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kcacchioli's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
3.0
My experience with Unwind was similar to the one I had with [b:Splintered|12558285|Splintered (Splintered, #1)|A.G. Howard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340134213s/12558285.jpg|17562095], in the sense that the things I liked about the book made it stand out and become memorable, although not amazing (the character development, the thought-provoking concept and just the overall plot) - , while the things that I disliked weren't necessarily awful but made me want to rate it 2 stars. Also known as my meh-rating.
But Unwind is far from only okay. It's a well-written novel that I would recommend to several people. Neal Shusterman's first installment in a dystopian series is worth the hype without a doubt. And yet there were moments where I just wanted to get it over with.
Unwind is written from three different perspectives. What these teenagers all have in common is that they’re runaways, escaping from the society that’s trying to capture them and have them unwound.
There’s Connor, who is seventeen and planning on running away with his girlfriend, fifteen-year-old Risa who is thrown out of her boarding school, and Lev who has been raised to believe being unwound is his destiny.
The characters were likable, but I didn’t grow too attached to any of them. Even though these people went through some terrible things, I never truly empathized with them. Maybe if the POV hadn't shifted from one to the other just when I started to enjoy their voice.
Hopefully the characters will develop more in the other books.
The concept was original and well executed, but the story presented few surprises and ended up feeling a little flat and uneventful at times.
The pacing was consistent and on the medium-fast side.
The story reminded me a bit of [b:The Darkest Minds|10576365|The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)|Alexandra Bracken|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343178841s/10576365.jpg|15483434], but lacked the relatable and colorful personalities from Alexandra Bracken’s work.
Final verdict:
As much as I enjoyed Unwind, it is a book I have no strong feelings towards. Nothing about it annoyed me; nothing about it made me love it. It was a rather luke-warm read.
There will be no rant; positive or negative. I’ll just settle for being the black sheep again. That, and contemplate picking up the sequel.
But Unwind is far from only okay. It's a well-written novel that I would recommend to several people. Neal Shusterman's first installment in a dystopian series is worth the hype without a doubt. And yet there were moments where I just wanted to get it over with.
Unwind is written from three different perspectives. What these teenagers all have in common is that they’re runaways, escaping from the society that’s trying to capture them and have them unwound.
There’s Connor, who is seventeen and planning on running away with his girlfriend, fifteen-year-old Risa who is thrown out of her boarding school, and Lev who has been raised to believe being unwound is his destiny.
The characters were likable, but I didn’t grow too attached to any of them. Even though these people went through some terrible things, I never truly empathized with them. Maybe if the POV hadn't shifted from one to the other just when I started to enjoy their voice.
Hopefully the characters will develop more in the other books.
The concept was original and well executed, but the story presented few surprises and ended up feeling a little flat and uneventful at times.
The pacing was consistent and on the medium-fast side.
The story reminded me a bit of [b:The Darkest Minds|10576365|The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)|Alexandra Bracken|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343178841s/10576365.jpg|15483434], but lacked the relatable and colorful personalities from Alexandra Bracken’s work.
Final verdict:
As much as I enjoyed Unwind, it is a book I have no strong feelings towards. Nothing about it annoyed me; nothing about it made me love it. It was a rather luke-warm read.
There will be no rant; positive or negative. I’ll just settle for being the black sheep again. That, and contemplate picking up the sequel.
cutenanya's review
1.0
To be fair, I gave this book a very low rating because I find the concept behind this book DISTURBING, completely illogical,and most important of all, I find most of the adults who would give in to the idea of unwinding INSANE, ruthless, and unforgivable. The high ratings really shocked me, I guess it's just myself who has trouble swallowing the ridiculous world-building and the awful characterization then.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
Here's where the problems lie:
1) As far as I can understand, it all began with a war between the pro life and the pro choice and the war ended with both sides agreeing that while it is WRONG to kill off babies, it's OKAY to dismantle a TEENAGER into PIECES while they are still TECHNICALLY ALIVE! Imagine that! It is utterly impossible to believe how ANYONE would even think this is acceptable, save people who have the conscience to fight for PROLIFE.
2) I can understand a teenage mother not wanting an infant because she's not ready with the burden, but imagine giving up a child you have lived with for over a decade, allowing your child to be DISMANTLED just because he's not getting the right grades, impulsive? I really can't picture that. I would not give up my child for worse reasons! No, I simply can't buy into that idea.
3) Then of course, I have problems with the characterization:
* Connor: Hated him in the beginning but gradually grew to like him, especially in the second part. Still, this guy has some serious personality flaws and his romance with Risa seems forced and unrealistic.
* Risa: She is possibly the only decent character in the whole novel, sensible and talented, but the way she had to suffer in order to beat the system is just so wrong and depressing.
* Lev: He is possibly the WORST character in the whole novel! To begin, this boy was innocent and brainwashed to believe in a lie for the first 13 years of his life. Okay, he sorta woke up when the pastor told him to run and after his encounter with Sci Fi, he kinda just snapped and went from a steadfast believer to a self-destructive bomber. I can understand the hatred and all but imagine a 13 year-old changing so drastically in just a couple of months? It would make sense if he had been the impulsive type like Connor, but judging from the setup of the story, he certainly isn't, which makes his characterization more flawed and unrealistic.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
Here's where the problems lie:
1) As far as I can understand, it all began with a war between the pro life and the pro choice and the war ended with both sides agreeing that while it is WRONG to kill off babies, it's OKAY to dismantle a TEENAGER into PIECES while they are still TECHNICALLY ALIVE! Imagine that! It is utterly impossible to believe how ANYONE would even think this is acceptable, save people who have the conscience to fight for PROLIFE.
2) I can understand a teenage mother not wanting an infant because she's not ready with the burden, but imagine giving up a child you have lived with for over a decade, allowing your child to be DISMANTLED just because he's not getting the right grades, impulsive? I really can't picture that. I would not give up my child for worse reasons! No, I simply can't buy into that idea.
3) Then of course, I have problems with the characterization:
* Connor: Hated him in the beginning but gradually grew to like him, especially in the second part. Still, this guy has some serious personality flaws and his romance with Risa seems forced and unrealistic.
* Risa: She is possibly the only decent character in the whole novel, sensible and talented, but the way she had to suffer in order to beat the system is just so wrong and depressing.
* Lev: He is possibly the WORST character in the whole novel! To begin, this boy was innocent and brainwashed to believe in a lie for the first 13 years of his life. Okay, he sorta woke up when the pastor told him to run and after his encounter with Sci Fi, he kinda just snapped and went from a steadfast believer to a self-destructive bomber. I can understand the hatred and all but imagine a 13 year-old changing so drastically in just a couple of months? It would make sense if he had been the impulsive type like Connor, but judging from the setup of the story, he certainly isn't, which makes his characterization more flawed and unrealistic.
darianro's review
4.0
neal shusterman. did you write this book for me? anyone who knows me, knows my history and my strong opinions on organ donation. growing up with a mom who was ill and eventually was the recipient of two liver transplants, i have a lot to say about this. i won’t go into a rant here but we will just say that in my english college class i did create a TED talk on why everyone should be an organ donor. the commentary in this book is great. i won’t lie, it was hard to get into this book at first. i did not gravitate towards it. but after finishing it and understanding the underlying meaning, and reading though the discussion questions, i really enjoy the message this book is trying to get across. why do so few people donate their organs? i’m obviously not a fan of the solution to that in this book, and don’t think people should do something that makes them uncomfortable, but after experiencing first hand the difference organ donation has on people and families, it just so amazing to me. thanks to a man who decided to be an organ donor, i got to grow up with the most amazing mother who took her second chance at life and did something with it. my mom got to watch her children grow into who they are today. she got to advance in her career and feel proud of the work she does everyday. i know most people probably have not experience this first hard so im probably biased. i loved this book and the message and i can not wait to see where this story continues!
bluejaybooks's review
5.0
While I've reread most of the sequels, this may be my first reread of this book since I read it for free as a teenager on a now nonexistent Simon & Shuster young adult book giveaway website. I was a little afraid of how this first novel would hold up, though I had my consistent love of the sequels to suggest I would still enjoy this first book.
Written five years before UnWholly, the Unwind Dystology book 2, Unwind does show its age more than I recall the next three books doing. For example, while never stated, it seems like the characters might be using flip phones. The antique store scene, featuring the antiques of commonplace 2007 items, was also much less impactful in 2021 than during my first read.
That said, I still found the book hard to put down, and would say that it holds up.
I also read into this book's social commentary a bit differently than I did as a teenager. At the time, I felt that this book took a neutral stance on abortion. This take is largely true. Between the books and the author's interviews, I doubt there was an intention to promote a pro-choice or pro-life stance. However, while I once felt that the intention of this might be to start a conversation, and largely still do, I also think that the author might be trying to argue that the modern pro-choice vs pro-life stance on abortion overly simplifies a complex issue.
Written five years before UnWholly, the Unwind Dystology book 2, Unwind does show its age more than I recall the next three books doing. For example, while never stated, it seems like the characters might be using flip phones. The antique store scene, featuring the antiques of commonplace 2007 items, was also much less impactful in 2021 than during my first read.
That said, I still found the book hard to put down, and would say that it holds up.
I also read into this book's social commentary a bit differently than I did as a teenager. At the time, I felt that this book took a neutral stance on abortion. This take is largely true. Between the books and the author's interviews, I doubt there was an intention to promote a pro-choice or pro-life stance. However, while I once felt that the intention of this might be to start a conversation, and largely still do, I also think that the author might be trying to argue that the modern pro-choice vs pro-life stance on abortion overly simplifies a complex issue.
bitsandbookends's review
4.0
Kept me wanting more as I was intrigued by the process! Deeply disturbing but I couldn't stop reading. I highly recommend!
themoonphoenix's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
klparmley's review
4.0
This is a good jump start to conversation about sexual responsibility. And a good story, too. I intend to continue the series.
thelauraxe's review
3.0
3.5 because the buildup was slow and someone convinced me to carry on reading. The storyline was really good once the pace picked up!