Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Title: Unwind 

Author: Neal Shusterman

Series: Unwind Dystology #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: June 2009

Format: Ebook | 352 pages

Genre: YA | Dystopian

Goodreads

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My thoughts:

Well that was certainly an intense read.

When I read the summary of this book I was immediately intrigued. It had the capacity to be such a great story in every way, from the creepy factor, to the fear and suspense behind characters almost being 'unwound'. While this read wasn't perfect, it did a pretty good job of reaching it's potential so I did enjoy it for the most part.

The main characters were exceptional. I loved Lev's depth, Connor's courage and Risa's intelligence. They made a pretty good team even when they weren't together which made up for a good chunk of the book. The story and the characters are what made this book for me.

However, there were a couple of things that frustrated me a little. There were quite a few characters that I had started to really enjoy getting to know but as the read went on, they were featured less and less. I also really didn't understand Roland as a character. I appreciate that he was a big part in the plot development, but he didn't fit right as a character in my opinion. I don't know if it's because I didn't like him, or the fact that I thought he didn't have enough of a backstory for me to fully understand where he was coming from. Aside from that, I really hated the ending. It seemed really rushed to me so I wasn't satisfied with it.

 

What I loved most though was how many times this read surprised me. What happened with Lev was completely unexpected. I was totally unprepared for that. Also, I was a little taken aback by how creepy this book got towards the end. And I mean that in the best way possible. I love me a creepy chapter or two.

 

Overall this was a good read. It had it's good moments even though I found it a little frustrating. 

 

My rating: 7/10

 

Neal Shusterman:

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Unwind Dystology:

1. Unwind
2. UnWholly
3. UnSouled
4. Undivided