Fuse by Julianna Baggott | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

We want our son returned.

This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth, and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge's father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge's side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in ways she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth's ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price . . .

Why Did I Listen To Fuse by Julianna Baggott?

You know how sometimes a finished series can be out for a long time and you read book one, enjoy it, but kind of get waylaid by other books? Then years go by. All of a sudden, you see the book pop up on Hoopla to borrow as an audiobook. Is this seriously only the story of my life? Anyways, I LOVED Pure when I first read it, years and years ago when it came out. It was weird and different and gritty and interesting. Yet, because I am the worst, I never did get around to reading Fuse basically immediately. Now, nearly four years after release I have FINALLY dived in. Onto Burn which is book three hopefully before another four years passes.

What’s The Story Here?

Fuse by Julianna Baggott essentially picks up where book one, Pure leaves off. So you should read my review of Pure and not spoil yourself if you haven’t already read the first in the series. So, Fuse follows Partridge, Lyda, Pressia, Bradford, and El Capitan. Partridge is going back to the Dome because his Dad is making some threats and killing wretches and has some hostages. Also, Partridge has to uncover some of his dad’s secrets. Pressia, Bradford, and El Capitan are basically traveling together outside the Dome following a Black Box. Lyda is pregnant without knowing how babies are made so there’s that. Yes, this is a book where lots of plot threads are happening and things are going down.

How Did I Like Fuse?

I was actually kind of worried going into Fuse. Given how long it had been since I’ve read book one, I thought I would be totally confused and feel as though I was left in the lurch. However, this book is really easy to follow and I felt like my memory was being refreshed as I read it. I did not feel lost at all while reading. I was pretty invested. Parts of it made me a little nervous though, like for Lyda. Now that I have a child and have been pregnant, scenes with pregnancy and babies hit me just a little bit harder and actually impact me. So, again, I won’t delve into any spoilers. Suffice to say though, I am ready for book three and won’t be waiting too long after finally finishing up this book.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook has MULTIPLE narrators. The narrators are actually good ones too. Khristine Hvam is among them and she’s kind of a superstar. I can’t name off any of the others off the top of my head. However, they do a superb job. This audiobook is nearly 17 hours but it genuinely goes by quickly. If my library had book three, Burn via audio, I would experience it that way. That’s how much I enjoyed the audiobook version. Unfortunately, it does not, at least yet. Maybe Hoopla will get it soon? Either way this series is phenomenal, even years later, it holds up, I think.

Other reviews of Fuse by Julianna Baggott:

• Feed Your Fiction Addiction – “driven by character development“
• Behind The Pages – “intriguing and complex”
• Book Nerd Canada – “addicting and enthralling“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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