UNSPOKEN by Sarah Rees Brennan

Can we talk about the cover? *___*  It's even more gorgeous in person.  The background is this beautiful scarlet that fades in the center and darkens again near the bottom.  The title and leaves are bright gold, the gate and vines inky black.  Whimsical, dramatic, romantical (yes, I went there J).

Luckily, the story totally matches up to the jacket.

Unspoken centers around Kami and the imaginary boy in her head.  She's comfortable with Jared, has gotten used to the way their feelings tangle and is unwilling to give him up--even if it makes people look at her funny.  But when the mysterious Lynburns return, Kami gets a shock.  Jared is real.  He knows everything about her.  And she's not sure how to feel about it.

The mystery surrounding the Lynburns (what they are, how Kami and Jared's connection came to be, etc.) is icing on the cake.  The real heart of this story is character and a fantastic concept.  Imagine being mentally linked to another person.  I've seen this done before, but never so well executed.

Sounds kinda romantic, right?  And in some ways, it is.  Still, that doesn't stop Kami and Jared from freaking out.  Each struggles to come to terms with the reality of the other's existence.  Their connection was soul-deep and at times invasive.  It was one of the strongest parts of the book imo.

I loved how close we got to all the characters, especially the two leads.

The third person narrative helped, but Sarah Rees Brennan obviously knows her world and each and every person in it.   Kami is the kind of curious you just can't help but like.  She's a self-proclaimed sleuth, searching for the secret truth of her town, Sorry-in-the-Vale.  When animals and people start dying, she trudges along, determined to find the truth.  The girl had a great sense of humor and was an unapologetic Nosy Parker.  Loved her J.

Also loved how Brennan was able to infuse the same life and personality into her secondary characters.  Angela, the people-hating, nap-loving, always-loyal best friend.  Kami's dad and her brothers, Tomo and Ten.  Great, great, great.

And the humor.  That was the surprise!  Kami and her friends are hilarious.  Romance + Funny = One Very Happy Nnja :-)

Here are a few quotes I loved from Unspoken.

Kami whispered into Jared's hair: "I'm always on your side."--Unspoken pg. 74

"I used to have an imaginary friend when I was seven," Holly contributed.  "A unicorn called Princess Zelda."--Unspoken pg 85

Then later, Angela to Jared:

"I'm not calling you that," she announced flatly.  "It's too weird.  I'm going to call you Carl." 

Jared scowled.  "I don't want you to call me Carl."

"That's interesting, Carl," said Angela, cheering up.--Unspoken pg 86

The dialogue was lol funny; the writing was gorgeous; the mystery had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing; and the character relationships were fantastic.  Beware: One of the most devestating cliff hangers on the planet.  But worth it.  (Still, seriously, it'll make you wanna bang your head on the wall.)  Unspoken was a Gothic mystery YA with a nice blend of genres, a great Halloween read, but also a great anytime read J

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,

Ninja Girl