Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Wells creates a compelling, fantastically complex post-apocalyptic landscape, adding thought-provoking twists to a classic story of humanity creating its own doom...With broad cross-genre appeal and an engaging balance of thematic depth and rip-roaring action, this winner will leave readers clamoring for sequels.
ALA Booklist
Kira is a bold heroine with lofty goals, and readers will willingly follow her to the sequel, where things are sure to tilt again.
The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Wells has recombined familiar dystopian elements, added original ones and thrown in dashes of dry wit to create a sprawling, action-packed medical thriller full of big ideas and exciting reversals.
Pitticus Lore
A thrilling sci-fi adrenaline rush, with one of the most compelling and frightening visions of Earth’s future I’ve seen yet. I couldn’t put it down.
The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
Wells creates a compelling, fantastically complex post-apocalyptic landscape, adding thought-provoking twists to a classic story of humanity creating its own doom...With broad cross-genre appeal and an engaging balance of thematic depth and rip-roaring action, this winner will leave readers clamoring for sequels.
Kirkus Reviews
Finding the cure to a plague that killed 99 percent of humanity was only the beginning for Kira. Baby Arwen was the first infant to survive thanks to teenage medical technician Kira's discovery that the cure for the plague called RM was in the pheromones exuded by Partials, the genetically modified superwarriors. The last remnants of humanity--all 36,000 of them--live on Long Island and are locked in a cold war with one faction of the supersoldiers; obtaining the pheromones is no easy task. Acting on a message to "Find the Trust" left her by her guardian, Kira, who's determined to find a more portable cure as well as a fix for the Partials' "expiration date" (they die abruptly and in prime condition at 20), sets off to discover the true nature of the Trust, which apparently controls the Partials. Joined by her Partial buddy Samm and superassassin Heron, Kira strikes off across the desolate wastelands of the Midwest. They fight genetically modified beasts and their own misgivings while at home, Kira's friends wage battles against the encroaching Partials. Fans of Partials (2012) will enjoy the twisty thrills, though the existential hand-wringing is both too frequent and too lengthy. Another hurried ending (if that can be applied to a book of over 560 pages) leaves all in jeopardy. Doesn't stand alone, but a fine and frightening post-apocalyptic thriller. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
