Audio Book Review: Fuse (Pure #2)
Media Type: Audio Book
Title: Fuse
*Series: Pure #2′
Author: Julianna Baggott
Narrators: Khristine Hvam, Casey Holloway, Kevin T. Collins, Pierce Cravens
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: MP3 Download
Duration: 16 hours and 44 minutes
Source: Library Download
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Content Screening: Violence
HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Everyone.
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / BookLikes
We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.
To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.
At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.
To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price…
Narrator Review:
This book is read by multiple narrators, which is both a blessing and a curse. Let’s be honest, you can’t win them all!
Khristine Hvam is one of my favorite narrators. She has a way of reading so that you really feel every emotion that the character might. In this series she is Pressia, and I think she does a wonderful job of bringing her to life.
Casey Holloway reads the part of Lyda, and I was less than in love with her reading. It’s not that she was boring persay, but her voice is much more flat than Khristine Hvam’s.
Kevin T. Collins reads for El Capitan, and I honestly loved him! At first I thought it was a little over the top, but after a while I couldn’t read the book without adding his voice for El Capitan. He’s passionate about the character, and it shows.
Finally, Pierce Cravens reads the part of Partridge. I thought his voice was pretty spot on, but it was so quiet! I’m sure that’s the fault of the audio book company, but each time it came to a chapter narrated by him I had to turn up the volume.
Book Review:
Well Julianna Baggott,
you’ve done it. You’ve stepped right on up to the shelf that holds my
absolute favorite authors. It’s not often that I find a trilogy to fall
in love with. It’s even less often that I find the middle book of a
trilogy to be utterly perfect. Fuse took everything I was pining for at
the end of Pure and wove it into something beautiful. Something I wasn’t
expecting. Something I couldn’t stop reading.
I felt at home as I
reentered Pressia’s shattered world. It was just as I remembered it.
Everything in shambles. Ash floating on the air. Humans and animals
fused in both beautiful and grotesque ways. This is one of my favorite
dystopian worlds. The “After” is built with careful hands, making it
easy to get lost in the story. The best part this time around? The scope
is so much broader. I was treated to sprawling deserts, abandoned
relics, and even woods that housed dark, squirmy things. Plus there is
so much more about the dome in this installment. If you missed learning
more about it the first time around, you’ll be just as happy as I was.
The
characters are also just as vivid as they were before. Each one unique,
created with real emotions and flaws. I’ve never been able to choose a
favorite character. Pressia, Bradwell, Partridge and El Capitan all have
things about them that I both love and rage at. Trust me, if you’re a
character driven reader you’ll easily fall into step with Pressia and
her friends.
What sealed the deal for me was the plot. There have
always been themes of morality and mortality in this series. In Fuse,
however, lines start to blur. There is no longer a solid choice between
good and evil. I loved that. I couldn’t get enough of it. We all know
the world isn’t perfectly black and white. We all know that there are
always hidden agendas and secrets behind every door. Baggott shows that
in Fuse. She shows that no matter how the world changes, people will
always be fundamentally human. Survival knows no bounds.
I could
gush on and on. I honestly could. This trilogy has shattered my heart
twice now with the cliffhanger endings, and yet I just keep coming back
for more. Beautiful world building, wonderfully designed characters, and
a quick moving plot. What more could you ask for? If you haven’t
already started the Pure series, I highly suggest you get on that. It’s
worth it.
Other books in the series:
Pure (Pure #1)
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
