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A review by laughlinesandliterature
Fuse by Julianna Baggott
4.0
Fuse was definitely a good followup to the first book, Pure. I really liked the character development in this book. We did have multiple POV’s in this book, and while in the first one the changes didn’t bother me it did detract from this book for me. There were 4 total, but I will touch on each of them even though it was a bit much for me.
Pressia was totally awesome in this book, and while her hot and cold behavior towards Bradwell did bother me it also felt realistic. I don’t know that in her position loving someone is a good idea. The romantic side of me says of course love is worth it, but the pragmatic side says survival is all that matters. I also liked how Pressia grew in this installment, she really started to come into her own. She began to figure out what she wanted, and what she was willing to give up. I also liked that we got see Pressia’s brilliance come out. She started to figure out the mystery that surrounds the Dome and what they want by herself. It’s easy to see Bradwell is not the only highly intelligent member of their group.
Partridge was a difficult character for me to get into once he leaves Lyda and the rest of the group behind. I just don’t feel much sympathy for Partridge, and while I think he wants to do the right thing, I also think he wants to do the easy thing. I did like that he was able to deceive his father, even if it was with the help of Iralene. Iralene ended up being a character that I found intriguing, and I wish we knew more about her story. In the end though, I just felt like Partridge regressed. Instead of growing like other characters he really just became dependent on those around him.
Lyda was the hardest POV of view for me to read, and I will be honest I did end up skimming/skipping large sections of her POV. I did like that she ended up being her own person, and able to tell Partridge that she was not going to just follow him.There was nothing wrong with Lyda in general, but it just felt like she wasn’t contributing to the overall story. In this book it just felt like she was there because of her romantic entanglement to Partridge. I also could have done without a few of things that happened towards the end of the book. I just felt like Lyda’s POV was the least important.
On the other hand even though it wasn’t important I LOVED El Capitan’s POV. Part of it is because his character growth from Pure to the end of Fuse was amazing. Especially with his brother Helmud. I loved these two together, and there were even laugh out loud moments, which in a series so incredibly dark is always amazing. I truly felt for El Capitan in this book, he definitely realizes a few things about himself, Pressia and Bradwell. It was heartbreaking, because while I adore his character there is no way he is going to get the happy ending that he deserves. El Capitan knows this and is resigned to it, but he is still a wonderful person in spite of that.
Julianna Baggott does a fantastic job of creating this world, and it is dark, complex, and wonderful. Her writing draws you in, and makes you think. There is mystery and intrigue everywhere, but yet every character is multi-faceted. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars simply because the multiple POV did detract from the storyline, but this is frequently my complaint and probably will not ruin the book for any readers who don’t mind it.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/03/fuse-burn-by-julianna-baggott.html*
Pressia was totally awesome in this book, and while her hot and cold behavior towards Bradwell did bother me it also felt realistic. I don’t know that in her position loving someone is a good idea. The romantic side of me says of course love is worth it, but the pragmatic side says survival is all that matters. I also liked how Pressia grew in this installment, she really started to come into her own. She began to figure out what she wanted, and what she was willing to give up. I also liked that we got see Pressia’s brilliance come out. She started to figure out the mystery that surrounds the Dome and what they want by herself. It’s easy to see Bradwell is not the only highly intelligent member of their group.
Partridge was a difficult character for me to get into once he leaves Lyda and the rest of the group behind. I just don’t feel much sympathy for Partridge, and while I think he wants to do the right thing, I also think he wants to do the easy thing. I did like that he was able to deceive his father, even if it was with the help of Iralene. Iralene ended up being a character that I found intriguing, and I wish we knew more about her story. In the end though, I just felt like Partridge regressed. Instead of growing like other characters he really just became dependent on those around him.
Lyda was the hardest POV of view for me to read, and I will be honest I did end up skimming/skipping large sections of her POV. I did like that she ended up being her own person, and able to tell Partridge that she was not going to just follow him.There was nothing wrong with Lyda in general, but it just felt like she wasn’t contributing to the overall story. In this book it just felt like she was there because of her romantic entanglement to Partridge. I also could have done without a few of things that happened towards the end of the book. I just felt like Lyda’s POV was the least important.
On the other hand even though it wasn’t important I LOVED El Capitan’s POV. Part of it is because his character growth from Pure to the end of Fuse was amazing. Especially with his brother Helmud. I loved these two together, and there were even laugh out loud moments, which in a series so incredibly dark is always amazing. I truly felt for El Capitan in this book, he definitely realizes a few things about himself, Pressia and Bradwell. It was heartbreaking, because while I adore his character there is no way he is going to get the happy ending that he deserves. El Capitan knows this and is resigned to it, but he is still a wonderful person in spite of that.
Julianna Baggott does a fantastic job of creating this world, and it is dark, complex, and wonderful. Her writing draws you in, and makes you think. There is mystery and intrigue everywhere, but yet every character is multi-faceted. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars simply because the multiple POV did detract from the storyline, but this is frequently my complaint and probably will not ruin the book for any readers who don’t mind it.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/03/fuse-burn-by-julianna-baggott.html*