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itsurdestanie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
foreista's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jenibo's review against another edition
3.0
I get the impression that Unwind was written as a stand alone, but was so popular that Shusterman was persuaded to continue the series, though lacking the calibre of inspiration that produced Unwind.
For me, though, watching the decay of this wonderful stand alone story into a mediocre trilogy is just sad.
kammons's review against another edition
5.0
5 out of 5 stars
Full disclosure: Neal Shusterman is my favorite author, so I’m clearly biased (although it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t my favorite series of his). But this series is a heck of a ride.
In case you haven’t read any of these books (it goes Unwind, then UnWholly, UnSouled, and finally UnDivided), the premise is that in the not too far-off future, the battle over abortion in the U.S. has led to a civil war. It got so bad that schools were closed down and teenagers were running amok with nothing to do, and due to a combination of recent technological advancements made in the medical field, the public’s fear of the “feral teens,” and the desire to find some sort of resolution to the war, the Unwind Accord was signed, which made abortion illegal but allowed parents the ability to “unwind” a child between the ages of 13 to 18. Unwinding is the process by which 100% of a person’s parts are surgically separated and donated off to other people. Think organ donation, only the whole body, and the person is alive the entire time. Eerie, right? And the books delve into the philosophical issues arising from unwinding, such as, what is a soul, what happens to our souls when we’re unwound, etc.
So that’s the premise, and the series follows some amazing characters who were sent off to be unwound at the beginning of the first book. Shusterman wrote the first one as a stand-alone, so you can read just that one and be all set (thank goodness, because I hate when there’s not much resolution at the end of the first book of a series). The idea for the rest of the series came to him years later, and he started writing it when he had developed the idea well enough that he felt it was a story worth telling.
I’ve already made this review long enough, so I’m not going to go into much further detail, but suffice it to say, if you haven’t read any of this series, GIVE IT A SHOT. Shusterman takes a really unbelievable premise and makes a really believable world out of it. If you’ve read the first or second book of the series, I highly encourage you to continue it. The fourth book in particular gave me so many chills.
Shusterman is a master storyteller, and he’s really, really good at making the stakes really high and throwing as many obstacles as possible at the characters. None of these books felt predictable. With as many teen dystopian books out there today as there are, I really think this series stands out. Highly recommend!
(Review cross-posted on Youth Book Review)
julesnymoo's review against another edition
5.0
lerche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dmantonya's review against another edition
5.0
durbinkoby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
tarzan626's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
rushubaby25's review against another edition
5.0
The story follows the same teens as they continue their mission against unwinding and organ donating/stealing. Scientists have created a composite human being from hundreds of unwinds. This creature-human is raised to be the face of the new world; people who see him and those who have heard of his existence, are angry and disgruntled with the system. What kind of world believes in taking from one, to give to another? The question of who has the right, is constantly considered as teens are kidnapped for organs, parents are continuing to sell their disobedient children for unwinding, and brainwashing is still occurring for those tithes who are supposed to be sacrificing themselves.
The only positive glimmer of hope in this dysfunctional society is the people who fight against the machine. Antiestablishmentarianism is the name of the game. Groups are popping up all around the country: there are those who wish to save the tithes, and those who keep teenagers safe. The future is only as bright, as the people who continue to fight against the policies and procedures, of a world incapable of being safe.