Ruins

by Dan Wells
451 pgs  (The Partials series #3)

I finally got around to finishing Dan Wells's The Partials series. I know a lot of people who have read it have compared it to The Hunger Games and Divergent books because they're all written primarily for a younger audience, have a young female heroine, and take place in a bleak dystopian future. While I haven't read either of those series, I'm familiar enough with them to understand the comparison. Wells's books haven't gained anywhere near the following and popularity that the others have and having finished it, and unfortunately I understand why. It's a smart series, and it starts off with a strong first book - Partials, but the books tended to drag on in multiple places and by the end, my interest level had waned.

In Ruins Kira is trying to prevent another, and most likely race-ending war between what's left of mankind and Partials--the species of genetically engineered men and women with far superior physical and mental abilities. Both species are already near extinction; the Partials because they have an internal expiration date that they die when they reach, and the humans because of a genetically engineered disease that was released years ago and has caused every child born after it was released to die within days of birth.

Not only does Kira have to somehow prevent war between the two species, she also must somehow convince them that each species contains the cure for the other. And that the only way either of them will survive, is if they can somehow find a way to live in constant contact with each other.

I'm a huge fan of Wells's other series featuring the "Dexter-esque" John Wayne Cleaver and was excited to learn that he's continuing the series with The Devil's Only Friend later this year. But this series ended up being a disappointment. I'll recommend it to my teenage daughters and see what they think. Maybe I just wasn't in his targeted demographic this time.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆