Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Lynburn Legacy, Book One

Publisher: Simon&Schuester

Format: Paperback

Published: 13^th September 2012

Number of Pages: 384

Book: Bought

Genre: Paranormal, Supernatural, Urban Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Action Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Swearing, Violence, Death, Some Alcohol References, A Few Misdemeanours... 

No Drug References

Author's Site: Sarah Rees Brennan

WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN FANGIRLING.  A LOT OF IT.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Blurb From Goodreads:

Kami Glass loves someone she's never met... a boy she's talked to in her head ever since she was born. Having an imaginary friend has made fitting in hard - but that's never bothered Kami. She has her best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is just the way she likes it.

But all that changes when the mysterious Lynburn family return to Kami's village, along with teenagers, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami...

As life as she knows it begins to unravel, Kami is determined to get to the bottom of every mystery. 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?

And can she trust him?

                                                                   Review:

“After seventeen years in America, Marigold Lynburn's daughters have returned to Sorry-in-the-Vale.  If the family does have any dark secrets, dear readers, you can have faith that I will uncover them.”

In Sorry-in-the-Vale, everyone knows the Lynburns.  They are the founding family, the ones everyone regards with fear and intrigue.  They've been gone for years.  

But now they're back and people aren't overly happy about that...

Kami Glass has lived in Sorry-in-the-Vale her whole life and has always heard Jared's voice in her head.  She's never been without him.  This was cute when she was a child – at the age of seventeen, imaginary friends aren't considered normal.  But she needs Jared – he's part of her, even if he isn't real. 

And then the two Lynburn boys, cousins Ash and Jared, come to school.  Jared... he's the dangerous, badboy type.  He's also crushingly and impossibly familiar...

Why does this bond exist?  Does it have anything to do with the slaughtered fox Kami found – a fox she's sure was sacrificed...?

Everyone in this town has secrets and Kami, as a reporter, has an overwhelming need to solve all the mysteries.

But with the impossible suddenly coming true, who can Kami trust?  The boy who knows everything about her, the boy who is utterly impossible himself, the boy she has longed for and loved all her life, the boy she knows better than anyone else?  

Can she even rust her closest friends anymore...?

I think I must have read Unspoken like four times now.  I just can't get enough!  Sarah Rees Brennan is a freaking genius and I adore her and worship the ground she walks on, even if she breaks my freaking heart very, very often!  But Unspoken has all the glorious gothicness a girl could possibly want, alongside a plucky girl detective, bundles of humour and two – maybe even more – very hot guys and hot, lovable girls too!  Yay!

Now, one of the many times I was reading this was while everyone else was watching TV.  To begin with, they were interested, asking, ‘So what's funny now?’  And I, nearly dying from laughter, would try to explain.  By the end, they'd given up on me and simply stated, ‘God, she's annoying.’  I was enjoying Unspoken too much to be offended by this at the time.  Now I'm thinking I should go glare at a few people...  Maybe I should play the favourites game, Sarah, teach 'em a lesson!

Let’s start with my fave girl, Kami: she was awesome and so so funny.  She literally cracked me up every time she spoke and I ended up in absolute fits and absolutely in love with her.  She was just so wonderfully odd and bizarrely brilliant.  Like a snarky Nancy Drew only a million times more awesome.  Kami, you rock!

Jared...  Oh, Jared.  I see why Holly Black and Cassandra Clare are obsessed with you.  I am now obsessed with you.  You can be inside my head any day of the week.  I adore Jared.  Hs just... God, I love him.  And I get why Holly and Cassandra have all kinds of backstories for him that Sarah doesn't really agree with - Jared is just that irresistable.  Even for two brilliant-swoonsworthy-marry-me-boy writers such as these.  I mean, how can you not fall head over heels for a guy who says this?

Swoon.  Sigh.  Love him.

Oh, and I absolutely freaking adored Angela too, Kami's best friend.  That girl killed me on a regular basis!  Her obsession with napping and general hatred of the world was brilliant and so hilarious!

And Ash...  Well, at least one person in this darn book had manners!  But when it comes to Lynburns, I’m a Jared girl through-and-through.  Sorry Ash.

Oh, and Holly: I have to mention Holly.  I love that for once the drop-dead-gorgeous, blonde, boys-like-her-like-a-lot girl was so sweet and funny and lovely.  And, of course, that she wasn't afraid to use her beauty for the good fight – or is it actually for evil?  I get hazy on the legality of the details...

But despite my love for so many of them, I could just never judge any of the characters.  They were never, ever what they first seemed to be. I liked that a lot.  A lot a lot.  Even if this will all very likely end in heartbreak for me – I just have a feeling... 

Now, Sarah, you are a goddess with words.  You had me laughing my head off, being scared out of my mind and making my heart ache like hell all in the space of a few pages.  Freaking genius, Sarah!  And there are just so, so many quotes to love to death, to memorize and obsess over.  I just… I love it.  All of it.  Sarah is a master of the pen and a comedian and a heartbreaker and just… amazing.  I love this book!

And the plot: damn!  This was by far the coolest ever gothic mystery I've ever read!  EVER!  I loved how everything built so slowly, how we were given teasing little clue by teasing little clue.  It was all so addictive, so exciting, so much fun and so painful!  Sarah really isn’t afraid to totally tear you apart.  But she’s also amazing at crafting mysteries, at keeping you glued to the page.

Still, that ending.... Oh my God, Sarah!  Why must you break my heart like this?!  I mean, I was like this close to tears.  I am not good with endings like this.  And it hurts even more each time I read it.  Why Sarah, WHYYYY?!?  Now excuse me while I go have a breakdown.  No lie, folks.  Sarah has broken me and ruined me for everything else. I'm still broken, damn her. 

Yeah, even the fourth time I read Unspoken the ending breaks me.  Sarah truly is amazing – and evil.  I love her characters, her words, her plot (ending aside) and her sense of humour.  This book kills me – in so, so many ways!  And I just… I honestly can’t recommend it enough.  You seriously cannot miss this book – it is a must-read.  If you only read one book ever, read Unspoken!  You won’t regret it! 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to reread Untold for the fourth time!  See how hooked I am to this amazing series?  Now go read Unspoken and get hooked too!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

The Curse Workers by Holly Black

Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Supernatural

Lynburn Legacy Team Pictures:

Happy Reading

Megan