Unbreakable (Legion #1)

I have to admit, I enjoyed this book for the better part of the novel, until I realized just how annoying and pathetic Kennedy is. She kept crying about how everyone kept leaving her and how she basically needed love to survive. What kind of message is that supposed to show? That if I don't have a boyfriend I will become a zombie, depressed, b with an itch? She also kept complaining about how she never wasn't apart of the legion, and when her marks never showed up, she just upped and ran like a scared little girl! Also when she found out that Jared was the reason why Her mother and Everyone else's mom/grandma/grandpa was DEAD because of Jared she didn't even get angry, not a little bit, not even a smidge. She was just like "oh poor Jared and his tortured soul he must feel terrible about what he did, poor thing " I would have expected a screaming match, a little tears, maybe even a nicely aimed kick and a punch to the goods but no. Kennedy was weak and annoying and just not likable. I had to force my self to finish the ending, which is never a good sign. It just was the book for me. I will not be continuing the series.

I have so many thoughts on this book I'm not sure where to even start. On one hand, I was in love with some things, but on the other hand, I hated some things. But overall, the debut of Kami Garcia's solo writing career is off to a good start.
Let's start with what I liked. I LOVED the creepy factor. If I'm reading a scary book and I have to stop several times to make sure I'm not hearing things, or make sure the door is locked, and things like that, then I know I have thoroughly been creeped out. And I definitely had to do all that and more while reading this. The ghosts and demons and flying objects were enough to give me nightmares. This was my favorite part of the book. Every time there was a creepy scene I was glued to the pages.
Also, I loved that it was so easy to read. The chapters were short and the writing was simple. All of that resulted in a fast read for me. That;s exactly what I needed right now after being in a slight slump.
The only thing I didn't really like, was the romance. It felt forced and fake to me. I figured I was just being picky (since I'm a bit of a "romance lover") but the more I read it, the more I hated it. I found this weird because I LOVED the romance in Beautiful Creatures, which begs the question, was Margaret Stohl the person who wrote that part???? But the characters together felt fake with each other.
I also didn't like the characters. Which is maybe why I didn't like the romance, but I'm not sure. I never connected with Kennedy and she was getting on my nerves throughout the entire story. She never believed in herself and to be a main character you can't be that weak. Especially when you have other people's lives in your hands. And then every time she messed up, she never even tried to fix it. She just said oh I'm sorry trust me, her mistakes weren't just small ones.
Then there was that ending. I know its a series, but I felt like nothing was really tied up at the end. There's a bit of a cliff hanger, but it won't leave you with your mouth hanging open. Just one to make you want the next book. Desperately.

I was quite excited to get a copy of Kami Garcia’s new book. I really like the Caster Chronicles and Beautiful Creatures was one of the first books I read when I just got into the YA universe. I was really interested to see how Kami’s voice differed from that of the Caster Chronicles since she’s a singular author here and not teamed up with Margaret Stohl. And I have to say, I was not disappointed. Unbreakable had a distinct voice from Beautiful Creatures. Most of that of course had to do with the setting and subject matter, but I could tell the difference. But it wasn’t a matter of quality; the writing in both novels are equally as good.

Unbreakable read at a very quick pace, which I really liked. It did not feel like one of those first books that took it’s time setting everything up, and by the time you get to the end,the story is only beginning. It gives us an interesting plot, likeable and intriguing characters, and a main character who is relatable. I really connected with the main character. I found the relationship between her and her mom to be similar to my own and just her overall demeanor to be similar to mine. The relationship between all the characters is really what drives the whole novel, and I think it was very well written.

However, many aspects of the plot were similar to the show Supernatural. It’s probably just because of the subject matter, i.e. hunting down spirits and demons and urban legends. But once I got past my initial questioning of all those similarities, I really enjoyed the plot. The locations they visit are just so creepy and described so well (and I could totally see each location as an episode of Supernatural. Okay, I’ll stop.) I think the storyline is what made it read so quickly. The characters are going on a scavenger hunt of sorts and the constant motion prevented the story from becoming stagnant. But what really got me was the plot twist at the end. IT’S HUGE! Seriously, it changes everything! GAHH!!

Ahem. I’m okay.

That cliffhanger really got me. I did not expect it to happen. The end really sets itself apart from other YA books in ways I can’t really say without spoiling anything. I’m really quite anxious to find out what happens next for the main character, and to see where the rest of this story is going to go.