littleread1
Written on Apr 22, 2017
"A fast-paced, relentless race through a world of demons and spirits, darkness and light -- and the finish line comes when you least expect it." Ally Condie, bestselling author of the Matchedtrilogy
"Strong, engaging characters and a romance to die for. The twists will leave you breathless." Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampiresseries
"The narrative is deliciously fluid and the teen dialogue is sharp and highly believable. Relentlessly fast-paced, the story rarely pauses for a breath with plenty of exciting action scenes." The Bookbag
Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creaturesnovels.
Kennedy Waters didn't believe in ghosts, until one tried to kill her.
When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night. Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the society if she wants to uncover the truth… and stay alive.
- ISBN10 1471118533
- ISBN13 9781471118531
- Publish Date 10 October 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 16 January 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 320
- Language English
Reviews
ammaarah
Written on May 23, 2016
"My dad used to say the evil we enact on each other is worse than anything spirits and demons can do to us." (Jared Lockhart)
If I had read Unbreakable 2-3 years ago when I was going through my urban fantasy, paranormal and supernatural phase, I would have definitely enjoyed it. 2-3 years later, my reading taste has changed and I found Unbreakable to be unoriginal and cliche. I kept on looking for something that was nuanced, layered, different... something more!
Unbreakable is about Kennedy Waters, a girl whose mother dies mysteriously on the same night that she saw a ghost. A few days later, she is saved by two guys from paranormal death and they introduce her to the world of the Legion.
I have neutral feelings towards Kennedy. I wasn't cheering her nor did she bring out any of my violent tendencies (which is always a plus in my book). She's believable, scared, doubtful, unsure of herself and also somewhat relatable. However, she keeps on denying that she's a member of Legion, but does things that prove otherwise and ignores all the hints and clues that are standing right in front of her.
"How much pain could I withstand before I finally broke?" (Kennedy Waters)
The two guys who save Kennedy's life: twin brothers with serious issues. There is Lucas, the happy-go-lucky nice twin and then there's Jared, the brooding, emotionally walled off with a hidden vulnerable side twin. Naturally, a romantic relationship develops between Kennedy and Jared. The romance occurs a little too early for my tastes and there's no chemistry between Kennedy and Jared. This series also seems to be heading towards a love triangle between Kennedy, Jared and Lucas (like that triangle hasn't been done before) and it feels like a cheap dramatic plot device. It's obvious who Kennedy would pick between the two. But thankfully, the romance doesn't take center stage.
I enjoy the sibling dynamics in Unbreakable and I wish that I could see more of Lucas and Jared's relationship. Their relationship is filled with tension, disagreements, fights and hate, but when they are in seriously crappy situations, they protect and defend one another. I would have loved to see the extent of their sibling rivalry and how it progresses. It would have been much more fascinating to read solely about that then to read the events in Unbreakable.
The Legion group also includes characters such as Priest and Alara and I enjoyed seeing the manner in which they, Lucas and Jared interact with each other. It's like a little family! Even although Lucas, Jared, Alara, Priest and Kennedy are stereotypical characters and have stereotypical personalities (even Kennedy puts The Legion members into little personality boxes), I found their interactions to be unstereotypical for the most part. When Alara is introduced, I thought that she was going to be a mean girl who has a crush on either Lucas and Jared and gives Kennedy hell, but, I was way off! Even although she has her reservations about Kennedy, she grows to trust her and forms a friendship with her. Priest and Alara are definitely my favorite Unbreakable characters.
The plot of Unbreakable has been done before. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I read or seen a plot that Unbreakable showcases somewhere else. However, I do commend Kami Garcia for the creepy atmosphere that jumps out through her writing. It's been such a long time since I've read a book that has made me look over my shoulders or has made me hesitant to walk in the dark. A day after reading this book, I saw a murder of crows (about 5 of them) perching on one of the roofs in my neighborhood and I freaked out!
"I imagined the dome from Lady Day lowering itself over me.
But instead of glass, mine was made of steel.
Unbreakable."
(Kennedy Waters)
This book gets an A+ for its supernatural and creepy atmosphere. I also enjoyed the family and friendship dynamics and feel that they could be expanded upon and developed. However, the plot and additional aspects of Unbreakable made it an unoriginal read.
Linda
Written on Sep 23, 2014
ARC received on August 19th 2014.
Between the insta-lust, the love-triangle featuring two brothers and a Mary-Sue plus the plot that didn't really make any sense to me - Unbreakable was not really a book for me.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
melanchalina
Written on Jul 28, 2014
Kelly
Written on Jan 24, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed Unbreakable. It was the perfect mix of intensity, adventure and the paranormal. Kennedy is a likable character, she's naive and unaware, but takes each situation in her stride, despite her fear. Unlike the other four members of the Legion, Kennedy has never been trained and up until the death of her mother, she was just another blissfully unaware teen who's biggest fear was facing her former boyfriend. She's forced from her home by a poltergeist, on the run with a group of strangers and fearing the demon hunting her just may track her down. The police believe she's been taken and she can't let anyone know where she is, never mind who's she's with. But she's tough and refuses to become a liability.
There is a love triangle involved, with twins Lukas and Jared both vying for her affections. As different as day and night, Lukas is the joker, flirtatious and fun, while Jared is the strong silent type. Kennedy finds herself more attracted to one twin than the other, against her better judgement. Like most young adult, the multiple love interests only cause unnecessary tension between the characters, and the two brother already had issues with one another before Kennedy entered the picture. But as far as the love triangle is concerned, it doesn't subtract from the storyline whatsoever.
My favourite character by far is Priest. The fifteen year old boy genius who can create weapons and defies the laws of logic. He's quirky and off beat and brings a sense of fun to the group. Unbreakable is a quick read considering it's 320 pages, my only gripe is that it's overflowing with too many explanations of the Legion and it's ancestry and it can be a little too much to fully comprehend. An introduction novella perhaps from the twins point of view would ease readers into the action. Just a thought.
Kelsenator
Written on Nov 16, 2013
Mary-Allyn
Written on Oct 23, 2013
More thoughts to come
[Update: 10/27]
I loved this book, I really did. I'm a Ghost Hunters/Supernatural junkie and so this book was everything I've ever wanted (okay so that's slightly dramatic but you get my point). The love triangle was weak, but I got over that because those boys are perfect. At first I was really worried about being just a carbon copy of Supernatural, but that was quickly settled and resolved and I could continue to read the book at a breakneck speed.
Some of the plot is still slightly unclear to me, but I chalk that up to being the first book in a series.
Basically, I love the characters and the action, and I need the second book NOW.