Review: Partials

Blurb:
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.
Book Details:

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (February 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062071041

My Review:  
This book read like a movie. That's usually not a good thing, but this time it worked PERFECTLY! The world that Kira lives in is stark and almost hopeless. Babies are dying almost as soon as they are born. Thus, humans are dying out. People are panicking, riots are erupting, and whatever world is left is starting to crumble. This story and it's very well crafted history was compelling and thought provoking!

I eagerly devoured this book. Kira is a great character and her friends are just as interesting. The dynamics of their group is another plus point to me. The friendships make sense. They grew up together, after something horrible nearly wiped out their species, they stuck together and matured.
Kira, in general, is a very smart person. She's learned how to be resourceful, she's tough, and real. The way she reacts to certain situations is pretty believable.

The story's pace starts out just a little slowly at first, but once  you hit the third or fourth chapter it  picks up quickly. That slow pace at the start was the only real big gripe I had with the book. It's like a slow boil, but once it hits boiling point just watch out and hold on. Seriously, this was how it felt to me. I cannot wait for the next book, I think there will be one as the ending definitely sets up the possibility. I hope that Dan Wells delves into more of the Isolation War and how the Partials actually came to exist.

This is a great book! One of the best I've read in a LONG time.