Inside the Dome, Patridge has taken his father's place as leader of the Pures. His struggle has led him here, intent upon bringing down the Dome from the inside, with the help of a secret resistance force. But things are not as simple from his new position of power and he finds himself tempted by his father's words: perhaps if the world is to survive it needs the Dome - and Partridge - to rule it...

As Partridge's resolve weakens, Pressia and Bradwell continue piecing together the clues left to them from the time before the Detonations. It is their hope that they will be able to heal the Wretches, and free them from their monstrous fusings and the Dome's oppression once and for all. But everything depends, too, on Partridge. Separated by distance and history, can they still trust their friend and ally? Or is the world doomed to an eternity of war and hardship?

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Really Loved It

-- My Thoughts --

     I read this series because I had received the third and final book, Burn, for review. I cannot believe I was missing out on such an amazing masterpiece of the dystopian genre, and the whole book writing career as a whole.
     Pressia and Partridge are separated again. Pressia is with Bradwell and El Capitan searching for the truth about their existence and why the Denotations happened and whether the world outside survived. Partridge is inside the Dome with Lyda, moving his father's regime and making his people accept to live with the Wretches outside the Dome. But it's not that easy. And a lot of things will happen that none of them would have expected.
     The world-building in this final book in the trilogy was phenomenal. It was dense, vivid, and it felt so real, you could almost feel like you are right there, with the characters. This is an amazing feeling that not many authors accomplish.
     But it's also clear that Julianna Baggott's books concentrate more on her characters and what actually happens to them. They are more character-oriented than plot-oriented. And I like that a lot. her characters shine through in this book. And she breathed new life into them. They are like long-time friends that you know every single thing about. The familiarity with the characters was increasing along with every single page, so it's really hard to part with any of them when the time comes.
     The romance was beautiful. Not as much present as I hoped it would be. But the times that it dominated over the plot were wonderful. I admire love stories in hard times, they are such a great example of how humans are capable of the purest of emotions in the worst of times. The ending was something I DID NOT expect at all. When I turned the last page, I was shocked. I kept tapping on my phone seeing if i got a bad version or something. Because it just could NOT finish like that. I have to say that when I first finished this book,I HATED the ending. Literally. But now that a couple of weeks have passed, I don't hate it anymore, I just wanted an ending with more definite shape. I wanted to know what was going to happen to my characters. There were too many loose ends for my taste.
     Nonetheless, I am very sad that this series is over. Because it turned itself into one of my favorites in the span of only a couple of weeks while i read all three books. I am waiting, patiently, of course, for Julianna Baggott to write her next masterpiece.

Review: Fuse by Julianna Baggott PERFECT!

Title: Fuse (Pure #2)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 19th 2013 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
Source: Owned

We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price...

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Loved it

-- My Thoughts --

     This is becoming one of my favorite series, ever. I didn't know I was missing out on so much when I heard about the Pure Trilogy. I received the third book as an ARC for review, so I had to read the second one to get to it.
    Pressia is separated from Partridge. Pressia is searching for the truth, the truth about the secrets hidden by the Dome and the truth about the wretches and her people's fusings. While Partridge is with Lyda, and trying to figure out whether to get back to the dome and fight his father, once and for all.
     This book is pure, unaltered perfection. I have always had this idea that nothing is perfect, but this comes so close to being perfect, it nails it. The world-building is even more advanced than the first book. World-buildings are actually quite hard in the 2nd and 3rd books because authors have already built a complicated world by then, so what's more to add? But Julianna Baggott has a lot more in store for us and she surprised me with her vivid imagination through every single page.
     The plot is swift and fast-moving and there is no dull moment to be seen. There's so much at stake and you can feel the tension and the suspense building up. There is even more complicated alliances to behold but it's never too much or too hard to understand.
     The characters are more fleshed-out in this sequel. They are separated into two groups so it is really efficient for the author to keep chapters from different points of view, so that the reader can know what's going on as a whole. Then there are the characters themselves. I cannot believe that I can love them even more than I already do. Pressia and Lyda have proven to be perfect leading ladies in this series. I truly appreciate how the author didn't make them the stereotypical image of damsels in distress. No, they are strong women who can stand on their own.
    Then there's my favorite character, El Capitan. He always brings joy to the series, and I was so so happy that he finally got to fall in love, even though it is unrequited love. The romance in this sequel stands out more and it's more reckless, with the threat of death looming around them. I loved that about it.
     The ending froze my nerves and made me BEG for the third book. And how lucky I am. Because I'm reading it while writing this review. So, put your hopes up because this book is one PERFECT masterpiece for every fan of every genre out there!

Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure (Pure #1)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: YA Dystopian
Source: Owned

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 dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

-- My Rating --

5/5 Oscars: Loved it

-- My Thoughts --

     This is one of the most well-known books in the dystopian genre, as a whole. It is a national bestseller, if I am not wrong and I have been hearing constantly about it for two years. I just never had the time to read, or when i had the time, another book had the priority. Right now, I wish I had read it sooner.
     Pressia Belze is a Wretch. She lives in the land outside the Dome with her grandfather. She doesn't remember much of her childhood, but she knows the big explosion left her with a doll-head instead of a hand and her mother dead. Partridge is a Pure. He lives inside the Dome and there's physically nothing wrong with him and he's supposed to take his father's place in the future. But Partridge knows the secrets inside the Dome are sinister and that he has to venture outside to find out the truth, once and for all.
     World-building is one of the strongest suits of this book. Julianna Baggott has a vivid imagination that she perfectly phrases into words. She has created a truly new world within her head and on paper, a world that you cannot escape from. Her imagery is so vivid that you feel like you are there, with the characters, at all times.
     This plot was just epic. I don't really know how the author came up with the idea of Wretches and Pures, but it was amazing! All these little details that added up, and the huge explosion that ended the world as we knew it. All the characters with their impurities. A doll-head as a fist? A fan stuck in the throat for breathing? Birds fixed to the back of a guy? Words burned into a person's face? This plot was full of these deliciously creepy moments that I adored.
     I cannot begin to describe how the characters are. I fell in love with all, every single one of them. We have different chapters from different POVs. There's Pressia, our main character, which I truly absolutely LOVED. This girl is so tough, so real, it was beautiful to watch her grow through the course of this book. Then there's Partridge, our sweet innocent boy who gets thrown into a cruel world, he was annoying sometimes, but I still loved him, his loyalty. Bradwell and Lyda take appearances too. But my most favorite character is definitely El Capitan. He acts like he is much older than he actually is, and he acts cruel. but he has a heart of gold and I fell in love with everything he said, every single word.
     The romance is not the center on the stage in this book, but it does make an appearance. There's Partridge and Lyda and they make a cute couple, but you don't see much of them in this book. Then, there's Pressia and Bradwell, they have a lot of difficulties and nothing major has happened yet. And I am waiting for El Capitan to fall in love, too. With whom, I do not yet know.
    If you haven't already started this series, what the hell are you waiting for? This is one of the greatest masterpieces in YA literature, and the whole dystopian genre. I know that everyone will love it, you just have to.