review: unspoken by sarah rees brennan

unspoken by sarah rees brennan
september 11, 2012
random house books for young readers
young adult | gothic fantasy
the lynburn legacy #1
pages: 370
source/format: netgalley/egalley
rating: ★★★★

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?

review:

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan is the first book of Brennan’s I’ve read, so I didn’t know what to expect, but after reading a lot of praise from one of my favorite bloggers, I decided to just freaking read Unspoken and holy crap, am I glad I did. This is most certainly not the last of Brennan’s I’ll read.

Guys, I’m not even sure why I was so hesitant to read this one. I’d read a few reviews where the ending really annoyed them, but oh my lanta, am I so, SO glad Cait convinced me to get over my fear and just read Unspoken. 

I love Kami. Everything about her made me smile—even when it seemed like an inappropriate time to be joking. That can be so annoying at times, yet it wasn’t. Although I must admit that Angela was annoying all the time and I started to hate her every time she showed up on the page. I STILL have no idea what her deal with was with everybody, aside from hating people in general. Look, I get it, but I’m not an asshole to people when I’m in a hate-all-the-people mood. But Angela is, and she’s in that mood, FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK. Honestly, Angela is the entire reason I didn’t really LOVE Unspoken.

But I love that it’s gothic, and there’s magic, and it’s all so real and oh my god, I adore this book. It’s just so PRETTY, you know? From the cover to the words that make up a gorgeous, gorgeous story.

And the Lynburns. Guys. I love stories where the entire FAMILY is corrupt. Or seems corrupt. And I love love all the mysteries that unravel as Kami digs deeper into the Lynburns’ secrets. I am so excited for book two, especially after that ending (which isn’t as bad as everybody makes it seem), and to be reunited with Jared and Kami. 

ALL THE LOVE.