Skip to main content

Unwholly (Unwind Dystology #2) by Neal Shusterman

"The next installment in Shusterman's "Dystology" that continues to follow Connor, Risa and Lev in their fight for survival. A handful of new characters are also introduced to add intrigue, excitement, forgiveness, love etc to the mix. It delves deeper into the creation of the unwinding process and leaves the reader curious, intrigued and always wanting more."

5 Stars

Pros: Though there are new characters, there aren't so many that the old ones, Connor, Risa and Lev get lost in the shuffle/Lev's growth as a character is probably my favorite. 

Cons: There always has to be a manipulator, someone who's vying for power, it gets kind of old/Starkey and Miracolina's stories, though slightly different, felt similar to those of Connor/Lev etc, just with new names added. 

Full Review: 

SPOILER ALERT

It's been a year since the events of Unwind and Connor, Risa and Lev are still just trying to get by and survive another day. With the destruction of Happy Jack Harvest Camp and the Admiral leaving Connor in charge of the Airplane Graveyard, Connor and Risa find themselves in a very difficult situation. They're only teenagers themselves and now they're in charge of keeping close to 500 AWOL Unwinds alive. It's a feat that takes its toll on Connor, emotionally and mentally and though Risa tries, she can feel the pressure straining she and Connor's relationship. 

Lev on the other hand became infamous overnight. Named "The Clapper who refused to clap", his actions at the Happy Jack Harvest Camp have made it so people either feel pity for him, as the poor lost child who turned to violence and chaos to deal with his emotions, or view him as a murderous monster who has no regard for life. 

He is taken in by his brother Marcus and in return for a lenient sentence, complete silence when it comes to anything regarding Happy Jack/Lev's time as a Clapper, he is allowed to live at Marcus' house under house arrest and works with Pastor Dan to try and make "division risks", unruly, misbehaving teenagers, see the error of their ways and avoid unwinding. It's part of his sentence, 500+ hours of community service. And though he sometimes gets letters from Connor, he knows he can never write back, not wanting to put a target on the Airplane Graveyard's whereabouts and lead the Juvenile Authority to Connor etal. So he is stuck in a perpetual state of mixed emotions, not knowing which way to go, what to do but it all comes crashing down, literally, when a Clapper, disguised as a Girl Scout, destroys Lev's house in retribution from the "higher ups" of his Clapper cell for divulging all the information he knew when he became a Clapper. The explosion kills Pastor Dan, seriously wounds Marcus and Lev is left with nothing. 

He's approached in the Hospital by someone from the Cavenaugh Fund, which turns out to be a splinter cell of the Anti Divisional Resistance (ADR) who has made it their primary goal to rescue Tithes from Unwinding and deprogram them to try and help them realize that their life is their own and they shouldn't want to be unwound, much as Lev came to realize. 

During all of this, Starkey, a Storked baby who's managed to make it to sixteen before his "parents" are fed up with his behavior and sign the unwind order, Miracolina, a Tithe who is completely accepting of her fate as a Tithe and Camus Comprix, the first human to ever be made entirely by parts from other Unwinds, are introduced. Starkey makes it to the Airplane Graveyard where he uses his master manipulation to try and rise to the top. Miracolina is "saved" by Lev but refuses to see it that way, feeling as if she's been kidnapped and robbed of her life's purpose. And Camus Compix (Cam) is the first of his kind and is slowly introduced into the world, much to the horror of some and the wonder of others. And he and Risa end up getting mixed up with one another when a deal is struck to save someone's life. 

It's all very convenient but the end comes together in a very satisfying way open ended way, leaving it al open for another installment, Unsouled. Within Unwholly we're also given some background as to the Heartland Wars, the "Terror Generation" and the name Janson Reinschild, who by the end of everything will become extremely important. Suffice it to say, I'm looking forward to starting Unsouled right after I post this review. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

"When a scientist, Benes, who has integral and world changing information attempts to defect and join our Side, he's injured. A blood  clot forms in his brain and the only way to save his life is to miniaturize the crew of the Proteus and inject them into Benes' body, so they can break up the blood clot from the inside. Of course, one thing after another goes wrong and every chapter is a new catastrophe but it was definitely a fantastic voyage.   2 Stars Pros:  Grant is one dry character but he's a welcome bit of amusement in an otherwise serious and scientific novel.  Cons:  Grant is also SUCH a man that he spends most of the mission staring at saving the one woman board, Cora./Definitely ripe with anatomical lessons and what part of the body they were in. Since I've never been great at anatomy, a lot of it was lost on me and became burdensome near the end.  Full Review: As in all things, there is a good side and a bad side. This book is very vague as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars.  Pros:  Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place.  Cons:  The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact.  Full Review:  When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone."  5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way.  Cons:  Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager.  Full Review:  It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...
Post a Comment
Read more