UnDivided by Neal Shusterman

Series: The Unwind Dystology (bk. 4)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Thriller

Subjects: fugitives, organ transplants, revolutionaries, survival, resistance to government

Setting: Near future, throughout the United States

POV/Tense: 3rd person POV, present tense. Alternates between many characters including Conner, Risa, Lev, Cam, Starkey and others.

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 372 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary/ product description: “Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.”

My Review:  UnDivided is an epic finale to the Unwind Dystology. It brings together all the character, showing us their perspectives (in 3^rd person, present tense). Conner and Risa are living in Sonia’s basement, and Lev is with the Chancefolk. Starkey is leading his storks to take down harvest camps. Cam is in Hawaii. They all make decisions and do things that either help end Unwinding or egg it on further, even unknowingly.

This series is so complex, I can’t even begin to unwind it my self. Neal Schusterman is an awesome plotter and storyteller. He adds horrors to this dystopian series. I find the characters to be interesting and different from each other still. This being the fourth book, no new characters are introduced except a guy who sells unwind parts. There’s so much going on.

There’s so much that seems familiar, yet you’d never think that people today would support something like this. There are quotes from article in this book about human trafficking or kidney and other stuff that relate to this book. This could actually happen if medical science ever has these capabilities. I sure hope this kind of world stays fictional.

As far as series ending go, this was a great one. Compared to the Maze Runner’s final book, the Death Cure, or even Allegiant, or Mockingjay, UnDivided both horrifies and amazes me with how thing worked out. I was worried for the characters. That makes it a page-turner and a thrill ride. When a book care scare you, yet you can’t stop reading, it’s doing its job. I don’t know what else to say. You won’t be disappointed if you’re a fan of the series. Or maybe you will because you never want it to end. Unwind started out a standalone and then a planned trilogy and now this quartet. It’s nice to see it end the right way. If you never read this series and are a dystopian fan, then you’re missing out on some important literature. It’s you liked Michael Grant’s Gone series, it’s written in a similar way.

Cover Art Review:  A better cover than all the previous books, I think. Love the stitched up arm of Liberty. Symbolic and illustrative at the same time.

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

Series: Unwind Dystology (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Thriller

Subjects: fugitives, organ transplants, revolutionaries, survival, resistance to government

Setting: Near future, throughout the United States

POV/Tense: 3^rd person POV, present tense. Alternates between many characters including Conner, Risa, Lev, Cam, Starkey and others.

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 404 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Summary/ product description: “The story that began with Unwind continues.

Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the last safe haven for AWOL Unwinds. But for the first time, they’re not just running away from something. This time, they’re running toward answers, in the form of a woman Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her, and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to bringing down unwinding forever.

Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. Because he knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be human.

With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirates hunting them, the paths of Connor, Lev, Cam, and Risa will converge explosively—and everyone will be changed.

Neal Shusterman continues the adventure that VOYA called “poignant, compelling, and ultimately terrifying.”

My Review: When I first starting reading this book, I thought it was the final book in the series, but then found out there was going to be a fourth book. I’m a bit disappointed. I feel like not much happened in this book, even though it was entertaining. I feel like it was dragged out and some of it could have been cut and then added to make it the final book. There were just too many perspectives and characters that I couldn’t remember who was who besides Conner, Lev, Risa and Cam. I did read the short story Unstrung, and it was nice to see some of the character from that. The Arapachi, People of Chance. 

The one thing that this author does really well is writing 3^rd person in a thrilling way. This it the only series I know of that’s written in 3^rd person POV with present tense rather than past tense. It makes you read faster. It is a bit annoying that the chapters aren’t separated, though. It takes forever to get through a book without chapter breaks. The book becomes a never-ending train. But there is separation in parts. There’s 6 parts that are 50-75 pages long. There are also fake advertisements in the chapters for unwinding-related things. I like some of the characters. Some of the dialogue in funny and entertaining. I like Lev, and Conner, and the new character named Grace who likes to play games. Cam is pretty interesting because he was rewound and has so many people that make him. 

I can tell that this series it well researched. The author includes articles and fakes ads and even scientific stuff. Near the end there’s a mention of 3-D printing organs. I read about this in Smithsonian Magazine articles. It’s a very interesting concept and definitely a better alternative than Unwinding. I hope that Unwinding never happens in real life, especially not in the USA. This series is full of controversial topics and it’s a great series for discussion. There’s a lot of disturbing imagery and stuff that will give you nightmares.

Sadly, this was not my favorite book in the series. I enjoyed UnWholley a lot more because it was the long-awaited follow up to Unwind. I think this could have been better if you read the books back-to-back. I really do want to read the final book, Undivided. I suggest maybe holding off on UnSouled until you have Undivided in your possession. 

Cover Art Review: Very creepy over. I don’t like it because it’s too creepy and a bit disturbing. Looks like ghosts or cancer patients.

Unwholly by Neal Shusterman

Series: Unwind (bk. 2)

Genera: Sci-fi dystopian

Subjects: survival, fugitives, revolutionaries, organ transplants

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 402 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary/ product description: “It’s finally here. The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Unwind, which Publishers Weekly called a “gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller.”
Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.
Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.
Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.”

My Rating: êêêê

My Review: After reading the first haunting book, I never expected a sequel, or a whole trilogy. Unwholly managed to be better than the first book. It had a lot more funny quote, and added new characters with the one we already loved. I still like Conner and Risa above all. The new characters are very complex. I can tell that the author put a lot of work into character creation. Cam is like a rewound Frankenstein monster. I liked how he talks in metaphors/associations at first. Very creative idea. It was fun to figure out what he meant before reading Roberta’s interpretation.  And Lev being treated like he’s a saint later on. It’s pretty funny, but there’s some sad stuff in hear. A lot of stuff worth discussing it you ever had a book club. We get to find out how Unwinding came to be a way of life. The history and organizations that changed everything. Also, there’s a part later on with interviews of Risa and Cam that reminds me of the Hunger Games. And there advertisements that the author wrote and placed in the story. Very interesting stuff. I also like Conner running the Grave Yard. It kind of reminds me of the Gone series, and the new character Starkey is kind of like the psychopath who’s trying to take Conner’s place.

The only complaint I have is the format of chapters. It took me days to read because there’s no space really between chapters. Only in the parts.

I recommend this series to anyone who likes a good dystopia of a scary future.

Cover Art Review: Creepy shattered Frankenstein face! That’s Cam! I like the title type face, though. I don’t like the red author bar.

 

~Haley G