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A review by freadomlibrary
The Unbound by V.E. Schwab
5.0
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
Loved it. It’s full of adventure and suspense. It’s definitely much darker than the first one for quite a few different reasons. There’s a new mystery so the whole time you’re on the edge of your seat. There’s intrigue and twists and turns and what characterizes this series the most: you never know who to trust.
Writing Style – 5 out of 5 stars
Victoria’s writing style is the hardest thing to explain. It’s incredibly addictive, you never want to stop reading. It’s engaging and descriptive. You can picture everything with clarity. There’s so much emotion woven into it that it almost feels like poetry. And to top it all off, it translates a feeling of suspense very well.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! Said it before, and I’ll say it again. Greatest, most complex and intense group of personalities ever. Our main character, Mac, is a bit different this time around. A lot of things happened in the first book that shook her up so she’s a little bit more vulnerable, a little bit more broken. But one thing that never wavers with her is her determination. She’s strong and cunning. She works very hard not only to be good at her job but also to be open about her issues and being honest with other people. As for our other protagonist, Mr.Wes, he is just an angel from heaven. I love and adore him. He is totally lovable and open. He’s really persistent with Mac and getting her to trust him. He’s so strong and courageous and it’s just amazing.
Emotionally
The plot of this book is very dark. Much much darker than the first one. We have our main character dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the last book. She’s still emotionally upset about it and she has to start school at a prestigious Academy. On top of that, people she encounters begin to disappear and Mac, being who she is, puts all her efforts into solving the mystery. And then on top of that even, there are a few people who are part of The Archive that want her out and are pretty much out to get her. So, it’s definitely a story packed with a lot of things going on. Mac is very self-reliant so the whole time she’s trying to push through and keep going and move forward but it’s like the weight of it all is crushing her and that shines through on her thought process. She feels like she’s going crazy and she doesn’t know who she can really count on which in turn makes the reader feel the same, paranoid and seeing every new character with suspicion. And then the mother of all plot twists happens! IT BLEW MY MIND! I did not see it coming and it just twisted the plot in a whole other direction which is probably why it’s called a plot twist. I was anxious the entire time after it and I did not the see the end coming either. I am so excited to see where Victoria is going to take this series because there are so many possibilities!
Mac is such a complex character. Her depth and character development is insane. The events of the first book shook her up a great deal. She is not the same person that she was. Her grief over her brother plus the post traumatic stress makes her vulnerable and weak. She feels paranoid, she’s having crazy nightmares and she thinks she’s making things up all the time. But she’s also very strong and determined. Part of her knows something is off, something is going on around her and she works her ass off to do her job as well as figure out everything that is happening to her. I admire her tenacity and her will to just keep going. A lesser character would have just given up but not Mac. I am in awe of her character development and I can’t wait to see how else she grows in the future books.
Wes is just amazing. I can’t rave about him enough. He is the perfect counterpart to Mac and her rough around the edges attitude. He is so sweet and supportive. I just think of him as a blessing. His story line ended a bit abruptly this time around and I really want to know more about him and who he is. I feel like there’s still so much to discover.
There are quite a few new characters this time around as well. I don’t want to talk too much about them because the parts they play in the plot could be spoilery. But what I will say is that they bring an entirely new dynamic to the story and it made things three times as intense and as interesting. I want to know more about them just like I want to know about everything else haha.
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
Loved it. It’s full of adventure and suspense. It’s definitely much darker than the first one for quite a few different reasons. There’s a new mystery so the whole time you’re on the edge of your seat. There’s intrigue and twists and turns and what characterizes this series the most: you never know who to trust.
Writing Style – 5 out of 5 stars
Victoria’s writing style is the hardest thing to explain. It’s incredibly addictive, you never want to stop reading. It’s engaging and descriptive. You can picture everything with clarity. There’s so much emotion woven into it that it almost feels like poetry. And to top it all off, it translates a feeling of suspense very well.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! Said it before, and I’ll say it again. Greatest, most complex and intense group of personalities ever. Our main character, Mac, is a bit different this time around. A lot of things happened in the first book that shook her up so she’s a little bit more vulnerable, a little bit more broken. But one thing that never wavers with her is her determination. She’s strong and cunning. She works very hard not only to be good at her job but also to be open about her issues and being honest with other people. As for our other protagonist, Mr.Wes, he is just an angel from heaven. I love and adore him. He is totally lovable and open. He’s really persistent with Mac and getting her to trust him. He’s so strong and courageous and it’s just amazing.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I thought this series couldn’t get any better and then this book happened. It blew my expectations right out of the water.The plot of this book is very dark. Much much darker than the first one. We have our main character dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the last book. She’s still emotionally upset about it and she has to start school at a prestigious Academy. On top of that, people she encounters begin to disappear and Mac, being who she is, puts all her efforts into solving the mystery. And then on top of that even, there are a few people who are part of The Archive that want her out and are pretty much out to get her. So, it’s definitely a story packed with a lot of things going on. Mac is very self-reliant so the whole time she’s trying to push through and keep going and move forward but it’s like the weight of it all is crushing her and that shines through on her thought process. She feels like she’s going crazy and she doesn’t know who she can really count on which in turn makes the reader feel the same, paranoid and seeing every new character with suspicion. And then the mother of all plot twists happens! IT BLEW MY MIND! I did not see it coming and it just twisted the plot in a whole other direction which is probably why it’s called a plot twist. I was anxious the entire time after it and I did not the see the end coming either. I am so excited to see where Victoria is going to take this series because there are so many possibilities!
Mac is such a complex character. Her depth and character development is insane. The events of the first book shook her up a great deal. She is not the same person that she was. Her grief over her brother plus the post traumatic stress makes her vulnerable and weak. She feels paranoid, she’s having crazy nightmares and she thinks she’s making things up all the time. But she’s also very strong and determined. Part of her knows something is off, something is going on around her and she works her ass off to do her job as well as figure out everything that is happening to her. I admire her tenacity and her will to just keep going. A lesser character would have just given up but not Mac. I am in awe of her character development and I can’t wait to see how else she grows in the future books.
Wes is just amazing. I can’t rave about him enough. He is the perfect counterpart to Mac and her rough around the edges attitude. He is so sweet and supportive. I just think of him as a blessing. His story line ended a bit abruptly this time around and I really want to know more about him and who he is. I feel like there’s still so much to discover.
There are quite a few new characters this time around as well. I don’t want to talk too much about them because the parts they play in the plot could be spoilery. But what I will say is that they bring an entirely new dynamic to the story and it made things three times as intense and as interesting. I want to know more about them just like I want to know about everything else haha.