Partials

Partials, Book 1

By: Dan Wells

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question - one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

©2012 HarperCollinsPublishers (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Young adult target audience, but don’t look too deep

The plot hinges on “logic” and “science” that does not hold up to any scrutiny and is about as sturdy as a card tower. It’s an indulgent teen fantasy about saving the world when the adults can’t. That said, if you expect a young adult book, it’s decently entertaining. Not sure I’m going to read the next one but I don’t regret reading this. The voice actor also sounds very young, which is appropriate for the main character, but sometimes is confusing for supporting characters. She doesn’t vary her voice for all the characters but does for male vs female. So, overall an average book of average entertainment level but nothing to write home about.

Like (TV series) "Revolution"? You may like this.

After a slow start, Dan Wells hooked me in and I'm now hanging out for the sequel so much so that I may have to purchase an actual book instead of buying it from Audible! ('Fragments' the sequel doesn't appear to be on audio book yet *sadface*)

The beginning felt a little weighed down by backstory and medical jargon. But I'm glad I stuck with it. The quality of the writing kept me going at first and then the story kicked up the action and I was hooked. Keira, the main character annoyed me at times but by the end of the book I'd grown to love her.

My one complaint would be a lack of romance. All the connections are there but I feel like the author fails to give us any really satisfying romantic connections. Still, it makes for good tension and I hope there is some pay off for romantics in book two.

As for the performance by Julia Whelan - it was my favourite so far of the books I've listened to on Audible. She had just the right tone, I enjoyed her voices and her intensity was spot on. I will look out for more reads by her.

Overall, a good story about an intriguing world. If you like the new TV series Revolution, you may just like this.

Highly recommend

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

Upper 1/4

Who was your favorite character and why?

Samm

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan – was your favorite?

Kira

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at first, but it got a lot more interesting the second half and I couldn't put it down.

Any additional comments?

This is a very clean book. There is no sex, foul language, or gruesome descriptions of violent acts. I highly recommend this book. It's a great read. I really hope they come out with a second book.

Got distracted...

Simply coudn't get hooked by this story. Made it about 6 or 7 hours in, and was still sort of ...meh...

snooze fest

I could not listen to this without falling asleep. Enough said. I just didn't like this story at all.

Inconsistencies but good story

They have some inconsistencies in the story but overall it is very good. One moment they called something a camel and the other it's a donkey then back to a camel stuff like that.

A new twist on sci fi and end of the world

Definitely kept me reading and interested. Following Kiera through her journey and all she learns was great. Plus a little love triangle never hurts. Definitely one I couldn't stop listening to/reading. Be forewarned though, the 2nd book drags... So disappointing to go from such a great book to such a blah book.

Awesome Book! Get it!

Can't wait to start book 2! Already had it purchased & downloaded, before this one finished...didn't wanna waste a minute to hear the next part!

You Don't Wanna Miss This One!!

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

Engaging, Entertaining, A-Must-Listen

Who was your favorite character and why?

Keira was great! She is strong, smart, kind and brave. I loved going on this journey with her...

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan – was your favorite?

She is an excellent narrator and really does a great job with both male and female charaters. Her storytelling is seemless. I really couldn't pick just one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A lot of the book is about the main character Keira and her friends searching (at all costs) for a cure for RM, a deadly disease that is killing every baby born for the past 11 years. The writing was amazing and I was quickly invested in the characters and their story. I listen to audiobooks a lot because I love to read and I am too busy to sit down and read an actual book as often as I would like. There were several times while I was listening to this and was so taken with the story that I literally had to stop what I was doing and just sit down and listen. Very well written and performed. It was a truly enjoyable start to finish...

Any additional comments?

I loved this audiobook so much I couldn't wait to listen to the next one in the series...and I didn't. Downloaded Fragments right away!! :)

Partials not Divergent but better

Partials was a good read it kept me engage and wanting to know what happens next for every chapter. Although Samm is mysterious and may hold some secrets I liked him Kira at times was a overbearing and her boyfriend Marcus just annoying (though at times he did render comic relief). I was very upset that Jayden dies( sorry spoiler alert) and Haru was a complete asinine d*ck! Nonetheless Partials is worth the read I am now on to book 2 Fragments. Also I must give it to the author major bonus points for the diversity in this book!