Review: Partials - Dan Wells

Partials
Dan Wells
Series: Partials Sequence, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Refreshing
On Goodreads

I discovered Partials by complete accident. After purchasing some other book on my Nook, there were a few suggestions in the side that I was about to ignore, until I accidentally hit something I didn't mean to and ended up on the purchase page for Partials. After reading the description of the book, I wanted to read it so badly I downloaded it onto my Nook and started reading it before the book I initially purchased. And then the next day I bought a physical copy and finished reading it that way.

Anyway, this book totally and completely lived up to my expectations of it. I was promised a book about a dystopian, war-torn society in which humans are barely existent, and "Partials," which are "engineered organic beings identical to humans" are at war with the few that remain. A virus is killing off all humans not immune to it, and none of the babies in over ten years have been born immune, which means humans will die off if no one is there to carry on the lines. The book centers around Kira, a sixteen year old who gets right in the middle of the action. It seems like a lot for one book, but Dan Wells delivers it wonderfully.

My favorite thing about this book is that it succeeded in being different. When it comes to the books about futuristic, war-torn societies, or books about cyborgs and robots versus humans, or dystopian fiction in general, it's very easy to write a book that is similar to all the rest, that doesn't stand above anything and contains the same recycled plot over and over again. While the book's premise seemed interesting enough, I was skeptical as to how well it would be delivered. Having read it, I can say without a doubt that it succeeds in standing out. Dan Wells wrote a book that was refreshing in a genre full of the same old stuff. The characters were likable and easy to get invested in, the plot moved along very smoothly, and there were revelations and plot elements that kept me on my toes. There was only one plot point that I thought was obvious from the beginning and even though I had figured it out, there were still chills sent down my spine as I read it happen. Even though I had a guess of what was to come, I still was affected by it as if I had never even had the thought, because of how well it was written.

Overall, I thought this book did an amazing job of providing a fresh new story. I also really loved the way the characters were all three dimensional. I loved Kira and Samm and all the other characters, and the story itself, and I commend Dan Wells for a novel well written. I own the second book in the series and intend on reading it as soon as possible, hopefully over winter break.

- Noor

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