Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

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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?

 

If you have read my reviews you will not find it a surprise that I am drawn to books that pull me in emotionally.  I thrive on angst (well at least in my imaginary worlds; I don’t have much time for it in my actual life).  So how happy was I to read Unspoken.  A book with the perfect amount of angst tempered with a decent amount of snark.

I immediately fell in love with Kami Glass.  She is one of the most emotionally strong female characters I have read.  She is determined, a bit pushy and very protective of herself.  She is always taking charge and is constantly cracking jokes.  The utter ridiculous banter that she and her father serve up is creative and hilarious.   

Then there is our bad boy hero, Jared.  Jared is an unfriendly jerk that rides a motorcycle which he has crashed at least 50 times.  But as is often the case, this bad boy is using his jerk-like tendencies as a cover for his sadness and insecurities.     

Kami and Jared have known each other for years.  They are mentally linked and have been each other’s “imaginary” friend since birth.  They were never quite sure if the other was real until Jared moves to Sorry-in-the-Vale.  Many authors would have taken that defining moment and used it to begin a grand romance.  Sarah Rees Brennan takes the more “realistic” route.  Both of them are scared.  They have never been sure if the other was real.  Now that the one friend that knew everything about them is a flesh and blood person the reality of how much power they have over each other is overwhelming and frightening.  They both find themselves cautiously testing each other’s boundaries but at the same time putting up more walls to protect themselves.   

But that is only part of the story.  There is plenty of mystery in Sorry-in-the-Vale ever since Jared and his family have moved back.  Strange things are happening in the woods and everyone s acting strangely now that the Lynburns are back in town.  Kami is determined to find out what is going on and she has recruited her friends to help her.   

This story is fast moving and full of intrigue and action.  Oh, and the ending.  I haven’t wanted to throw a book across the room so much since that cliffhanger Cassandra Clare threw at us at the end of City of Fallen Angels.  Thank you, Sarah Rees Brennan for making me happy, sad and angry all at the same time.  Yet again I lament that I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR for the next installment in a series.  But I can’t complain too much because that means I have found another book to love which in my opinion is a total win. 

 

Nat

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber

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“A stellar introduction to a new YA science-fiction series set in the “Honorverse” of Weber’s popular adult novels…It’s rare to find teen science fiction that strays beyond dystopian fare. The environmental messages, human-animal friendship, humor, action, and inventive technology will make this series starter an easy hit with teen SF readers” – Booklist starred review

Hello – XO here. When my wife/boss/Captain, Nat, told me that my favorite author was going to release a YA novel, I squealed like a 12 year old girl. At which point, she decided that I had the correct qualifications to write a guest review for the Bibliojunkies. With that said, be gentle, I’m nowhere near as good as these ladies at writing reviews. Fortunately, they love me, and I can still read so…

I’ve read all of Weber’s Honorverse novels, actually ALL of his novels, usually within a few weeks of their release, so I was standing at the mailbox waiting for this one to arrive. I was a little cynical since this story was already released in a short story collection, but obviously the book was longer (Yeah, I can count too, usually). Weber made a few modifications to the original short story, and used it the lead off the book, with added story line following. I’ll also throw a plug in for the adult Honorverse series, if you are a fan of sci-fi, please check it out, and be sure you give it a chance; it starts out a bit slow with book 1, but book 2 and on are amazing.

The story follows young Stephanie Harrington, Great-Great-Great –yadda-yadda-yadda Grandmother of the Hero of the Honorverse books, Honor Harrington. Stephanie is smarter than her peers, as grown-up as most adults in town, and as curious as a, well, as a tree-kitten. She meets her companion while trying to solve the great celery mystery of 1518 DP (don’t ask, read it, it’ll make sense) and they instantly form a powerful, unexplained bond. This is a 12 year old, stuck on a planet that has seasons 15 months long, and she is the frst person to find and meet another member of a sentient race of non-humans. Not too shabby for someone who hasen’t even started high school (And for my daughters, just note, she’s set the bar pretty high, but I expect each of you to somehow do at least the same). What follows is an adventure that neither of them expected, but both of them are going to see through, regardless of the cost. I apologize in advance to Nat, Shel and Bel, but this book ROCKS the other YA books out there ! I can honestly say this is the BEST YA sci-fi book I have ever read (Number of YA sci-fi books read prior to this = 0).

There are no vampires, or werewolves, or love triangles, in fact, at 12ish, Stephanie still finds boys a bit “yucky”. There is no depressing dystopian world where everything is morose and sad. There is a bright young girl, her new friend, the sentient arboreal treecat Lionheart, some dastardly evil doers, and a supporting cast of furry, ferocious, friendly, fascinating treecats (see what I did there, chuckle at my hilariousness). I, for one, am now going to annoy my wife on a daily basis, asking when the next book in the series comes out.

~ The Executive Officer (a.k.a Nat's husband)