Partials by Dan Wells

Partials (Partials Sequence, #1)

by Dan Wells

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.

Reviewed by Amber on

4 of 5 stars

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Review here: http://booksofamber.blogspot.com/2012/02/partials-by-dan-wells.html

Partials had a really slow start during the first third of the book. There were some big events - a bomb, a new law etc - but it didn't feel as though anything was happening. However, about 30% of the way in, this book finally started to pick up and it didn't stop, even at the end.

Dan Wells writes EXCELLENT action scenes. I was on the edge of my seat, and it was all very exciting. Everything was described perfectly, and I honestly don't think I've ever read any action sequences that are better written than these.

The ending was brilliant, and I'm really impressed at how Dan Wells kept the pacing way up there right until the very end.

There are a few plot twists, a couple of which I saw coming due to various clues in the story. I was also suspecting a lot of people of not being loyal to Kira and her cause, which I loved. I love not knowing who to trust!

The main character, Kira, is annoying. Really, REALLY annoying. She has a real temper, and she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut. She snaps over the slightest thing, and it got on my nerves. There is one scene in which her friend said something to her and Kira went crazy and started clawing at her face. Crazy. That said, there were times when I thought she was a really strong character. I hope she grows up in the next book. I also wish that she had been a bit older. She was really intelligent and worked as a medic, but she was only 16. I think if she had been 18 or so, and the story had been adjusted, it would have been more realistic.

Marcus, Kira's boyfriend, wasn't that great either. He's childish, moody, and I didn't like him. I have to admit, though, he did have some funny lines!

Now, there's also a character called Samm. I. LOVED. HIM. He was definitely my favourite character, as if you couldn't tell! He had some really funny lines, and he was badass.

Not many side characters I cared for apart from Jayden. He was an awesome character, and I wish we could have seen more of him as I was loving every moment that focussed on him.

Overall, this book was good! Despite the slow start, I really enjoyed reading it and the dystopian world it's set in is really well constructed with a horrible government! I'd definitely recommend it if you don't mind a main character like Kira or a book that lacks much romance!

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  • Started reading
  • 22 February, 2012: Finished reading
  • 22 February, 2012: Reviewed