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Partials Sequence #3
Ruins
Kira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Blade Runner and The Stand.
There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that from happening. She has one chance to save both species and the world with them, but it will only come at great personal cost.
There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that from happening. She has one chance to save both species and the world with them, but it will only come at great personal cost.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2014
About the author
Dan Wells
54 books5,718 followersDan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, Isolation, Fragments, and Ruins), the John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You), and a few others (The Hollow City, A Night of Blacker Darkness, etc). He was a Campbell nomine for best new writer, and has won a Hugo award for his work on the podcast Writing Excuses; the podcast is also a multiple winner of the Parsec Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,509 reviews
August 12, 2016
War, Blood, Death. This is dystopia.
Ruins achieved everything Allegiant and Mockingjay failed to deliver as trilogy enders. THIS is how you end a series. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Partials Sequence is one of the most underrated recent YA science-fiction and dystopian series today. Dan Wells is a great story teller and an excellent world-builder, and he never disappointed me throughout the three books (four, if you count the Isolation novelette).
Before I started the first chapter of this book, I already had a bag of theories inside my pocket. Fragments left enough clues and cookie crumbs for any smart reader to figure things out on their own and I was pleased when majority of my theories were validated. The story started off slower than Fragments, but it wasn’t boring. The chapters switched through various point of views from our characters, and usually I don’t like this but here it worked perfectly. I got enough to get to know the secondary characters better and saw how much they've developed, but not too much that I wanted to skip over them and return to Kira. All of them were equally interesting and relevant to the plot, none of them were dispensable. In fact, my only complaint is I wish there were more Samm chapters.
I love how the book tackled real issues that can actually occur if ever something like this really happens. Dan Wells posed relevant questions that will make the readers wonder and ask themselves the same things. As I read Kira struggle through very difficult choices, I found myself questioning my own ethics (that scene with Kira deciding whether or not to turn the knob was beautifully written and embodied all the important questions and the most crucial personal choice she had to make in the entire series). How far will you go? Morality, what is right and wrong? Does the end justify the means? Survival or humanity? How strong is your will to live? Somehow, when I imagined the Partials scenario really happening and I thought about how our race would most likely react and deal with it, the answer scared me.
There were no major plot twists in this book (at least, none that I haven’t thought of yet), which actually surprised me since Fragments made my jaw drop in more than one occasion with its revelations. By the middle of the book, I knew there were only two ways in which the story could end: in an expectable but satisfying resolution or in a shocking but epic devastation. Not being sadistic or anything but I kind of hoped for the latter, you know, just to be different. Of course, it ended up with the predictable finish but I wasn’t at all disappointed because after being witness to every damned thing that has happened, you cannot hope for anything else. You see, what I love most about this series is that you understand the reason why everything is happening. You understand why the Partials and Humans hate each other, you get why they harbour so much rage and loathing… why they have the war. When both sides believe they’re fighting for the right reasons, it’s gonna be a hell of a task to stop them. You can’t really blame them. Both sides were equally guilty and they were all victims, it doesn’t matter who killed more. Death is death. By the third half of the book, both parties have lost and suffered so much that even I thought maybe dying was the only option left for all of them. See, that’s the reality of war. Nobody really wins.
Three claps for this series and for Dan Wells' excellent execution.
I'll end this with probably my favorite exchange of words in the entire book:
"If my life had no meaning, there was no reason not to end it."
"So you ended it?"
"So I gave it meaning."
Ruins achieved everything Allegiant and Mockingjay failed to deliver as trilogy enders. THIS is how you end a series. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Partials Sequence is one of the most underrated recent YA science-fiction and dystopian series today. Dan Wells is a great story teller and an excellent world-builder, and he never disappointed me throughout the three books (four, if you count the Isolation novelette).
Before I started the first chapter of this book, I already had a bag of theories inside my pocket. Fragments left enough clues and cookie crumbs for any smart reader to figure things out on their own and I was pleased when majority of my theories were validated. The story started off slower than Fragments, but it wasn’t boring. The chapters switched through various point of views from our characters, and usually I don’t like this but here it worked perfectly. I got enough to get to know the secondary characters better and saw how much they've developed, but not too much that I wanted to skip over them and return to Kira. All of them were equally interesting and relevant to the plot, none of them were dispensable. In fact, my only complaint is I wish there were more Samm chapters.
When the only alternative is extinction, an awful lot of horrors become acceptable.
I love how the book tackled real issues that can actually occur if ever something like this really happens. Dan Wells posed relevant questions that will make the readers wonder and ask themselves the same things. As I read Kira struggle through very difficult choices, I found myself questioning my own ethics (that scene with Kira deciding whether or not to turn the knob was beautifully written and embodied all the important questions and the most crucial personal choice she had to make in the entire series). How far will you go? Morality, what is right and wrong? Does the end justify the means? Survival or humanity? How strong is your will to live? Somehow, when I imagined the Partials scenario really happening and I thought about how our race would most likely react and deal with it, the answer scared me.
Survival is all we have. If we end we end, but if we live a second day there's always a chance, no matter how slim, that we can find a way to live a third, and a fourth, and a hundredth and a thousandth. Maybe the world kills us and maybe it doesn't, but if we give up, it's the same as killing ourselves.
There were no major plot twists in this book (at least, none that I haven’t thought of yet), which actually surprised me since Fragments made my jaw drop in more than one occasion with its revelations. By the middle of the book, I knew there were only two ways in which the story could end: in an expectable but satisfying resolution or in a shocking but epic devastation. Not being sadistic or anything but I kind of hoped for the latter, you know, just to be different. Of course, it ended up with the predictable finish but I wasn’t at all disappointed because after being witness to every damned thing that has happened, you cannot hope for anything else. You see, what I love most about this series is that you understand the reason why everything is happening. You understand why the Partials and Humans hate each other, you get why they harbour so much rage and loathing… why they have the war. When both sides believe they’re fighting for the right reasons, it’s gonna be a hell of a task to stop them. You can’t really blame them. Both sides were equally guilty and they were all victims, it doesn’t matter who killed more. Death is death. By the third half of the book, both parties have lost and suffered so much that even I thought maybe dying was the only option left for all of them. See, that’s the reality of war. Nobody really wins.
Three claps for this series and for Dan Wells' excellent execution.
I'll end this with probably my favorite exchange of words in the entire book:
"If my life had no meaning, there was no reason not to end it."
"So you ended it?"
"So I gave it meaning."
March 19, 2014
2.5 stars - Spoilers
Meh, I was bored through a lot of it, the plot and majority of the characters didn't capture my attention until well into the second half. There were a few too many parts that were dragged out, generic, and predictable.
-Summary: Partials and humans still dying and at war. Everyone desperate to save their own species — humans trying to find a cure for RM and partials want to find a way to stop their expiration date.
-The beginning was slow and uninteresting, and all the various POV's made the story seem disjointed and jarring. The latter half was a lot more cohesive and enjoyable, things picked up, main characters came together, and there was more action and tension.
-The only characters I really liked were Ariel, Heron, and Marcus, they stood out the most whereas the other MC's were rather dull and run of the mill. Heron's cold badass attitude was great, Ariel's conflicted feelings were interesting, and Marcus was a funny and brave character without being unrealistic.
Kira and Samm didn't entertain me nearly as much as the other characters - Kira was way too much of a Mary Sue and Samm was quite boring. Also, I rolled my eyes at Samm having no less than three girls in love with him, it was a bit over the top.
-I found it hard to believe that Kira not only discovered the cure for RM but also solved the partial expiration date problem. Yea, right. She was a teenager of average intelligence yet she managed to outsmart brilliant doctors who had degrees and decades of experience. Also, the doctors were the ones who actually created the partials/RM but they still somehow couldn't figure out how to stop something they created and engineered yet a random teenager could. It was so far fetched.
-Dr Morgan was a bit of an odd character, it was just weird how she loved partials so much yet loathed humans even though she was one herself. How could she bang on about protecting partials but at the same time not care if the human species died out… especially when humans could have children and partials couldn't. As a doctor and a human herself she should have been more concerned or at least just as concerned for the human race rather than a race that would inevitably die out anyway.
-I hated how the partials kept banging on about all the numerous injustices they'd faced… The humans had suffered much worse than them, and when it came down to it they were a far more valuable species since they could reproduce and continue on whereas the partials couldn't. With the humans there was some chance of a distant future with the partials there were none, yet the partials pretty much only cared about themselves, they should have been trying to help the species that actually had a chance of making future generations. Selfish fuckers.
-I couldn't muster any sympathy for the partials when they constantly bitched and moaned about how evul humans were. They were so self righteous and hypocritical, they did far worse things to the human race than what was done to them in return. By the end I was wishing they'd all end up dead.
-I loved the 'link' element between the partials, them communicating that way and relying on the link so heavily made them stand out from the humans and really seem like a whole other species.
-The resolution of the love triangle between Samm/Kira/Marcus was done well — there was no over the top angst or drama. Everything was resolved in a mature and understated way, Marcus handled Samm/Kira's relationship like a real gentleman. I loved that him and Calix sort of got together at the end, they deserved some happiness.
All in all, not a bad finale but not a good one either.
Meh, I was bored through a lot of it, the plot and majority of the characters didn't capture my attention until well into the second half. There were a few too many parts that were dragged out, generic, and predictable.
-Summary: Partials and humans still dying and at war. Everyone desperate to save their own species — humans trying to find a cure for RM and partials want to find a way to stop their expiration date.
-The beginning was slow and uninteresting, and all the various POV's made the story seem disjointed and jarring. The latter half was a lot more cohesive and enjoyable, things picked up, main characters came together, and there was more action and tension.
-The only characters I really liked were Ariel, Heron, and Marcus, they stood out the most whereas the other MC's were rather dull and run of the mill. Heron's cold badass attitude was great, Ariel's conflicted feelings were interesting, and Marcus was a funny and brave character without being unrealistic.
Kira and Samm didn't entertain me nearly as much as the other characters - Kira was way too much of a Mary Sue and Samm was quite boring. Also, I rolled my eyes at Samm having no less than three girls in love with him, it was a bit over the top.
-I found it hard to believe that Kira not only discovered the cure for RM but also solved the partial expiration date problem. Yea, right. She was a teenager of average intelligence yet she managed to outsmart brilliant doctors who had degrees and decades of experience. Also, the doctors were the ones who actually created the partials/RM but they still somehow couldn't figure out how to stop something they created and engineered yet a random teenager could. It was so far fetched.
-Dr Morgan was a bit of an odd character, it was just weird how she loved partials so much yet loathed humans even though she was one herself. How could she bang on about protecting partials but at the same time not care if the human species died out… especially when humans could have children and partials couldn't. As a doctor and a human herself she should have been more concerned or at least just as concerned for the human race rather than a race that would inevitably die out anyway.
-I hated how the partials kept banging on about all the numerous injustices they'd faced… The humans had suffered much worse than them, and when it came down to it they were a far more valuable species since they could reproduce and continue on whereas the partials couldn't. With the humans there was some chance of a distant future with the partials there were none, yet the partials pretty much only cared about themselves, they should have been trying to help the species that actually had a chance of making future generations. Selfish fuckers.
-I couldn't muster any sympathy for the partials when they constantly bitched and moaned about how evul humans were. They were so self righteous and hypocritical, they did far worse things to the human race than what was done to them in return. By the end I was wishing they'd all end up dead.
-I loved the 'link' element between the partials, them communicating that way and relying on the link so heavily made them stand out from the humans and really seem like a whole other species.
-The resolution of the love triangle between Samm/Kira/Marcus was done well — there was no over the top angst or drama. Everything was resolved in a mature and understated way, Marcus handled Samm/Kira's relationship like a real gentleman. I loved that him and Calix sort of got together at the end, they deserved some happiness.
All in all, not a bad finale but not a good one either.
February 10, 2017
Fairly satisfying end to the series, still focusing on the ethics of the situations more than little things like action, but that's fine because the tension is all right there for us. The reveals really came to a nice head in this one, with serious choices needing to be made, and it really isn't all about the nuke in the background or even in the foreground.
It's about whether either species should continue to live, whether all the species could be considered one, or, as everyone else seems to think, we should all go to hell in mutually-assured destruction.
This *could* be considered an old YA theme, and you'd be right, but this one doesn't pull the punches or shirk from asking the hard questions. It focuses on exactly that and hones away at it.
I like that. At least for me, these questions more than any of the plot or the relationship stuff made the novel something very good. Personal preference. :)
It's about whether either species should continue to live, whether all the species could be considered one, or, as everyone else seems to think, we should all go to hell in mutually-assured destruction.
This *could* be considered an old YA theme, and you'd be right, but this one doesn't pull the punches or shirk from asking the hard questions. It focuses on exactly that and hones away at it.
I like that. At least for me, these questions more than any of the plot or the relationship stuff made the novel something very good. Personal preference. :)
Want to read
June 29, 2013IT HAS A TITLE AND A BOOK COVER.
OH MY GOODNESS.
WHOA.
GIMME IT NOW.
OH MY GOODNESS.
WHOA.
GIMME IT NOW.
August 27, 2014
While i loved this series as a whole, i find this specific book a bit disappointing.
The world building we found in the previous books is consistent. Dan Wells is master of atmosphere. The depicting was so genuine that at times i had memories of places i have never saw in real life. Amazing.
There is also a philosophical aspect of this series. The musings about humanity, the age old question of what makes us human?, consequences of playing god, all this introduced as someones monologue or a side tough... I love when books manage to do philosophy without turning up like condescending pretentious douche-bags! Double Amazing!
So what bothered me?
This series always zigzagged between slow boring walk thought empty streets and action packed running from unseen (or seen) enemy, life in danger, blood and gore, bombs... Even with that in mind i find this third/last book all over the place.
There were introduced a couple of new POV and every single one had his/hers story-line or agenda. At the end I couldn't quite follow where Haru went and was he in coordination with Marcus and whether Marcus was with the group that hated Partials... or Humans... and who was Delarosa again???
So with everyone jumbled up everywhere the conclusion turned up too neat and sudden, leaving couple of questions the book opened unanswered or at least without a strait one.
And then we come to the love story...
Man. I adored the love story in the previous books, it was subtle and in the background, but passionate non the less, It was never a love triangle because she outgrow one and fount another. It was obvious who Kira is choosing.
Here everything that was carved form before went forgotten. She suddenly become indecisive and let the decision be made for her, without giving true input or clarifying her feelings toward each of the guys.
It felt engineered and It didn't fall in line with the character's growth by this point.
on a side note: Samm and Kira on the opposite ends of the continent - not the brightest idea for a last book in the series Mr. Wells.
Like i said, overall i loved this. The plot twist was brilliant as it was horrifyingly vile (but i understood -and supported- the necessity for it). The pure simplicity of the cure for both sides left me wondering how i did not see that coming 2 books ago (i did, but it was still a good solution). The aforementioned world building, even the newly introduced characters all of that overshadowed the few complains i had.
So it is definitely worth your time if you haven't already snatched this. The whole series!
read this and more on the blog:
--------------------
*I hid the teasers I posted earlier under spoiler-tag! Just to clarify things: the likes i have so far (12) are for them not for this review.
The world building we found in the previous books is consistent. Dan Wells is master of atmosphere. The depicting was so genuine that at times i had memories of places i have never saw in real life. Amazing.
There is also a philosophical aspect of this series. The musings about humanity, the age old question of what makes us human?, consequences of playing god, all this introduced as someones monologue or a side tough... I love when books manage to do philosophy without turning up like condescending pretentious douche-bags! Double Amazing!
So what bothered me?
This series always zigzagged between slow boring walk thought empty streets and action packed running from unseen (or seen) enemy, life in danger, blood and gore, bombs... Even with that in mind i find this third/last book all over the place.
There were introduced a couple of new POV and every single one had his/hers story-line or agenda. At the end I couldn't quite follow where Haru went and was he in coordination with Marcus and whether Marcus was with the group that hated Partials... or Humans... and who was Delarosa again???
So with everyone jumbled up everywhere the conclusion turned up too neat and sudden, leaving couple of questions the book opened unanswered or at least without a strait one.
And then we come to the love story...
Man. I adored the love story in the previous books, it was subtle and in the background, but passionate non the less, It was never a love triangle because she outgrow one and fount another. It was obvious who Kira is choosing.
Here everything that was carved form before went forgotten. She suddenly become indecisive and let the decision be made for her, without giving true input or clarifying her feelings toward each of the guys.
It felt engineered and It didn't fall in line with the character's growth by this point.
on a side note: Samm and Kira on the opposite ends of the continent - not the brightest idea for a last book in the series Mr. Wells.
Like i said, overall i loved this. The plot twist was brilliant as it was horrifyingly vile (but i understood -and supported- the necessity for it). The pure simplicity of the cure for both sides left me wondering how i did not see that coming 2 books ago (i did, but it was still a good solution). The aforementioned world building, even the newly introduced characters all of that overshadowed the few complains i had.
So it is definitely worth your time if you haven't already snatched this. The whole series!
read this and more on the blog:
--------------------
*I hid the teasers I posted earlier under spoiler-tag! Just to clarify things: the likes i have so far (12) are for them not for this review.
April 28, 2015
Read for the 2015 Reading Challenge: #11 A book with a one-word title.
4.5 Dan Wells took away the political and scientific plot lines we had in the first two books and completly embraced an emocional one in the middle of chaos and destruction and if that is not worth of acclaim, then nothing is. Both Partials and Humans are way too far away from the definition of "people", with the hopelessness that neither of them will survive, they have tilted to revenge and extreme solutions. This trilogy has the ending it deserved, with the moral we all need to remember. Great pace, outstanding characters, and beautiful finale. You'll end this book with a smile in the face and a tear in the eye.
”No basta con salvarnos. Tenemos que ser dignos de salvación.”
Si bien las tramas que me hicieron adorar el primer libro terminaron, la evolución para llegar a la situación de Ruinas es excelente. Así que cuando empiezas la lectura y te topas con gente proponiendo los planes más horribles y menos humanos para sobrevivir o vengarse, entiendes la situación emocional detrás de sus argumentos. Pero como Kira, no puedes más que tener la esperanza de que la buena voluntad y la paz, puede ganar por sobre la desesperación.
”Cuando la alternativa es la extinción, toda clase de horrores se vuelven aceptables.”
El libro cumple perfecto con su función en toda la extensión de la palabra. Como ejemplo de la desesperación que viene cuando ya no hay opciones. Y como final de una gran historia que confió en su trama desde el principio.
”Necesito salvar a todos. No puedo vivir con menos que eso. No dejare atrás a nadie más.”
Quiero hablar específicamente de nuestra protagonista, porque hay muy pocas que me gustan completamente. Y encabezando esa lista esta Kira Walker. Heroína optimista, con metas en la vida, determinación incansable y gran corazón. Sin miedo a sentirse débil, ni fuerte. Es un personaje que he querido desde el principio.
”No son malos…solo son el enemigo.”
La naturaleza humana siempre busca algo que odiar, algo que ver como “el enemigo”, este libro no tiene antagonistas reales. Ni te hace creer que los tiene. Tiene bandos simplemente.
“Si quieres sobrevivir en este mundo, tienes que dejar de preguntar por qué la gente trabaja en conjunto y empezar a hacerlo tú también.”
A pesar de que el final es un poco rápido, siento que todo el build up que hemos tenido le da sentido. Tuvo ciertas subtramas que me parecieron un poco de relleno, ya que no me pareció que se necesitaran para la resolución de la principal, Wells hizo un gran trabajo que los libros previos. Pero aun así esas pequeñas cosas no bajan mucho la calidad del libro. Sumando que la lección de humanidad al final pudo conmigo, completamente. *tears*
Además, ahora tenemos muchos POVs lo cual nos da una visión más amplia de lo que está pasando y eso me encanto. Y de esa forma llegas a conocer un poco más a muchos otros personajes secundarios o hasta terciarios.
Una gran historia post-apocalíptica, con excelentes bases, increíble desarrollo y hermoso final. Con una gran lección de igualdad. Recomendado para cualquiera que le guste una trama inteligente dentro del género.
“La nieve blanca cubría el suelo como un pergamino sin uso, borrando el viejo mundo y esperando que ellos escribieran uno nuevo en sus páginas.”
No hay nada mejor que un final abierto :’)
Las frases que puse hablan por si mismas sobre no solo este libro, si no la trilogía entera.
4.5 Dan Wells took away the political and scientific plot lines we had in the first two books and completly embraced an emocional one in the middle of chaos and destruction and if that is not worth of acclaim, then nothing is. Both Partials and Humans are way too far away from the definition of "people", with the hopelessness that neither of them will survive, they have tilted to revenge and extreme solutions. This trilogy has the ending it deserved, with the moral we all need to remember. Great pace, outstanding characters, and beautiful finale. You'll end this book with a smile in the face and a tear in the eye.
”No basta con salvarnos. Tenemos que ser dignos de salvación.”
Si bien las tramas que me hicieron adorar el primer libro terminaron, la evolución para llegar a la situación de Ruinas es excelente. Así que cuando empiezas la lectura y te topas con gente proponiendo los planes más horribles y menos humanos para sobrevivir o vengarse, entiendes la situación emocional detrás de sus argumentos. Pero como Kira, no puedes más que tener la esperanza de que la buena voluntad y la paz, puede ganar por sobre la desesperación.
”Cuando la alternativa es la extinción, toda clase de horrores se vuelven aceptables.”
El libro cumple perfecto con su función en toda la extensión de la palabra. Como ejemplo de la desesperación que viene cuando ya no hay opciones. Y como final de una gran historia que confió en su trama desde el principio.
”Necesito salvar a todos. No puedo vivir con menos que eso. No dejare atrás a nadie más.”
Quiero hablar específicamente de nuestra protagonista, porque hay muy pocas que me gustan completamente. Y encabezando esa lista esta Kira Walker. Heroína optimista, con metas en la vida, determinación incansable y gran corazón. Sin miedo a sentirse débil, ni fuerte. Es un personaje que he querido desde el principio.
”No son malos…solo son el enemigo.”
La naturaleza humana siempre busca algo que odiar, algo que ver como “el enemigo”, este libro no tiene antagonistas reales. Ni te hace creer que los tiene. Tiene bandos simplemente.
“Si quieres sobrevivir en este mundo, tienes que dejar de preguntar por qué la gente trabaja en conjunto y empezar a hacerlo tú también.”
A pesar de que el final es un poco rápido, siento que todo el build up que hemos tenido le da sentido. Tuvo ciertas subtramas que me parecieron un poco de relleno, ya que no me pareció que se necesitaran para la resolución de la principal, Wells hizo un gran trabajo que los libros previos. Pero aun así esas pequeñas cosas no bajan mucho la calidad del libro. Sumando que la lección de humanidad al final pudo conmigo, completamente. *tears*
Además, ahora tenemos muchos POVs lo cual nos da una visión más amplia de lo que está pasando y eso me encanto. Y de esa forma llegas a conocer un poco más a muchos otros personajes secundarios o hasta terciarios.
Una gran historia post-apocalíptica, con excelentes bases, increíble desarrollo y hermoso final. Con una gran lección de igualdad. Recomendado para cualquiera que le guste una trama inteligente dentro del género.
“La nieve blanca cubría el suelo como un pergamino sin uso, borrando el viejo mundo y esperando que ellos escribieran uno nuevo en sus páginas.”
No hay nada mejor que un final abierto :’)
Las frases que puse hablan por si mismas sobre no solo este libro, si no la trilogía entera.
Read
March 30, 2014That cover...
January 22, 2022
I can't believe that I am giving this book a 1 star review but here it is.
The book fell flat on its face and never got up. I admit that after 60% of the way I was just skimming because I was incredibly bore. Tons of things were happening but for some reason I could just not muster enough emotion to care.
The plot was a convoluted mess and all the different POV's got confusing and annoying. This book could have been 200 pages shorter if all the excess had been cut out. I also just don't buy that Kira, a teenager, would outsmart scientist with decades of experience, and figure out the cure and make everyone happy.
All in all it was a disappointing ending to a series I had initially liked so much and for a book I had been so excited about.
The book fell flat on its face and never got up. I admit that after 60% of the way I was just skimming because I was incredibly bore. Tons of things were happening but for some reason I could just not muster enough emotion to care.
The plot was a convoluted mess and all the different POV's got confusing and annoying. This book could have been 200 pages shorter if all the excess had been cut out. I also just don't buy that Kira, a teenager, would outsmart scientist with decades of experience, and figure out the cure and make everyone happy.
All in all it was a disappointing ending to a series I had initially liked so much and for a book I had been so excited about.
January 11, 2016
A fantastic ending to the gripping trilogy about life at the end of the world.
Hearing the numbers here really freaked me out. A few thousand humans left in the entire world. Two hundred thousand Partials (super soldiers built by humans, now turned into the human race's enemies), and their self-destruct is about to go boom. A bare handful of people know how to save everyone, but they have to cross wastelands and fight genetically modified enemies . . . and even then, they don't know if it will work.
This is just great stuff for sci fi fans.
Hearing the numbers here really freaked me out. A few thousand humans left in the entire world. Two hundred thousand Partials (super soldiers built by humans, now turned into the human race's enemies), and their self-destruct is about to go boom. A bare handful of people know how to save everyone, but they have to cross wastelands and fight genetically modified enemies . . . and even then, they don't know if it will work.
This is just great stuff for sci fi fans.
April 4, 2014
Ruins
Book 3 of the Partials Sequence
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
I had a great deal of expectation coming into this book. I expected it to be yet another example of why Dan Wells is one of my favorite authors. And I was not disappointed. Ruins finishes out the Partials trilogy, tying up many loose ends, and leaving a few loose to keep you thinking about it after you've finished. If you're not familiar with the works of Dan Wells, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of I Am Not a Serial Killer for a truly extraordinary read. Even if you're not so big on supernatural, or murder mysteries, that one will drag you in and won't let you go.
Ruins begins where Fragments left off, with Kira Walker having surrendered herself to Doctor Morgan for study, and Samm having stayed behind in the Preserve to provide the RM cure for the humans there. Morgan's Partials have taken the island where the last remaining humans on Earth live, and the human resistance has gotten their hands on a nuke.
When Kira discovers the true cure for both RM and the Partial Expiration, she escapes, knowing that Morgan will use what she has found to subjugate humanity. She sets out in search of other Partial factions to share what she has discovered.
Meanwhile a mysterious figure called the Blood Man is making his rounds, murdering innocent Partials and Humans alike for biological samples. We've got an obligatory G.R.R.M. "Winter is Coming" reference, and there's a Partial killing bioweapon unleashed and causing further fractures between the two races making all hope of peaceful coexistence seem lost.
The Good? I really enjoy the world that Dan Wells has created here. It's sci-fi, but no so out there that it couldn't actually happen in our future. The way he describes how the world has fallen apart in just a decade and a half without people is really well done. He obviously sat down and put a whole lot of thought, effort and research into what would happen if, all of a sudden, there were no more people.
I really enjoy the characters in this book as well. They're all their own people, with unique personality traits and quirks, and visibly different ways of thinking and doing things. And the book itself is really well written too.
The Bad? The ending, in my opinion, felt a little rushed. The resolution of the love triangle was definitely done by a guy, with zero fanfare whatsoever. It was just, oh, I choose you, let's go live happily ever after now, the end. Everything else seemed pretty rushed too. A lot of the book was spent on storylines that, frankly, just sort of took up space and didn't really serve much purpose to the overall plot. And then everything is wrapped up in like half a chapter at the end. I would have liked a little more ending and a little less people unimportant to the actual plot of the book wandering through the snow to little ultimate point or purpose. The book could have probably used another draft or two to tighten things up, and expand the climax and ending.
All in all, it was a good ending to a great series. It rushed a bit to tie things up after spending a goodly portion of the page count devoted to less important side characters doing very little, but it got the job done. I highly enjoyed it, and definitely recommend this series to fans of Dan Wells, and those who enjoy well written Dystopian fiction. And, according to his Twitter feed, he's on his way back to John Cleaver for his next book. I certainly can't wait for that. In the mean time, check out the Partials series. You won't be disappointed that you did.
Check out my other reviews.
Book 3 of the Partials Sequence
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
I had a great deal of expectation coming into this book. I expected it to be yet another example of why Dan Wells is one of my favorite authors. And I was not disappointed. Ruins finishes out the Partials trilogy, tying up many loose ends, and leaving a few loose to keep you thinking about it after you've finished. If you're not familiar with the works of Dan Wells, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of I Am Not a Serial Killer for a truly extraordinary read. Even if you're not so big on supernatural, or murder mysteries, that one will drag you in and won't let you go.
Ruins begins where Fragments left off, with Kira Walker having surrendered herself to Doctor Morgan for study, and Samm having stayed behind in the Preserve to provide the RM cure for the humans there. Morgan's Partials have taken the island where the last remaining humans on Earth live, and the human resistance has gotten their hands on a nuke.
When Kira discovers the true cure for both RM and the Partial Expiration, she escapes, knowing that Morgan will use what she has found to subjugate humanity. She sets out in search of other Partial factions to share what she has discovered.
Meanwhile a mysterious figure called the Blood Man is making his rounds, murdering innocent Partials and Humans alike for biological samples. We've got an obligatory G.R.R.M. "Winter is Coming" reference, and there's a Partial killing bioweapon unleashed and causing further fractures between the two races making all hope of peaceful coexistence seem lost.
The Good? I really enjoy the world that Dan Wells has created here. It's sci-fi, but no so out there that it couldn't actually happen in our future. The way he describes how the world has fallen apart in just a decade and a half without people is really well done. He obviously sat down and put a whole lot of thought, effort and research into what would happen if, all of a sudden, there were no more people.
I really enjoy the characters in this book as well. They're all their own people, with unique personality traits and quirks, and visibly different ways of thinking and doing things. And the book itself is really well written too.
The Bad? The ending, in my opinion, felt a little rushed. The resolution of the love triangle was definitely done by a guy, with zero fanfare whatsoever. It was just, oh, I choose you, let's go live happily ever after now, the end. Everything else seemed pretty rushed too. A lot of the book was spent on storylines that, frankly, just sort of took up space and didn't really serve much purpose to the overall plot. And then everything is wrapped up in like half a chapter at the end. I would have liked a little more ending and a little less people unimportant to the actual plot of the book wandering through the snow to little ultimate point or purpose. The book could have probably used another draft or two to tighten things up, and expand the climax and ending.
All in all, it was a good ending to a great series. It rushed a bit to tie things up after spending a goodly portion of the page count devoted to less important side characters doing very little, but it got the job done. I highly enjoyed it, and definitely recommend this series to fans of Dan Wells, and those who enjoy well written Dystopian fiction. And, according to his Twitter feed, he's on his way back to John Cleaver for his next book. I certainly can't wait for that. In the mean time, check out the Partials series. You won't be disappointed that you did.
Check out my other reviews.
November 22, 2014
This is a pretty decent conclusion.
The series brings up many questions and mysteries and I feel like almost all of them were answered and explained. However, there are some aspects that I'm still fuzzy on.
I liked how everything wrapped up and I am happy with the ending. This series focuses more on the question "what does it mean to be human?" and deals more with morality and approaches many situations from a psychological view. There are definitely heavy themes introduced and I enjoyed how those tie in with an insane plot.
There are some crazy developments in this book that really surprised me! However, I feel the series got repetitive and monotonous with strategizing, running, and trying to figure out how to save everyone. I did get bored at times, but the plot developments ultimately kept my interest.
I really loved the main character Kira, although she did get annoying at times, I liked how she stayed true to her morals. Most of the other side characters I didn't feel very strongly about, but enjoyed their presence.
The romance in this book is a miss for me, I just didn't really care about it haha
Overall, it's a good conclusion to a crazy series full of action, plot twists, science, and questions about humanity.
The series brings up many questions and mysteries and I feel like almost all of them were answered and explained. However, there are some aspects that I'm still fuzzy on.
I liked how everything wrapped up and I am happy with the ending. This series focuses more on the question "what does it mean to be human?" and deals more with morality and approaches many situations from a psychological view. There are definitely heavy themes introduced and I enjoyed how those tie in with an insane plot.
There are some crazy developments in this book that really surprised me! However, I feel the series got repetitive and monotonous with strategizing, running, and trying to figure out how to save everyone. I did get bored at times, but the plot developments ultimately kept my interest.
I really loved the main character Kira, although she did get annoying at times, I liked how she stayed true to her morals. Most of the other side characters I didn't feel very strongly about, but enjoyed their presence.
The romance in this book is a miss for me, I just didn't really care about it haha
Overall, it's a good conclusion to a crazy series full of action, plot twists, science, and questions about humanity.
January 14, 2020
So we pick up the story right where we left off. Kira is off with Dr. Morgan being her human test subject, Samm is still in Denver, where he has volunteered to be the humans source of the cure and the people of East Meadow are still under a partial occupation.
Right off the bat one thing I didn’t like was how nonchalant Kira was about being the test subject. They mentioned all the biopsies, spinal taps, and procedures so casually and then when she decides to leave she’s off and running after having her body tampered with so much? I know she’s a partial but still it should’ve at least hurt.
Now I’ll just start out and say that what bothered me with this book was that instead of finishing all the stories we had been telling for the last two books, this one started a bunch of new ones. There are so many new plot lines that come into this book so instead of getting a satisfying ending we are left with a really rushed ending and we do not get a lot of our questions answered.
For example after Kira leaves Dr. Morgan we have to follow her up to the IV territory. But then of course she gets captured (new, very long, plot twist). She meets Green (who I actually did love) and we have to see their long escape battle, then they have to trek back towards Long Island, they run into the monster thing telling people about winter etc. etc.
Meanwhile back in Samm land, he’s woken up the partials and is donating pheromone. I actually enjoyed his section in Denver the most. I loved the way he demonstrated the humans in Denver meant the partials no harm by showing Calix would be more than happy to get them some candy. And then the big revelation that living with Partials would save human babies was a nice answer we’d been waiting for. But of course we’re also just waiting for Samm to meet up with Kira again.
WHICH IS THE REAL PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THIS BOOK! I should not have to wait 80% of the book for it’s OTP to get back together again.
So anyways, Kira is running around doing things that aren’t exactly moving the plot forward, and Samm is doing the journey that took the entire second book in a few undetailed chapters.
Meanwhile we have crazy lady Delarosa with a nuke, the bloodman stealing everybody’s insides and the weird plot of Nandita trying to lead everyone to this secret lab which is an absolute failure. I don’t really understand why this was in the book because they never get to the lab, and there’s never any clarification at the end on if they solve this new partial virus, or why Isolde’s baby came out that way, and all we see of them in the end is them sailing down the river.
Marcus on the other hand has a much more exciting story. One of the best scenes, hands down, was when his little group is being held by the White Rhinos and they’re trying to get the guard riled up so they can knock him out. But of course he’s supposed to hit Vinci and Marcus and his big mouth once again gets him into trouble and ends up being the one to get knocked out with the rifle. Another shining moment he had was when Samm showed up and Marcus told Kira if she didn’t kiss him he would. And then of course later one of my favorite quotes when Marcus tells Kira “Maybe you’ll die and I’ll end up with Samm”.
I was really sad to see Vinci die. I was so relived when they caught Delorosa only to have that dramatic moment where they both choose the human race over their own lives and the partials.
What I didn’t like was how bogged down the story got with all the different story lines. It just made the book drag until the end. And then with the peace talks being interrupted by the blood man. I do love the Heron finally found something she was willing to put before her own survival. That was very noble.
But then in the end when Sam and Kira sort of devote themselves to each other right in front of poor Marcus. I felt so bad for him, but I did love how Calix was sort of right there for him.
I guess in the end I just wanted more, even an epilogue. I would’ve liked to see if partials were still sterile after living with humans. I would’ve liked to see the new community they set up, or just Samm and Kira being happy since they’re hardly together the entire book. I would have liked to see this book get to the conclusion it did faster. There was too much running around in these subplots that the entire “battle” and the end felt so rushed.
All in all I still thought it was a good book, and an ok ending to a good series. I give it 3 stars.
Right off the bat one thing I didn’t like was how nonchalant Kira was about being the test subject. They mentioned all the biopsies, spinal taps, and procedures so casually and then when she decides to leave she’s off and running after having her body tampered with so much? I know she’s a partial but still it should’ve at least hurt.
Now I’ll just start out and say that what bothered me with this book was that instead of finishing all the stories we had been telling for the last two books, this one started a bunch of new ones. There are so many new plot lines that come into this book so instead of getting a satisfying ending we are left with a really rushed ending and we do not get a lot of our questions answered.
For example after Kira leaves Dr. Morgan we have to follow her up to the IV territory. But then of course she gets captured (new, very long, plot twist). She meets Green (who I actually did love) and we have to see their long escape battle, then they have to trek back towards Long Island, they run into the monster thing telling people about winter etc. etc.
Meanwhile back in Samm land, he’s woken up the partials and is donating pheromone. I actually enjoyed his section in Denver the most. I loved the way he demonstrated the humans in Denver meant the partials no harm by showing Calix would be more than happy to get them some candy. And then the big revelation that living with Partials would save human babies was a nice answer we’d been waiting for. But of course we’re also just waiting for Samm to meet up with Kira again.
WHICH IS THE REAL PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THIS BOOK! I should not have to wait 80% of the book for it’s OTP to get back together again.
So anyways, Kira is running around doing things that aren’t exactly moving the plot forward, and Samm is doing the journey that took the entire second book in a few undetailed chapters.
Meanwhile we have crazy lady Delarosa with a nuke, the bloodman stealing everybody’s insides and the weird plot of Nandita trying to lead everyone to this secret lab which is an absolute failure. I don’t really understand why this was in the book because they never get to the lab, and there’s never any clarification at the end on if they solve this new partial virus, or why Isolde’s baby came out that way, and all we see of them in the end is them sailing down the river.
Marcus on the other hand has a much more exciting story. One of the best scenes, hands down, was when his little group is being held by the White Rhinos and they’re trying to get the guard riled up so they can knock him out. But of course he’s supposed to hit Vinci and Marcus and his big mouth once again gets him into trouble and ends up being the one to get knocked out with the rifle. Another shining moment he had was when Samm showed up and Marcus told Kira if she didn’t kiss him he would. And then of course later one of my favorite quotes when Marcus tells Kira “Maybe you’ll die and I’ll end up with Samm”.
I was really sad to see Vinci die. I was so relived when they caught Delorosa only to have that dramatic moment where they both choose the human race over their own lives and the partials.
What I didn’t like was how bogged down the story got with all the different story lines. It just made the book drag until the end. And then with the peace talks being interrupted by the blood man. I do love the Heron finally found something she was willing to put before her own survival. That was very noble.
But then in the end when Sam and Kira sort of devote themselves to each other right in front of poor Marcus. I felt so bad for him, but I did love how Calix was sort of right there for him.
I guess in the end I just wanted more, even an epilogue. I would’ve liked to see if partials were still sterile after living with humans. I would’ve liked to see the new community they set up, or just Samm and Kira being happy since they’re hardly together the entire book. I would have liked to see this book get to the conclusion it did faster. There was too much running around in these subplots that the entire “battle” and the end felt so rushed.
All in all I still thought it was a good book, and an ok ending to a good series. I give it 3 stars.
February 17, 2015
Muy buen final, muy emocionante y con mucha acción.
Para mi gusto le faltó un epilogo y algunos hilitos me quedaron sueltos, pero me encantó y emocionó mil veces, no pued restarle puntos por eso ♥
Para mi gusto le faltó un epilogo y algunos hilitos me quedaron sueltos, pero me encantó y emocionó mil veces, no pued restarle puntos por eso ♥
Want to read
May 7, 2013I wonder what the tittle will be. First Partials then Fragments what could be next SEGMENTS maybe?
Update: Ruins? Really? That's the title? It doesn't really go with the 'partials' pieces things. I guess it does in a way. Oh well I guess i'll just have to suck it up and deal with it. I'm probably going to love it anyway.
Update: Still no darn release date? Really?!?!?!? Come on man!!!
Update: Ruins? Really? That's the title? It doesn't really go with the 'partials' pieces things. I guess it does in a way. Oh well I guess i'll just have to suck it up and deal with it. I'm probably going to love it anyway.
Update: Still no darn release date? Really?!?!?!? Come on man!!!
January 20, 2014
This is a really good ending to a great series!
Plot: So the plot moves a bit slow in the beginning but thats because the reader is getting caught up on what is happening after the second book. After that, its takes off into lots of action and drama. Every little detail is explain nicely and carried into the new chapter well. I don’t think there is ever a dull moment in the book.
Love/Friendship: We do get point of views from Kira as well as Sam and a few other characters. Each point of view is well done with plenty of detail. It flowed smoothly and as I read, it painted a pretty good picture in my mind. The development of a certain love interest kept me going and I HOPED that she choose who I wanted. Indeed she did.
Ending: I think the way the whole story came together gave it so much umph and adventure. There are certain plot twists that totally surprised me and had me shocked. Still, I adored it.
Constructed smart and luring, Ruins is an exciting conclusion. The attention to detail with what happens with the DNA and scientific experiments had me completely intrigued. If your in for a epic adventure, then read Ruins.
Plot: So the plot moves a bit slow in the beginning but thats because the reader is getting caught up on what is happening after the second book. After that, its takes off into lots of action and drama. Every little detail is explain nicely and carried into the new chapter well. I don’t think there is ever a dull moment in the book.
Love/Friendship: We do get point of views from Kira as well as Sam and a few other characters. Each point of view is well done with plenty of detail. It flowed smoothly and as I read, it painted a pretty good picture in my mind. The development of a certain love interest kept me going and I HOPED that she choose who I wanted. Indeed she did.
Ending: I think the way the whole story came together gave it so much umph and adventure. There are certain plot twists that totally surprised me and had me shocked. Still, I adored it.
Constructed smart and luring, Ruins is an exciting conclusion. The attention to detail with what happens with the DNA and scientific experiments had me completely intrigued. If your in for a epic adventure, then read Ruins.
Read
December 28, 2017Best of the series. Loved how it ended. The idea of gene mods is fascinating as is the idea of sensing moods and intentions through pheromones. Wow the father figure was creepy! Still shuddering just thinking of him.
September 30, 2021
Hard to say what went wrong here without spoilers, and maybe I'll add them later. For now, I'll say that this didn't quite stick the landing.
March 28, 2014
Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead....
Dan Wells completes me. The man also scares me since he is not kind to his characters. This fear was further cemented after reading the dedication page:
"This book is dedicated to everybody you hate. Sorry. Life's like that sometimes."
Whaaa? Mind games, man. Mind games. I was ready to curl up into a fetal position after that. But no, it was a great ending to a great series. At least it was for me because I got what I wanted. **evil grin**
Here's the breakdown:
❖ The resolution: I was satisfied with how everything was resolved (and one thing in particular made me VERY happy). I did think the ending felt a tad rushed. There were some things I thought could have been drawn out a bit more.
❖ Had me biting my nails: It was unpredictable. Things were bleak for much of the story, and I couldn't fathom how it could all possibly be resolved. There was one thing I thought was telegraphed very early on, but I was still surprised with the "how" of it.
❖ "To err is human, to forgive divine": Much of this series tackles the fallibility of humanity, human nature, our place in this universe, and how our decisions impact the world around us. But it also speaks to courage--the courage to forgive, to understand, to learn from our mistakes, to start over, and to realize that no matter our differences we are all connected. I love that this all came to a crescendo here, with Mr. Wells making and following through with some tough decisions.
What I had trouble with:
❖ The POV shifts: I think this was more a result of my own impatience since there were two characters that I was specifically interested in. So, while I understood the need for each of the POV's included, I found myself anxious to return to those 2 in particular. And I found their sections the most interesting.
❖ Some of Kira's behavior towards the end bothered me.
❖ There were a few sections that contained too many unnecessary details. This resulted in slowing the pace down in some places.
Despite those small obstacles, it was a wonderful and satisfying end to a beloved series.
Final Rating: 5 stars
Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.
- Japanese proverb
Dan Wells completes me. The man also scares me since he is not kind to his characters. This fear was further cemented after reading the dedication page:
"This book is dedicated to everybody you hate. Sorry. Life's like that sometimes."
Whaaa? Mind games, man. Mind games. I was ready to curl up into a fetal position after that. But no, it was a great ending to a great series. At least it was for me because I got what I wanted. **evil grin**
Here's the breakdown:
❖ The resolution: I was satisfied with how everything was resolved (and one thing in particular made me VERY happy). I did think the ending felt a tad rushed. There were some things I thought could have been drawn out a bit more.
❖ Had me biting my nails: It was unpredictable. Things were bleak for much of the story, and I couldn't fathom how it could all possibly be resolved. There was one thing I thought was telegraphed very early on, but I was still surprised with the "how" of it.
❖ "To err is human, to forgive divine": Much of this series tackles the fallibility of humanity, human nature, our place in this universe, and how our decisions impact the world around us. But it also speaks to courage--the courage to forgive, to understand, to learn from our mistakes, to start over, and to realize that no matter our differences we are all connected. I love that this all came to a crescendo here, with Mr. Wells making and following through with some tough decisions.
What I had trouble with:
❖ The POV shifts: I think this was more a result of my own impatience since there were two characters that I was specifically interested in. So, while I understood the need for each of the POV's included, I found myself anxious to return to those 2 in particular. And I found their sections the most interesting.
❖ Some of Kira's behavior towards the end bothered me.
❖ There were a few sections that contained too many unnecessary details. This resulted in slowing the pace down in some places.
Despite those small obstacles, it was a wonderful and satisfying end to a beloved series.
Final Rating: 5 stars
March 14, 2016
**No spoilers**
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. There was a good amount of action throughout to keep me wanting to read on apart from a couple of places when they were travelling. When they are travelling there just seems to be pages of just uninterrupted description sometimes and it just makes me lose interest a bit.
One thing I really appreciated was not knowing what was going to happen. There are many times when reading that I can guess what is coming, but so many things happened that surprised me.f
I also loved most of the characters. In particular, Marcus. He is the only one who literally made me laugh out loud. He's honestly one of my favourite YA males and favourite side characters. I just wish there had been more from him.
The ending was good but a nice little epilogue wouldn't have gone amiss. Overall not a bad series, don't know if it'll make the reread pile anytime soon though.
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. There was a good amount of action throughout to keep me wanting to read on apart from a couple of places when they were travelling. When they are travelling there just seems to be pages of just uninterrupted description sometimes and it just makes me lose interest a bit.
One thing I really appreciated was not knowing what was going to happen. There are many times when reading that I can guess what is coming, but so many things happened that surprised me.f
I also loved most of the characters. In particular, Marcus. He is the only one who literally made me laugh out loud. He's honestly one of my favourite YA males and favourite side characters. I just wish there had been more from him.
The ending was good but a nice little epilogue wouldn't have gone amiss. Overall not a bad series, don't know if it'll make the reread pile anytime soon though.
April 2, 2014
I'll start by saying I'm a fan of Dan Wells, I really enjoy his style and the sense of humour and fierce determination he brings out in some of his characters. Unfortunately that wasn't enough for me to rate this higher than 3 stars. While I loved the first two entries in this series, both receiving 5 star ratings from me, I couldn't help being rather underwhelmed by its conclusion.
In Fragments I enjoyed the introduction of additional POVs, here I felt the numerous POVs chopped the story up into too many pieces. This lead to a slight detachment from some of the characters and also meant a lack of time was spent on characters I thought deserved more from the sequence's finale. The climax and resolution felt a little rushed to me, parts of it were too convenient and even came across a little disingenuous.
That being said, there were parts of this I did like. Wells' put in some interesting twists, some I expected and others that threw me. Akin to the first two books, his descriptions of a post apocalyptic world are masterful and extremely visually arresting.
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for this book, I'm unsure, all I know is I didn't get all the epic I was expecting. Maybe the brilliance I saw in the first two books just set my expectations too high. Regardless, I'm still sad to say goodbye to the world of Kira, Samm and the Partials. Overall the series was a pretty wild ride.
In Fragments I enjoyed the introduction of additional POVs, here I felt the numerous POVs chopped the story up into too many pieces. This lead to a slight detachment from some of the characters and also meant a lack of time was spent on characters I thought deserved more from the sequence's finale. The climax and resolution felt a little rushed to me, parts of it were too convenient and even came across a little disingenuous.
That being said, there were parts of this I did like. Wells' put in some interesting twists, some I expected and others that threw me. Akin to the first two books, his descriptions of a post apocalyptic world are masterful and extremely visually arresting.
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for this book, I'm unsure, all I know is I didn't get all the epic I was expecting. Maybe the brilliance I saw in the first two books just set my expectations too high. Regardless, I'm still sad to say goodbye to the world of Kira, Samm and the Partials. Overall the series was a pretty wild ride.
April 13, 2020
Es el último libro sobre un virus que casi termina con la humanidad , al parecer liberado por los parciales. Los parciales son creaciones de los humanos para usar en la guerra. La serie es buena, tenía tiempo que no leía una serie de ciencia ficción que valiera la pena pero al igual que muchas series, lo que se pudo escribir en dos libros ha tomado 3. Y al final han aparecido personajes sin mucho sentido en la trama.
Read
September 23, 2014If anything happens to Samm I'm going to throw this across the room!
December 3, 2014
It took me nearly 2 months to get through the first too books. Got through this one in less than 24 hours.
Content: language and violence
Content: language and violence
August 14, 2017
This is the third book in a Young Adult dystopian trilogy called Partials Sequence. I loved the whole premise of this trilogy because it was new and different and it also posed some great philosophical questions. I always love when a book promotes food for thought.
The characters seemed to be on a frantic search to save themselves, both the humans and the super soldiers in the second book, and that was still the main theme for the third one. They would think they had it figured out, but then no....then they'd have it figured out again. It was too much of the same thing, so I deducted a star. But I really enjoyed the premise. It was original and I was sucked in by the characters. I liked how my favorite character kept changing. The ending was also appreciated. It solved the almighty question they were working on, but I liked that some mystery remained.
I loved how the author worked in Kira's dad. There were actually more than a few unexpected and great twists. The second book in this series was my favorite though.
The characters seemed to be on a frantic search to save themselves, both the humans and the super soldiers in the second book, and that was still the main theme for the third one. They would think they had it figured out, but then no....then they'd have it figured out again. It was too much of the same thing, so I deducted a star. But I really enjoyed the premise. It was original and I was sucked in by the characters. I liked how my favorite character kept changing. The ending was also appreciated. It solved the almighty question they were working on, but I liked that some mystery remained.
I loved how the author worked in Kira's dad. There were actually more than a few unexpected and great twists. The second book in this series was my favorite though.
December 26, 2015
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
The third and final book in Partials Sequence trilogy, oh boy oh boy I was so excited! I literary marathoned this series!
THE WORLD: The world gets even more interesting in this book. Besides the Island where humans live we finally get a look at the partials' everyday life and their cities. It was crazy really, very military but I loved it! And also we have war in progress with partials invading human territory and all rebels and all and just yeah wow. It is a pretty awesome world!
CHARACTERS: Well in this book the amount of characters really improved but I will stick to the most main ones. Let's starts with Kira, I have to admit, her being all whinny was a little bit annoying and her monologues got kinda long but I still love her, she is a natural leader and a perfect female lead! Next to her there is Marcus who really grew on me since book one, he is funny and smart and very creative, he definitely made to top 3 for me from the very bottom. Marcus is a great example that Dan Wells does not just write plot based books but has also some really good character growth in them! Now, Samm...I am not sure, his parts in the beginning were a little bit boring but I guess all in all it is okay, I love how much he is devoted to Kira and well...love is love I guess. So jup, go Samm! Next, Heron. So you know how I liked her in Isolation and in Fragments she was pretty cool, well in this book she was really annoying! She just did not make any sense to me, I mean seriously. I am not saying Dan Wells wrote her wrong, I think he did a brilliant job! It is that she is a mirror of some people I know and they really make no sense to me just as her. Alright so as I mentioned there are many characters in this book so no surprise I found rather few I hate. But my mostly hated is Areal, omg she should have just died. Yeah her adopted mother tested them as children by asking them to play some activity games and noting their behavior. Yeah boohoo big deal. But no Areal hates her for that, for ruining her childhood and wants to kill the mother because you know she is EVIL. Oh please, people like Areal always tend to scream loudest even they are the most stupid. It is just like "your food is contaminated with DNA". I hate people like this so much. And on top of having Areal we also get to read about Isolde...I mean what is wrong with people, if really such people survives apocalypse then thank you but no I am not interested in saving the human race. I mean seriously, she is 17 and her biggest wish is to have a baby and how she feels the maternity instincts and all blah blah. Yeah right, I am so "believing" you, Isolde. Lack of intellect more like it. You do not get a child when you ARE a child. So annoying!
LOVE: Kira and Samm forever :D
PLUS: Dan Wells did a great job picturing humans. Say what you want but humans are a lost cause. Like seriously, they get off to blow up a nuclear bomb on partials and sure it will reach humans, radiations will kill the rest of them but as there is a saying or something "I can die as long as they are dead too". Just a perfect illustration of humans limitations. And also Areal and Isolde and their babies. Of that senator who wants to take a baby who is a bio weapon and kill off all partials, the baby can die for all she cares. I understand so so much why the Trust people chose Partials and not humans. This book showed so well that humans are just not worth saving.
MINUS: What really annoyed me was Kira trying to prove how humans are equal to partials. I mean Partials have it all just like humans and plus all your senses way improved. Of course they are a superior race just like humans are superior to the monkeys. In nature, only superior races survive so it was natural that humans were gonna die out. I did not like what Kira was trying to prove, it was plainly against biology and she is supposed to be a scientist. So I think it is safe to say that no, I did not like the ending of this book.
MINUS II: I also really did not like the whole nuclear bomb ending, I was so shocked. I mean seriously! And Armin...wasn't he supposed to be a genius? Why all geniuses are always portrayed evil? I will never understand it.
EXTRA: I have to admit, I am so team Partials! I love the series but I hate the ending, I think it was too unrealistic.
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
The third and final book in Partials Sequence trilogy, oh boy oh boy I was so excited! I literary marathoned this series!
THE WORLD: The world gets even more interesting in this book. Besides the Island where humans live we finally get a look at the partials' everyday life and their cities. It was crazy really, very military but I loved it! And also we have war in progress with partials invading human territory and all rebels and all and just yeah wow. It is a pretty awesome world!
CHARACTERS: Well in this book the amount of characters really improved but I will stick to the most main ones. Let's starts with Kira, I have to admit, her being all whinny was a little bit annoying and her monologues got kinda long but I still love her, she is a natural leader and a perfect female lead! Next to her there is Marcus who really grew on me since book one, he is funny and smart and very creative, he definitely made to top 3 for me from the very bottom. Marcus is a great example that Dan Wells does not just write plot based books but has also some really good character growth in them! Now, Samm...I am not sure, his parts in the beginning were a little bit boring but I guess all in all it is okay, I love how much he is devoted to Kira and well...love is love I guess. So jup, go Samm! Next, Heron. So you know how I liked her in Isolation and in Fragments she was pretty cool, well in this book she was really annoying! She just did not make any sense to me, I mean seriously. I am not saying Dan Wells wrote her wrong, I think he did a brilliant job! It is that she is a mirror of some people I know and they really make no sense to me just as her. Alright so as I mentioned there are many characters in this book so no surprise I found rather few I hate. But my mostly hated is Areal, omg she should have just died. Yeah her adopted mother tested them as children by asking them to play some activity games and noting their behavior. Yeah boohoo big deal. But no Areal hates her for that, for ruining her childhood and wants to kill the mother because you know she is EVIL. Oh please, people like Areal always tend to scream loudest even they are the most stupid. It is just like "your food is contaminated with DNA". I hate people like this so much. And on top of having Areal we also get to read about Isolde...I mean what is wrong with people, if really such people survives apocalypse then thank you but no I am not interested in saving the human race. I mean seriously, she is 17 and her biggest wish is to have a baby and how she feels the maternity instincts and all blah blah. Yeah right, I am so "believing" you, Isolde. Lack of intellect more like it. You do not get a child when you ARE a child. So annoying!
LOVE: Kira and Samm forever :D
PLUS: Dan Wells did a great job picturing humans. Say what you want but humans are a lost cause. Like seriously, they get off to blow up a nuclear bomb on partials and sure it will reach humans, radiations will kill the rest of them but as there is a saying or something "I can die as long as they are dead too". Just a perfect illustration of humans limitations. And also Areal and Isolde and their babies. Of that senator who wants to take a baby who is a bio weapon and kill off all partials, the baby can die for all she cares. I understand so so much why the Trust people chose Partials and not humans. This book showed so well that humans are just not worth saving.
MINUS: What really annoyed me was Kira trying to prove how humans are equal to partials. I mean Partials have it all just like humans and plus all your senses way improved. Of course they are a superior race just like humans are superior to the monkeys. In nature, only superior races survive so it was natural that humans were gonna die out. I did not like what Kira was trying to prove, it was plainly against biology and she is supposed to be a scientist. So I think it is safe to say that no, I did not like the ending of this book.
MINUS II: I also really did not like the whole nuclear bomb ending, I was so shocked. I mean seriously! And Armin...wasn't he supposed to be a genius? Why all geniuses are always portrayed evil? I will never understand it.
EXTRA: I have to admit, I am so team Partials! I love the series but I hate the ending, I think it was too unrealistic.
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
June 12, 2014
Wow! This has to be in my top 5 all time favorite dystopian series ever.
The battle of the partials and the humans comes to a head, people die, struggles and challenges happen. Kira is our true heroine and will it be Samm or Marcus who wins her heart? Or maybe both? Will she find her father? Will she find her purpose? Does she truly have one? Can we all just get along?
The answers are coming and I won't give them away here.
The world building was just amazing and it felt so very real to me. Isn't that what a book should do? Absolutely! That's why we read them, and what I am always searching for when I read my next book, and the next. This one stays in my head still.
This author has a way with words, with submersing you into the world he has built and the characters themselves. I highly recommend it to people who like YA dystopian fiction. Really anyone who likes any kind of dystopian sci-fi. It is up there with the best. I want more from this author.
The battle of the partials and the humans comes to a head, people die, struggles and challenges happen. Kira is our true heroine and will it be Samm or Marcus who wins her heart? Or maybe both? Will she find her father? Will she find her purpose? Does she truly have one? Can we all just get along?
The answers are coming and I won't give them away here.
The world building was just amazing and it felt so very real to me. Isn't that what a book should do? Absolutely! That's why we read them, and what I am always searching for when I read my next book, and the next. This one stays in my head still.
This author has a way with words, with submersing you into the world he has built and the characters themselves. I highly recommend it to people who like YA dystopian fiction. Really anyone who likes any kind of dystopian sci-fi. It is up there with the best. I want more from this author.
Read
February 20, 2017Aún no se que calificación darle. Estoy un poco indecisa. Todo el comienzo del libro me resultó bastante aburrido y muy difícil de encontrarle el ritmo, sin embargo estos últimos capítulos, a pesar de no haber valido 100% la pena, fueron gratificantes y la historia deja una linda moraleja sobre el racismo, la segregación y otros problemas bastante presentes en la sociedad estadounidense de hoy en día. Más allá de eso, me agradaba más la historia cuando predominaba lo distopico a la ciencia ficción.
En fin, tengo que pensar.
Reseña próximamente.
En fin, tengo que pensar.
Reseña próximamente.
July 24, 2015
Leído para el 2015 Reading Challenge #11: Un libro con una palabra por título
YA LO TENGO. YA LO TENGO. YA LO TENGO.
la cosa es que ahora no sé si volver a leer partials (por 3ra vez sería) y fragments (por 2nda). Que difícil me la veo.
YA LO TENGO. YA LO TENGO. YA LO TENGO.
la cosa es que ahora no sé si volver a leer partials (por 3ra vez sería) y fragments (por 2nda). Que difícil me la veo.
June 26, 2017
My Take
What happened to this series? The first book in this trilogy was great! The second book was pretty good. And this one was plain awful.
I don’t understand how this happened. I really don’t.
I suppose I’ll just catalogue all my issues in order of when I noticed them.
First off, there were way too many POVs in this story. WAY too many. There were so many POVs that by the time I got back around to one person after going through them all, I had forgotten what that person was doing. And there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the POV usage. Some characters had more prominent roles than others, sure, but seemingly random characters we had never met before ended up with POV roles, and they didn’t even do anything substantial to progress the plot. They were there solely to show the reader what was happening in places the reader wouldn’t otherwise see.
And this was a mistake, in my opinion, because frankly, most of the information from those POVs wasn’t necessary. Cutting it out wouldn’t have resulted in any confusion. Adding it, in fact, created confusion because I wasn’t sure why all these characters were suddenly tossed into the mix, and they didn’t contribute to my overall understanding of the plot.
The POV issue also created a terrible timeline problem. Because there were so many POVs, it was impossible to follow one character’s story through and through, so there were large time gaps between a lot of scenes…that were totally unannounced. Sometimes, it mentioned that “such and such event was so many days ago” somewhere in the middle of the chapter. Sometimes, you just had to figure it out yourself. And I was plain lost on occasion. I got back around to some characters and was completely confused because the makeup of so-and-so’s group had changed and they were in a different place than when I’d left them…and it turns out the last chapter they were in took place WEEKS ago.
Add these problems in to the actual plot of the story, and…
I had so many problems with the plot of this story.
First off, I find it so hard to believe that Kira can figure things out that many, many people who should be way smarter than her can’t. Also, the solution to the main problem in this story is so OBVIOUS, and Kira is the only one who “gets it.” I just…my belief in the plausibility of Kira’s abilities versus everyone else’s just eroded to almost zero over the course of this book.
Secondly, random last-minute antagonist alert! I’m not going to spoil it, but it annoyed me so bad that the ending of this book literally came down an eleventh-hour antagonist who came out of NOWHERE and stuck around just long enough for the protagonists to reach a resolution. What a freaking cop out!
Third, underdeveloped plot threads that dropped out of the sky. There were at least important two I can think of off the top of my head. One of them was a deus ex machina, that, of course, was involved in the battle against the last-minute antagonist.
Fourth, the plot of this book was just plain dense, and it felt like half the material in this book should have been in Fragments, to replace all that drawn-out journey stuff I complained about.
Fifth, the heap of helpful contrived coincidences. I mean, really? Everybody shows up at the exact right moment? Back to back to back to keep the ball rolling? And it happened so many times in the final 100 pages that I wanted to chuck the book out the window.
Sixth, and finally, the ending sucked. It just…plain sucked. There’s a climax, and then the book ends a few pages later. There’s no real resolution. The battle ends and it just…stops. It read like there were three or four chapters missing from the end of the book, and I was not happy that I didn’t get to see how ANY of the issues that this entire trilogy was about were resolved. Not a single one.
I’m rarely angry when I finish a book. Content? Most of the time. Disappointed? Sometimes. But angry? Almost never.
But this time, I’m angry. The setup of this series promised the answers to huge questions, and never answered them. And there is nothing that riles me up more than when a book doesn’t deliver on its promises.
_____
Writing
See the POV issues above. I have no other comments on the writing quality.
_____
Is It Worth Reading?
No. If you’ve read the other two, you might as well read this one just to finish the trilogy. But I would not recommend the series as a whole based on the quality of this book. And that’s a pity because the first two books weren’t bad.
_____
Rating
2.5/5
May 20, 2019
You can also find this review here on my blog.
A powerful and epic conclusion to a story that pushes the human race to their limit, and shows just how mighty the need to survive is, even if it goes against everything you thought you believed in.
The same, ever engaging writing style pulls us back into this final book and makes it hard to want to leave. The pacing was a lot slower at the beginning, following Kira’s experimentation, and Samm working with the humans to keep them alive. However, it still picks up rather quickly as we start to follow quite a few new points of views scattered throughout this world. I feel like because we already have been introduced to all these characters in the first two books it makes the multiple perspectives easy to go along with. and this is coming from someone who hates multiple perspectives books. That being said, we do still mostly follow Kira. and wow is she going through a lot.
Kira is one of those characters who is ever evolving and sometimes catches us by surprise with the actions she takes. I love how she is almost portrayed in the chosen one trope, but constantly struggles to find her meaning, and we come to realise that she was never the chosen one. She is the one doing all the heavy lifting, but it was never up to her to sort out the problems that were devised before she was born, she’s just the one who makes the others realise their potential.
Although she is one of my favourite characters, i wasn’t too keen on the love triangle type thing she was caught in. I do like that Dan explains how you can love multiple people, without meaning to but i liked when the romance was farther into the subplot in the last two books.
The overall conclusion and the story to get there was fascinating and so complicatedly simple in the end that it made for a brilliant and mind-boggling book. I won’t be forgetting this one any time soon, and i urge you all to read this series.
A powerful and epic conclusion to a story that pushes the human race to their limit, and shows just how mighty the need to survive is, even if it goes against everything you thought you believed in.
The same, ever engaging writing style pulls us back into this final book and makes it hard to want to leave. The pacing was a lot slower at the beginning, following Kira’s experimentation, and Samm working with the humans to keep them alive. However, it still picks up rather quickly as we start to follow quite a few new points of views scattered throughout this world. I feel like because we already have been introduced to all these characters in the first two books it makes the multiple perspectives easy to go along with. and this is coming from someone who hates multiple perspectives books. That being said, we do still mostly follow Kira. and wow is she going through a lot.
Kira is one of those characters who is ever evolving and sometimes catches us by surprise with the actions she takes. I love how she is almost portrayed in the chosen one trope, but constantly struggles to find her meaning, and we come to realise that she was never the chosen one. She is the one doing all the heavy lifting, but it was never up to her to sort out the problems that were devised before she was born, she’s just the one who makes the others realise their potential.
Although she is one of my favourite characters, i wasn’t too keen on the love triangle type thing she was caught in. I do like that Dan explains how you can love multiple people, without meaning to but i liked when the romance was farther into the subplot in the last two books.
The overall conclusion and the story to get there was fascinating and so complicatedly simple in the end that it made for a brilliant and mind-boggling book. I won’t be forgetting this one any time soon, and i urge you all to read this series.
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