Book Review

     What would you do if the last hope of the human race depended on the ones who were destroying life as we know it? The scenario stated above exactly depicts what happens throughout this exciting book.  Kira, a sixteen year old nurse in training, is placed on the front lines of a battle. Human hybrid soldiers named Partials have released a devastating virus named RM that prevent newborns from surviving. With the human race slowly diminishing, Kira becomes the last hope for humanity as she races to find a cure for the virus RM. Dan Well's Partials thrilled me with suspense and kept me turning pages.

     Dan Wells defies the stereo-type of having a male character as the hero of the story. By making Kira the teenage girl that becomes determined to find a cure, he puts on twist on typical gender roles. Early on readers can tell that Kira thinks different from the rest of her society and decides she will be a part of finding a cure. On page 90 Kira states, "One day we will have a survivor... It's inevitable. A child will live." Kira, depicted as a very strong character, does not become ignorant like others around her do. She knows a baby will never be born with immunity and determines at this point that a cure is needed and that she will do whatever it takes to find a cure.

     Also, this book has a chilling setting. Human technology (Partials) becomes intelligent enough to turn against us. This theme comes up in many books we see published today. The Partials have a high-tech communication system called the "Link" which connects every Partial soldier's emotions and feelings to one another. When one Partial becomes endangered others nearby can sense what he feels. The "Link" makes it very hard to fight against or ambush Partial soldiers. Human technology designed to protect humanity, becomes the most dangerous force humanity has ever seen throughout this book, and depicts a very horrific scenario.
 
     Although I admired Kira as a character from the beggining of the book, the medical experimenting Kira does throughout the book, tends to become a little unrealistic. Kira, being a sixteen year old " Medic-In-Training", more than likely would not have the medical background to find a cure to a disease like unto cancer; the RM virus has a "99.9% fatality rate." However, this book was in fact written as fiction so readers might need to use their imagination some throughout, especially when it comes to the medical perspective of the book.

     Overall, I highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys intense action and science fiction. The plot builds on itself continuously and leaves the reader hungry for more. Although this book was written more for a teenage audience, I believe many adults would enjoy this book as well. Partials is definitely worth 5 stars.