Pure (Pure Trilogy, #1)

by Julianna Baggott

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.

Pressia Belze has lived outside of the Dome ever since the detonations. Struggling for survival she dreams of life inside the safety of the Dome with the 'Pure'.

Partridge, himself a Pure, knows that life inside the Dome, under the strict control of the leaders' regime, isn't as perfect as others think.

Bound by a history that neither can clearly remember, Pressia and Partridge are destined to forge a new world.

• ISBN10: 1306747589
• ISBN13: 9781306747585
• Publish Date: 1 January 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 12 May 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Grand Central Publishing
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I had such a great conversation about this book with my husband last night.  I have deeply conflicting feelings about Pure.  I really enjoyed it.  It really bothered me.  Matt and I came to the conclusion of:  "It's interesting, but it doesn't work, but it's interesting, but it doesn't work."  And we kept going on like that for a while.

Pure is a post-apocalyptic fantasy told in four different voices.  Most of the action takes place in the destroyed world, where survivors are deformed and fused to objects and animals as an effect of detonations (often compared to Hiroshima, so presumably nuclear).  In contrast, there is the Dome.  The Dome, where people were saved and protected before the detonations.  Where the "pures" live.

I was all ready to write a review to tell y'all how much I loved the characters and the story, but how the science didn't work. I sat on that knife's edge of so-good-but-does-not-work until the last couple hours of the book. Then, in a quick and careful sentence that would have been easily dismissed if I hadn't been obsessively waiting for it, everything was cleared up and the world building holes filled.

Pure is a great dystopia.  After The Hunger Games surged to popularity, dystopias were a dime a dozen.  Most of them followed the same outline... we are inside something, we need to escape it.  Most had love triangles.  Pure has sibling relationships, friendships, blossoming relationships, relationships between parents and children.  The world building in it is great.  I loved it up until the very ending.

The ending suddenly changed voices to new ones we hadn't heard for the entire book.  It felt rushed.  Up to that point, the entire book felt very genuine, choosing not to use too many tropes or cliches, but at the very end I thought things got a little cheesy.  Overall, though, the heroes and villains took different shapes than normal.  Pressia was really interesting.  She was cautious and genuine and a little detached, but in a good way.

This book moves slowly and steadily, but I really recommend giving it a try.  If for no other reason than the world building, which was gritty and fascinating, this is worth reading.  But I liked the characters as well - El Capitan was the standout for me, but they were all really great. Good characters, good plot, INCREDIBLE world.

A pretty awesome book to end the year on and I look forward to reading the second book!

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

This review is also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

Pure is a highly imaginative and thoughtful novel that will appeal to readers of all ages. The book is focused on issues that will resonate with many children and teens, but does not have a “young” voice or approach to its difficult subject matter. Baggott assumes her readers are intelligent and prepared to face the issues that Pressia and Partridge do. She leads readers through a wild, unique world and asks them to think deeply about life, mortality, childhood, and truth.

Pressia and Patridge are both richly developed characters who must adapt quickly to the circumstances of their broken world. They must define and redefine survival, strength, and trust. Each grows tremendously throughout the book and will doubtless continue to do so through the series. Readers are treated to chapters in both of their point of views, as well as two other characters’. Although the POV switches can be surprising at first, as there is no pattern, Baggott thoughtfully explained in a talk that I attended that she writes each chapter from the point of view of the character with the most at stake in the scene. So far, I think this approach is working well and adds a level of intensity to the novel that might not otherwise be present.

The prose of Pure is haunting and beautiful, and it also helps make the story palatable—at least to readers like me. I shied away from Pure for awhile, thinking myself too squeamish to handle a novel where characters are fused to objects, animals, and even other characters. A man with birds embedded in his back? Gross. However, Baggott writes the story in a way that these events seem about as natural as they must have become to the characters. It may be disturbing, but it is possible to overcome repulsion and move on with life. One gets the sense from Pure that perseverance like this is one of humanity’s greatest strengths.

One of my most highly recommended reads of 2013.

[clementine]

I read a lot of YA dystopian, and if you follow my activity on here with any degree of interest, you're probably going, "Um, duh." Out of the 41 books I've read so far this year, 14 of them have been dystopian. I just have a deep love for the genre. And while I do enjoy YA dystopian, obviously, the genre in general seems to be a bit stagnant as of late. I keep seeing the same barely fleshed out character archetypes, the same types of events.

And that's why I appreciated Pure so much: it was something new in pretty much every way. Part of it reminded me a bit of Michael Grant's Gone series - the dome, the multiple POVs, the mutations, the fact that it really pushed the boundaries of what makes most people comfortable. However, it was better-plotted, better-developed, and better-written than that series, and didn't have to rely just on the shock factor. (Plus, the plot was totally different.)

First of all, the premise of Pure is awesome. It's something recognizably dystopian - a nearly unrecognizable world destroyed by human actions, a corrupt and downright evil government - that Baggott has played around with to create a refreshingly different world. And the world-building! I could imagine everything very vividly, and it was quite atmospheric. The Dome itself was a little less well-described, but I think there will be room for that in the next book.

At first I thought I'd be bothered by the multiple shifting POVs, since I generally find that to be a somewhat lazy literary device, and it's not used very well in a lot of books. But it worked really well here, partly because the number of characters was limited, and partly because everything came together very well and every character really was important. Although it's obvious that Pressia and Partridge are the main characters, Lyda's and El Capitan's POVs helped make the world even more vivid, and they were of course important to the plot.

I liked the individual characters a lot, too. I think there's probably room for more development, but they felt pretty realistic to me. Sometimes I have a hard time giving a shit about characters in YA novels because for some reason there doesn't seem to be a lot of focus on character development, but I truly did care about the outcome of Pure. Pressia's an especially good character. I like her a lot.

I loved how deliciously dark and gruesome Pure was. There were points where I felt a bit queasy, and where my heart literally sped up. A lot of it was pretty gross - even just the introduction to Pressia's doll fist was a bit shocking to me. I tend to enjoy pretty graphic and twisted books, so even though sometimes it was a bit hard to take, I loved all those details. I also liked that Baggott wasn't afraid to kill off characters. When Lyda opens the box and sees the fan I literally gasped, because that was a pretty difficult and significant death. I was saddened by it, but it was realistic.

My one major gripe would be the romance aspect. I don't know why every single YA dystopian novel has to have some kind of romance sub-plot. I thought this one was handled better, since Bradwell isn't the archetypal hot-but-kind-of-dickish-guy-with-no-discernible-personality, and it didn't take over the entire book (and made some sense, really), but it would be awesome to not have to focus on romance in these books. I read dystopian for the worldbuilding and speculative aspects, not the romance.

I'm really looking forward to the second book. I think Pure works as a standalone book, and I'm a bit wary of the idea of a series (as they generally go downhill), but I enjoyed Pure so much that I really am excited to be immersed in the world again.

Originally posted on my blog Oh, For the Love of Books!

Wow…….that was not what I was expecting. And that’s not a bad thing.



Pure is dark. Its raw and dangerous and twisted. This has got to the one of the darkest dystopians I’ve ever read. Most other dystopian books at least have a bit of fluff, but not Pure. Its nothing but death, destruction and carnage and I loved it. Though I warn you now, if you can’t handle that stuff, do not read it. You have been warned.


Pure takes place after a bomb, also called the Detonation, is set off in America. This harmed everyone in some way, except for those that made it to the Dome before the Detonations. This book takes place between two main POVs. There is that of Pressia who was outside the Dome, and Partridge who was inside the dome.

Those outside the dome are called wretches, someone who was fused with something because of the detonations. Yes, you read right: fused. These detonations, if they didn’t kill you, caused you to fuse with whatever you were touching at the time, whether it be an animal or a toy or even a stone. It was absolute destruction. There were even those that fused with the earth, called Dusts. However, those that were inside the Dome came away unscathed.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it really digs into human nature. This book is a story of survival and what people are willing to do in order to live. Each character reacted to the Detonations differently. You have Pressia who is resigned to what happens and tries to see the beauty even in the destruction. Although she lost so much, she doesn’t become a savage. She does whatever it takes to take care of her grandpa. Then there is Bradwell who is a conspiracy theorist who believes that it is easier to survive when alone. However, he is incredibly intelligent, strong, tough and may just prove to be right. You have Partridge who was fed lies in the dome. Who loves his mother so much that he decides to do anything he can to find his mother who didn’t make it to the dome. El Capitan who has to carry the weight of this brother. Who is resigned and goes with the group that seems to be winning.

Each of these characters reacts in their own way. This book really takes “survival to the fittest” to a whole new level. Its shows such a stark reality that really makes you think. We’d all like to think that we’d still be ourselves if such a thing happened but would we? Morals and values tend to disappear when your fighting for you life. People are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Only the strong remain.

However, it wasn’t only the characters that were interesting, but the story itself. I can’t say to much without giving stuff away but I will say that there are parts that will shock you and there are twists. It also shows that people can be plain awful. Actually that doesn’t even do the villain justice. He’s crazy, sick, twisted, desperate…I just had a hard time believing someone could do that.

However, although I loved this book, there were a few things that bugged me.
1. where exactly did the bomb go off? I’m assuming somewhere in the middle of the US because if they were at the center, it would have disintegrated them. However, since they still lived but were still fused, I assume they were on the edge of the bombs radius.
2. Pressia, actually all of them, are rather smart for having hardly any education. The detonations happened when they were all in elementary.
3. What about the other countries? I assume they know what happened but have they sent no help? Is there any communication? Or are they part of it? I'd just like to know a bit about how the rest of the world, specifically our allies, reacted.
4. a few other inconsitancies but nothing drastic (and at this moment I can’t think of any specifics so they must not have bothered me to much!)

However, although there are some things that bugged me, the rawness and starkness completely blew my mind making me forget about these small things.

Pure is dark, twisted, and depressing. But it is also a story of hope. It is a story of human survival. It is both twisted and beautiful, a lethal combination. If you can handle dark stories, this is a must-read.

All the best ♥
Mackenzie

[rakesandrogues]

What makes PURE by Julianna Baggott so different is the post-apocalyptic world that she has created. Her descriptive writing brings out the gore, mutilations, and sometimes the beauty from the pages. The writing is vivid that I can just close my eyes and see Julianna Baggott's world come to life. The survivors of the Detonations are anything but pretty. They are strong and determined and unfortunately characterized by their mutilations.

PURE by Julianna Baggott is told from the perspective of various characters, but mainly focuses on the narratives of Pressia and Partridge. Though at first I thought that the other narratives were a bit distracting, they are integral to the overall story. Julianna Baggott does not include them just because. The characters' narratives are seamlessly integrated by the end of the book.

Julianna Baggott takes the time to cultivate her characters and the world in PURE so the pacing was a bit slow. At first, PURE by Julianna Baggott was a page-turner because the world she has created is so novel and interesting, but after a while, the excitement plateaus when there is not a lot of action going on. Nothing really happens until the last third of the book. Usually, I would have Big Issues with this, but because PURE by Julianna Baggott is about a world that's just so striking, I was willing to let the issue slide. Furthermore, that last third of PURE by Julianna Baggott was absolutely gripping and full of jaw-dropping awesomeness. The slow build-up made for a much more satisfying climax.

As a note, I do think that this one is more of an adult book than a young adult book, though the characters are mid to late teens. The themes in this book are a lot heavier than your typical young adult dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I think there is certainly a lot of young adult appeal for teen readers, but keep in mind that PURE by Julianna Baggott is a heavier read because yes, she makes you think. Julianna Baggott makes readers question the consequences of atomic and nuclear weapons. Yes, PURE is a work of fiction, but in reality, the effects of these weapons are scary, too. Julianna Baggott wants readers to think about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The extent of the damage of the nuclear weapons used in World War II are still felt to this day. Furthermore, there was always the thought of what if lurking in my head as I read the book: what if this happened to us?

The world-building is fantastic and Julianna Baggott knows how to put her readers at the edge of her seat. But because of the slow beginning, I do believe that PURE by Julianna Baggott is suited for older readers who are already established fans of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic genre. I would suggest Borrowing this book before buying it, unless you really, really love this genre.

[Angie]

I received a free digital copy through Net Galley.

Pure is dark and disturbing. It takes place 9 years following the detonations which destroyed the Earth, turning it into a place completely unrecognizable. Those who survived have been fused with animals, objects, the Earth itself, and with each other. All except those within the Dome, the Pures.

The first 60% of this reads more like a series of events, rather than a plot driven story, but I really liked that. There's a ton of world building and character development, and it's truly fascinating to learn about this new world that has been created. However, there are time when these descriptions seem to veer off too far, get confusing, and don't seem to add anything of importance.

Overall, this was a great start to a new series. The ending wasn't exactly a happy one, but it definitely leaves a feeling of hope for the following books.