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marjolaine_lafreniere's review
3.0
I wonder if I would have liked this book better if I'd read Unbreakable first. Oh, well, too late for that. It is still pretty good.
kylek's review
4.0
I usually end up giving novellas 2, max 3 stars, because most of them are just too short for anything else. The stories, which are nice, are still nothing to write home about, but this one was definitely an exception!
The first 2 stories where a bit weird and honestly Ben was coming off as a major Stalker with a capital S and the way it was written was kinda stilted. They were very short sentences. It kept throwing me off. I didn't like it. Get it? Anyway, as it went on, the sentences got to a more normal length and I started understanding Ben more. So even though I wasn't 100% convinced, I could at least tell where he was coming from (which I guess was what the novella was trying to accomplish).
Now, the last story and the sneak peak of book 2 left me completely unsatisfied and wanting soo much more! Damn cliffhangers!!! Finally learning about the other universe(s) and what happened in it and to Elijah, Reid, and Ben's families, and then the weeks after arriving there. We also get a more indepth look of how they used to live, what their families were like and how it had all changed when the 3 boys had disappeared. It even got me to start liking Elijah, cause I was never really a fan of his. With this novella I was not only given a refresher of the events that had happened in Unraveling, but also got the bridge that will unite the events of Unraveling with Unbreakable, which as I said before I'm totally looking forward to!
The first 2 stories where a bit weird and honestly Ben was coming off as a major Stalker with a capital S and the way it was written was kinda stilted. They were very short sentences. It kept throwing me off. I didn't like it. Get it? Anyway, as it went on, the sentences got to a more normal length and I started understanding Ben more. So even though I wasn't 100% convinced, I could at least tell where he was coming from (which I guess was what the novella was trying to accomplish).
Now, the last story and the sneak peak of book 2 left me completely unsatisfied and wanting soo much more! Damn cliffhangers!!! Finally learning about the other universe(s) and what happened in it and to Elijah, Reid, and Ben's families, and then the weeks after arriving there. We also get a more indepth look of how they used to live, what their families were like and how it had all changed when the 3 boys had disappeared. It even got me to start liking Elijah, cause I was never really a fan of his. With this novella I was not only given a refresher of the events that had happened in Unraveling, but also got the bridge that will unite the events of Unraveling with Unbreakable, which as I said before I'm totally looking forward to!
emilydaniellew's review
3.0
Cool novella that shows you what happens between the book.Important to read so you aren't lost.
leslie1187's review
4.0
This was such a gap filler when it comes to filling us in on everything about Ben that we didn't know because Janelle didn't know. It's written entirely in Ben's perspective and tells of how they were sucked through the portal when they were ten (Ben, Elijah, and Reid), the end of their sophomore year when they "accidentally" opened a portal and discovered they didn't need a machine, but when they tried again decided not to open up anymore portals because it was too unstable and go back to the drawing board to build the machine (they had half of Reid's father's notes to build the machine but couldn't find all the materials they needed). Then it also fills the gap of what happened after Ben and Elijah went back to their universe; shows Ben with his mother and brother (mentions him visiting his father but doesn't actually show any interaction with them); also how different everything is in their universe now and they learn what happened after Ian had told everyone at the party that the three of them had vanished. It ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the plot for the second book, Unbreakable, which is out now. I'm tempted to buy it now, but I have so many other books I need to read so I'm going to hold off on purchasing it until I've read at least 2-3 books from my stack of unread books I have. Again, I definitely recommend the Unraveling series to any dystopian / science fiction / crime-solving fiction readers.
jeanz's review
4.0
MY REVIEW
I purchased this novella from Amazon.co.uk. The cover is a scenic view of the ocean, where Ben had been rescued by Janelle when he fell through the portal that first time in Unraveling. The cover also has the byline, "Before the accident, Before their Universes collided, Before they fell in love." which does describe the time this novella is covering.
So this novella is again from Ben's point of view. The novella explains how Ben and the other boys came to end up in the basement of Ben's best friend Eli. It explains how they literally fell through their first portal. It all happened by accident.
Book One Unraveling ended on a cliffhanger with us wondering if Ben and Eli had actually made it safely home, back to their parents and families. This novella tells us that story, we learn how things have in some cases drastically changed for the boys families.
This novella also ends on a cliffhanger where the boys are trapped together in a room. They aren't sure who their captors are but they aren't adverse to using people the two boys care about to force the boys to "work" for them.
I did enjoy the novella, though I read it as one novella rather than three short stories though I do see how you could say there are three parts. The first part was okay, interesting. The second part learning what had happened to the families was one of the most interesting part. It was so well written, you felt the boys disbelief at how much things had changed, as well as how guilty they felt for what they had put their families through. You also felt their "homesickness" of missing the last place they had been.
Then abruptly they are kidnapped, by whom w the reader are left to wonder, the reason why is obviously due to the fact the guys can open portals. they are asked to !work" for their captors, which both guys decline, something horrible happens caused by the captors, a tactic to get them to toe the line and do as requested. Do they give in? Well I guess we have to wait for Book #2 Unbreakable for those answers.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, I enjoyed the last two thirds the most, with the families being re-introduced in the mid section of the novella. then obviously the last section of the novella is setting the scene for Unbreakable. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, especially for the family reunions! The novella bridges the gap between Bk#1 and Bk#2 really well. The novella got me back into the series and wanting to read Bk#2. Taking all that into account I'd say this novella is a MUST read. Would I want to read on in the series? Definitely, this novella has made the story feel fresh again in my head, updated me on what happened after the cliffhanger of Bk#1 and set the scene for Bk#2. Would I read other books by Elizabeth Norris? I would definitely take a closer look at any book by Elizabeth Norris.
I purchased this novella from Amazon.co.uk. The cover is a scenic view of the ocean, where Ben had been rescued by Janelle when he fell through the portal that first time in Unraveling. The cover also has the byline, "Before the accident, Before their Universes collided, Before they fell in love." which does describe the time this novella is covering.
So this novella is again from Ben's point of view. The novella explains how Ben and the other boys came to end up in the basement of Ben's best friend Eli. It explains how they literally fell through their first portal. It all happened by accident.
Book One Unraveling ended on a cliffhanger with us wondering if Ben and Eli had actually made it safely home, back to their parents and families. This novella tells us that story, we learn how things have in some cases drastically changed for the boys families.
This novella also ends on a cliffhanger where the boys are trapped together in a room. They aren't sure who their captors are but they aren't adverse to using people the two boys care about to force the boys to "work" for them.
I did enjoy the novella, though I read it as one novella rather than three short stories though I do see how you could say there are three parts. The first part was okay, interesting. The second part learning what had happened to the families was one of the most interesting part. It was so well written, you felt the boys disbelief at how much things had changed, as well as how guilty they felt for what they had put their families through. You also felt their "homesickness" of missing the last place they had been.
Then abruptly they are kidnapped, by whom w the reader are left to wonder, the reason why is obviously due to the fact the guys can open portals. they are asked to !work" for their captors, which both guys decline, something horrible happens caused by the captors, a tactic to get them to toe the line and do as requested. Do they give in? Well I guess we have to wait for Book #2 Unbreakable for those answers.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, I enjoyed the last two thirds the most, with the families being re-introduced in the mid section of the novella. then obviously the last section of the novella is setting the scene for Unbreakable. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, especially for the family reunions! The novella bridges the gap between Bk#1 and Bk#2 really well. The novella got me back into the series and wanting to read Bk#2. Taking all that into account I'd say this novella is a MUST read. Would I want to read on in the series? Definitely, this novella has made the story feel fresh again in my head, updated me on what happened after the cliffhanger of Bk#1 and set the scene for Bk#2. Would I read other books by Elizabeth Norris? I would definitely take a closer look at any book by Elizabeth Norris.
kitkatscanread's review
5.0
So this was cute; hearing from Ben's perspective from events in the first book Unraveling...
BUT NO.
We THEN carry on into the beginning of the second book from Ben's POV...
And damn what a cliffhanger.
SO GOOD!!
BUT NO.
We THEN carry on into the beginning of the second book from Ben's POV...
And damn what a cliffhanger.
SO GOOD!!
literarymusingsbypatty's review
5.0
This novella came out while I was right in the middle of reading Unbreakable. I wasn't sure if I should read it now or wait until after I finished Unbreakable but I'm so happy that I decided to read it because it made reading Unbreakable so much more enjoyable.
I loved the way this novella actually contains three short stories so we get to see Ben's POV before the events of Unraveling, during Unraveling and right before the start of Unbreakable. All three stories were awesome and I highly recommend that you read them before starting Unbreakable.
I loved the way this novella actually contains three short stories so we get to see Ben's POV before the events of Unraveling, during Unraveling and right before the start of Unbreakable. All three stories were awesome and I highly recommend that you read them before starting Unbreakable.
jaimearkin's review
5.0
I LOVE BEN!!
I mean really, what else is there to say after reading this?
Honestly though, I'll try to write you a review!
The setup for this novella is wonderful - it's all in Ben's point of view and you get "Before She Knew Me", "When I Saved Her", and "After I Left Her".
Each section really gives you some insight on Ben's thoughts and what is happening in his life at the time.
From the very beginning when hestalked watched and admired Janelle to the very second where Unbreakable picks up and the story resumes in Janelle's point of view, you get to see it all.
There are a ton of things I want to quote from this novella, but I'm not going to. I'm not sharing one bit of this part of the story - you'll just have to go start the series for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed and I also promise that you'll love Ben's sweet perspective and insight on his thoughts about Janelle, the issues with the portals and finding out what really happened after the end of Unraveling.
I can't tell you enough, how much I'm going to miss Ben & Janelle! I have to thank the lovely Stacee for pushing me to read this series (and also for supplying me with the ARC for the final book that comes out in April!
If you haven't started this series get going! I promise you'll love it!
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
I mean really, what else is there to say after reading this?
Honestly though, I'll try to write you a review!
The setup for this novella is wonderful - it's all in Ben's point of view and you get "Before She Knew Me", "When I Saved Her", and "After I Left Her".
Each section really gives you some insight on Ben's thoughts and what is happening in his life at the time.
From the very beginning when he
There are a ton of things I want to quote from this novella, but I'm not going to. I'm not sharing one bit of this part of the story - you'll just have to go start the series for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed and I also promise that you'll love Ben's sweet perspective and insight on his thoughts about Janelle, the issues with the portals and finding out what really happened after the end of Unraveling.
I can't tell you enough, how much I'm going to miss Ben & Janelle! I have to thank the lovely Stacee for pushing me to read this series (and also for supplying me with the ARC for the final book that comes out in April!
If you haven't started this series get going! I promise you'll love it!
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
vegancleopatra's review
3.0
3.5 stars
There are three short stories in all, two of which are events found in Unraveling in Ben's POV. These two did not compel me as much as the third installment, the story about how life is once Ben gets back to his own universe. Turns out the lives Ben and Eli come back to are not as happy as they had hoped, in fact they are ruined bits and pieces of what they left behind with no hope of putting the pieces back together. On top of that someone or some organization seems to constantly be keeping track of Ben's moves. Overall the third and longest story in Undone is entertaining and reminiscent of Unraveling in terms of pacing and overall writing. It really makes me look forward to Unbreakable.
There are three short stories in all, two of which are events found in Unraveling in Ben's POV. These two did not compel me as much as the third installment, the story about how life is once Ben gets back to his own universe. Turns out the lives Ben and Eli come back to are not as happy as they had hoped, in fact they are ruined bits and pieces of what they left behind with no hope of putting the pieces back together. On top of that someone or some organization seems to constantly be keeping track of Ben's moves. Overall the third and longest story in Undone is entertaining and reminiscent of Unraveling in terms of pacing and overall writing. It really makes me look forward to Unbreakable.