Dystopian Giveaway Hop

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & My Shelf Confessions, the Dystopian Giveaway Hop features novels from this extremely popular genre and gives readers a chance to win some of their favorites or dystopian novels they are looking forward to reading!

dys·to·pi·a

noun

a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

Ed and I are offering ONE winner their choice of a signed paperback copy of Delirium by Lauren Oliver OR signed hardback of Partials by Dan Wells.

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: February 1, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

441 Pages

THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever.And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Partials (Partials Sequence #1) by Dan Wells

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: February 28, 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

468 Pages

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only 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 have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of 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 find 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.

Giveaway Details:

- One winner will receive their choice of a signed copy of Delirium by Lauren Oliver OR a signed copy of Partials by Dan Wells

- Open internationally

- One enterant per household
- Cheating results in immediate disqualification

- Ends 11/8/2012

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AND CHECK OUT OUR GIVEAWAY OF SIX SIGNED FIERCE READS NOVELS (US/CAN).

FIND IT here.

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.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

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FIND THE BOOK:

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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!

Teaser Tuesday: Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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"Jayden was lying on the floor by the closed doorway, holding one of Kira's medical tools: a small viewer with a narrow, flexible handle. It was designed for looking at noses and throats, but it worked just as well as a sort of tiny periscope--he'd curled it under the door and around the corner, giving him a perfect view of the rigged living room."
Chapter Fifteen, Page 167
Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells

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