Pure, by Julianna Baggott.

Buy it now! Pure

What is it about? Pure is a very, very dystopic future novel for young adults. For those of you who aren’t sure what dystopic future means, think The Hunger Games. A future where everything is really messed up, due to war, famine, disease, or in this case, nuclear holocaust.

We meet Pressia, a young girl who lives in the wasteland that was once America before an atomic bomb mutilated and annihilated almost everyone. Everyone except, that is, those in the Dome. The dome is a giant biodome where everyone is “Pure,” or in other words, not horrifically scarred. Like most people who survived the atomic bomb, Pressia is fused with an object. One of her hands is a plastic doll head – the one she was holding when the bomb hit. Her grandfather tries to protect her, but as she comes of age in this dangerous shantytown, she has become a prime candidate for the guerrilla-rebels who fight to invade the dome. When they come to take her away, she runs off and joins a group of other misfits who are avoiding the rebels.

We also meet Partridge, a handsome boy who lives inside the dome. When he finds clues that his mother might still be alive, outside of the dome, he escapes to find her. When he runs in to Pressia, they join forces on the outside, trying to find answers. Who set off the bomb? Why were only some people saved? The answers are shocking, and reveal more mysteries than they solve.

Review: Wow. Seriously, this page-turner blew my freakin’ mind. Like I’ve said before, I really do love these dystopic future books. Pure does not disappoint. Sometimes, the book was so vivid, I had to put it down. It’s shocking at times, dripping with heart-breaking descriptions of a population literally mauled by an atomic bomb. Baggott puts you in the thick of it, refusing to look away from the rawness that is this story. You’ll question human nature itself by the end of it.

Now, that being said…there is still a satisfying ending. I promise, you’ll want to read the next book (I certainly do!). While the story is tragic, there is also hope. Baggott does a great job of infusing this horribly sad story with promise of a better tomorrow. I highly recommend this beautifully written book.

Read it? Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes.

Buy it now! Pure