A Review of UnWholly by Neal Shusterman, the Second Part of a Great Series

 

A Review of UnWholly by Neal Shusterman, the Second Part of a Great Series

By Felix Lee

A sequel to Unwind (of which I did a blog post on previously), UnWholly by Neal Shusterman features a continuation to the story in a futuristic world in which unwanted teenagers are sent to be split apart for their body parts in process called “unwinding”. If you may be interested in reading this series and don’t want any spoilers, I highly recommend reading the first book (Unwind) before reading this blog post.

In the beginning of this novel, we are reminded of the whereabouts of the old main characters from the previous book. We see the struggles of Connor, one of the main characters of the old book, as he tries to maintain leadership and order at the Graveyard, a site for runaway Unwind refuge. Stuck in a wheelchair, Risa, another main character from the previous book, is unsure of her of usefulness in the Graveyard after the incident in the first book. Finally, Lev’s reputation from the incident has brought him a totally new lifestyle. In addition to continuing to follow the paths of these characters, we are introduced to new characters and their play into the story, including rebellious Unwinds, a vengeful cop, and a being that has been created completely from the best of Unwind parts. Some of the new characters have even been mentioned in the first book and are now playing a bigger role in the plot of the series. As we progress through the book, we see the actions each character makes and how it impacts the story, as well as new relationships, enemies, and plot twists.

I enjoyed this book a lot, as I expected after reading the first book. This sequel had all the qualities I liked from the first book (as expressed in my previous blog post) plus even more. I enjoyed the balance between description and dialogue throughout the book; it kept me as the reader well informed, yet still excited to continue reading. The constant plot twists and revelations made my eyes widen on multiple occasions, and I would then think to myself what an amazing book this was. I appreciate how the author incorporated elements and characters of the previous book and added on them in this book. It just comes to show how closely connected this story and the elements within it are. Finally, I enjoyed how the author was able to connect all the characters paths, each character contributing some aspect into the final ending. I also liked how after the events of the final ending, the author gave a foreshadowing to each character’s path of what they may do next in the next books; it creates a desire to read the next book as soon as possible. Overall, I would rate this book a 10/10 in rating and would definitely recommend others to read the series. I can’t wait to read the third book!