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Like The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Elizabeth Norris’s Unraveling blends realistic coming-of-age issues with a gripping science fiction world.
Unraveling’s heroine, sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner, is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle’s mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.
And that was before she died…and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth’s destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet.
Unraveling is a really hard book to describe without giving anything away. Part of what made it fun to read was that I had no idea what it was about before I started it and I think that's really the best way to approach this novel. While there were many aspects of the story I enjoyed, I also had some problems with it. Hopefully this review will make it clear what parts worked for me and which didn't.
First off, I liked the main character Janelle. She's a very self-reliant young person who doesn't take crap from anyone. I was generally impressed by her strength and refusal to give up. The things that she endures throughout this novel would likely break the average person but somehow she just keeps going. Through all of that and more Janelle remains an amazing friend to her best friend Alex. I love the way they can rely on each other no matter what.
The chemistry between Janelle and Ben is really special. It was something I never really questioned even though it has a slight "insta-love" thing happening. Perhaps it didn't bother me as much because their interactions always felt really believable.
Ben has all the qualities I love in a guy. He's intelligent, mysterious, caring and always striving to be a better person. I loved how his past and secrets were slowly exposed. I definitely wasn't disappointed by what I found out.
This novel is a bit like a roller coaster you can't get off of, twisting and turning its way towards the end at an insane speed. There's a countdown to something, an FBI investigation, a murder mystery, a boy with secrets and a whole lot more. For the most part having all these plots works but it's balancing them that became tricky. I also could have done without some of the side characters and stories that distracted you from the main plot of the mysterious countdown. Neither, Janelle's biopolar mom or her ex-best friend Kate, serve any real purpose in the novel other then to take you away from all the other things that are going on.
I think it’s great whenever a YA novel tries to be more than the sum of its parts but with Unraveling I actually felt there was TOO much going on. It feels a lot like three different story ideas that got stuffed into one novel. This makes the pacing a bit off because although the story is told using a countdown element and many of the chapters are super short, it still lagged in a few places. Again I think this goes back to the fact that there were side plots that didn't need to be there.
The novels ending definitely threw me for a loop. I give author Elizabeth Norris a lot of credit for taking a risk that big. Whether or not you think it pays off will depend on how you feel about the rest of the novel. Much like my review, I had mixed feelings.
Unraveling takes a unique premise and runs with it. I just wish it had spent more time on the more important plot details than making it a circus. Although my feelings on the end result is mixed I think a lot of readers will find its breakneck pace and main character enough to keep them cheering for more.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 30, 2012
I liked this book for the fact that I questioned what the heck was going on in the beginning 100-150 pages. Once I found out about what the countdown was for, I enjoyed the race as the characters went to solve the problem.
I don't want to give anything away, because finding out was half the fun in reading this.
Plus the characters are strong.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I must admit that after reading the first 100 pages of this book, I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I knew it had to be something huge after reading the synopsis. I proceeded with caution, though, because I was afraid that I wasn’t going to get the payoff I wanted after all of the hype. I was not disappointed. By the time I’d made it through another fifty pages, I couldn’t put it down. Crazy things started to happen — things I didn’t expect at all — and as in any good mystery, as things are revealed more questions are raised and the stakes grow ever higher. It kind of reminded me of a season of “24″ BEFORE it got all crazy predictable.
This book is insane — and I don’t mean crazy cat-lady insane — but fast-paced, awesome premise insane. I honestly had no idea where Ms. Norris was going with the story, but when I got there it all fell into place. I love when I think I’ve got something figured out only to be proven wrong, and I also love when an earlier and seemingly insignificant event takes place and a hundred pages later (or more) it suddenly shows up again as a huge plot point. Sheer brilliance I tell ya.
This is another sci-fi book that totally grabbed me and sucked me in. I really liked it. The writing is effortless, the characters are all very strong and well-drawn and I never once felt the plot fell short. Even the minor stories played out well without being distracting. If you are an X-files fan, you MUST check this one out.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mustlovebooks23
Posted April 24, 2012
I finished this book in 2 days and cannot wait for the next book!
Unraveling is a fast-paced adventure story that is rooted in the realities of high school, family life, and love.
I loved this book because the main character, Janelle, is an intelligent, independent female character who is far from perfect, but who grapples with issues we all face with grace and determination that you have to admire.
Unraveling is as exciting as Hunger Games, as mysterious as Fringe or Veronica Mars, and as fabulously addictive as Twilight. But the book also has depth. The characters feel like real people, and their lives and desires are complex.
I would recommend this book to anyone, young adult or not, who is looking for a good mystery/love story with characters you can relate to and root for.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 22, 2012
Definitely a book that you wanted to continue reading to see what
happens next! Here's the only thing, I think the age range should be
older than it says, due to the constant use of STRONG language (F bomb
used in almost every chapter) I'm a month from turning 20 and I have to
say the language was a bit excessive. Other than that, great read!
Would not recommend for the younger audience it suggests.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Amy211
Posted July 5, 2012
i loved this book up until the end. it had an interesting plot and kept me on the edge of my seat. it was predicting in some areas, and in others it totally blew me away. would give it more stars if the ending was better. after finishing the book it kind of felt like i wasted my time
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 23, 2012
Very different from anything I've read lately! Great Book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. Unraveling is a devastatingly beautiful novel.
What happens when the one thing you find yourself loving could be the source of your own destruction?
Elizabeth Norris has painted a frightening future for readers where worlds are collapsing and love is only a life away. In Unraveling readers may find themselves debating how can somewhat love the very thing or someone that may ultimately destroy them.
Unraveling is a story woven of deep loss and a growing love that contends with the characters' trying to solve each of their own mysteries and resolve things from their pasts that haunt them. Our main character is Janelle Tenner and she is one bright and amazing character with a deep love of helping, a smart wit and a cunning mind. Janelle's father works cases in the FBI, cooks randomly and has a love for the X-Files TV series and when his latest case comes home with him there are devastating consequences for everyone. As Janelle's story developed through the story we find a teen who has been putting her all into creating a good life and home for family and especially her brother, as her parents are falling apart. Janelle's mother suffers from being bi-polar and contributes little to the family while her father's work keeps him busy and he copes with his own responsibilities and stresses by longer hours and focusing on his cases. Janelle struggles with being a teen in a troubling house by being close friends with her neighbor Alex, who is a fabulous supporting character with his own complex family life. Alex is a great character that adds support to the story, but his faith in Janelle is soon put to question when events change that could impact their whole world. The story soon opens up and adds another amazing character in Ben, who is like a mysterious ugly duckling, something like a game changer in the story that will turn all of the character's mind and whole world upside down.
What was so epic in Unraveling is the tragic undertone throughout the whole story, there are catastrophic losses all get in life that have an array of impact. From finding love soon comes loss, and a struggle to create normalcy from a loss of childhood comes the tiers struggle to protect. Among other themes inherit in the story really the character's voice compels the novel into something lyrically amazing. You just don't want to put this story down.
Unraveling is about that, everything unraveling where character's lives are intertwining and at the same time so is the fabric of their universe. When you want something so much worlds collide right, but the truth may be more real than anyone ever imagined and the consequences are hitting closest to home than anticipated.
With a strong female lead in a building dystopian storyline Unraveling releases a powerhouse in its ability to have several plots developing at the same time and connecting them all at the right places and at the right times to really pack a punch as they develop.
This is one release that turned into a great story that I had not expected. Unraveling is not to be missed as a release this year because it has all of these fabulous elements that will surprise readers as a thrilling suspenseful YA debut.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 13, 2013
Loved, Loved, LOVED it! I couldn't put it down to stop reading. I think I may have finished it in about a day in a half because I couldn't put it down. I just bought the second one and I can't wait to start reading it! I definitely recommend it to those whom, when having a great book, can't put it down and feel like they are willingly able to read it without any trouble. No matter what time of day it is, and this is like one of those books. LOVED IT!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 9, 2013
Ive read alot of ya's..and im not a ya..ha...they always seem to have such a a good story concept, yet quite often don't deliver...this one does....great writing & the characters were quite likable...the main character was strong & independent...it wasnt " oh what boy should i like, whoa is me" kind of dribble......i would recommend this to anyone that didnt want the usual story of girl meets boy, yadayada.....& wants a story with some meat to it....
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Posted May 5, 2013
I love how she built the rising action and gently fell the ending Caution some parts will lireraly spin you into an emotional tornado. Which i like and you also become attached the characters after awhile. P.s. i cried at the end
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 27, 2013
It took a bit to get down to the point but it was a pretty good book. But now I want the second one but its still like 10 bucks! Th ending was great even if a bit abrupt I have the feeling things are going to heat up in book2....sigh i need to get a better paying job so I can afford all the books I want to read.
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Posted March 8, 2013
Pretty good book. Only thing is Jannelles meeting with Ben is vaguely Twilightish. I mean with the truck and the "i saw what youdid to me. How did you do that"ness.
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Posted April 7, 2013
Awesome
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Posted January 12, 2013
Didnt really like the ending :(
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ivygirl702
Posted December 3, 2012
It's sort of odd reading a book that takes place where you live. I mean, I've swam at Torrey Pines, I have family who live in Temecula, I work in Poway and I've been admitted to Scripps Green hospital. At the same time, I know exactly what Elizabeth is talking about when she talks about PB or the 56 and that's sort of rad.
As for the book, I almost don't have words... It was phenomenal. Fantastic characters, excellent plot and an ending that just about gave me a heart attack. I stayed up until almost 3am reading because I just HAD to finish.
I absolutely, positively, without a doubt recommend this book. Oh, and I call dibs on Ben. So don't even try it
PuttingPentoPage
Posted December 3, 2012
Ok. Ok. I may have to gush a little bit y'all. The description is pretty much what it's about but there is SO MUCH MORE going on in this book. Janelle has a bit of a rough home life. Her dad is kind of absentee because of her mom's medical condition and that leaves Janelle to basically raise her brother. There is no one more important in her life than her brother Jared and they have a really cool relationship. Her best friend Alex is her rock and the ONLY one she ever turns to for help with well any of the crap that happens in her life.
When Ben brings her back to life after being hit by a truck things start taking an interesting turn. She breaks up with her sorta boyfriend, people who don't exist start showing up dead, and this countdown pulls her in to a mystery bigger than anything she's ever been a part of before.
I seriously LOVED this book. It was action-packed, and filled with surprises. It was very fast paced and the countdown clock for chapters was pretty brilliant. There were times I had to put the book down and walk away because my heart was racing from the suspense. I am a MAJOR sci-fi nerd so I loved all the references to the X-files. Everyone in my family plays World of Warcraft (level 85 druid, tyvm) so the scene where Janelle is trying to get her brother's attention and can't because he's busy with WoW and has his headphones on made me laugh. That has happened more than one time in this house.
I adored Ben. He's smart and funny and has a very strong sense of right and wrong. He'd admired Janelle from afar for a long time but never approached her--and she'd never sought him out--until the accident. Their relationship gets complicated quickly as truths are revealed but I effing love ---read the book you'll get that reference after--- his interactions with J-Baby (as she was called by her dad and her dad's partner Struz).
And speaking of Struz...he is a fantastic secondary character as are Jared, and Alex. They help define Janelle's character and flesh her out more. And y'all she's great!! Determined, intelligent, loving but also flawed. Frustrated, angry, and alive but not really living her brush with death has her reevaluating what she's been doing with her life.
Finally, the end. OH. MY. The race to the finish was move ahead at warp speed and my heart was right there with it! This was my thought process as I reached the end: Awww...Ben. You're so good. Wait. What's she (Janelle) doing? No she's NOT! OMG! *sob* Oh Ben. Damn I need drink.
And even though the end KILLED me, like flayed me open, it was SO perfect for who these characters are. It could easily end here and be a stand alone and while I wouldn't be 100% satisfied with the end I would be ok with it. THANK GOODNESS there is going to be another one! It's called Unbreakable and will be out (arrrrgggghhhh) next year! I can't freaking wait and y'all should go get this so you can gush with me about how awesome it is.
Overall a fantastic book. It was stunning, heart-breaking, and brilliant. It left me speechless, hopeful, & dying for more.
Jessica_Rose
Posted November 29, 2012
I loved it at first but the ending was so bad i wanna cry every time i see or talk about the book...
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I'm ashamed to admit that I was late in reviewing this book not merely because of the many hiatuses I had to take recently but because so many interesting looking books have ended up disappointing me, and I didn't want this to be one of them. Well, if it did disappoint me, it is because I have to wait a freaking year to read the sequel.
Unraveling is the best science-fiction/fantasy novel of 2012. I was drawn to this novel when I saw the words "FBI-agent," "murder," and "countdown clock" in the synopsis. With all the paranormal romances flooding the market, I rarely get the chance to read a good mystery, or see a girl without any paranormal ability save the world. And I loved every moment of it.
Janelle is a strong character, with a wonderful sense of humor. The first couple paragraphs were enough to convince me that I was going to like her. Since a fairly young age, Janelle has been taking care of her younger brother Jared, as their mom is bipolar and their dad is often busy with work. She has since learned to be independent, she has a strong sense of duty, and she loves passionately after overcoming her fears of opening her heart. I can relate to her protectiveness of her brother, being an older sister herself, and wish we saw more of Jared. I have a thing for stories with good big-sister/little-brother relationships. Janelle is an intelligent girl, oftentimes too intelligent for her own good when she becomes mired deeper in the mystery of her father's case. Her character is made all the more complex and endearing with her family's history and the irrational choices that she makes when matters become personal.
The writing style is descriptive and brings the characters and plot to life without getting bogged down in the details. The way the context is delivered, it doesn't feel as though details are planted for our benefit as readers. Details flow together, immersing the reader into the world, and all the plot threads tie today in the end. In addition, the supporting characters that matter are vibrant and act as foils that make each other and Janelle all the more real and relatable. I adore Janelle's best friend, and half Asian, Alex. Full of fun and always there when Janelle needs him, Alex is the definition of perfect best friend material. Then there are Ben and his friends. Their mysterious conversations are central to the plot in bringing Janelle closer to the truth. And what a truth! I honestly never saw it coming.
Suspense builds in a thrilling, heart-racing chase to find the culprit before the countdown ends. In the midst of all this intrigue, Janelle and Ben find themselves drawn to each other, unable to deny the chemistry between them or their desire to learn more about each other. The ending is slightly anticlimactic, which is only to be expected of a story where all the fun is in the guessing and investigating. I can easily see Unraveling as a standalone novel with a bittersweet ending. However, we don't have to guess at what happens because there is a sequel coming out next year: Unbreakable.
Anonymous
Posted November 16, 2012
It was hard to read at times with some of it being a bit boring. But all together a nice book. I would recommend checking it out at the library instead of spending money on it.
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Overview
Like The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Elizabeth Norris’s Unraveling blends realistic coming-of-age issues with a gripping science fiction world.
Unraveling’s heroine, sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner, is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle’s mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her ...