REVIEW: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan -
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Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Published: September 11, 2012
Format: Netgalley eARC* 370 pages
Rating: 5/5
(honestly this deserves an infinite amount of stars)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

My thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan is the type of book that creeps up on you and when you least expect it, you’re so wrapped up in its goodness that you cannot extricate yourself from its hold. That’s exactly what Unspoken did to me. The whole book is one big wonderful surprise that just blew my mind.

Kami Glass: eccentric investigative journalist and one remarkable heroine. 


She was the whole package with a little more. Kami is the epitome of a heroine; strong, determined, high-spirited, relentless, never gives up, adventurous, creative, intelligent and a girl with a big heart and big dreams. Kami was the type of girl to take charge. She does what she wants, when she wants and she doesn’t need a boy to tell her what to do. Like Kami says throughout the book, she can handle herself and this is so true. She’s no damsel in distress and she certainly doesn’t need a guy to make her world go round. Kami was half part responsible and half part risk-taker-let’s-go-all-out galore. She was so funny and snarky and full of sarcasm that I was beside myself with laughter at nearly every moment. Kami was a little odd, possibly even a little crazy (in the best possible way) and she knows it and it’s perfectly fine. She’s comfortable with being who she is and you have no idea how much I love that. Kami was different and one of a kind and in my opinion, fabulous. 

Kami and Jared: the best romantic ‘non-relationship’ that ever existed. 


These two had this undeniable, obvious, but intense connection that goes way back to when they were young, speaking to each other through their minds. Everything is comfortable up until they meet in person. They struggle with each other’s presence, but they still cannot simply pull away from one another. Their not-quite-severely-complicated-relationship was unconventional, unorthodox, and unusual in the most endearing way that I loved so much. It’s nothing like I’ve ever read about before. They can’t seem to come to terms with their feelings and it becomes difficult and strange and sometimes really awkward between them since secrets are all out there in the open, yet the mutual understanding and loyalty was always there. Jared was as different as Kami. He was aloof and arrogant and not typically friendly like his counterpart, but still lovable in every sense. He is completely misunderstood, but he cares deeply for Kami and has this fierce protective side for her that I absolutely fell for. 

The writing, the world building, the pacing: magnificent.


Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing was surreal and whimsical. She really balances the humor and amusement with the dark and spooky feel of the book. She does a great job of making the story easy to read despite the few POV changes, while still creating a story that flowed nicely from start to finish. I was completely impressed with her ability to create a world and develop it well in just a few pages alone. Sorry-in-the-Vale (amazing name, right?) is a small town filled with secrets of magic and sinister happenings that surround the Lynburn family. What I loved was how well-thought out everything was from the mysteries of the town and its background, the deaths, the Lynburn family itself, the magic and power, Jared and Kami’s connection and so much more. All of it is explored throughly. The pacing of the novel is spectacular, spilt into six parts where it steadily builds until it reaches the climax then eases into the resolution and then gets packed with a devastating ending that leaves you with a heavy heart and a desire to break something. There was not a single dull moment and the entirety of this novel was more than entertaining.

All in all, Unspoken is immensely witty, cleverly written and filled with fun characters, eerie elements, and a mystery that makes this book one heck of a page-turner!

*Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read this book.

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