It’s been four months since Janelle Tenner stopped the earth’s destruction with the help of Ben, the boy who resurrected her after she died. Ben is gone now—disappeared through a portal to his home world.
Even though Ben broke her heart, Janelle refuses to believe it when Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay tells her Ben is suspected of running a human-trafficking ring across several universes. She vows to uncover the true culprit and rescue the people who have been sold into slavery on alternate earths—not to mention find Ben and prove his innocence.
Originality- 20/20
Enjoyment- 14/20
Ending- 18/20
Cover- 16/20
Characters- 17/20
Total Grade- 85/100
Grade-B
Teen
I absolutely loved Unraveling, it was one of my favorite books I read last year. Much to my dismay though, Unbreakable was not up to par with its predecessor. I want to make it clear that I still think Norris is a unique and fantastic author, I just didn't like where she took the story.
I believe I once told someone that Unraveling was a thriller and a mystery with a little bit of a sci-fi twist thrown in. Unbreakable on the other hand is much more sci-fi than mystery or thriller. I immediately started the book with a disadvantage because, while I like sci-fi twists, I am not a big fan of the genre. What really got me though, was Janelle. Her world, our world, changes drastically after the end of Unraveling. Earth is a mess, and Janelle is too. To say she is depressed throughout the novel would be an understatement. Her relationship with Ben is under a lot of stress, some self-inflicted, and she is still grieving for her father and Alex. For her not to grieve would be out of character, but it was out of character for her to repeatedly draw Ben closer, only to push him away again. Janelle was conflicted, and her confusion made me confused. The novel also takes many twists and turns, but they aren't as easy to follow as Unraveling's plot twists. The novel is not as cohesive as Unraveling.
The one thing I did like about Unbreakable was definitely Barclay. I liked his larger role in this novel. He kept me interested and his character was what kept me reading after the first dozen chapters. I was happy with the relationship he had with Janelle. He was the only character except maybe Cecily who made Janelle cut the crap and focus.
I guess I just didn't react to Unbreakable as positively as I expected to, because the two novels are so different. Unbreakable is unbearably depressing. I didn't smile or become excited as I did in the first novel, and Janelle's gloom bogged me down from the first page to the last. Unbreakable is not a bad novel, it is just very different from Unraveling.
~Jess
I believe I once told someone that Unraveling was a thriller and a mystery with a little bit of a sci-fi twist thrown in. Unbreakable on the other hand is much more sci-fi than mystery or thriller. I immediately started the book with a disadvantage because, while I like sci-fi twists, I am not a big fan of the genre. What really got me though, was Janelle. Her world, our world, changes drastically after the end of Unraveling. Earth is a mess, and Janelle is too. To say she is depressed throughout the novel would be an understatement. Her relationship with Ben is under a lot of stress, some self-inflicted, and she is still grieving for her father and Alex. For her not to grieve would be out of character, but it was out of character for her to repeatedly draw Ben closer, only to push him away again. Janelle was conflicted, and her confusion made me confused. The novel also takes many twists and turns, but they aren't as easy to follow as Unraveling's plot twists. The novel is not as cohesive as Unraveling.
The one thing I did like about Unbreakable was definitely Barclay. I liked his larger role in this novel. He kept me interested and his character was what kept me reading after the first dozen chapters. I was happy with the relationship he had with Janelle. He was the only character except maybe Cecily who made Janelle cut the crap and focus.
I guess I just didn't react to Unbreakable as positively as I expected to, because the two novels are so different. Unbreakable is unbearably depressing. I didn't smile or become excited as I did in the first novel, and Janelle's gloom bogged me down from the first page to the last. Unbreakable is not a bad novel, it is just very different from Unraveling.
~Jess
