Untold (The Lynburn Legacy #2)

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Author(s)

Sarah Rees Brennan

Publisher

Random House Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

12+

Release Date

September 24, 2013

ISBN

0375870423

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Free from bonds, but not each other

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

Free from bonds, but not each other

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Kami Glass Is My Goddess

July 04, 2015

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4.0

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UNTOLD is the second book in THE LYNBURN LEGACY. Ash and Jared and Ash's mother are the only ones who will protect the town from evil. However, the Lynburn family is in shambles. Jared and Kami are not having the best friendship, and Rob is getting more and more powerful. With Jared no longer being powered by Kami, everything seems to be bad for everyone (except for Rob and his rather power-hungry followers). The entire town of Sorry-in-the-Vale is pretending that everything is perfectly fine.

First of all, I have to mention Sarah Rees Brennan's slaying. She subverts a few particular topics, and I have a feeling Brennan enjoys deconstructing a small but important thing. That piece of dialogue, which mentions Holly and Angela, is pure gold. Ash, Jared, and Kami have their own parts in that section.

Second of all, the storyline is wonderful. Never for a moment does the plot stall or get boring. It is so exciting to see Kami slowly trying to fight Rob's sorcerers even though she is completely powerless in magic. But she isn't powerless. She has her brains, and she has her wits. She has her memory, and I'm amazed by how Sarah Rees Brennan is capable of making a seemingly normal and quirky girl into a brilliant hero.

As I said before, Kami is a strong character. Though she does have moments of weaknesses, she doesn't give up. She is unique, and her personality is wonderful. I can easily imagine this Asian girl right next to me, because she is so well-described. She stands out so much. Between Jared and her (and any other characters), Kami is the best.

Jared is still the bad boy with snarky words, but I love him anyway (though I love Kami even more). He has his problems and issues, but they make him seem even more real. He has a good heart but also a terrible past.

The world building of UNTOLD is set in the real world... but with magic. Brennan does a brilliant job of recapping by using Kami's skills in journalism. Readers would probably love to visit Sorry-in-the-Vale, but it doesn't seem to be muggle-friendly.

The ending is one of the most shattering and excellent parts of the book. It leaves me wanting more and darting for UNTOLD's sequel.

Overall, UNTOLD is the brilliant sequel to Unspoken. It has a strong heroine and an amazing conflict against a creepy, cunning sorcerer. Most (or even all) of the dialogue is pure gold, and readers will treasure every snarky word. I recommend this to those who love magic and deadly but also adorable heroines.

Rating: Four out of Five

Source: Library

Alison Hong, Staff Reviewer and Tumblr Manager Top 50 Reviewer 125 reviews

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A sassy gothic of the highest caliber

December 18, 2013

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4.0

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After reading the first book in the Lynburn Legacy series, I was completely enamored with the characters and the world. I was so eager to jump back into the mysteries surrounding the Lynburn family, and Untold does not disappoint as a follow-up to the first book.

The characters are the strongest aspect of this series for me, and what I love about Untold is that the narrative points-of-view expand to include Ash and Holly as well as Kami and Jared. Bringing to light Ash's thoughts and feelings about his family adds another layer to his character. His and Jared's relationship really grows in this novel and it's so enjoyable to watch them fight but also learn to understand each other a little better. Holly's narrative is the most emotional arc of the story as she struggles with her feelings towards Angela.

Brennan has one of the most humorous writing styles I've read and I definitely found myself laughing out loud at some parts. The characters sass each other throughout the entire novel and the sarcasm flows freely. There are still plenty of dark moments with all of the complicated relationships and terrifying violence. Brennan achieves a great balance in this novel. The light and dark work together perfectly.

The characters face a pretty hopeless situation against Rob Lynburn and his sorcerer followers. There isn't much hope that Kami and her friends can succeed, which keeps the tension high. I just had to keep turning the pages to find out if they would all make it out of this fight alive.

Untold packs an emotional punch with its diverse set of characters, engrossing action, and danger at every turn.

Ellie, Assistant Promotions Manager Top 100 Reviewer 59 reviews

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Loved it

March 11, 2015

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The sequel to Unspoken finds Kami and her friends in a fight against Rob Lynburn and his sorcerers. Rob wants power and he wants the town. He wants a blood sacrifice. Kami and her friends don’t have a lot of people willing to stand with them against Rob and the ones who are don’t have a lot of power. It may seem hopeless but Kami isn’t giving up.

This book, like the first, was so much fun to read. The humour that I loved in Unspoken was still present and Untold went deeper into some of the characters that had less focus in the first book. There was also more about the myth of the whole Lynburn family and more about the magical world that was really interesting. This book never felt like a middle book of a series, which was great.

Kami was still the character I loved from the first book. Her voice still reminded me a bit of Veronica Mars, all sarcasm and great one-liners that had me laughing. Her determination to fight Rob and keep all her friends and family safe was great. I liked seeing her bonding more with the new characters to her group, Ash and Holly especially. And Rusty. Rusty was awesome and hilarious. Her relationship with Jared really changed due to the events of the first book and Kami’s decisions so it was interesting to see how they navigated through their new way of interacting.

I really liked seeing more of the family aspect in this book. Kami’s family was adorable. I loved her relationship with her father and her little brothers. Her relationship with her mother was more complicated due to different views but it was still interesting. The Lynburn family was also very interesting. Team Good was down to it being Lillian, who was Ash’s mother, Ash, and Jared, and after Rob’s betrayal in Unspoken it was interesting to see how they acted with each other. They were definitely not an overly affectionate family, unlike the Glasses, but there were some really nice bonding moments that gave me hope that it could lead to more.

The first book was all about the mystery of the Lynburns and the murders in the forest. This one was more of a chess game, each side making a move and waiting for the reaction. It was a lot of setting up for a third book checkmate and it was very tense. There was a lot of humourous dialogue or observations, mostly from Kami, that would offset the darker part of the book and it created a nice balance.

Even though the wasn’t a whole lot of action, there was still enough to make it a fast read. I didn’t want it to end and when it did, I couldn’t wait to read the last book.