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Review: Unsouled by Neal Shusterman

Title: Unsouled
Author: Neal Shusterman
Year Published: 2013

Genre: YA dystopia
Pages: 404
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location (my 2013 Google Reading map): USA


FTC Disclosure: I received this book as a gift

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the least safe haven for AWOL Unwinds. But for the first time, they're not just running away from something. This time they're running toward answers, in the form of a woman whom Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to bringing down unwinding forever.

Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. Because he knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be human.

With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirates hunting them, their paths will converge explosively--and everyone will be changed.

Review: Ah, book three of a dystology (a new term for me, did Shusterman make it up?). I have been eagerly awaiting this book and am not surprised that I liked it so much. I also bought it for my brother on his Birthday as he is also reading the series.

Wow, what an ending! I know, a strange place to start a review, but no wonder Shusterman needed a fourth book in his dystology! There is still so much to deal with in this story and I can't wait for Undivided to become available, which apparently isn't until this Fall. The waiting begins....

Reading Unsouled is visiting old friends and issues; it's a place I like and a place where I am comfortable. That isn't to say nothing is new. Each character has new dimensions, secrets, and background that are revealed in this book, rounding out their personalities and intentions. We also meet some new characters, the scariest of which are Nelson, the Juvie Cop turned Parts Pirate, and his tag-along companion, Argent. These two totally freak me out! A wonderful new character is Grace, Argent's sister. I love her outlook on life, her strategizing, and her observations from the outside.

The characters also travel a lot more in this third book: from New Orleans to New York; from a Chancefolk reservation to the city of Akron, Ohio; and all across the lands in between. Travel allows them time to talk, to think, to reminisce, and to pick up new information.

I also like that we learn the origins of unwinding in this book. We learn more about the war, the Accord and the science behind it all.

All in all, I am so happy after reading this book. I recommend this series to adults and teens often, telling them it is SO disturbing and SO good.

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