The Best Reader:
Dan Wells

Hello everyone. Each day this month a member of Team Dauntless will be posting a new book giveaway. Some of these will be posted for only 24 hours and others will be up a little longer.

Today I am hosting the giveaway and it will be up for just 4 DAYS. So be sure to sign up early. If you are on the street team, or want to be, please help us by spreading the word about the giveaway if you can. We really appreciate all the hard work you all are putting into this.: )

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Partials by Dan Wells.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Contest is US only and ends April 27th .
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.
• Lots of extra entries possible.

Good luck and thanks again for helping spread the word about #TeamDauntless.

This week Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I have shared with you our interview with Partials author Dan Wells and some of our favorite quotes from the book. Today we are doing an open discussion of the book where we share some of our thoughts and give readers a chance to join in and link up their review of Partials.

Discussion for Partials

Okay, my first thought when thinking of Partials is just how well it was written and how outstanding the characters were. Who was your favorite?

I agree that Partials was written amazingly. It was easy to grow attached to the characters and I think my favorite would have to be Kira, following by a tie between Marcus and Samm. Kira was incredibly smart and I liked how Well's took the time to let her work through her thoughts and figure things out. She's really strong too and to me that always makes a fantasic female lead. Marcus, he was a crack up! I think he had some of the best lines throughout the story and then Samm, he was a shocking surprise and yet still a huge mystery that I can't wait to learn more about in the next book. What about you, who was your favorite and why?

I agree 100%. Kira was amazing and I think it was wonderful how SMART she was. She didn't need anyone to show her the way, she really took charge. Marcus cracked me up. A lot of the book was focused around serious issues and his lines really created a nice distraction for a while. Samm was very surprising! One of my favorite things about this book was simply looking forward to Samm's moments to see what could be discovered from what he said. What did you think about the science part of the story?

To be honest, I was someone worried that the science part of the story would take over, but was happy that the writing made that part of the story fit in nicely and never took away from anything. That's the thing about Partials. There's so much in the story from various different genres that gave this book an amazing twist. In the end, I liked the science part of things. I wanted to see Kira work her way through things, to figure out the puzzle pieces before her. The science part of things really gave me a better chance to see just what a smart cookie she really is. The new"government" in Partials is written somewhat as a whole other character. What did you think of their choices for the people?

Very true. I was honestly worried I would be confused by the science part but it really grabbed my attention quick. It was nice to read a dystopian novel where we know exactly what happened to the humans. Many times that is overlooked. Partials is really a book that has a little bit of everything and that's one of the reasons why I think I enjoyed it so much. Now, as for the government and their choices, on one hand I can see why they worried so much about the people rebelling against them. Not many people were left and they needed order, but it was obvious that the pregnancy age was the biggest factor for the people (as it should have been). Their ideas weren't working so I think it was time for some new choices to be made but I couldn't help but feel bad for the adults in this book because they had literally lost everything.

The government was someone out of control. I cringed at the choices and laws they made for the world. I hated the control they had over everyone. Really, there were no choices left for a free person to make. The government did it all for you. I mean, I understand the need for humanity to continue, and the RM virus made that hard to do, but the control over people was just maddening! In the end, I LOVED Partials. It's one of the best books I've read in 2012 and I am in serious need for the sequel — Fragments in 2013. I really couldn't find anything that I didn't like about this title and I hope more people will pick this one up and fall in love just as much as I did.

Definitely! I had heard amazing things about it but it really blew me away. I can't wait for book 2 to see what happens to these characters next!
What did you guys think? Please leave us (spoiler-free) comments and we invite others to reply and join in. If you haven't read the book yet, just tell us what really makes you want to read it.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of Partials by Dan Wells.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends April 14th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

We wanted to do this feature as a way to promote a new release and get people involved in discussing the book. One of the best ways to find out about a book is to read the reviews.

Please feel free to link your review of PARTIALS that has been posted on your blog or Goodreads.
Rules: Please post ONLY your review of PARTIALS. Please provide the direct link in the linky. You can include your rating of the book.
Example of link: Confessions of a Bookaholic — Partials Review (5 stars)

We would love you to join the discussion about the book. Leave comments, tell us what you thought, tell us why you want to read it, or ask questions. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS! We don't want to ruin it for others, but we'd love to see what everyone thought of the story.

Hello again! It's time for another post for this months Blogger Talk! Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I, along with Dan have put together some of our favorite quotes from the book. Check them out and see what you guys think. We'd love to hear your comments!

Title: Partials (Partials, #1)
Author: Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 472 Pages (February 28th, 2012)
Add Partials to: Goodreads
Order Here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partialsóengineered organic beings identical to humansóhas decimated the worldís population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanityís time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friendís pregnancy, sheís determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the warís origin that she never knew to ask.
Quotes from Partials:

Top 5 Favorite Quotes of Dan's -
Owen Tovar: "War, see, is when two sides fight, maybe not evenly, but at least they both get a few swings in. What we call the Partial War was mankind getting mugged in an alley."

Duna Mkele: "Let us assume, just for the moment, that whatever the Partials are planning is larger in scope than the murder of one teenage girl."

Nandita Merchant: "Each life has a different purpose, and some people can find their purpose more easily than others. The key, the most important thing you can ever know, is that whatever your purpose is, that's not your only choice."

Kira: "I don't know if 'we're stupider than they think we are' is a really great attack strategy."

Isolde: "If you can't know the truth, live the most awesome lie you can think of."

A Couple of My Favorite Quotes -
"No matter how they spun it, no matter how much they tried to focus on the positives, the ugly truth was that there simply weren't any children anymore. They were closing the school because they had run out of students. The teachers had done their job, but the doctors hadn't. -- page 12 (Kira)

"I've never been this wet in my entire life," said Kira."Even immersed in a bathtub I swear I was dryer than I am now."
"Look on the bright side," said Marcus.
Kira waited.
"This is the point," she said,"at which you would traditionally suggest a bright side."
"I've never been a real traditional guy," said Marcus."Besides, I'm not saying I know a bright side, I just think this would be a great time to look at one." -- page 45 (Kira and Marcus)

"Wake up sleepyhead," said Kira, bumping Marcus's ear with her shoulder."We're almost home."
"I didn't order sushi."
"What?"
Marcus opened his eyes warily."What did I say?"
"Nothing I have to smack you for. You're lucky you were dreaming about food instead of girls."
"I'm male," said Marcus, rubbing his eyes."It was a fifty-fifty shot." -- page 73 (Kira and Marcus)

A Couple of Lisa's Favorite Quotes -
"So tell us about yourself," said Marcus, settling into a couch."If I'm going to spend the while night waiting for you guys to stop flirting and shoot each other, I want to at least be entertained." -- page 54 (Marcus)

"Just bring something to share this time," sad Kira, turning back to Marcus and tapping him pointedly in the chest."I'm not covering for you like last time."
"That was a one-time thing," said Marcus, laughing,"and it wasn't last time, it was four times ago, and I've covered your share way more than that."
"I'm just saying," said Kira, picking him again in the chest,"I don't want my food-for-nothing, freeloader boyfriend to make me look bad in front of everybody. Again." She poked him one last time, glared at him playfully, then poked him again for good measure.
"Do you poke all the boys, or I am Special?"
She leaned closer."It's just you." She kissing him on the cheek."Until somebody better comes along." -- page 76 (Kira and Marcus)

"Wake up sleepyhead," said Kira, bumping Marcus's ear with her shoulder."We're almost home."
"I didn't order sushi."
"What?"
Marcus opened his eyes warily."What did I say?"
"Nothing I have to smack you for. You're lucky you were dreaming about food instead of girls."
"I'm male," said Marcus, rubbing his eyes."It was a fifty-fifty shot." -- page 73 (Kira and Marcus)

"Well, thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess" said Marcus."My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself. You can thank me later." -- page 347 (Marcus)

It looks like this month Lisa and I managed to have one of our favorite quotes be the same. And I think it's telling that most of our quotes have Marcus in them. He was very entertaining to say the least. Also, the quote of Dan's from Isolde was one I almost used as well. That scene was a good one.
*Note: The quotes from Lisa were taken from an ARC copy of Partials.

Don't forget to check out the Interview with Dan >>>CLICKING HERE<<<
Again, we can't say thank you enough for taking the time out of your busy touring schedule to stop by a few days this week and be part of this months Blogger Talk.
Thanks for everything!

Find Dan Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Check out my review of Partials HERE!

Book Trailer:

Be sure to stop by again later this week for our Partials discussion post. We hope you'll join in on to help us celebrate this FANTASTIC book and author.

Hello everyone… it's time for another post for our second month of Blogger Talk: Novel Exposed!! Today we have a exciting and very different, yet fun interview with Partials author, Dan Wells. We hope you'll enjoy it, as much as we have.
A quick message: Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) and I would love to thank everyone who participated in last months discussion. We're still working out the kinks of this new feature for both of our blogs, but we believe it's been a great addition for each of us. We hope you guys will continue along with us for the journey as we bring you new and exciting books and authors each month.

Title: Partials (Partials, #1)
Author: Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 472 Pages (February 28th, 2012)
Add Partials to: Goodreads
Order Here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partialsóengineered organic beings identical to humansóhas decimated the worldís population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanityís time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friendís pregnancy, sheís determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the warís origin that she never knew to ask.
Top 5 Interview:

1. Give us 5 words you would use to describe Kira?
Smart, Brave, Reckless, Temperamental, Determined

2. 5 words you would use to describe the"world" we see in Partials?
Decaying, Empty, Overgrown, Dangerous, Waiting

3. Tell us 5 ways we would know someone is a Partial?
1- They're stronger, faster, and tougher than a human.
2- They're trained in battle.
3- They heal at a superhuman rate.
4- They can communicate silently with other Partials, which also means:
5- You can tell someone's a Partial if you are a Partial yourself

4. The 5 major survival skills humans would need in order to stay safe.
1- Stay away from old houses; most of them lack steel construction and could collapse if you're not careful.
2- You can find water almost everywhere, but make sure you purify it first. The Old World put a lot of scary chemicals into the soil.
3- Most canned food is still good, so you can find food almost anywhere (but watch out for cans that are bloated or swollen--they've gone bad).
4- Stay away from Partials at all costs.
5- Partials aren't the only bad guys. Wild animals have reclaimed most of the planet, and unscrupulous humans might be the most dangerous threats of all.

5. What are 5 symptoms of the RM virus?

1- Intense fever.
2- Loss of bodily fluids (mucus, urine, sweat), and with that the threat of dehydration.
3- Hallucinations.
4- Loss of muscular control.
5- Destruction of the immune system.

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy touring schedule to stop by today and be part of this months Blogger Talk. It was great to have you here, you're more than welcome anytime and we're looking forward to having you stop by again later this week when we share some favorite quotes with everyone.

Find Dan Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Check out my review of Partials HERE!

Book Trailer:

Be sure to stop by again later this week for quotes from Partials and discussion post we hope you'll join in on to help us celebrate this FANTASTIC book and author.

Partials by Dan Wells
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (February 28th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 472 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Partials #1
Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Review:

Kira is a medic. She is a 16-year-old who is intelligent far beyond her years, and her and her friends are well aware of the issues that plague the human race. To make things worse, it's not just the virus causing issues. Politics are causing people to rebel and n ow the leaders are trying to show more power as a way to make people listen.

Soon, Kira comes up with a plan that she feels will help save the humans. She will study a Partial, an engineered being that everyone feels is responsible for the spread of the virus years ago. Her and her friends go into dangerous territory to find a Partial and this journey shows her a lot more than she expected.

Dan Wells is a brilliant writer. The world we are introduced to in Partials is scary, desolate, and all too possible. A virus spreading quickly across the planet is a real threat so I think that's why Partials is such a frighting story. Dan brought a lot of science into this story. He didn't leave us with questions as to what exactly had happened to the rest of the humans. We know about the virus, what it did to the victims, and how it spreads. I loved that the readers can really feel like they take part in deconstructing the virus itself and seeing what can be done to stop it. This was really a book that allows readers to step back and think about what's going on, and attempt to figure it out with the characters.

Although few humans survived, I got a good idea of how the remaining population lived in their new surroundings. The young adults (and very young teens) were critical to the survival of the race. The political figures always made that clear and in a way it showed how the younger population had more power than one would think

The characters we meet in Partials were so well developed and interesting. Kira was intelligent, focused, and extraordinarily brave. She thought of herself last. Her friends were always at the top of her list. Kira's friends were each so different and brought so much to the story.

Probably the most surprising part of this book to me was just the visuals. Dan Wells used honest, descriptive language to describe a world that is harsh and ruined. Everything from the broken roads, abandoned homes and skyscrapers, decaying remains, and wild animals were things I could picture with such clarity. I saw it like a movie or one of those Discovery shows that that go through what would happen if humans didn't exist. It's so frightening.

If you are thinking of taking a chance and reading a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel, pick up Partials!

Dan Wells did a remarkable job bringing this world to light and showing a harsh reality. Partials had everything I could hope for in a fabulous YA novel!

Recommended: Lovers of post-apocalyptic/dystopian, science fiction, with strong characters and outstanding world-building.

Author | Goodreads | Twitter

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository