Book Review: Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: Feburary 28, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
468 Pages

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.

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Review:

This book was one that I was really, really looking forward to. I was lucky enough to have snagged two signed copies from a signing that the author participated in with Kimberly Derting and Jill Hathaway. I jumped onto reading it as soon as I could.

As I read the first chapter, the first word that came to mind was powerful. I have found that not many authors can write from the opposite gender's voice without it sounding forced or unrealistic. That is not the case in this story. Dan Wells' words were powerful. I read every word with a solemn respect. I love Kira's voice. She's full of hope and a desire to help her fellow humans, but she wants to know the truth. During the book, you uncover a lot of things and Kira's goals include finding out the truth that could possibly save the world.

The quote on the back of the book jacket really reminded me of Mira Grant's zombie series, Newsflesh. It has a haunting perspective. I loved that part of it. It also reminded me of the Newsflesh series in the way that it had a complicated storyline. While Newsflesh is based on journalism, politics and some science, Partials is all about science, military and some politics. The world that Mr. Wells creates is scary. Not just because the human race is beginning to die out, but because the government is too scared to make any rash decisions. They are trying to work out a way to save newborn babies from dying from RM, but don't know how to do it and are too afraid to branch out and try dissecting what created RM for details.

Kira is very mature. I couldn't picture as a sixteen-year-old. She seemed at least twenty to me. I can't tell if the author meant to write her that way or not. It works for the story, but it's a little far-fetched for me to believe that she's only sixteen. This is especially apparent as she does her studies of RM and works in research. I couldn't see this girl that Dan Wells writes as someone who isn't even legally an adult. Her age doesn't make her story any less intriguing. Kira is very brave. She's strong, determined and a hard worker. And even though most of the people in the world that she lives in are close-minded and don't want to take risks, she explores the possibilities and keeps an open mind in everything she does.

I was surprised to find a number of mistakes in the book. A couple spelling errors, a mix up of names in conversations, and some punctuation issues, too. I really nit-pick for these kinds of mistakes, but I was surprised to find ones that really stuck out in a novel that was as anticipated and with a top publisher. 

I love the characters. Marcus and Xochi are two of my favorites because they add the comedic relief to the story. They can both be serious, but most of the time, they are light-hearted and refreshingly fun characters. Another of my favorites was Jayden. He was a serious character. But fiercely loyal. I loved him from the minute he was mentioned. The main characters in this story are all friends, and they love each other dearly. There bonds are so wonderful to read. They fight, sure, but at the end of the day, they support each other. (Though I hated Haru from the beginning and will always hate him. Let this be a declaration.)

The plot moved quickly. I think it was the perfect pace for the book. While I had a little trouble getting started, Just before I got half way through, I got obsessed. The action in this story is phenomenal. And the ending left me horribly depressed, but hopeful at the same time. I am eagerly anticipating book two!