Title: Fuse
Author:  Julianna Baggott
Published:  February 19, 2013
Series:  The Pure Trilogy #2
Genre:  Dystopian/Science Fiction
Format:  Kindle
Source:  Purchased

When the world ended, those who dwelled within the Dome were safe. Inside their glass world the Pures live on unscarred, while those outside—the Wretches—struggle to survive amidst the smoke and ash.

Believing his mother was living among the Wretches, Partridge escaped from the Dome to find her. Determined to regain control over his son, Willux, the leader of the Pures, unleashes a violent new attack on the Wretches. It’s up to Pressia Belze, a young woman with her own mysterious past, to decode a set of cryptic clues from the past to set the Wretches free.

An epic quest that sweeps readers into a world of beautiful brutality, Fuse continues the story of two people fighting to save their futures—and change the fate of the world.

There was some really unfortunate cookie cutter character-building in Fuse that I was not expecting after being blown away by Pure. The plot and world-building in this series is still great, but I found all of the interpersonal drama to cause this book to drag for me. Bradwell, for example, was a total know-it-all, despite having been on his own since childhood. El Capitan is the typical survivalist character. Lyda suddenly becomes a raging feminist outside the Dome. It all just seemed a little improbable—like the characters were typecast.

I had really high expectations for this book after reading Pure, but I was a little let down—which might just speak to how amazing the first book was. Overall, however I like the series, and I still look forward to the next book. I’d give Fuse three out of five stars, and I recommend The Pure Trilogy to avid YA dystopian readers.