REVIEW: PARTIALS BY DAN WELLS.

Title: Partials
Author: Dan Wells
Series: Partials #1
Edition: Paperback, International
Publication: February 28th 2012 by Balzer + Bray
Source: Bought from FullyBooked
Pages: 470
Genre: Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Romance

Synopsis:

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.

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I've had this for quite a while and I'm glad I didn't rush myself to read it or delayed too much. The timing (especially on my reading schedule) was perfect that I get to savor each page with such eagerness not only to finish but to completely live in its world even for just a week or so.

The world is destroyed by a war and the human race is decimated by the airborne RM virus brought by Partials. They are human-like projects with altered genetic codes suited for battle and they're created by ParaGen. Set in 2076, newborns get to live only a few days. Humans at the brink of extinction, The Senate made the Hope Act, making all sixteen-year-olds reproduce. Knowing her friend is pregnant and that no newborn survives, sixteen-year-old medic Kira Walker, embarks on a suicide mission to find the cure.

Another book that took me a week to finish because I initially had issues with it. Hundred pages in, I thought I'd leave it for a moment so I could put myself together and get in to it fresh enough. The story at some point bored me that I couldn't almost pick it up but as soon as I get right back to it, I found the spot I've been looking for. The world Wells have created isn't so far from materializing. With the war on going which is backed up by advanced technological breakthroughs, I thought it may probably happen. It is scary to ponder on but I fought it and focused on the story and world building. I only have one question, why does it always have to be New York?

Another thing that I kind of question is Kira. Correct me if I'm wrong but she's not a full-pledged medic then as you go deeper, she becomes an extensive virus/genetics researcher. I didn't really buy it but there are a lot of things I adored about her. Her noble intentions for the human race, her crazy ideas, her boldness, her confidence, her love for her friends and her ability to know and weigh which are the right things to say. She is definitely one of the strongest female protagonist lining up with Katniss and Lady Katsa among others. And I think Marcus' character complimented her. He's funny personality and rational thinking balanced with Kira's in more ways that made their romance work. And just like Xochi, Madison, Jayden and Tovar, they all have one thing in common: noble hearts. Samm on the other hand, took me by surprise. He made my emotions unstable and basing on his actions, I can't tell yet whether I would like him or not. But his purpose and his story are some of the things I am looking forward to knowing once we have Fragments (and looking at its cover, I could tell that it would be another roller-coaster ride!).

I have heard stories like this before and even though it is no longer a fresh one, the twists and revelations Wells have given the readers set Partials apart from everything else. Its military tactics is understandable and the medical approach is something that would tickle your stock-knowledge. And the long wait to the get to the story at the beginning is all worth it at the end.

To sum it up, I thought I would be disappointed because I had a rough start. But am glad I didn't give up because I never thought I would like it this much second to Across the Universe! Now I just have to keep on re-reading it until Fragments comes out! I really liked it and I hope Wells would make Fragments ten times better than this!

"Happiness is the most natural thing in the world when you have it, and the slowest, strangest, most impossible thing when you don't. It's like learning a foreign language: You can think about the words all you want, but you'll never be able to speak it until you suck up your courage and say them out loud."