Fuse by Julianna Baggott

Title: Fuse
Author: Julianna Baggott
Hardcover: 416 pages
Pub Date: Feb 19, 2013
Publisher: Grand Central (Hachette Book Group
Rating: +++++

Summary from goodreads:

When the world ended, those who dwelled within the Dome were safe. Inside their glass world the Pures live on unscarred, while those outside—the Wretches—struggle to survive amidst the smoke and ash.

Believing his mother was living among the Wretches, Partridge escaped from the Dome to find her. Determined to regain control over his son, Willux, the leader of the Pures, unleashes a violent new attack on the Wretches. It’s up to Pressia Belze, a young woman with her own mysterious past, to decode a set of cryptic clues from the past to set the Wretches free.

An epic quest that sweeps readers into a world of beautiful brutality, Fuse continues the story of two people fighting to save their futures—and change the fate of the world

Review:

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher

I adored the first book in this series Pure, but I was nervous this couldn’t live up to it or it would suffer from the biggest middle book issue: just a setup for the final book in the trilogy. Luckily, this didn’t happen at all and this was just as hard to put down (seriously, don’t start the last 100 pages unless you can finish in that sitting!). I did not reread any of Pure before starting this and was fine. It did a great job of reminding you of what happened without retelling it too much.

The characters get developed even more in this book. Every character has a purpose and a history and it influences everything they say and do. They are also all incredibly smart, which is so nice! I have said it before, but intelligent characters in young adult books is something I love. Their plans aren’t always perfect, but they actually make plans and use strategies. It makes the rebellion feel real and that they can actually change the world.

This world is so well thought-out. Baggott does not leave out any details, which makes teh world feel so real. As i said in my review of the first book, I can see something like this happening, so it is all the more terrifying, in an awesome way.

I have said before that I love it when books jump to different perspectives and this series does it  best. It follows several of the characters and lets you see so many ways of seeing the world. Pressia continued to be my favorite character. She is so strong and a little stubborn. She is so tough, brave, and even deadly, yet she is still loving and cares about all of those around her. She admits she is scared, but goes on and puts her neck on the line for everyone. She may be my favorite character. She also gets some romance in Fuse, which I actually liked because it shows that it may be possible to find love in such a bleak world.

That isn’t to say that all the others characters aren’t amazing also. I thought Partridge’s story was suspenseful and even made me tear up. He is forced with unthinkable choices and had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. If anything like this ever actually happened, I would hope he was on the side of the people.

I did have one issue with this book  that really bothered me. Only highlight this next part if you want to be a little spoiled.****SPOILER ALERT***** Lyda and Partridge have sex once and she gets pregnant. Of course because that is what always happens in books. Characters have sex one time and end up pregnant. I would have been okay with it if they had said it was an enhancement of his or hers that made them more fertile, but it was never said and population control is a big deal in the Dome. When I read that scene I just thought ‘Oh I really hope she doesn’t end up pregnant.” It was the one thing that felt like it was a plot device. ***END SPOILER ALERT***

This series is incredible and I am very eager to read the last book. So much has happened and seeing the consequences of these events is going to be incredible. I read a lot of series and it is so hard to pick my favorite, but I think this might be it. I don’t know though since Legend is VERY close.

Do you want to win a hardcover copy of the book?

Enter here!