Review for Unwholly by Neal Shusterman

Unwholly is the second book in the Unwind series written by Neal Shusterman. The first book is Unwind and the third book, which has yet to be released, is titled Unsouled.


i don't really remember what happened in the first book. i have a vagueness about the main events but can't tell you what they were. thankfully you don't need to know exactly what took place in Unwind to follow this book. you might appreciate it more but you can still follow it. all you need to know is that things are going to be even harder for Risa, Connor, and Lev this time around.

the book starts off with a new character named Starkey who you know is going to be a problem. every one of his chapters are him singing his praises and how he's this and that and a bag of chips. he is not a hero in this story nor is he a bad guy you love to hate. i just disliked him and everything he stood for. in dire times it is best to stick together and unite, not look out for yourself or certain people like SPOILER Storks SPOILER i hope he gets what he deserves in the third book because i would like nothing more than to see him perish in the most ironic of ways.

Connor is struggling to keep the Graveyard running smoothly. he has yet to fit into the role of leader and has to deal with the consequences because of it. his chapters were a hit and miss for me. before he was betrayed, i liked hearing about the struggle within himself. his "unwound" arm, running the Graveyard, and dealing with Risa were issues that i cared about. but once it seemed like SPOILER Risa deserted the Whollies and was a spokesperson for unwinding SPOILER, i was turned off by his whining. it was all "I should have done this" or "This is not the way it was supposed to go." dude, get your shit together. it was unrealistic to think that everyone was going to survive. i'm kinda hoping he dies before this series is over.

Lev and Risa were both amazing. i remember loving them in the first book and that just carried over into this one. Lev has to deal with a cult while Risa has to deal with SPOILER being healed SPOILER. their plot lines were the strongest and i would write more about them but i'm all bitched out over Connor and Starkey. but believe me when i say that they're the reason to read this book. i loved the alternating chapters between the characters. with a story this big and complex you have to get all the voice-overs you can get. everyone feels and reacts differently to unwinding, making the story even more real. having to wait for the last book is going to be hard but i'll be patient. good things come to those that wait.