The Pure Ones by Danielle Harrington
Series: The Hollis Timewire Series Book 3
Genre: YA dystopian
*Advanced Reader Copy Review; available for purchase on April 14, 2023
Once again, Danielle Harrington did not disappoint with her twists and turns in The Pure Ones. After reading the first two books in the Hollis Timewire Series, The Diseased Ones and The Unseen Ones, I was excited to learn that her third book was finally making its debut.
Plot:
Saved by the blue orb! After barely escaping President Camille’s attack, Hollis Timewire finds herself in the company of strangers . . . again. Arthur Evandrum promises a life of freedom and change for all the Diseased Ones, and Hollis’s power is the key. Although Hollis yearns for a life of teenage normalcy and for the burden of their fate to fall upon another’s shoulders, she accepts her destiny once she understands that she is the only one who can bring peace amongst society and the Diseased Ones—to live as equals. Unfortunately, this change requires Hollis to master her power, which she has yet to do.
Review: 4.8 / 5.0
The Pure Ones is definitely a doozy, and I enjoyed following Hollis through yet another book. As I said in my reviews about the previous two books, I had never really connected with Hollis. This time, it’s different. Hollis has learned from her mistakes and is cautious (sometimes overly so). While she mourns the normal life she could’ve had, she steps into her role as a leader of the people. In the past, her decisions brought destruction among the Diseased Ones; now, her decisions bring her closer to understanding her power, herself, and her role in the world.
I’m not big into political undertones, so I admit that the book lost me for a bit. Although the story continued moving forward (as it always should), I found myself counting pages to the end and impatiently waiting for the big twists that Danielle is known for. It was a lot different read than the first two. BUT when I tell you that she freaking outdid herself this time, I mean that she O.U.T.D.I.D H.E.R.S.E.L.F. Chapter 25 will have you in tears, and once the major action hit, I couldn’t put the book down! My heart pounded through all the plot twists, reveals, and ACTION scenes. I was literally sweating at the end.
Overall, Danielle wrote another amazing book with plot twists and her calling card—a cliffhanger. Her metaphors and imagery about darkness, death, and beasts weave perfectly into the outer and inner plots throughout the story. Opening lines are one of my favorite things about reading, and Danielle knows how to write those great openers: I’ve never considered how I would die. Really, a lot of her writing in this book reads more creatively and mature than her other two books—and who doesn’t love to see an author’s writing grow?
It’s funny how Danielle caught my attention. On Instagram, I scrolled by a fellow redhead and book lover with two cats (now three) who is unapologetically herself when making her entertaining videos. I found her hilarious and endearing, and I loved watching her nerd out about science. And that’s why I bought her first book—I’ve been hooked ever since.
Comparables:
I find this novel comparable to the heroine and enemy dynamic in the last book of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
Purchase: available on April 14, 2023
