By Celina Sun
A combination of fiction, horror, and romance, Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan is a Gothic romance that will keep readers on their toes. With a unique plot that serves as a refreshing break from the vampires and werewolves that dominate today’s young adult fantasy novels, Unspoken keeps readers guessing about what supernatural forces could be at work in the story’s sleepy town of Sorry-in-the-Vale.
Determined to uncover her town’s secrets as the head of her school’s newspaper, Kami Glass, the novel’s heroine, finds her story when the Lynburns, the town’s founding family, finally return to Sorry-in-the-Vale. With a manor that looms over the town and an inexplicable hold over the townspeople—who either hate or love them—the Lynburns are a family shrouded in mystery. The suspense of knowing they’re not human but being unable to identify what type of paranormal beings they are drives the plot and makes the book a joy to read.
Another point that makes Unspoken’s plot special is Kami’s ability since birth to have conversations in her head with the soul of a boy named Jared. However, she, along with everyone else, has always believed that Jared was only a figment of her imagination–an imaginary friend she never outgrew.
When Kami finds out that her imaginary friend is Jared Lynburn, who is in fact very real, everything changes. The two had previously been each other’s comfort. They shared all their secrets and pains, taking comfort in the fact that the other was imaginary. Now that Kami and Jared know that the other is real, each has the power to cause the other incredible harm. Readers will want to know how the relationship between the two develops as their faith in one another is tested.
Unspoken is definitely a recommended read. Eliciting laughter as well as heartbreak, the novel is one that readers won’t put down until it’s finished.