A review by the_immortal_library
UnDivided by Neal Shusterman

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

"Undivided" by Neal Shusterman brings the intense and thought-provoking Unwind series to a close. In this final installment, Connor, Risa, Lev, and the rest of the AWOLs are pushing to end their war, hoping to make society see them and other AWOLs as whole people before it's too late.

While this book felt a little stretched at times, ultimately, it delivers a powerful conclusion to the series. Shusterman's concept of unwinding and especially the idea of re-winding—bringing a person back together with all their original parts—is truly mesmerizing. It's like a Frankenstein's monster scenario, but with all the pieces belonging to the same individual, which is just wild to contemplate!

The characters truly shine here. They've been through so much trauma that they've forged a bond beyond friendship, becoming a true family. You can feel their connection, and they know each other so well that you almost know what they'd do even when they're not in the same scene. The pace of the book felt pretty fast, though similar to the third installment.

The ending struck a perfect balance – it's bittersweet, but it felt right. A completely happy ending wouldn't have resonated as deeply for this story. Overall, I really enjoyed the Unwind series, though I do think it might have been even tighter as a three-book arc. And just as a fun observation for fellow Shusterman fans, a few comments in this book gave me a similar feeling to "splatters" and being brought back in his Arc of a Scythe series, even though they're officially separate universes!