Ruins

By: Dan Wells

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

Our time is almost up.

As the clock ticks closer and closer to the final Partial expiration date, humans and Partials stand on the brink of war. Caught in the middle, thousands of miles apart, are Samm and Kira: Samm, who is trapped on the far side of the continent beyond the vast toxic wasteland of the American Midwest; and Kira, now in the hands of Dr. Morgan, who is hell-bent on saving what's left of the Partials, even if she has to destroy Kira to do it.

The only hope lies in the hands of the scattered people of both races who seek a way to prevent the rapidly escalating conflict. But in their midst appears a mysterious figure, neither human nor Partial, with solemn warnings of a new apocalypse - one that none of them may be able to avert.

The final installment in the Partials Sequence is a thrill ride of epic proportions, as the last remnants of life on our planet fight to determine its final fate.

©2014 HarperCollins Publishers (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Pretty good for the most part

Would you try another book from Dan Wells and/or Julia Whelan?

Author is setting up for a book 4, I would bet. AFAIAC, Julia saves the story with her excellent narration. I am ok with the ending

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I like many of the characters. author does a good job defining them. The story is a good one. I liked the part of the human outpost near Denver. I felt it provided some relief to the dreadful circumstances. Some will find the end of the world themes sort of depressing. The characters heroically battle their way thru it.

What about Julia Whelan’s performance did you like?

I think she is great. I would think the many male voices she has to mimic, can be difficult.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

it would be a very long movie. I doubt it will ever happen.

Any additional comments?

I actually skipped some chapters in the very long middle part- the dialogue got silly and predictable. Sort of like little kids arguing sometimes.

4 people found this helpful

That's It?

Any additional comments?

I like the series but so much was left unexplained that I honestly hope there is a another book to this series.

3 people found this helpful

A Disappointing Finish To A Decent Series

Dan Wells is a fabulous writer. However, I feel that he just missed the mark on this one. The book was pretty boring with only small instances of true interest. The series was promising, but I feel that the last book simply fell flat.

7 people found this helpful

Our Capacity To Change

Ultimately this series is about our humanity and how we use the best and the worst of what makes us human to alter our DNA, to make decent choices, and to admit our shortcomings. The narratiom was excellent. This series is well worth the time!

2 people found this helpful

Amazing finish to a fast paced book

I wasn't sure how Dan Wells was going to finish this series, but I can say that it was just as fast paced as the beginning. Loved each character and towards the end I hoped it would keep going and going, yet he finished it the perfect way...a most satisfying ending.

2 people found this helpful

An Excellent 3rd Book

Any additional comments?

This book was as good as the first 2. I really enjoyed it and listened to it all in a couple days. The ending was very short though. It wasn't a cliff hanger, but it was a bit disappointing on the limited info. I kinda wonder if there will be another book.

2 people found this helpful

Pretty good for the most part

It was a little boring compared to the other two, but it was okay. I hoped for more, though.

5 people found this helpful

Hopefully this isn't the end.

What other book might you compare Ruins to and why?

Ruins is just as good as the first and second book. With twists, turns, suspense, and amazing story lines.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Like all good books, I teared up with loss of characters I feared loss. The partials sequence made you feel for the characters and felt pain when they hurt both physically and emotionally. Awesome audiobook.

Any additional comments?

I hope this isn't the last book because a big problem is left unexplained.

1 person found this helpful

Awesome, amazing... Love

Where does Ruins rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This story ranks up with my favorites, near as good as Divergent!

What other book might you compare Ruins to and why?

This is a fantastic dystopian society book! If you enjoyed The Hunger Games and Divergent you will enjoy this series. Promise.

1 person found this helpful

Good finish

In YA dystopian trilogies, I've felt let down by the third book. Even in series that I thought had promise, the last installation has either left me raging or feeling meh. Thank you, Dan Wells, for breaking that streak. The ending felt a bit rushed but, as an end to the series, it felt complete. Great world building and storytelling. My only gripe is the love triangle and how it was resolved. I hate love triangles to begin with and this one didn't give me any warm fuzzies.

1 person found this helpful

A Fantastic YA Series!

This the third book in the Partials Sequence. I absolutely LOVED it!

I downloaded this book in audio format, as I wanted to read it but because it hadn't been released in Kindle format in the UK yet, I was dying to know what happened next! Getting this book in audio allowed me to be able to listen to it whilst doing household chores, or focus on the story from the comfort of a chair or my bed. The narrator, Julia Whelan, did another fantastic job in bringing the characters to life by giving them their own accent and voice. Her narration was well paced and even, and was concise and exciting.

Kira Walker is a fantastic character. She may be a Partial, but she has more compassion than some humans. I really liked her a lot. She is brave, determined and, even though she is a medic, can kick ass when she needs to.

Samm is another fantastic character. He is a Partial too, but a soldier with a dream - to find how to stop the expiration of the Partials. I liked him a lot too. He is a soldier used to following orders, but his love for Kira and his desire to live sees him following his heart.

The story continues from the end of the second book. War is inevitable, but Kira, Samm and Marcus are determined to try to stop it if they can. As this story is told through various points of view, but mostly through Kira's Samm's and Marcus's eyes, I felt like I was actually watching a movie; the descriptions of the people and the environs were extremely vivid. There are several twists and turns in this tale that surprised me. None more so than the identity of the "Blood Man". What made him the way he was, was more shocking to me than the actual brutality of his actions (which were decidedly gross). There are some scenes that are extremely violent and disturbing, but there are also some scenes that are touching and made me cry. It was nice to meet up with most of Kira's friends, Nandita Merchant, Isolde Romer, Ariel McAdams, Xochi Kessler, and Yoon Ji-Bak again. However, things are not what they seem and new alliances are formed and enemies made. Heron is an enigma, and I wasn't sure what team she was on, but her actions near the end of the story made her a hero in my book. I was a little disappointed at how the story concluded, as I felt there were a few questions of my own that remained unanswered. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the exciting roller coaster ride of action and romance that took me on an amazing journey through a post-apocalyptic world. I would love to see this trilogy made into a movie, as I think it would definitely give The Hunger Games and Divergent a run for their money.

Dan Wells has written a fast paced, action packed post-apocalyptic YA novel that kept me riveted from the first page. I love his writing style, which kept me highly entertained, and the story flowed wonderfully. I have added this author to my Favourite Author's list, and will be looking out for more of his work in the future.

I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love books like The Hunger Games and Divergent, or if you love to read YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic genres. - Lynn Worton

3 people found this helpful

outstanding!

This was an amazing series. I loved everything about it. Completely and utterly recommended! Brilliant.

Really...

Really enjoyed the other two books but the ending to this series has rather ruined the entire story for me, it was as if the book was building up to something massive but had no where to go. 4 stars just due to the ending

Oh. it's finished already

If you could sum up Ruins in three words, what would they be?

We can change!

What did you like best about this story?

Sometimes you read a book and its brilliant then book two isn't quite as good and book three is a let down.That didn't happen here book one was Brilliant, book two was awesome and book three the icing on the cake.

What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Passion, depth and conviction.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

In book one yes I laughed, cried and rolled my eyes in exasperation ...In book two yes I laughed, cried and rolled my eyes in exasperation...In book three oh defiantly, I laughed, cried and rolled my eyes in exasperation...

Any additional comments?

Okay the nitty gritty about this book was great at the beginning, wonderful and exciting the middle and I must admit a slightly predictable ending. However, it was still a great book a fantastic trilogy and an enjoyable experience.Well worth every single credit I used to purchase these books.

ending

Good finish to a great story. Kept me hooked all the way to the end.

Good plot, tame end

Great plot to follow. All the twists and turns needed tying up somehow. But I'm Not convinced by the ending, didn't satisfy me.

Exciting final instalment of the Partials series.

Being honest I only purchased this book to find out the ending of the story, I had been quite disappointed at the slow pace of the previous title "Fragments" but this book returned to the fast exciting pace of "Partials".
This book expands its point of view characters again, with Kira and Samm taking most of the chapters but Ariel and Marcus telling their side too along with a few other characters who take a chapter here and there.
There are a few surprises in this book, was quite surprised at some of the events, it really is a case of "anything can happen in the final book". Not everyone survives and there are a number of emotional moments.
The narration has also improved, I found I could now tell the difference between characters even easier, Julia Whelan has created quite a range of voices for the characters, with individual accents and cadences.
Overall I was quite impressed with the series, despite "Fragments" loosing pace at times. I would recomend the series to anyone who enjoyed Divergent or The Hunger Games series.