- Title: Unspoken
- Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
- Pages: 370
- Publishing: Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication Date: September 11th, 2012
- My Rating: 5/5
Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She didn’t spend her childhood silent about her imaginary friend, and is thus a bit of an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, she has a best friend, runs the popular 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. . . .
My ThoughtsLet’s be real. There was no way I was not going to love a book that was set in a town called Sorry-in-the-Vale and included places called the Sorrier River or the Really Depressed Quarry.
Unspoken was a dark and addicting story full of romance, mystery, and magic. It had a diverse female lead, a slow-burning romance and a kick-ass secondary cast that only added to the story. I was effortlessly swept into Kami’s story and captivated by the dark, gothic tone of the book and the relationship between not just Kami and Jared but the entire cast of characters. I also loved how Brennan managed to combine in her book the perfect amount of eerie, creepy scenes with humorous moments that made the book a little lighter and easier to read.
Brennan’s writing talent showed in abundance throughout the book. She was able to conjure up so much emotion in a single sentence; have you laughing one moment and aching the next. But, most importantly, she somehow managed to successfully portray the mindset of a girl sharing her thoughts with someone else; capture the level of intimacy, intensity and dependency of such a relationship.
Kami Glass was one of my favorite female leads to date. I loved how she differed from what we typically expect a YA fantasy female lead to be; she was a character of Japanese descent with a short and curvy built. What made her stand out was not her appearance, but her loud and quirky personality. She was fast-witted, wore colorful and funky clothing to match her personality and, my personal favorite, had the journalism bug. I loved how her reporter personality didn’t constantly put her into dangerous situations (another YA trope) but actually helped the plot and was an important part of the story. Her plans didn’t cause more problems (made for some very funny situations actually) but actually proved fruitful.
The romance in Unspoken definitely belonged in the slow-burning category. The developing relationship between Kami and Jared was intense, full of angst and aching moments; but it made sense. These were two people who thought each other a figment of their imagination, a mental rock to lean on, an escape from reality. I understood the reluctance, the insecurities that stemmed from the knowledge that someone who knows every single thing about you was suddenly flesh and bone. But, throughout the book, there were those small, intimate moments where it was evident how much love there really was between them. And, honestly, I was a sucker for it. It also showed how well they knew one another. They worked effortlessly as a team, always at sync, and the banter between them flowed naturally.
However, what ultimately made me love this book were the secondary characters and the overall friendship element of the book. Every single one of them stood out for their unique personality and their own contribution as a part of The Nosy Parker (the school’s newspaper and Kami’s team). I would start dissecting every single one of them- because I loved them that much- but that would take too long, so I’m just gonna say…they are awesome. So, so awesome.
Overall, I’m so glad I decided to finally read Unspoken (it sat on my TBR pile for almost 3 years…) I actually thought it would be a mediocre read and it ended up being one of my favorite books of 2017. It had fantasy elements, mystery, amazing characters, lots of creepy moments to make you feel unsettled and funny one-liners to make you laugh out loud.
5/5 stars
Share this:
