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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
AMAZEBALLS!!!
This was an incredibly good book. It had some flaws of course but I'm really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It wasn't your typical YA fantasy novel where the girl is annoying and guys are throwing themselves at her feet. No. This was like a British Nancy Drew/W.i.t.ch. paranormal-mystery.
The protagonist is seventeen year old Kami Glass who's smart, funny and quirky. She has a special friend named Jared whom she confides in through telepathy. She's a very ambitious young girl who likes to investigate and write newspaper articles. She's best friends with Angela, a beautiful exotic young lady who hates people, loves sleep and is lazy as hell. Kami's also friends with the gorgeous, smart and funny Holly who helps with the investigations. But Kami's world turns upside down when the old infamous Lynburn family returns to Sorry-in-the-Vale and resumes occupation in the old mansion and she finds out that her secret friend is actually a hot young bad boy with magical abilities and a dangerous past. Now, Kami and her friends have to solve the string of vandalisms and a murder before whoever is out to get her finishes the job.
Aside from the jaw-dropping cliffhanger I completely adored this book. It was well-written, filled with witty dialogue and mystery. I liked Jared even though he was so frustrating and pigheaded at times. His relationship with Kami was adorable (sorry Ash you were an asshole). And I liked Angela, she made me laugh with almost everything she said. It was just so amazing. I recommend this book to everyone and I'm excited for the sequel.
Um, I finished this book in *mumble mumble* hours, that is to say, pretty quickly. Suffice it to say it was pretty absorbing. I loved the story. It's pretty original both in premise and how the plot unfolded, and the main characters are really charming. Some of the developments are heavily telegraphed, but for the most part I didn't anticipate the twists/revelations, especially the ones tied to the central mystery. Take this with a grain of salt; I'm woefully bad at seeing where a story is going without anvil-like foreshadowing (and generally uninterested in trying to think about where things are going - it takes me out of the story). The ending wasn't as excruciating/evil as I'd expected given all the reports I'd read. It's a bit of a surprise, but not the cliffhanger I thought it would be.
Gothic novels are a big inspiration for Unspoken. There's lots of taut suspense and looming shadows and violent storms, an intrepid heroine who is compelled to investigate despite the constant threat of danger and death, and of course a handsome, brooding, dangerous stranger. It's pretty fun stuff and mostly works. Brennan's penchant for witticisms occasionally sits uneasily with the darker aspects of the book. On the other hand, I laughed out loud several times, so I can't complain too much about the humor being out of place.
I really liked Unspoken and am definitely looking forward to the next book. There is one big problem with it, though, which I haven't seen mentioned in reviews so far: the writing was just not as good as it could have been, in terms of structure and clarity. There are a lot of conversations and thought sequences that shift from one topic to another with little logic, sentences bogged down with too many clauses or poor word choices, and abrupt transitions between scenes. They were jarring, and particularly frustrating because I got the sense that the issue wasn't Brennan's ability as a writer so much as incomplete editing - like the book needed just a little more time to really gel. These passages should have been flagged for not quite making sense/potentially taking the reader out of the story, but weren't. Which is a shame; it's such a little thing to keep the book from being a complete package. The last section or two of the book were a lot stronger in this respect; hopefully there'll be less of this in the next book.
Gothic novels are a big inspiration for Unspoken. There's lots of taut suspense and looming shadows and violent storms, an intrepid heroine who is compelled to investigate despite the constant threat of danger and death, and of course a handsome, brooding, dangerous stranger. It's pretty fun stuff and mostly works. Brennan's penchant for witticisms occasionally sits uneasily with the darker aspects of the book. On the other hand, I laughed out loud several times, so I can't complain too much about the humor being out of place.
I really liked Unspoken and am definitely looking forward to the next book. There is one big problem with it, though, which I haven't seen mentioned in reviews so far: the writing was just not as good as it could have been, in terms of structure and clarity. There are a lot of conversations and thought sequences that shift from one topic to another with little logic, sentences bogged down with too many clauses or poor word choices, and abrupt transitions between scenes. They were jarring, and particularly frustrating because I got the sense that the issue wasn't Brennan's ability as a writer so much as incomplete editing - like the book needed just a little more time to really gel. These passages should have been flagged for not quite making sense/potentially taking the reader out of the story, but weren't. Which is a shame; it's such a little thing to keep the book from being a complete package. The last section or two of the book were a lot stronger in this respect; hopefully there'll be less of this in the next book.
"Unspoken" is one of those books I picked up almost exclusively because of friends' or acquaintances' recommendations. I don't know how much buzz the book got in the literary world, but I knew enough people who read and enjoyed it that I gave it a try.
Oh. My. God. There are some books you blow through because you MUST know how they end, and others that you try, desperately, to take your time on so you catch every detail. "Unspoken" was a brilliant mix of these traits.
I loved the premise--a girl who has been talking to an 'imaginary' friend her whole life learns he is a real person when the mysterious, frightening family who owns half her small town returns. Even if flap copy hadn't pulled me in, Kami would've instantly. I've read a ton of YA this year and I don't know if I've found a more likeable, engaging protagonist than she is yet. I don't think so. Her personality was so REAL to me that it felt like we could've been friends under different circumstances. She was the kind of person whose conviction and heart made me fall in love with characters I might not have ordinarily, and trust characters I would've pushed aside.
Which brings me to Jared. Poor, poor Jared. I'm a total sucker for angsty, vaguely dangerous but incredibly loyal bad boys (at least in fiction) and I was blown away by the scene where they meet for real. The intensity of that moment may have even topped the climactic ending for me. I was utterly intrigued by how nicely Brennan was able to weave his and Kami's obvious connection into their inherent differences--especially where a possible romance is concerned.
If there's one thing "Unspoken" does really well, it's starting in exactly the right place. The insular world of Sorry-in-the-Vale was so beautifully crafted that I was more than content with waiting to learn of Jared's existence and get into the meat of the mystery just so I could get a feel for the location. Not that the mystery wasn't totally compelling in its own right--a great blend of the magical and the mundane.
I enjoyed picking out the similarities to more old-fashioned Gothic novels, and if I hadn't had to return my copy, I would've spent more time than is healthy figuring out how each chapter title related to the rest of the chapter and to the Gothic as a whole genre. That being said, I hit the wall about midway through the story where going slow and savoring each twist and turn wasn't going to happen. At that point I was too invested and needed to know what happened immediately.
As for the ending, well . . . I won't spoil you. Let's just say that I'm thrilled there's going to be a sequel.
Oh. My. God. There are some books you blow through because you MUST know how they end, and others that you try, desperately, to take your time on so you catch every detail. "Unspoken" was a brilliant mix of these traits.
I loved the premise--a girl who has been talking to an 'imaginary' friend her whole life learns he is a real person when the mysterious, frightening family who owns half her small town returns. Even if flap copy hadn't pulled me in, Kami would've instantly. I've read a ton of YA this year and I don't know if I've found a more likeable, engaging protagonist than she is yet. I don't think so. Her personality was so REAL to me that it felt like we could've been friends under different circumstances. She was the kind of person whose conviction and heart made me fall in love with characters I might not have ordinarily, and trust characters I would've pushed aside.
Which brings me to Jared. Poor, poor Jared. I'm a total sucker for angsty, vaguely dangerous but incredibly loyal bad boys (at least in fiction) and I was blown away by the scene where they meet for real. The intensity of that moment may have even topped the climactic ending for me. I was utterly intrigued by how nicely Brennan was able to weave his and Kami's obvious connection into their inherent differences--especially where a possible romance is concerned.
If there's one thing "Unspoken" does really well, it's starting in exactly the right place. The insular world of Sorry-in-the-Vale was so beautifully crafted that I was more than content with waiting to learn of Jared's existence and get into the meat of the mystery just so I could get a feel for the location. Not that the mystery wasn't totally compelling in its own right--a great blend of the magical and the mundane.
I enjoyed picking out the similarities to more old-fashioned Gothic novels, and if I hadn't had to return my copy, I would've spent more time than is healthy figuring out how each chapter title related to the rest of the chapter and to the Gothic as a whole genre. That being said, I hit the wall about midway through the story where going slow and savoring each twist and turn wasn't going to happen. At that point I was too invested and needed to know what happened immediately.
As for the ending, well . . . I won't spoil you. Let's just say that I'm thrilled there's going to be a sequel.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
OK. So.
Uh.
I don't know.
The characters were pretty fun. It was a creative story--it kept surprising me and was definitely unpredictable.
But. Then, it was so romantically angsty. And honestly, a bit too confusingly fast-paced at the end.
And.
I just don't know.
I don't think I liked it.
Plus.
The ending.
SERIOUSLY?
Uh.
I don't know.
The characters were pretty fun. It was a creative story--it kept surprising me and was definitely unpredictable.
But. Then, it was so romantically angsty. And honestly, a bit too confusingly fast-paced at the end.
And.
I just don't know.
I don't think I liked it.
Plus.
The ending.
SERIOUSLY?
4.5. Please tell me my book is missing the last 20 pages. This is not okay! Not okay I say! No no no no nO! P.S.- I loved it!
Loved this book. Not quite five stars - mostly for some of the dialogue being too light and fluffy for the context - but would have given it a 4 and 1/2 if possible. (Hello, Goodreads, please start letting us give things a half star!)
Can't wait to read the sequel.
Can't wait to read the sequel.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes