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?
(Summary from GoodReads)
When I started Unspoken, I adored the first two chapters. Sarah Rees Brennan’s humor felt quirky, and there was one line of prose that I loved. The honeymoon phase was sadly short lived.
To start with the positive, Sorry-in-the-Vale was a lovely, detailed setting with a Gothic vibe. Brennan’s prose was also gorgeous—I actually wrote down a passage that I liked. It was also nice to see some racial diversity among the characters—Kami was partially Japanese, and she wasn’t the only one.
Otherwise, this story wasn’t special for me. The plot felt too much like other paranormals, and the romance wasn’t anything special. There were definitely a few issues with slut shaming throughout the story. I wish I could say Brennan’s humor improved the book overall. It was definitely quirky but felt too much like Maureen Johnson’s sense of humor.
With gorgeous covers and lots of praise for all of Sarah Rees Brennan’s books, I had high expectations going into Unspoken. It has a lovely setting and gorgeous prose going for it. Otherwise, I found the first book of the Lynburn Legacy to be a pretty run-of-the-mill paranormal.
****
For those of you who don't know, March 1st is Misty's birthday. Because of this, she gets to pick what our #WednesdayYA pick is in March (I'll get to pick in April when my birthday rolls around). Here are the options she's considering:
None of us have control--Misty is going to pick whatever calls to her most. However, if you've read any of these books or are excited, please tell us in the comments. After all, we can try to sway Misty. Stay tuned and next week we'll find out our March read is!
I recommend you read UNSPOKEN eventually. It's a funny tale of derring-do, intrepid reportage, young love, magic, and human sacrifice. Just like they used to write 'em.
ReplyMarlene