Details

Title and Author: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Series: The Lynburn Legacy

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Pages: 384

Source: Purchased

Kid-rating: Written for a Young Adult audience, this is definitely suitable for teens. Probably a little too mushy for my teenage boys.

Star Rating: 5 stars

Blurb

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

I adored this book whilst reading it, and even though I was a little frustrated at the cliffhanger ending, I’ll stick with the 5 stars.  I’ve read a few books lately that ended on a gigantic cliffhanger, and while I understand the point, if not done right, it can mess with my goodwill toward an author. In this case, the book was good enough, I’ll let it slide, and just muddle through (um, with about a bazillion other books…LOL) until next summer.

I think the thing that I am enjoying most about my most recent reads is that they aren’t all same-y same-y. The heroine of our story is not your typical heroine**, and the situation she find herself in (in fact, that she has BEEN in all her life), is unique and interesting.

The supporting characters were all pretty well fleshed out and interesting, as well. In fact, I found myself worrying about one of them (Angela), and thinking maybe someone needed to get her to a therapist for most of the book.

I’m also a big fan of the humor, and found myself laughing out loud more than once.

So: magic, humor, strong female character, slightly creepy setting and interesting mystery: definitely recommended.

**Sometimes we get promised “not your typical heroine” and whatever it is that makes her non-typical is totally stupid and annoying, and just tacked on.