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Reviewed by:
  • Unravel by Imogen Howson
  • April Spisak
Howson, Imogen Unravel. Simon, 2014 [480p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-4658-8 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-4659-5 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys     Ad Gr. 8-10

In this uneven sequel to Linked (BCCB 6/13), twin sisters decide to return to their home planet to try and help the citizens recover from the dramatic changes they wrought. Even if it isn’t their fault, there is little doubt that Elissa and Lin’s finding of each other sparked a planet-wide shift in how the psychically supercharged “spares” or twins are secretly tortured and used for illicit purposes. Elissa and Lin have found a way to use their powers beneficially and safely, but they don’t really have an opportunity to share this information, as the world is in turmoil. Elissa is also distracted by her stalled romance, while Lin is preoccupied with the fact that she may have been secretly programmed by the government to be a murderer. The world thrown into uproar is effectively conveyed, and it is realistic—it is clear this dystopian society was teetering on far too many edges in terms of population control, government influence, and the sheer number of secrets being kept from almost everyone. Unfortunately, while Lin is haunting as a person desperately trying to find a sense of humanity after having been raised in a hellish situation, the very nature of Elissa’s sheltered life makes her a very hard person with whom to connect, even though she’s the non-murderer of the pair. In addition, the overall fragmented experience of the novel, while perhaps deliberate as a reflection of the mess this world is in, is disconcerting and somewhat confusing: readers will likely wish for smoother transitions and cleaner plot presentations. Even so, fans of the first book and psychic buffs may find this novel worth the extra work to sort it all out. [End Page 31]

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