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?
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?
***
Did I liked the book?
Well, I have mixed feelings about it. Actually, I have more negative ones than positive ones.
I had rather high expectations for this book. Commuting through minds? Some ancient legends about families? Sorceries? Yeah. That's enough for me to put that on my to-read list.
Now, one thing I have learned is not to read the blurb of the second book if you haven't read the first and before you go all Vi, you just knew?, let's just say the other books' blurb wasn't as glaringly obvious as this, okay? Do note that after reading the blurb for Untold, my views for Unspoken changed a lot. As in, the twists were not very miraculously revealed. Oh yay.
The first thing I didn't like was Kami. I couldn't connect to her and find her kind of... childish. And that's not even the right word! Some opinions she voiced didn't really make sense. I didn't approve either and it just seemed to lack strong supporting reasons. Her decisions just seemed a little naive and like I've just said, it didn't make sense.
I also found her annoying. As in I really felt like bashing her head with an axe. What the reason is, exactly, I can't figure it out. I'm guessing it's because of Kami's character.
I also found her annoying. As in I really felt like bashing her head with an axe. What the reason is, exactly, I can't figure it out. I'm guessing it's because of Kami's character.
There's this matter I didn't really understand. I couldn't fathom why Kami and Jared were so awkward at touching each other. So they aren't used to each other in the physical sense because apparently, they were used to communicating with their minds. Uh huh. But for the whole freaking book you guys are acting like repelling magnets? Don't you think they'd have gotten over the awkwardness? Apparently not.
Another issue is with the characters. They felt pretty flat and boring. But there were some that really stood out, though. Rusty. He's got some good character there.
Anyway, there wasn't much chemistry between the two main characters in the story- Kami and Jared. They were quite okay before they met- as in really meet- but after that, it just created this... awkward (forgive me for repeating words) tension between them and they seem to be constantly unhappy with each other. I'll admit that there are some light and funny scenes but yeah, those are far and few in between.
And there was Ash. He's seems particularly flat and boring. I won't complain when Jared punch him. It makes him more interesting, anyway.
Anyway, there wasn't much chemistry between the two main characters in the story- Kami and Jared. They were quite okay before they met- as in really meet- but after that, it just created this... awkward (forgive me for repeating words) tension between them and they seem to be constantly unhappy with each other. I'll admit that there are some light and funny scenes but yeah, those are far and few in between.
And there was Ash. He's seems particularly flat and boring. I won't complain when Jared punch him. It makes him more interesting, anyway.
So everything was going along pretty fine, me deciding this would probably be 3.5 stars until the ending came. At first, I thought about marking this up to 4 stars because it's climax wasn't all that bad and possibly the most outstanding, interesting part of the story until the end of the ending came and I was very enraged.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW.
AND I MEAN THOSE KIND OF SPOILERS YOU'D REGRET READING UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE STORY.
AND I MEAN THOSE KIND OF SPOILERS YOU'D REGRET READING UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE STORY.
So the ending?
"Here we are without the link," Jared said. "And what am I to you? What are you to me?"
Fast forward a couple of paragraphs.
"You're nothing special."
It was as simple as that.
It was as simple as that.
It was like a punch in the gut. It felt betrayal and it burns deep so now in contemplating if I should give this 3 or 2.5 stars. Maybe 3 stars, since I'm not in a thunderous mood today.
I was anticipating that somehow, things would work out between Jared and Kami even though the link was severed. It doesn't have to be romance, it could be friendship where they could have gotten along with each other like the times when they used to talk to each other in their minds.
Instead, what I got was the complete opposite. From what it looked, Jared seemed like he didn't want Kami anymore. Why? Turns out she's nothing special now that the link is severed.
Why I'm furious is that why should he stop being Kami's friend? Because she's not that special anymore now that the connection is severed? Oh, c'mon. Grow up. Some reviewers said that reading this is like a roller coaster of rides-- and not necessarily great ones. I agree. Kind of expected it really.
But the frustration and annoyance with the characters aren't necessarily great. I don't mean that there are good and bad frustration, but it is considered a bad frustration if I don't get why the character does something without an understandable reason.
But the frustration and annoyance with the characters aren't necessarily great. I don't mean that there are good and bad frustration, but it is considered a bad frustration if I don't get why the character does something without an understandable reason.
So the author wants to play soccer with my emotions. Well done, you scored a billion hat tricks.
3/5 Stars
Violette
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