NEAL SHUSTERMAN REVIEWS
UNWIND
THE UNWIND DYSTOLOGY BOOK 1
by Neal Shusterman
I've been holding off on this one for a long time because I knew I was going to absolutely love it or hate it. I was afraid to read it because I REALLY wanted to love it. But wow. It was even more than I could have hoped for. It's frightening how Shusterman makes unwinding feel like such a viable option to appease both sides of the pro-choice/pro-life fight (and props to him for attacking such a touchy issue with no apologies). It may be difficult for us to imagine how any parent could raise a kid for thirteen-to-eighteen years and then decide to have him killed, but it somehow makes sense within the world of the book. These parents actually believe they're doing what's best for the child. And the child IS still "alive"...
The characters were wonderful. It's always nice to see young teens written with such great maturity. Lev was a very interesting character to me. Obviously I've never been in a situation like his, but the general conflict of personal beliefs not aligning with what the church says is "right" is something I've gone through myself. And the baby storyline added so much depth and heart to Connor and Risa. And I just love Connor. Period.
At one point, you get to be inside the mind of a kid as he's being unwound. I'm not sure I've been more affected by anything I've ever read-- and I didn't even care about this kid! It made me feel sick and itchy and so upset I wanted to jump into their world and personally strangle all of the adults who think this is okay.
Unwind is terrifying, intriguing, and immensely creative.
UNWHOLLY
THE UNWIND DYSTOLOGY BOOK 2
by Neal Shusterman
"the nation was tearing itself apart over pro-life and pro-choice but completely ignored the problems of the kids who were already here."
I know Unwind was supposed to be a one-shot deal, but I can't imagine being deprived of the character development, the answers, the new questions... of everything this book gave me. I give UnWholly all the stars. All of them.
I think I stopped breathing for two hundred pages or so. But now that I've caught my breath... *skips off to read UnSouled*
There will be no sleep tonight.
UNSOULED
THE UNWIND DYSTOLOGY BOOK 3
by Neal Shusterman
I'm calling UnSouled "part one", since it's basically the first half of the finale. I would have preferred an 800 page UnSouled rather than a year-long wait for the conclusion, but I'll take what I can get. And I loved Part One, I really did. It amazes me how many times Shusterman is able to blow my mind.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
My love for Connor reached new heights... as did my hatred for Starkey, but I don't even want to talk about him. He doesn't deserve to be discussed (and he just completely terrifies me). But Connor! Oh Connor, I love you. He showed compassion for Cam when he had no reason to. He was set on helping the kid who jumped in front of his car when it would risk his capture. He even felt for the giant bird that almost killed him and Lev. His compassion is what draws me to him more than his leadership or bravery or anything else. He has his issues but is so innately, beautifully good.
I will gripe about Connor and Risa's reunion for a minute because... yeah. That was not cool. I will let it slide a little bit because they did get their stolen moment, but I am expecting a big-time ConRisa HEA by the end of Part Two. All right?? All right.
I like how torn I feel about Cam. I don't know whether I love him or hate him from page to page. I'm worried now about what they plan on doing to him. His creation also poses a lot of interesting questions about the existence of a soul and what it means to be alive.
Shusterman is able to introduce so many characters and POVs without interrupting the flow of the story even once. He makes me care about side characters and seemingly unimportant storylines and then they all come together and upend the main action.
I'm so mad I have to wait a year. Gah.
UNDIVIDED
THE UNWIND DYSTOLOGY BOOK 4
by Neal Shusterman
*review coming soon*