PARTIALS <small>by Dan Wells</small>

Partials in a new dystopia by established author, Dan Wells. It's a fun, fast read featuring a strong female protagonist named Kira Walker.

The backstory is that genetically modified human(oid)s were created to fight America's last war. However, the Partials, as the modifieds are called, revolt upon returning home and between them and a destructive RM virus, humankind has been decimated, reduced to a few tens-of-thousands on Long Island.

Our heroine Kira found her way to Long Island eleven years ago, along with other orphaned children and the adults that survived. Since that time three noteworthy events have shaped the survivors lives. First, the Partials have mysteriously pulled back onto the mainland. Second, a militarized group called the Voice seems determined to bring down what little government persists. And three, and perhaps most importantly, no human baby has been born and survived during the last 11 years. The RM virus has proven to be 100% fatal for newborns and consequently the fate of humankind seems doomed to extinction.

As the story begins, we find Kira in medical training in the maternity ward. A young mother soon looses her baby and this and all the other tiny deaths are weighing on Kira. She has a supportive family group, but the fact that she and her friends are soon going to be forced by the enclave's rules to become pregnant -- which she knows means that they will get to witness their babies deaths -- pushes her to take desperate measures. Including trying to get help from the Partials.

I thought the book was an enjoyable read, but it wasn't without flaws. There were a few times, for example, that I found myself flipping back a page, and then forwards, and then back again, because it seemed like there was a paragraph or two missing. The action just didn't flow smoothly, or the explanations of what were going on seemed 'jerky'. The plot however was interesting enough that I just persevered.

One of the strengths of the book were the secondary characters. Whereas Kira was hellbent on her mission, the secondary characters had more room to demonstrate their quirks, their likes and dislikes. Another excellent aspect of the story was the politics. I thought Dan Wells presented some solid reasons behind why the different factions did what they did. And I thought these elements bolstered the story and helped it over some of the parts where the plot twists didn't seem that strikingly innovative.

Overall, I think Partials is going to be a YA novel that most teens are going to enjoy. It might not be a book however for older readers with a lot of scifi reading under their belts.

Partials
by Dan Wells
Word Count: 12,3120
Page Count: 480 pages
Accelerated Reading level: 6.1 / 20 points
AR Quiz: 150104