Uncontrollable [NOOK Book]

Great Sequel!!

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Uncontrollable by the author. After the way Untraceable ended I was excited to get to read Uncontrollable. First lets take a minute and show some cover love! The covers for this series are awesome!! Ok now back to the review. S. R. Johannes has such a great way of writing. She has a way of making you question all the characters. Like anyone of them could be involved in the problem. I must be terrible at predicting who is doing what because I was way off here. This has been happening a lot lately, I must be losing my mojo. The story about the red wolves and why they are dying mysteriously after being released into the wild is just as riveting as the story of the bears. It takes Grace and a group of her friends on a dangerous "field trip", if you will, to try to document the wolves. This happens to take place during a particularly bad winter with dangerous conditions. There are injuries and even deaths. I felt so bad for Grace throughout the story because I feel like she can never catch a break! She is having a string of bad luck and continues to loose people close to her. She felt so alone. There was one aspect of the story that I was right about however it would be a huge spoiler and therefore I will not be telling you. Sorry you will have to read it!

Lets talk about the other characters. Wyn got on my nerves a lot. The way him and Skyla flaunted their relationship in Grace's face. It was just mean how they blamed Grace for their families deaths and such. Never once did they stop and think about how much Grace lost on that day as well. The whole town for that matter blamed Grace for everything and it was just crap! Let's blame the teenager for what the corrupt adults did. I thought the whole Al twist was brilliant! Now that he's back in the picture Grace's life is still on the line which is scary considering what happened to her in Uncontrollable. I would say that there is still a little bright light for her however through all this and that is what will help her get through the obstacles yet to come!

I can't wait to see what happens in book 3. I have a feeling Al will be out for revenge. And the object of that revenge is Grace. Once again in book 3 her life will be on the line. I hope she will make it through!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Shelli Johannes has done it again. Uncontrollable book two in T

Shelli Johannes has done it again. Uncontrollable book two in The Nature of Grace series was just as amazing as book one Untraceable. This series is easily one of my favorite series, Shelli has once again put together a book that keeps the readers on the edge of their seat and guessing till the very end.

If you loved Untraceable, then you are going to love Uncontrollable! At first when I started Uncontrollable, I’m not going to lie, I was flat out nervous! Untraceable was one of my favorite books of 2012 and I was insanely worried that the sequel wouldn’t live up to book one. But thank goodness that didn’t happen. Uncontrollable had a new story, but still had the aspects and characters I loved from Untraceable.

There are so many amazing things in this series that I love. But the number one thing I think will always be my favorite is our heroine Grace. Grace is possibly my favorite heroine ever, she is so tough and courageous, if she thinks she can save someone’s life, even if it means risking her own..she will do it! She knows a ton about wildlife and how to survive in the wilderness, and she has a passion for animals. This girl is pure awesome, if there was ever a zombie apocalypse and I could have one character from a book be on my team…you can bet your butt I would pick Grace!

There was only one thing in Uncontrollable that annoyed me and that was Wyn (Grace’s EX boyfriend/bestfiend), while he did only annoy me the first 25% or so of the book he still very much got on my nerves. He was such a coward in the beginning I found myself wanting to just grab him by the shoulders and scream “BE A MAN!” But thankfully Wyn came through for me and become the guy I loved in book one after the first 25% or so of the book.

There was one other character that made me insanely happy, but I am not going to speak of them because that would be a semi spoiler, but just know that said person is AMAZING!

Besides the characters being amazing as ever, the story itself this time was so thrilling, although there were a few times where I guessed what was coming before hand, for the most part Uncontrollable surprised me. I loved that this story still stuck with the ‘theme’ of saving animals like book one did, but this time around it was endangered red wolves. .

After finishing Uncontrollable I not only got to add a new book to my favorites list, but was also informed of the red wolves and how their numbers are diminishing. I think it is amazing that Mrs. Johannes not only writes beautiful stories, but also informs readers of endangered animals and things that are happening to these animals in real life. I for one have always been an avid animal lover and the topic she covered in book one Untraceable was one I am very familiar with. But the endangered red wolves was something I was not aware of before reading Uncontrollable, so thank you Shelli for informing me and your readers of our wild animals that need our help.

Overall I had to give this book 5 stars just like book one, it blew my mind and completely met my expectations and more. If you’re looking for a book that will have you on the edge of your seat, a book that will break your heart at times but also teach you something, and a book that is just all around epic and different than most YA novels out there, then I highly recommend The Nature of Grace series.

Filled with memorable phrases and great characters, including th

Filled with memorable phrases and great characters, including the enjoyable cast of Untraceable, Uncontrollable by S. R. Johannes sends the inestimable Grace back into the woods, scant weeks after her father’s tragic death. Chapter headings give survival tips as valid for backwoods life as for inner-city depression and offer intriguing insights into a teen’s approach to difficulties. Meanwhile, accompanied by “Backwoods Barbie and Camping Ken,” Grace has to learn when to trust and when to take charge, and how to care about people as well as animals. She learns to care for herself too as the story progresses, and the dangers she faces may be even greater than those challenging the wolves she’s trying to save.

The novel takes a wisely bleak and honest look at death and its consequences, tackling issues head on and offering a pleasing sense of hope. Grace misses her father and is blamed for other local deaths. Guilt and blame cast shadows over relationships, leaving her with the aching thought that “the one thing about death that’s… hardest…, [is]how much people change.” In a beautiful scene with her old Cherokee friend, Grace feels “We don’t speak the same language anymore,” but is it the language of friendship, of forgiveness, or of the woods?

Sometimes lyrical, sometimes oddly abrupt, teen emotions and dialog are convincing. While the adults may seem less relatable, they’re really the minor characters in this novel of teen survival against emotional, ecological and physical odds. The stakes are high. The story’s exciting. The lessons are wise. And the wolves are glorious in this tragic but hopeful teen novel.

Disclosure: I received a free ecopy when the author was a guest on my blog.

This was a really hard book for me to rate and review. I reall

This was a really hard book for me to rate and review. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot line. But there are some key points to this story that seem false to me. I think must people won't think twice about the so I decided to let them go and just go with it.

Grace really is one of the most kick ass heroine's I've ever read about. She's never the damsel in distress even when she really is in distress. I love how she's so in tune with nature. I'm an outdoorsy girl, but I often wonder if I could survive if in the wilderness. There is no doubt that Grace could. She knows how to read all the clues and use nature to her advantage. I love that she loves animals so much. This part of her is so ingrained into who she is that denying her that does absolutely no good. Even she can't hide from it.

I wasn't sure how to take the story of the wolves at first. I'm not a supporter of the reintroduction of the wolves in the rocky mountain, so I was hoping that the story wouldn't become too political or environmental. I was pleased that it didn't, but I had problems with other aspects of the story. I just didn't buy that the Department of Fish and Game would let high school students help with such an important project. It's something that's heavily monitored and recorded and not just a light project for extra credit. I also wasn't extremely sure that our culprit behind this would have such a conflict of interest. I'm sure this type of things happen all the time, but I can't imagine that such a connection would be so under the radar.

Despite those things, I really did like the story. I'm particularly fond of our characters, especially Grace. There were some moments were I felt like smacking Wynn, but he redeems himself. I really don't blame him for the actions that he takes. I recommend this series immensely!

Love

I lobed this book so much it is like my fav book series ever it was amazing i hope to see another soon

Good sequel...

3.5 stars. The mystery continues...enjoyable characters.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great story! This is the second book in the Nature of Grace seri

Great story! This is the second book in the Nature of Grace series. The first book being - "Untraceable" which I read and reviewed - HERE. I did like the first book a little better, but both books are great .
Full of lots of outdoor action. If you are a lover of the great outdoors - a hiker, camper, explorer, an animal lover, or someone who just loves nature/action books, you will love this book.

Book 2 - "Uncontrollable" takes right off just shortly after the first book, so you have that feeling of continuation, like you haven't lost any time. There are a few reminders of what happened in "Untraceable" if you are forgetful like me (but in my opinion there were not enough reminders. I did get lost a few times, not remembering what had happened). Once I was refreshed and the story was under way I did really enjoy it!

I loved the way each chapter is labled with a survival tip number instead of chapter numbers - very creative.
Survival Tip #20
There is a simple method of handling an emergency situation.
Remember the acronym S.T.O.P. Sit - Think - Observe - Plan

The character development is great! As always - I loved Grace and Wyn (although Wyn was a little annoying at first, but then he came around). I felt like you were reading about typical teenagers. Well... typical smart outdoorsy teenagers (except for Skyler). I honestly loved all their bickering back and forth, it made it all more real. You can't get a bunch of teenagers together and not have fighting, teasing and flirting! So this part was done well.

I did guess a couple of the outcomes but hadn't guessed them all. There were a few surprises for me, as well as twists and turns in the storyline.

This was a very interesting book to read. Shelli certainly did her homework on the wolf facts! -

"The Red Wolf is one of the most endangered species in the nation... The red wolf was pretty much demolished in the late 1960's."
"There has been only one red wolf attack on a human in more than 200 years."

One of my favorite lines from the book -

"There's only one thing worse that being in the woods with a boy who hates me as much as he hates foliage - spending time with Malibu Barbie Goes Camping, a girl whose only experience with nature is killing two silk plants and watering a cactus." - LOL of course she is talking about Skyler.

I think Grace would make a great leading lady. You know how I am always saying - "This book should be made into a movie" well - this series should be made into a TV series! I can totally see it on Fox Family or ABC Family.

THE ALL-IN-ALL -
All in all this was a great, interesting and exciting read! I don't remember there being any swearing and only a few stolen kisses here and there - so great for teens to read.

Uncontrollable picks up about 3 months after Untraceable left of

Uncontrollable picks up about 3 months after Untraceable left off. If you haven't read Untraceable yet, you will really want to before your read Uncontrollable. Grace is still recovering from her summer tragedy. After her father disappeared, she was determined to find him, and in the process met an awesome hottie named Mo, was attacked by a poacher named Al, and infiltrated a bear poaching criminal ring. She did find her father, who everyone thought was dead, only to lose him again. To add to the tragedy, she was also told that her new love, Mo, was killed in the firefight that took place. Her best friend Wyn was so upset with her for lying to him that he refused to speak to her, and now 3 months later, he still doesn't acknowledge her presence. He is just all hung up on his girlfriend Skyler, who hangs all over him, literally. To top it off, the whole town acts like they blame Grace and are mad at her, instead of being proud of her for helping to bust up the poaching operation. Forced to sit behind Wyn and Skyler in class and suppress her gag reflex, Grace is excited to see her friend Agent Sweeny from the US Fish and Wildlife Service enter and begin to tell the class about a new program for endangered wolves called The Red Wolfe Reintroduction Program. Agent Sweeny offers anyone in the class who wants to, the chance to participate. Much to everyone's surprise, considering everything she had been through, Grace was the first to volunteer. She knew it was time to get back into the woods. She was, after all, her father's daughter.

Needles to say, this got Wyn's attention, and he also volunteered, then Skyler volunteered as well, along with three other from the class. Despite concerns from her mom and grandmother, Grace embarks upon this new adventure with a fresh perspective, looking forward to moving from the past into the future. Even though Al, the thug that tried to kill her, had escaped, she still felt she would be safe in the group. As it turns out, the danger that Grace faces is far more dangerous that the wolves she encounters, the question is, can she survive this time around?

I really loved Uncontrollable. It takes place, again, in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, this time in the midst of a very harsh winter. I love Grace. She is a kick-butt heroine, and she is real. Shelli has done an outstanding job of writing and developing her character, as well as the other characters in the book. Once Wyn got his butt off his shoulders, I really enjoyed him to. We are introduced to several new characters in this book, and as events unfold and the mystery begins to unravel, you are held on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who is involved and who isn't. There are some intense and life threatening situations, but there is also humor injected into the mix in just the right proportion. Lost friendships are recovered and tested, old fears are faced and replaced with new ones, and people, things, and places, from both the past and present, are not what they seem. Filled with action, adventure, mystery, danger, romance, and big surprises, S. R. Johannes has written an outstanding sequel to the first book in her Nature of Grace series, and I am really looking forward to the third installment.

Another great story of a strong young woman!

Another great story by Shelli Johannes! I loved "Untouchable" and "Uncontrollable" is just as exciting. Grace, the heroine, is just so amazing. She has been through hell and still tries to help the people and animals she loves. I felt her sadness at her losses and I especially felt the cold when she fell into that snow drift. Johannes knows how to write to keep you turning pages and anticipating what will happen next. Her villains are believable and she gives you little clues, but you have to be clever enough to notice them. Twists and turns abound. The relationships are real - not sappy and gross. Grace is a teenage girl and her relationships are age-appropriate. This is a great book. If you care about the environment or wildlife conservation, you need to read this book. Fantastic!