Unraveling Words: Review: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Review: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Title: Unbreakable

Series: Unraveling Book Two

Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

***

My Thoughts

I think it's safe to say I love Elizabeth Norris' style and she has safely made it into my favorite author shelf (I don't actually have one, but you get the point. I'm too lazy to make so many different shelves).

This book was actually more about Janelle and Barclay than it was about Ben and Janelle, which I loved. I didn't think I would. I wasn't a fan of Barclay in the first book. I don't think anyone was really, but he totally stole the show in this one. As the book progressed I just started liking him more and more. At one point I was even hoping for something to start between Janelle and Barclay. They just seem to fit together so much better than Janelle and Ben, in my opinion. This was actually something I was hoping that did and didn't happen. I didn't want Norris to be like so many YA authors out there where they just change the love interest in the sequel, but at the same time I just really liked Barclay. But fear not Ben fans! No such thing happened, unfortunately? Fortunately? I still don't know.

There wasn't quite as much sci-fi stuff here per se. The world and the way it works and all the science was all already set up in the first book and expanded upon in the novella. Therefore the plot in this one kind of suffered. When you think about it, it was kind of simple. It was just about a human kidnapping/slave ring. Albeit it was kidnapping around all the universes, but still it was just that. I was also kinda bummed at how easy it was to find Cecily. I mean out of ALL THOSE PEOPLE and she is just RIGHT THERE. It was a little too convenient.

While the plot in and of itself wasn't actually mind-blowing, Norris does an excellent job in making it suspenseful and action-packed. It's fast paced and has you flipping those pages trying to find out what obstacle they are up against next.

Let's talk about characters again. This time about Ben and Elijah. They were barely there this time around. While I don't care much about Ben (I just never really liked him, he came across as weak to me, too soft), Elijah started growing on me after the novella. They only make an appearance about halfway through the book and even then it's never really for that long, so that was kinda letdown. Specially because they have awesome powers and we barely get to see them except when they mention them in passing and then at the end.

I have 1 major issue with this book and that was the death that took place. WHYYY?? There was no need to be the hero! (There was, but still!) I was just majorly bummed after that, even shed a few tears. :(

Anyway, if you liked Unraveling this is a must read and if you haven't read Unraveling yet then get on it! You won't regret it at least. Also I would recommend reading the novella first if you can, it adds to the reading experience, but if you can't that's fine too you won't actually be missing anything that doesn't get covered in Unbreakable. After the success (for me at least) of this series I'll be looking forward to Norris' future projects.

***

Other books in the series: