Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Published October 1st, 2013

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

320 pages (Hardcover)

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I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way. (From Goodreads)

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I LOVED THIS BOOK.  LOVED IT.  LOVED IT!

I love secret societies and I love the paranormal.  Integrating the two was perfection.  Not going to lie, as excited as I was, I was skeptical as to how it would actually turn out.  The paranormal aspects were well founded in actual beliefs.  It was clear that Kami Garcia put some research into her novel.  I will say that the Shift idea confused me a bit, but this didn't take away the overall story.

I loved the pacing of the book.  I think I only sat it down once, and not out of choice.  From the start, I was completely engaged in the plot.  The action starts fast and is spaced well.  The book almost progresses in stages, with the bursts of action and drama.  This created a nice flow.

The characters were great.  Each had their own distinct personality and complemented one another.  I know this is predictable, but Jared was my favourite.  Sigh, damaged and  angsty Jared.  I really enjoyed the interaction and tension between him and his twin brother.  I also liked the relationship that developed between him and Kennedy.  No insta-love here.  We've got a nice slow-building and satisfying romance to go along with the story.  But beyond this, the friendships between the group as a whole develop throughout the story.  I felt Kennedy's emotions as the story progressed, although I do question why she trusted the boys so quickly.  I mean, if two unknown (attractive) boys show up in my bedroom, I'm not hopping a van with them. 

I loved Unbreakable and cannot wait for book two.  Fans of the paranormal will adore this book, but I would recommend it to anyone.  Go get it now.