Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Lynburn Legacy, Book 1

Random House Books for Young Readers, September 11, 2012

370 pages

Book Source: ARC copy provided by NetGalley

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?

--Summary provided by Goodreads.com 

Judging by the cover...: When the cover art was revealed, I had no idea what the book was even about. Seeing it MADE me want to read it. It's a gorgeous cover (you know I have a thing for reddish covers), and I can't stop looking at it.

Favorite Elements:

• Small Town Feel - Creepy stories are much more spooky when set in a town where everyone knows your business. It's much scarier to think that someone you've grown up with is out to kill you, rather than a complete stranger.
• Kick Butt Heroine - Kami is a sassy, driven lady who knows what she wants and will not let anyone, not even a drop dead gorgeous boy, get in her way. She has her head on straight, and is Top Choice Role Model material.
• American Boys - Too often it's the American girls who are swept off their feet by British boys. Why can't it be the other way around? The Lynburn boys prove that American accents are just as sexy.
• Bestest BFF EVAR - Angela, with her penchant for napping, is a girl after my own heart. I'd be proud to have her by my side in a fight with a powerful family any day.

Overall: A

Unspoken doesn't make its debut until September, which makes me sad in a way. I'm so anxious for this to be in the hands of readers everywhere! I normally wouldn't put out a review this early, but I needed to share it with my readers NOW. Brennan takes everything that is associated with Young Adult supernatural romance stories and throws it out the window. Kami is a strong main character, not one of those girls who will drop everything for the new boy in town (not naming any names, Bella!). I won't say too much more about these newfangled ideas, but suffice it to say they're awesome. 

The plot had me hanging on for dear life, and it took effort to put it down and go do those unimportant things like, you know, work and sleep.

Recommendation: Put this on your To Read list now, so that when September comes around, you'll remember. Though the cover screams, "Lady Readers!", guys won't be put off by the story, since there's no unrealistic romantic garbage in the way.