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harleyglynn's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
“The light had changed, too, adding to the stillness. The canopy far above diffused the sun into nothing more than glowing, golden air that hovered, suspended between the trees. The whole scene gave the innate feeling that you were leaving the world behind, entering into some imaginary place that didn't really exist. I wished that were true.”
I finished this in 48 hours. While this was a solid mystery that kept me suspicious of everybody right up until the end, the real draw for me was the captivating storyline beyond the mystery itself - something I've come to expect from every one of her books.
Adrienne Young has quite possibly become my new favorite author. For the past year, anytime someone asked for a recommendation my immediate response was The Unmaking of June Farrow. I absolutely adore that book. But after reading this one, I think I might have to broaden my future recommendations. Between June Farrow, Spells for Forgetting, and her newest A Sea of Unspoken Things you just can't go wrong. In my opinion, the way Young writes her characters and settings is unmatched. You are fully transported into the story through her gorgeous, atmospheric way with words. I want to live within the pages. She consistently delivers stories that I continue to think about long after I've finished them. I can easily say I will forever read everything and anything that she comes out with as soon as I can possibly get my hands on it.
I finished this in 48 hours. While this was a solid mystery that kept me suspicious of everybody right up until the end, the real draw for me was the captivating storyline beyond the mystery itself - something I've come to expect from every one of her books.
Adrienne Young has quite possibly become my new favorite author. For the past year, anytime someone asked for a recommendation my immediate response was The Unmaking of June Farrow. I absolutely adore that book. But after reading this one, I think I might have to broaden my future recommendations. Between June Farrow, Spells for Forgetting, and her newest A Sea of Unspoken Things you just can't go wrong. In my opinion, the way Young writes her characters and settings is unmatched. You are fully transported into the story through her gorgeous, atmospheric way with words. I want to live within the pages. She consistently delivers stories that I continue to think about long after I've finished them. I can easily say I will forever read everything and anything that she comes out with as soon as I can possibly get my hands on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Violence, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
littlelizzieborden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Violence, and Pregnancy
caitlynd93's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
i love adrienne young's adult novels, spells for forgetting and the unmaking of june farrow, and i was so excited to hear about a sea of unspoken things and receive an arc. a sea of unspoken things has all of the things that i've come to expect from an adrienne young novel; lush descriptions, an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're part of the story, and character's that feel real and distinct.
as someone who lives in the san francisco bay area, i loved that this book was set in northern california. though i live in a very populated city and not a small town like six rivers, it was so easy to picture six rivers and the woods. it felt familiar to me, it felt like a place i've visited countless times before and that was really special to me. throughout the book james talks about six rivers being removed from the city, of the forest having a sort of magic and feeling alive and i felt that through every page. young has a real talent for making her books feel alive, and i think that's my favorite thing about her writing.
i thought all of the characters were great and really well explored. i loved being in james' pov, and really felt for her throughout the story. the explorations of twins and what happens when one of them dies was really so interesting, and james and johnny gave me major nell and luke crain from the haunting of hill house vibes, which was just everything. the grief that james felt over losing her brother was heartbreaking and overwhelming, and i thought that this book was a really beautiful exploration of grief and how it affects all of us differently, and the complicated feelings that come with grief, especially if in their death, you uncover secrets about the person you're grieving. johnny may have died before the story began, but he felt so alive throughout the book and james and micah's memories of him, and the rest of the town's as well.
this is much more mystery focused than young's previous adult novels, and as a reader whose favorite genre is mystery, that was great for me, and i loved the way the mystery unfolded. this is not a fast paced mystery; like the town it's set in, it's a little sleepy and slow, but it grows as time goes on and once you get hooked it's hard to leave. i won't lie, it did take me a little while to get into the story, but once i got into it i didn't want to stop reading, it had a slow build that i really enjoyed. there were a few different ways the mystery could've played out. one of the reveals i didn't see coming, but i thought it made complete sense and i was surprised that i didn't pick up on it right away, but the hints were there all along. one of the reveals i did see coming, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.
overall, i really enjoyed a sea of unspoken things and think it's another great edition to adrienne young's body of work. if you've enjoyed her other novels, i definitely suggest checking it out!
as someone who lives in the san francisco bay area, i loved that this book was set in northern california. though i live in a very populated city and not a small town like six rivers, it was so easy to picture six rivers and the woods. it felt familiar to me, it felt like a place i've visited countless times before and that was really special to me. throughout the book james talks about six rivers being removed from the city, of the forest having a sort of magic and feeling alive and i felt that through every page. young has a real talent for making her books feel alive, and i think that's my favorite thing about her writing.
i thought all of the characters were great and really well explored. i loved being in james' pov, and really felt for her throughout the story. the explorations of twins and what happens when one of them dies was really so interesting, and james and johnny gave me major nell and luke crain from the haunting of hill house vibes, which was just everything. the grief that james felt over losing her brother was heartbreaking and overwhelming, and i thought that this book was a really beautiful exploration of grief and how it affects all of us differently, and the complicated feelings that come with grief, especially if in their death, you uncover secrets about the person you're grieving. johnny may have died before the story began, but he felt so alive throughout the book and james and micah's memories of him, and the rest of the town's as well.
this is much more mystery focused than young's previous adult novels, and as a reader whose favorite genre is mystery, that was great for me, and i loved the way the mystery unfolded. this is not a fast paced mystery; like the town it's set in, it's a little sleepy and slow, but it grows as time goes on and once you get hooked it's hard to leave. i won't lie, it did take me a little while to get into the story, but once i got into it i didn't want to stop reading, it had a slow build that i really enjoyed. there were a few different ways the mystery could've played out. one of the reveals i didn't see coming, but i thought it made complete sense and i was surprised that i didn't pick up on it right away, but the hints were there all along. one of the reveals i did see coming, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.
overall, i really enjoyed a sea of unspoken things and think it's another great edition to adrienne young's body of work. if you've enjoyed her other novels, i definitely suggest checking it out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Suicide attempt
celery's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
gondorgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail