Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Published: September 2012

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages:370

Copy: Edelweiss

Summary: Goodreads

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?

I absolutely adored Sarah Rees Brennan's Demon's Lexicon trilogy, so I was supremely excited to get an advanced copy of Unspoken. I was not disappointed. Unspoken turned out to be just as much fun as the others and I loved every minute of it.

Kami is a loveable, spunky and curious protagonist who has come to terms with the voice in her head. How she manages when she discovers that he is a real person makes for sighs and smiles and a few grimaces. Kami has a great sense of humour and is very determined. I wasn't always happy with the decisions that Kami makes about her love life, but I could see where she was coming from, even if I didn't like it. All of the characters are more than the sum of their parts. We think we get to know them, but they are continually surprising us, and not always for the best.

Ash and Jared are a little bit of an enigma and it is interesting to find out more about their lives, their similarities and their differences. Angela and Holly are both tall and gorgeous, but that's where the similarity ends. Angela's indolence is hilarious and she is never afraid to say exactly what she feels, and Holly is definitely more comfortable with boys than girls. I loved them both.There is a wonderful mystery that the group has to solve, and it gets a little creepy here and there.

Unspoken reminded me very much of The Caster Chronicles - which happens to be just about my most favourite series ever - what with a creepy town, mysterious inhabitants returning out of the blue, strange magic and weird weather, but this time the action is set in England, not the US and the magic is from the males in the story, not the girls. Also the whole psychic connection and tortured romance that was going on was similar, but I loved it all. Wonderful characters, exciting storyline, weird magic and a twisted romance - what more could you want?