Unspoken(The Lynburn Legacy)Publisher: Random House Books, 2012Genre: YA Paranormal
Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the- Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?
Kami Glass, amateur reporter, hunter of secrets, and known eccentric for talking to a voice in her head. Her latest project is to uncover the centuries old secret of the small town of Sorry-in-the-Vale lies, the secret of the Lynburns who have recently returned to town. But when her investigation takes her to meet the Lynburn family, she discovers the voice in her head is very real and belongs to one of the Lynburn boys. But two cute boys are the least of her problems because someone is sacrificing animals, and when Kami investigates, she's attacked too. Then a classmate is killed, and Kami knows she is running out of time. She has to find out who the killer is before he attacks someone else, or comes after her again. Full of mystery, folklore, deep love, and lots of humor Unspoken will keep you turning pages as the stakes keep getting raised and Kami draws closer to uncovering the truth about the Lynburns!
When I started reading Unspoken I didn't know what to expect. I'd read the blurb and 'oh great' another one of those 'mystery family moves to town' kind of stories. Let me tell you now Unspoken has a mysterious family moving back to town, but it is NOT one of those stories. It's dark, mystical, unexpected, and unique! The setting for the story is the English countryside, and the town of Sorry-in-the-Vale is as picturesque as it is mysterious and full of legends. Kami was hilarious, and a nice balance to all the creepiness and dark side of the mystery. She's a strong character, a born leader, who's not afraid of getting into trouble in the pursuit of truth. With the excuse of getting stories for her newspaper she wrangles her friends into helping her uncover the Lynburn mystery, and the mystery of the killings. I believe the only thing she's afraid of is falling in love.
Fair Ash Lynburn with sky-blue eyes, and his dark and mysterious cousin, Jared Lynburn, then become sort of Kami's torture. Well, torture is too strong a word, but they certainly give her a lot to think about. The first she likes because he's kind, handsome, and so can't read her mind. The second she likes because he's been there inside her head since forever. He knows the real her, yet she's afraid of all that entails now that he's in front of her. Kami and Jared's is one of the most complicated relationships I've ever read about. Though they're been best friends since they could talk in each other's minds, and they both admit to being unable to live without the other, there is no insta love. In fact, Kami tries her hardest to keep love at bay. Kami feels They are both horrified that that the person they've been confiding in all their secrets all this time is suddenly real! Suddenly privacy seems like a very important thing, and unattainable with their linked minds. Kami doesn't want to be ruled by the feelings that the link brings between them, she wants to be sure that what she's feeling is real and not some echo of his.
As the forest comes alive will all sort of fairy tale creatures, and the mystery of the Lynburns is revealed, the countdown to the next murder is ticking down. There were so many surprises in the end, that I had to go back and re-read those last chapters to be sure I hadn't imagined it all. It was fast paced, with many scares and close calls, and definitely full of awesome. The ending just broke my heart, but I think I know what Jared is doing. And I so hope I'm right! I'm absolutely wanting/needing/begging for book two now!
*ARC copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
Favorite Quotes:
The 'pebble' crashed through both glass and curtain. There was the creak of an old sash window being thrust open, and Jared's head and shoulders appeared at the window.
"Hark," he said, his tone very dry. "What stone through yonder window breaks?"
"Hark," he said, his tone very dry. "What stone through yonder window breaks?"
Kami yelled up at him, "It is the east, and Juliet is a jerk!"
Jared abandoned Shakespeare, and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Throwing a pebble," said Kami defensively. "Uh…and I'll pay for the window."
Jared vanished and Kami was ready to start shouting again when he reemerged with the pebble clenched in his fist. "This isn't a pebble! This is a rock."
"It's possible that your behavior has inspired some negative feelings that caused me to pick a slightly overlarge pebble," Kami admitted.
Jared abandoned Shakespeare, and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Throwing a pebble," said Kami defensively. "Uh…and I'll pay for the window."
Jared vanished and Kami was ready to start shouting again when he reemerged with the pebble clenched in his fist. "This isn't a pebble! This is a rock."
"It's possible that your behavior has inspired some negative feelings that caused me to pick a slightly overlarge pebble," Kami admitted.
