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Thanks to NetGalley and Blink for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
288 Pages
Synopsis: Jonah wishes he could get the girl, but he’s n outcast and she’s the most perfect girl he knows.
And their futures seemed destined to fork apart: Jonah’s physical condition is debilitating, and epileptic seizures fill his life with frustration. Whereas Stormi is seemingly carefree, and navigates life by sensing things before they happen. And her most recent premonition is urging her to leave town.
When Stormi begs Jonah for help, he finds himself swept into a dark mystery his town has been keeping for years. And the answers Stormi needs about her own past could possibly destroy everything Jonah has ever known–including his growing relationship with Stormi herself.
I really thought I was going to like Unfolding more than I did, but in the end this just didn’t work out for me. The story is told by Jonah, who suffers from both epilepsy and scoliosis. He’s head over heels in love with his best friend Stormi, but he’s just so socially awkward, that I found myself cringing at times. Naturally he’s a frequent target of bullies and making things worse are his cold-hearted parents who treat him abysmally because of his disabilities, which just made my heart break even more. His character is very sweet and I appreciated how he tried to be straightforward and honest, even though he tended to trip over his own tongue when it came to expressing himself, especially to Stormi. Her character I was just never able to connect with though. She’s very cryptic throughout the book, which I guess goes with who she really is, but it makes it very difficult to understand her. And then there’s the plot which is a sort of messy mix of ancient curses, biblical prophecies, and atoning for the sins of our fathers. I think the author just threw too many themes and plot devices into a relatively short book, which ultimately left me feeling confused. While Unfolding was a disappointment for me, it is garnering some positive reviews on Goodreads, so if you enjoy YA paranormal fiction, I encourage you to read them before making up your mind.
Your reviews are always fair. Sounds like by trying to appeal to a larger audience with too many tricks he actually ends up less appealing.
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Thanks Jay! I do try. And I think that’s exactly what happened here. He could have just gone with one of these and it would have been a much more enjoyable story.
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I got this as a “wish fulfillment” on Netgalley, though I don’t remember wishing for it. I have been liking it so far…but now that I read this I’m worried!
I didn’t see it was paranormal until I read the book and I wondered about that…I’m totally into paranormal but wonder why he didn’t mark it as such? 🤔
Great review!
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It’s funny you mentioned this because the same thing happened to me, and I don’t remember wishing for it either. I was also surprised by the paranormal angle it took as well. Please don’t let my review affect your enjoyment of this. I’ve read plenty of positive reviews as well. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood.😕 I’m looking forward to hearing what you think when you’ve finished.💁🏻
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Really? You don’t remember wishing for it either?? I wonder if that was some sort of scam then. Because honestly, I wished for another book by them, Towards a Secret Sky, and I got both “fulfilled” though I am pretty sure I only wished for one. My wishes also barely ever get granted.
I hope this ends up okay. If it ends without answering any questions, then I’m going to be soo pissed.
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I don’t remember there being any plot holes so fingers crossed!💁🏻
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Good review! Love your honesty. I gave up on YA-anything some time ago. Fantasy wasn’t quite so bad, but the others I read (and there were many) just didn’t give me anything (or enough) to grasp on to. If I have to fill-in-the-blanks in my mind, what is the point? I know I won’t connect with every character in every book I read, but one would be nice. 😉
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Thanks Felicia! I think my years of being a children’s librarian has given me an extra fondness for juvenile and YA fiction. The really is some outstanding authors of both out there. I do tend toward more fantasy with both these. A few YA fantasy authors I love are: Wendy Higgins, Sarah Maas, Marissa Meyers and A.G. Howard. I also love Gena Showalter’s Chronicles of Nick series which ties into her Dark Hunter paranormal series.😊
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If I come across any of those in my book wanderings, I’ll check one out – thanks!
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Stormi is such an interesting name… I haven’t read a book featuring someone with scoliosis and epilepsy.. I’m sorry this book didn’t work for you.. Thanks for the honest review 🙂
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I’ve loved that name since I read Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and one of the MCs was named Stormy. As much as I love the paranormal I think this would have worked better focusing more on Jonah, his disabilities, living in a small Oklahoma town, etc.
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Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one. I have one I just finished I rated two stars and in my current review writing slump getting that one written may take awhile, hate the negative ones. 😦
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The so-so, and negative reviews are so tough to write. Unless there’s a book that is just so bad that it ticks me off. Those I find easier to write, like I did with The Continent. I hope your reading and writing slump gets better soon.
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Really well thought-out review, as usual. I don’t think this one is my style, but you made some really interesting points about it. I agree that it’s so hard to write reviews on books that you feel just MEH about. I can GUSH about books I love for days, and I can explain why a book didn’t work for me easily as well. It’s those middle ones, where I just don’t feel like I have anything really significant to say that are hard.
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Thanks Krysti. To be honest this was one of those NetGalley “your wish has been granted” books, but I don’t even remember wishing for it.🤷🏻♀️
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Haha. I’ve never gotten a “wish” from NetGalley honestly. But I push “wish for” and “request” on there so much, nothing would surprise me. LOL.
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Sounds like a bit of a mess. I’m slowly moving away from YA. I can still enjoy a book in the genre but it must be quite good. I think it has just been flooded with mediocre authors at this stage. Great review as always Kim.
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Thanks Natasha. I still like to read YA, but I’m definitely balancing it with my other favorite adult fiction genres.😊
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Reading between the lines of your reviews, I am guessing that 2.5 stars is generous. You are always kind, even to those books that have obviously failed to impress. If I ever publish a book, I want you to review it!
Best wishes, Pete. 🙂
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Aww. Thanks so much Pete! That means a lot coming from you! 🤗
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Great review! Sorry it didn’t work out well for you, but I still may give it a try for the #ReadDiverse2017 challenge. It sounds like an interesting premise…
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Thanks Megan. It is an interesting premise, and other have liked it, so maybe I was in a mood. I hope you enjoy it.😊
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I’m sorry this was a letdown Kim. But what you wrote makes my heart so sad for this boy. Cringe worthy moments, awful parents etc. Ugh 😢 I hope your next book is much better!
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I have NO clue how I got a duplicate comment and with different words here and there 😮. You can delete my 2nd if you want 😆.
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No problem Jen. I think the WordPress Gremlins are at it again. My entire blog feed just vanished! Hopefully whatever’s going on will straighten itself out in the morning.
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I’m sorry this book was such a let down. But what you said makes me so sad for the boy – cringe worthy moments, horrible parents etc 😢. Ugh. Here’s hoping your next book is a million times better.
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I think Jonah was the reason why I rated it as high as I did. I really did like him Jen. Unfortunately, for me anyway, the story was so jumbled that even the likability of the MC couldn’t save it.😕
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The plot honestly sounds like a mess. The character, on the other hand, sounds peculiar and interesting. Seems like there was potential, but the author sort of missed its target. 😦
– Lashaan
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I really think this had so much promise, but there were just too many themes, which for me made it a convoluted mess.
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This sounded promising but ultimately appears as if it got confused.
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Sadly, it did.😕
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That’s a bummer.
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Ah well. You can’t win them all. I just posted a review a couple of hours ago for a book that I really enjoyed so it’s all good.
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What was the book?
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It’s called Simon Thorn and the Viper’s Pit. It’s the first review that shows on my blog.😊
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Will bookmark it to read Kim. I just put a post up explaining about my absence recently.
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Great!
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