"Unspoken" - Book Review

"Readers will laugh, shiver, and maybe even swoon over this modern gothic tale" - Melissa Marr, New York Times Bestselling Author

!ALERT! SPOILERS AHEAD

I just want to start with the fact that I had to convince myself ten pages in to give this book a chance. I didn't exactly click with the main female character, but I'm really glad I didn't stop reading. Three and a half hours later and 298 pages deep, I had to wrestle to keep my tired eyes open as I continued to devour a most excellent story told by an amazing author. Sarah Rees Brennan delivers a breathtaking, gothic tale that leaves you guessing until the end. Even after turning the final page of this amazing book, I felt a sense of satisfaction, but still a craving aches at me for more.

So let's jump right into it, shall we?

The story follows two main characters: Kami Glass and Jared. I know, I know. Sounds like the start of a corny love story, but I can assure you, it's not that kind of love. More like a soul bond between two people who didn't have a choice in such a connection to begin with.

The setting is a fictional place called Sorry-in-the-Vale near London. I don't know much about the geography of England, so I apologize ahead of time for my ignorance. The main protagonists are an old founding family called the Lynburns, but they're not all bad considering our main man of the story is a Lynburn.

Now, it starts out with Kami hearing screaming from the woods next to her home. She reaches out to a voice in her head she has heard all of her life that she calls Jared. Kami completely believes that Jared is a make believe person she created when she was little. At some points in the beginning she thinks she's crazy, but is completely accepting of that realization.

You see where I'm going with this.

The next day at school, Kami starts a school newspaper with her best friend Angela, who is against it, but Kami is really convincing due to her journalistic charm. Their headmistress gives them a small room that will later be called Headquarters. While the girls are cleaning up their new place of work, a Lynburn graces them with his presence. This is Ash Lynburn. Cousin of our main man. He specifically asks for Kami, and says he saw an wanted ad for a photographer for the school newspaper, which is called The Nosy Parker. Kami, of course, agrees to let him join.

Now we have our supporting characters: Angela Montgomery and Ash Lynburn.

Kami finds herself meeting the other Lynburn cousin, Jared *wink* without realizing it. She catches him in an altercation with other students, and classic ambitious Kami asks him for quote for her paper mid-fight. As soon as I read him turning his head and flashing her a blood red grin, I knew I was going to fall in love with the character Jared Lynburn.

Kami actually doesn't realize he's the voice inside her head until they get stuck in the library elevator together. They don't hit it off so well face to face. Jared's bad boy, dangerous persona freaks Kami out. While they are stuck in the lift together, completely irritated with each other, she reaches out to Jared in her mind for comfort. Only to have him reach back and explain that he's stuck in an elevator with some creepy Japanese chick. Kami is immediately uncomfortable and in shock knowing full well he's talking about her and that this is THE JARED. HER JARED. A very, VERY REAL Jared.

Oh, by the way, not only can they talk to each other telepathically and read each other's thoughts, they also feel one another's emotions. They put up walls against each other throughout the book to get some privacy, but they're not always successful.

When Jared and Kami realize their friend they sought out for comfort is real, they are furious. Jared, who is unstable, tells Kami to stay the hell away from him. She obliges out of shock and fear, but it's not long before they come together and, kind of, accept that they are real to each other. Starting with someone trying to kill Kami by throwing her down a well on her evening walk home. Jared feels her fear, and of course he cares about her, so he jumps into the well to keep her from drowning. The bleak phone call he made to the police luckily gets them rescued.

A sacrificed fox comes before her attack followed by the murder of a teenage girl.

Stranger things start happening to Kami and Jared, as if their telepathy isn't weird enough. A love triangle, of course, happens on and off between the Lynburn boys and Kami. Did I mention that Ash has a thing for Kami right off the bat? Well, he does, and it's amazingly complicated (like all love is).

Another supporting character named Holly makes an appearance halfway on. She's important, but I won't say why *wink*

All I can say is this fictional, fantasy gothic mystery is amazing, lovely, addicting, and I will be reading this one again soon. After I get through the next books of course. Did I mention this is book 1 are a series? Well, they are, and I plan to devour all of them because this is only the beginning for Jared and Kami.

On a side note: I didn't give entirely too much of this book away because I highly encourage you to read it for yourself! Thanks for letting me share!

Happy reading!