Pure (Pure Trilogy, #1)

by Julianna Baggott

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