REVIEW: Unwind

Book: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Release Date: November 6th 2007 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 335
Source: Library Copy

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

The Romance:

1     2     3     4     5

This scale is different than most. 1 means that there is no romance at all. 5 means this book was a very, very romantic based book. A 3 will be the most common, as YA books surround another plot while dealing with romance too. Below are my thoughts on the romance.

Not a lot, but some. There always has to be that one romance between two characters. It kind of bothers me because in reality, if two people were running for their life I do not think they would have time to fall in love.

The Action/ The Adventure:

1     2     3     4     5

The action scale is pretty obvious and it is just like the romance scale. 1 means there was no action. 5 means there was a lot of action. Whether or not the action was good, I'll tell you below.

The action and adventure is pretty good. There was a lot in my opinion. Although a good chunk of the book was them just surviving, action and adventure was included making the story exciting.

The Speed:

1     2     3     4     5

The speed scale tells how fast the story goes. For example, if the introduction is boring and the whole book is going at snail pace, it'll probably be a ranking of 1.

The speed was perfect. Not too fast that I don't know whats going on but not too slow to make me bored. It was on the faster side and it is one of those books that you can't put down once you start.

 The Plot/ The Perspective/ The Storytelling:

1     2     3     4     5

This isn't based on how much action shows up as the book progresses. It is based on the quality of the plot. Sometimes the plot is just unentertaining while others are the on-the-end-of-your-seat suspenseful. This is probably the scale that you should pay the most attention to.

The perspective comes from 3 points of views: Connor, Risa and Lev. I didn't like Lev. He was a spoiled, bratty, snob of a person but I understood why the author made him like that. It says in the beginning of the book that unwinding (the act of dissecting kids but them still technically living) was accepted in society. If a kid grew up with it being normal and knowing that was going to happen to him anyway, why shouldn't he think he's above everyone else? Connor and Risa's personalities match their background well. Connor was the pushed aside and was unfavored- he had a bad attitude but also a longing for some attention and for the good old days. Risa was just another extra, she learned how to be tough and survive.

The plot was EXCELLENT. It's creepy and it brings chills whenever I think about it too much. I have read other reviews about this book and they don't seem satisfied with the background because of the lack of information. I think it was enough because if the author put in everything about those times, it would make the story uninteresting. You can use your head to figure out what it might be like. He gives us enough information to understand the book, no more, no less.

The End:

1     2     3     4     5

This is going to be a limited scale as I don't want to spoil the ending. I promise I won't reveal any secrets, but if you want it to be a complete surprise,  STOP READING.

Great, I liked it a lot. Ending is creepy and yet satisfying making you anticipate for another book but not making you rip out your hair because of the cliff-hangar. If I had to say something bad about this, it would be that the ending is kind of cliche.

Final Rank: 

1     2     3     4     5

Summary:

Creepy and enchanting at the same time. I LOVED IT. I have waited a very long time for a good book like this and it seems as though every single detail was planned ahead and so nothing was left out. There was one specific chapter which I found really chilling and kind of scary. This book makes me think a lot and is great for people who want some thrills.

 *Hall of Fame