In Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken, the male and female lead, who're basically soulbonded (they've grown up with their minds in contact) finally meet. And they hate it.
Unspoken pretty much rests on this upturn of usual YA convention. Jared and Kami's relationship, a delicious, unholy mix of getting-to-know-you jitters and best-friend banter, is the backbone of the novel: despite a light dabbling in investigative hijinks and the obligatory deep, dark, secret the whole town's trying to hide, Unspoken is very much about Jared and Kami getting to know each other and reconciling themselves to the fact that their imaginary best friends are very, very real.
Unspoken pretty much rests on this upturn of usual YA convention. Jared and Kami's relationship, a delicious, unholy mix of getting-to-know-you jitters and best-friend banter, is the backbone of the novel: despite a light dabbling in investigative hijinks and the obligatory deep, dark, secret the whole town's trying to hide, Unspoken is very much about Jared and Kami getting to know each other and reconciling themselves to the fact that their imaginary best friends are very, very real.
The mental complication makes Jared and Kami's far more compelling than standard YA love triangle fare. Jared think the bonds means they should date, but they can't stand touching each other. Jared's a codependent mess who wants Kami with him always and Kami, who's a little too invested in proving her unconditional trust and faith, wants to know what it's like to be her own person. I really like how, at least in Unspoken, they don't really manage to start a romantic relationship. They edge up to it, and talk about the possibility, and there's this one alluded-to incident when they were fourteen (hormones, mind link, you do the math) that amuses me greatly, but they don't get together, and that makes Unspoken about how Jared and Kami relate to each other, not about how they might be in True YA Love.
One of the best parts of their relationship is that they still manage to distrust and misunderstand each other even though they can feel each others' thoughts. It makes for great drama, especially since the mental bond means that disagreements stem from real emotional disconnect instead of cheap miscommunication. It's more fascinating than functional, but Brennan manages to suffuse their relationship with enough support and banter to make me hope that these kids will make it through. Reading Unspoken, you really get the sense that Jared and Kami are friends, that they've known each other forever and rely on each other instinctively, and that goes a long way in making you root for them in general.
The other parts of this novel are no slouch, either. Even though all the characters speak in the same way (like a Tumblr post, essentially, no contractions and with a distinctly American flair that makes the English setting a little less believable), the misanthropic Angela and charming Ash are fun additions, and the Lynburns suitably disquieting. There's even LGBT representation, which pleases me greatly. Kami's sleuthing is, though amateur, pretty amusing, and the way Unspoken gradually amps up the magic is very entertaining as well.
I read the whole book at about six AM in one sitting, and went to the library immediately afterwards to borrow the next. Brennan knows how to make characters and relationships just damaged enough to be interesting, and I'm definitely looking forward to see where Jared and Kami go.
Rating: Five out of five for a really compelling relationship.
Turd rating: One out of five for Lynburns, dude.
One of the best parts of their relationship is that they still manage to distrust and misunderstand each other even though they can feel each others' thoughts. It makes for great drama, especially since the mental bond means that disagreements stem from real emotional disconnect instead of cheap miscommunication. It's more fascinating than functional, but Brennan manages to suffuse their relationship with enough support and banter to make me hope that these kids will make it through. Reading Unspoken, you really get the sense that Jared and Kami are friends, that they've known each other forever and rely on each other instinctively, and that goes a long way in making you root for them in general.
The other parts of this novel are no slouch, either. Even though all the characters speak in the same way (like a Tumblr post, essentially, no contractions and with a distinctly American flair that makes the English setting a little less believable), the misanthropic Angela and charming Ash are fun additions, and the Lynburns suitably disquieting. There's even LGBT representation, which pleases me greatly. Kami's sleuthing is, though amateur, pretty amusing, and the way Unspoken gradually amps up the magic is very entertaining as well.
I read the whole book at about six AM in one sitting, and went to the library immediately afterwards to borrow the next. Brennan knows how to make characters and relationships just damaged enough to be interesting, and I'm definitely looking forward to see where Jared and Kami go.
Rating: Five out of five for a really compelling relationship.
Turd rating: One out of five for Lynburns, dude.