UnWholly (2) (Unwind Dystology) Paperback – October 15, 2013

So I have to admit that reviewing Unwholly feels nearly impossible in some ways...so much happens and from so many perspectives, that putting it all together in a review feels impossible, not to mention I don't want to inadvertently insert any spoilers! Reviews of this book are probably better left to the extremely talented reviewers on here, rather than my very amateur self haha, so that being said, I will just give a brief review of how I felt about this book and what I loved about it :).Unwholly continues the story of Unwind and with an additional cast of characters who weren't present in the first book. Some of these new characters are VERY unlikable and they are so well written that I genuinely felt angry with them. It was difficult to read from the bad guy's point of view (it would have been like having Roland's point of view in Unwind) and it can make for a difficult read, but it also provides a great deal of insight into the manipulation and destruction these psychos are capable of. And of course, we read from Lev's, Risa's and Connor's viewpoints again as well. I feel the frequent changing of viewpoints with such a large cast of characters both worked for this book and didn't...it built up the suspense and gave me a better understanding of the motivations of different types of people, but at times I felt a bit bored or felt like I just wanted to get back to Connor, Risa or Lev. What I loved about the character development in this book is that I feel like I truly got to know these characters so much better than I did in book 1, particularly Lev. Even by the end of Unwind, I didn't have strong feelings one way or the other toward Lev, but he is quickly becoming perhaps my favorite character in this series - there is something so endearing about him!While I don't want to give anything away, this book also reveals MANY of the motivations and reasoning behind things you may have wondered in the first book (such as why they allow the Graveyard to exist) and it's explained in such a way that it easy to understand and believable.One of my favorite little extras in this book was all of the little advertisements and news articles peppered throughout. The articles were in fact the most disturbing aspect to me in some ways, as they were real articles - I clicked on the links and it took me to the original articles - which really made me see how our World could get from here to there...talk about terrifying!I also love that the author didn't feel the need to have some absolutely ridiculous cliffhanger. He clearly understands that he can end with some semblance of closure, even if there are some open-ended aspects and people will still buy the next book. Many authors don't seem to get this and it makes me mad :P!I have to say that overall this is one of my favorite middle books I've ever read in a trilogy - it definitely didn't suffer from the typical scenario of the middle book being the weakest link. I didn't go in with very high expectations, because I thought that there was no way any follow-up could live up to the original and I didn't want to be disappointed. I realized by the end that I had nothing to worry about, because this book is incredible and on par with the original. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the final installment!!

One word: UNCATEGORIZABLE! This series is intense and amazing.Many authors find themselves facing "sophomore slump" when they write the second book in a series, but not Neil Shusterman! In fact, Unwholly is probably better than Unwind--and I didn't think that would be possible. Aside from the fact that these books are so unique, the author does an amazing job creating his characters.In Unwind, I found myself fully invested in Lev, Risa, and Connor. As Unwholly began to unfold, I was equally engrossed in their stories. But there were new characters introduced in Unwholly that really made this book! The one that stood out the most was Starkey. OMG. He is the ultimate antagonist. In fact, I found myself so disgusted with his character and his selfish motives, that I had a hard time reading Unwholly. I would get angry as I read and had to put the book down to cool off. That is powerful writing! For an author to create a villain that is so vile he makes me angry and bitter... wow. Starkey felt real. And I'm not saying that in some super bookish nerdy way either. All of the characters in this book were phenomenal.Oh, did I mention there is also a modern Frankenstein element going on too? Yep. If you couldn't tell, the guy on the cover is Cam--a boy created completely from the parts of unwinds. Every piece of his patchwork self was sculpted from living flesh of unwanted children. Creeptastic!Enough about the amazing characters... the plot(s) need some attention as well. First off, when you look at this book it appears to be one large dystopian plot. But it is SO much more. Each character has his/her own story that is told individually through alternating points of view. Every single character! You would think that would make this a choppy read, but it flows seamlessly (no pun intended, Cam). Ultimately, all the individual plots merge into an action-packed climax that leaves you cursing some characters and aching for others. Stunning! It was flawless.Above all of these incredible in their own right elements, the most amazing aspect of this book is the deep philosophical level that it brings. Ever since I read Unwind, I said this series needs to be discussed aloud. I still hold to that claim. In fact, I told my teacher friend that she needs to read this series to her 8th grade class (so I bought her a copy). Of course, I said to set the stage she had to build the background knowledge that the entire series centers around: who has the right to play God.If you don't know the basis of Unwind, it's rather complicated. In a nutshell, however, it goes something like this: America could not come to an agreement over the Pro-choice and Pro-life debate, which led to the second Civil War. In an effort to reach an agreement, the government made a suggestion they thought would be so ridiculous that both sides would stop arguing. That didn't happen though. Instead, both sides agreed to the terms and "unwinding" was born. Pro-life wins out from conception to age 13. From the 13th birthday until the 18th birthday, parents can choose to "unwind" their children (hello, Pro-choice) as long as Science uses every single part of the body. Can we say disturbing?Keep all that in mind, and add in a character that is entirely created from the parts of unwinds in Unwholly. Now you have the philosophical elements because Cam questions the idea of having a soul. That was some seriously deep stuff in a YA novel! I loved it. Then there is Miracelina. She's Catholic and wants to be unwound. Based on her religious beliefs and her decision to basically volunteer for suicide, another brilliant conversation about one's soul emerged. I'm telling you, this book is brilliant and so is Neil Shusterman!This is not a light-hearted YA dystopian. It is also not a story laden with teenage romance. If you want a feel-good story that leaves you smiling, you should also probably look elsewhere. But if you want a story that will have you questioning society's values and human nature, then you should definitely read Unwholly!