Thursday, February 28, 2013

Book Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan


Goodreads summary:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?


My review:

Unspoken was a charming, delightful read.  Based on the blurb and some reviews I'd read, I had a feeling I would really enjoy this book, and I definitely did!  Kami is such a fun character and the story is simply enchanting.

It's hard to classify this book.  I guess you could say it's a gothic mystery with some fantasy and paranormal elements.  And of course, there's a touch of romance, but it's nice that it doesn't take over the plot.  I thought Kami and Jared were adorable!  I love the bond they have and how they can speak in each other's minds.

And like I said above, Kami is a really fun narrator.  She is made of awesomenesss.  I absolutely love her personality - her snarky comments made me laugh so hard.  She's one of the few YA main characters who is unique, original, and well-developed.  The rest of the characters were perfect as well: Jared, Kami's whole family (especially her dad!), Angela, Holly.  They were each unique and I loved their roles in the story.

The plot, however, is a bit slow-moving.  I thought it took a while for everything to start happening.  There were a few scenes that seemed to dragged out, or some long descriptions where I got slightly bored.  Still, those are pretty minor complains, and I'd say that most of the story manages to be wildly entertaining.  And the setting is well-done; it was creepy and gothic and drew me into the story.  I love books that are set in England.

All in all, Unspoken is a really fun read, and the amazing cast of characters is definitely what made me fall in love with this book.  I think it can appeal to anyone, as it contains plenty of mystery, romance, fantasy/paranormal elements, and a delightfully gothic setting.  I can't wait to read the sequel!

My rating:  8 out of 10 (4 stars)

~ The Bookworm

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