Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Unspoken

(The Lynburn Legacy #1)

Sarah Rees Brennan (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating details · 29,508 ratings · 3,641 reviews

Kami Glass loves someone she's never met... a boy she's talked to in her head ever since she was born. Having an imaginary friend has made fitting in hard - but that's never bothered Kami. She has her best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is just the way she likes it.

But all that changes when the mysterious Lyn ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Published September 11th 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Unspoken, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Badass heroines

201 books — 252 voters

Series I've Given Up On...

965 books — 3,502 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.82 ·

Rating details

· 29,508 ratings · 3,641 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)

Apr 22, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: to-ya-or-not-to-ya, favorites, ya-pnr-maddness, leaves-awesomeness-behind, kat-s-book-reviews

I have a scale for YA books I read, since I’ve read so many. It looks something like this.

-I hope this book dies. Right now. And takes a 100km radius with it just to be sure.

-Terrible book

-Not my thing

-Meh

-Yeah that was okay

-Hmmm. Interesting

-I was pleasantly surprised

-Yeah I liked that

-That was a great book

-Wow I loved that book!

-FIZZJERBLEDEEGOOK! That was Freaking AMAZEBALLS!

-I will read that book again

Allow me to lay down some perspective. At this moment I have no fewer than sixty-t ...more

flag 673 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2014 Cristina Monica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, humor, mystery, favorites, love-triangle

Take this quiz to learn if your brain would appreciate this read.

1. When you hear the word ‘‘love-triangle,’’ you:
(a) Scream at the top of your lungs and rush out the room, pushing anyone standing in your way.
(b) Raise an eyebrow.

2. On a Friday night, you’d rather:
(a) Talk to your crush on the telephone.
(b) Investigate a potential murder scene.

3. You often dream about:
(a) Talking animals chasing you to the edge of a cliff.
(b) Being connected to someone beyond humanly possible.

4. If your best fri ...more

flag 273 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommended to Steph by: Kat Kennedy *gives dagger eyes*

Shelves: young-adult, why-the-hype, fantasy, ebook, 2012-release, netgalley, e-arc, random-house, 2012-reads, can-t-believe-i-finished

Dearest Unspoken,

I must regrettably inform you that we must do the unthinkable and separate. I really don't know where we went wrong, you and I. After my co-blogger, Kat, set us up on that blind date, urging me to give you a go, I thought for sure we would hit it off nicely. And for a minute we did. Don't you remember? It was love at first sight as I set my eyes on your gorgeous cover and unique premise. But somehow, along the way, something went wrong.

Unspoken, you were true. You had a solid p ...more

flag 205 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2012 Vinaya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hmm-that-was-interesting, ya-fantasy, arc-galley, favorites, speshul-snowflake, surprised-me, books-i-loved, wish-that-was-me, the-real-5-star-deal, i-ll-stalk-you-til-you-read-it

This book, oh my god, th-th-thi...

Photobucket

WARNING: You may need a lifeboat to stay adrift in the oceans of adoration below!

Photobucket

There are simply no words to describe the mountain of awesome that is Sarah Rees Brennan. This is my very first Brennan book, and I feel like the universe has cheated me by not introducing me to her earlier. Some day, technology permitting, I would LOVE to splice together DNA from Sarah and my other favorite funnywoman (funnyman?) Rachel Hartman to create my very own personal funny ...more

flag 136 likes · Like · see review

Mar 09, 2013 Sarah rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

It's my baby, so nobody should listen to what I think! I'm just like, oh, it should go to Cambridge and it has the prettiest hair!

flag 117 likes · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2015 Simona B rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: in-english, 2000, fantastic-lit-and-co

"Listen to me. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what any of this means. But I know this much. It doesn’t matter. You’re not one of them. You never were. You’re not theirs. You’re mine."

description

•Writing: bad. Like really bad.

•Plot: what plot?

•Characters: what characters? You mean there were actual people in here? Shocking.

description

There is really nothing more to say. ...more

flag 57 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Heidi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-favorites

Okay, so it’s been a few days and I think my rage face has worn off a bit and I can talk to you all about all of the things I absolutely loved about Sarah Rees Brennan’s Unspoken without being completely bias against the whole thing because of the ending*. So, here it goes, review time!

Forest deep, silent bells
There’s a secret no one tells
Valley quiet, water still
Lynburns watching on the hill
Apples red, corn gold
Almost everyone grows old.

Intrepid young journalist Kami Glass knows there are secre ...more

flag 47 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Steph rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, 2012

Edit: 11/2/12 So after reading this snippet from the sequel I will definitely not (though I doubt I would have anyway) be raising this rating to two stars. You know what I imagine closes out that scene? These are the days of our lives... Is this a soap opera or a book, guys? Guess the relationship melodrama keeps on keeping on in book two.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Unspoken really isn't as bad as some of the other one star YA books I've read this year - The ...more

flag 43 likes · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2012 K. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-love, hit-me-in-the-heart, fantasy-sci-fi-dys, 21st-cent, e-book, slippery-as-waterweed, ok-fine-its-ya, goosebumps, this-shelf-is-divine, identity-and-psychology

Sarah Rees Brennan Unspoken is unequivocally one of the best young adult books I've ever read. I don't even know where to begin. Is it enough to tell you to read it?

Synopsis aside, this is as colourful, as unique, as moving and absorbing as a book can get. The plot involves a strange family, a old-town legend, murder, love and magic. Brennan envisions an original premise that holds your attention from the very first page. Her idea is fully developed, never giving too much while holding nothing ...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Giselle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, ebook

A tale filled with magic, thrill, romance, and charm, Unspoken is a unique Gothic mystery that, if only I could have clicked with its characters, I might have greatly enjoyed. And as I seem to be in the minority on this one, I think fans of Gothic novels should definitely give it a try as it does have good writing and a very creative concept.

While most of the Gothic novels I have come to love have been fairly slow paced - ie. The Book of Blood and Shadow and Long Lankin - I found that Unspoken A tale filled with magic, thrill, romance, and charm, Unspoken is a unique Gothic mystery that, if only I could have clicked with its characters, I might have greatly enjoyed. And as I seem to be in the minority on this one, I think fans of Gothic novels should definitely give it a try as it does have good writing and a very creative concept.

While most of the Gothic novels I have come to love have been fairly slow paced - ie. The Book of Blood and Shadow and Long Lankin - I found that Unspoken did not convey quite enough atmosphere or creepy factor to make up for the slower development. It does start out with a very decent pace, but I found the first three quarters of the book is spent with Kami while she goes around gathering clues to find a killer, yet she's too occupied with her complicated feelings towards Jared, sometimes Ash, to focus on finding answers. I'm sure if I would have been completely immersed in these characters and their unusual connection I would have found this a lot more compelling. Sadly none of these people really spoke to me, making the book feel very long winded. The off-putting dialogue, or maybe their bland personalities, halted me from developing any sort of connection with them.

With a British setting, we get interactions that are a little different than what you would expect in North America - or at least I was told lots of it were a part of the British culture. I could deal with the humor and wit - I actually quite enjoyed that aspect - but I could not get used to the flow of their conversations or the way they sometimes interacted with each other. Kami has an awkward personality, she talks very formally at times, making bizarre comments with strange conversational shifts that comes off as unnatural. For example, during a casual conversation she asks her date: "So… tell me about the difficulties in your family". Who talks like this? I was hoping it would grow on me, but unfortunately it never did and I kept cringing whenever these people started conversing.

Even though the characters failed to entice me, the plot did give me a few chills and saved it from being a complete loss. We have a freaky manor, a strange family who everyone seems to be terrified of, and a town full of secrets. Plus, Kami has been talking to a voice in her head her whole life. Is he real? Or is she crazy? Being right up my alley, this setting easily grabbed me from the first page. If it wasn't for the slow, romantically inclined telling, it could have easily become a 5-star favorite. When we do get some answers there are a lot of unexpected turns that I would not have predicted. However, when it came to the big climactic ending - the reveal of the killer - I had already been suspecting this person for a while so it came as no surprise for me, thus negatively affecting the intended impact. The events following this up to the ending were at least a little more unforeseeable, closing on a surprising note that makes me curious for book 2 regardless of my qualms.

Unspoken is a creepy and quirky read that has a lot of potential to garner fans who will absolutely fall for it. Unfortunately I wasn't quite as impressed as many others; when I don't care about the characters, it's hard to care for the rest, but I still found it to be an OK read.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2012 Keertana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines

Unspoken is a novel that now, looking back, I can see had a huge margin for error. In fact, in the hands of a less-experienced author, I am confident that this story would have fallen apart, but Sarah Rees Brennan manages to pull it off. I am always awe-struck by the innovative ideas she thinks of and even more in awe of her flawless method of execution. Yet, despite the precarious line that this story balanced on and my incredibly high expectations, Unspoken managed to be every bit as breathtak ...more

flag 32 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2012 Lisa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-romance-urban-fantasy, debbie-downer

I don't know if I've felt ever felt guiltier about not liking a book than I do about this one. So many people love Unspoken to pieces and I can understand why, but I was very underwhelmed. It seems to me that Unspoken was a book that was trying to break out of the YA mold but ended up following the fold.

By far the biggest problem with this novel is Jared Lynburn. He's your typical brooding, overprotective, woe-is-me, bad boy with anger management issues. I find none of these traits attractive, I don't know if I've felt ever felt guiltier about not liking a book than I do about this one. So many people love Unspoken to pieces and I can understand why, but I was very underwhelmed. It seems to me that Unspoken was a book that was trying to break out of the YA mold but ended up following the fold.

By far the biggest problem with this novel is Jared Lynburn. He's your typical brooding, overprotective, woe-is-me, bad boy with anger management issues. I find none of these traits attractive, and therefore I could not identify with Kami's attraction to him even considering their shared thoughts. Although he and Kami are not in a relationship, he acts possessive of her. He has to be tricked into "letting" her go out with her girl friends without him, he sabotages her date with another guy, and he's always hovering around her in this creepy overprotective way, even when she tells him she needs space.

I also found his self-pity very irritating and overly melodramatic, and I didn't appreciate how he would use his self-pity manipulatively to make Kami forgive him for his asinine behavior. He also had a tendency of expressing himself with physical violence. We're introduced to the character just after he gets into a fight with every member of the rugby team (we're given no explanation for this fight but I'm inclined to believe it was Jared's fault based on his subsequent actions), and he punches his cousin, Ash, in the face without any provocation. Physical assault is just not okay.

When I was first introduced Kami Glass, I was intrigued. She was intelligent and witty, and I admired her ambition and strength. Kami also says the right things about not wanting a possessive boyfriend and needing independence, but in the end actions speak louder than words. While Kami initially admonishes Jared for his behavior, she quickly backs down and forgives him because he acts hurt by her criticism. I can't think of a single instance where she didn't end up comforting him and assuring him of his worth after he acted possessive, jealous, or overprotective. And even though his behaviors never change (he's possessive, overprotective, and jealous to the very end), she falls head over heels in love with him. By the end, I lost all respect I had for her character.

I didn't find the side characters all that compelling either. There isn't much to say about Ash. He lacks personality and character development. He is the nice guy of the love triangle and he follows the path taken by nearly all other nice guys (view spoiler). Angela's people-hate tip-toed the line between funny and annoying. Holly had potential in that she broke the YA mold by being pretty and popular with guys, yet also nice, however, she didn't have much depth. Kami's family was a bit too cartoonish for me, particularly her father, who joked the entire book. He doesn't have one line that wasn't supposed to be funny.

Speaking of humor, I thought it was overdone. Not only was every character witty, which was very unrealistic, the characters would also make jokes during situations that called for serious reflection. The overuse of humor also made Kami and Jared's angst-filled relationship seem even more overly melodramatic because the scenes and conversations exploring their relationship were the only serious scenes in the entire book.

As for the mystery, it was unnecessarily drawn out by lack of communication and characters inexplicably deciding not to follow up on information. Everyone in town seems to know the Lynburn secrets except Kami, Angela, Holly and Jared, despite the fact that Kami and Holly grew up in the town and are not outsiders, and Jared is a Lynburn. It seemed unrealistic that no one, including Kami's mother, would tell Kami what they knew about the Lynburns. There were also several instances where Jared's family would act strangely around him or say something cryptic, but instead of asking questions, he would just leave even though he supposedly wanted answers. His family wasn't even trying to hide the truth from him, and when he finally did ask for an explanation, they told him without a fight.

Lastly, I thought the ending was problematic. Cliffhangers are one thing, but there still should be some sense of closure at the end of a book, despite unfinished plot lines. Unspoken felt like it was ended in the middle of the story, as though Brennan wrote the entire trilogy as one book and then randomly chopped into thirds. I wish the ending had been less abrupt (view spoiler).

The book gets an extra star for effort, but honestly, I didn't enjoy reading this one. ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Tamora Pierce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-ya-yr

In Sorry-in-the-Vale, England, Kami has an Issue--she is a teenager who still talks with her invisible friend. Then the town's "ruling family" returns to the area, complete with teenaged cousins. Kami finds herself attracted to handsome Ash, but her world rocks when she meets brooding, reclusive cousin Jared. He is her invisible friend, and he is just as rattled to learn his own invisible friend is all too real. Interfering adults and a series of murders add notes of contemporary fiction and sus ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Kristalia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-couple, age-young-adult, reviewed, made-me-smile-or-laugh, be-my-heroes-please, me-likey-mucho, wishlist_series

Final rating: 4.75/5 stars

unspoken

This was so sooooooooo good. I loved every part of it. Since i couldn't decide between 4 and 5 i decided it was going to be between. And it is only because i am type that craves for explanations and i didn't find enough of them in this book. For now, it is staying 5 stars as basic rating, because i feel it didn't belong with standard books.

I wanted to read it because it was written by Brennan. I loved her Demon's lexicon trilogy, and guess what, i love Unspoken even mor ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Glass rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: magic

This is the book for all of you who still have a little piece of a child left in your soul. Characters are seventeen, but maybe you'll have impression that they are younger than that. That's for the most part because of the writing style - it has fairytaleish vibe combined with mystery.

Kami Glass - yes, I liked her from the first page when I saw her name - is a strong girl, a little bit strange but in a good way, and she knows what she wants. If you're expecting some usual YA love story with pa ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2014 Regan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-owned-read

4.5 SO ADDICTING! And the main character is hilarious

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Apr 28, 2019 Rachel Reads Ravenously added it · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback, did-not-finish, ya-fantasy, young-adult

DNF about 150 pages in.

It's funny because this has been on my tbr forever, I found the receipt inside the book saying I purchased it 5 years ago, but this just did not work for me. I wonder if I read it 5 years ago if I would have loved it. Started out strong and then somehow died. Not the book for me, at least not today. Great idea and concept tho, I can see why everyone loved it.

Follow me on ♥ Facebook ♥ Blog ♥ Instagram ♥ Twitter ♥ ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

May 24, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-e-book

Unspoken is not the story I was expecting, and I enjoyed that. Somehow I thought this would be a dark and serious tale, and some of it is. Mostly, it was a story full of wit and fun, a little romance, and magic.

Unspoken is centered on Kami Glass, a high-school student, and ambitious journalist-in-training. She’s head of the school newspaper, and always on the trail of a new story. But now Kami’s focused on uncovering secrets, because the founding family of Sorry-in-the-Vale, The Lynburn’s, have Unspoken is not the story I was expecting, and I enjoyed that. Somehow I thought this would be a dark and serious tale, and some of it is. Mostly, it was a story full of wit and fun, a little romance, and magic.

Unspoken is centered on Kami Glass, a high-school student, and ambitious journalist-in-training. She’s head of the school newspaper, and always on the trail of a new story. But now Kami’s focused on uncovering secrets, because the founding family of Sorry-in-the-Vale, The Lynburn’s, have come back, after a seventeen year absence, and no one thinks this is a good thing. There’s one more thing you need to know about Kami: she’s grown up with an imaginary friend (or so she thinks), Jared. When the Lynburn boys show up in school, Kami finds out that Jared is not an imaginary friend at all, but a real live flesh and blood boy. A boy not happy to find out that his imaginary friend is anything but. Kami is shocked, as well, but this has to take a backseat to the strange occurrences that start happening around her.

Animal sacrifices, an attempt on her life, and the murder of a girl, become the mysteries that must be solved. Is it a coincidence that all this has happened since the Lynburn’s return? Kami doesn’t think so. Everywhere she turns she gets a warning to stay away from the Lynburn’s, they’re dangerous, but why? Even her mother begs her to stay away from Jared, but Kami knows she can’t. To stay away from him would be like tearing herself in half.

Kami is such a quirky, unstoppable, and fun force. Her sense of humor was dry, witty and sharp. It was impossible not to be enamored with her from the get-go. Kami’s always thought of herself as a bit crazy, knowing normal people didn’t have an imaginary friend. When she finds out Jared is real, she knows that some sort of magic must exist and be involved. Kami can’t help but be tentative and frightened of Jared, because he knows so many of her inner thoughts and secrets. Someone like that can hold so much power over you.

Jared is angry to find out Kami is real too, for the same reasons. He’s a moody, broody, male and doesn’t like that he’s so vulnerable to Kami. But soon they sort out most of their anger, and become closer than ever before. Jared is fiercely protective of Kami now that he knows someone’s out to kill her. He can’t lose Kami, the most important connection in his life; someone who’s always been in his corner, even when his family has not. I found myself rooting for their brewing romance even as they fought so hard against it. I wanted to scream: “Kiss her, dammit!” These two go back and forth and had me laughing some of the time. Here’s a fun quote:

“A leather jacket,” Kami said as he shrugged into it. “Aren’t you trying a little too hard to play into certain bad boy clichés?”
“Nah,” said Jared. “You’re thinking of black leather. Black leather’s for bad boys. It’s all in the color. You wouldn’t think I was a bad boy if I was wearing a pink leather jacket.”
“That’s true,” Kami said. “What I would think of you, I do not know. So what does brown leather mean, then?”
“I’m going for manly,” Jared said. “Maybe a little rugged.”
“It’s bits of a dead cow, don’t ask it to perform miracles.”-Kami

There are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing who’s at the bottom of this mystery. Suspicion is cast on everyone. There’s a fun cast of secondary characters, as well: Angela, Kami’s perpetually annoyed and unfailingly loyal best friend. Rusty, Angela’s brother, a self-defense instructor always leaping out on the two of them to keep their defenses sharp. Holly, the eager new friend. Kami’s father and little brothers, Ten, who is ten, and seven year-old, Tomo, also bring a lot of random and silly humor to the story. The Lynburn family figures in prominently, but they are far from fun.

I had two complaints with the story, one bigger than the other. First, the writing felt a little disjointed and choppy in places. Not a smooth transition from one happening to the next. Not a huge issue but it took some getting used to. My second complaint is a much bigger deal to me: the HORRIBLE cliffhanger we’re left on!! Why, why, why?!! Ugh!! I have no patience whatsoever, and now I’m forced to wait until next June to find out what happens! In spite of these complaints, I did really enjoy the story and I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this.

You can find this review and more at The Readers Den.

...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2016 Carrie rated it liked it

Kami Glass has always talked to a boy in her head ever since she was born. She's always thought of him as an imaginary friend and loved him all of her life keeping the voice a secret so others will not see her as crazy. But when the mysterious Lynburn family return one of the teenage boys seems very familiar to Kami.

Kami soon finds that her best friend that she's always had in her head is really Jared Lynburn. When an attempt is made on Kami's life Jared quickly proves that he does know all of ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Jun 21, 2017 Zyra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-entertaining, young-adult, fantasy-dystopian, comedy

i picked this book up cause the concept was too interesting & different.
Kami can hear a voice in her her head & talk to someonelse all her life in her mind. & the author did not disappoint. the story kept me every bit curious as it could. like is this person for real or imaginary. if real so how was it possible?
Jared's character is way too complicated & troubled. the solidity to rely on, for him has always been kami, as she is the comforting & supporting voice in his head. also i did not like h ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, jerk-of-my-dreams, some-kinda-magic, favorites-ya, esp, urban-fantasy

Seriously? That's how the book ends!? Sarah Rees Brennan you are a cruel, cruel mistress. You lure your readers into a false sense of security with your witty banter and the sunshiny disposition of your heroine and then you dump ice water on their heads. NOT NICE.

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2019 Candace Robinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I seriously loved this book! It had a cute and unique concept with Kami and Jared being able to pretty much talk to each other through their minds since they were born! And seriously, Kami was the most adorable thing ever!

Kami was quirky with an awesome personality and would say things how they were! Not only would she word thing how they were, but she would put a humorous spin on it! And Jared? He was loyal and tragic and amazing! He deserves a big ol' hug!

The writing in this one was just so ad ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Mimi Valentine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gorgeous-covers, best-of-2012, boys-i-wish-were-real, reviewed, pure-awesomeness, arc, adorable-favourites

There's "bizarre" and "different," and then there's this book... which is probably the best of both! I loooooooooooooooooooooved it so much!

Unspoken is one of those books that make you slap your forehead and wonder why you hadn't read it earlier. I couldn't stop grinning, yet at the same time, I couldn't breathe when it got intense. It kind of has the feel to it of Beautiful Creatures — small town, fantastic cast, feared magical family, and rich gothic mystery — except I liked this much, much m There's "bizarre" and "different," and then there's this book... which is probably the best of both! I loooooooooooooooooooooved it so much!

Unspoken is one of those books that make you slap your forehead and wonder why you hadn't read it earlier. I couldn't stop grinning, yet at the same time, I couldn't breathe when it got intense. It kind of has the feel to it of Beautiful Creatures — small town, fantastic cast, feared magical family, and rich gothic mystery — except I liked this much, much more!

Kami and Jared make up a totally unorthodox pair that I seriously LOVE! ♥ They've never met before (they used to believe that the other was imaginary), but they've been able to talk into each other's minds since birth. People look at them strangely for stopping randomly to laugh at inner conversations, but Kami and Jared don't care. They've been best friends since forever, and they're like two halves of the same whole.

And when they do finally meet, it's so realistic! They don't know what to be at first (Friends? Girlfriend/boyfriend? Enemies?), but I promise your heart will go for a wild ride.

It's not just the romance that's so different from what I'm used to, but the characters themselves. Kami (witty teenage journalist extraordinaire) is strange and she knows it. But there's no angsty outcast drama here! She still has wonderful friends and a wonderful family despite her strangeness. And Jared... Jared is a leather-jacket-wearing bad boy who'd move heaven and Earth for Kami. My heart broke for him, ached for him, shone for him.

The wit is off the charts! Kami has such a smart mouth and the kind of reckless brain all reporters are born with; the banter had me cracking up constantly. Sarah Rees Brennan is a mastermind at creating a dynamic story filled with wonderfully unique characters, NONE of that hair-pulling cliche drama, and ALL of the intenseness of a great mystery.

Brilliantly witty and fantastically strange, Unspoken is an amazing novel that brings everything we've been looking for in YA without even knowing it! With a hilarious cast, smile-inducing dialogue, and a mystery that turns pages on its own, this book is sure to be a stunner! :)

BUY or BORROW?: This book was buy-worthy the moment Kami cracked her first joke! I want to own this for all of its hilarious one-liners and originality, and you should too! ;)

(Original review at Mimi Valentine's YA Review Blog) ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2014 Cody rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shows great great promise!

This is my first book by Brennan and I was pleasantly surprised as it is truly like no other. Just look at that blurb: the ability to talk to someone in your head and then a bad boy in leather turns up on a motorcycle? *Fangirls* No longer an imaginary friend but a hot guy? Are her feelings real? What does she want? WHO does she want? Filled with angst and a tantalizing slow burn romance? YES YES YES YES Y’HES!

Kami Glass is an ambitious wanna be journalist who is always Shows great great promise!

This is my first book by Brennan and I was pleasantly surprised as it is truly like no other. Just look at that blurb: the ability to talk to someone in your head and then a bad boy in leather turns up on a motorcycle? *Fangirls* No longer an imaginary friend but a hot guy? Are her feelings real? What does she want? WHO does she want? Filled with angst and a tantalizing slow burn romance? YES YES YES YES Y’HES!

Kami Glass is an ambitious wanna be journalist who is always looking for scandal and wanting to uncover the towns darkest secrets. Kami made this book for me; she’s intelligent, entertaining and funny. I loved her attitude towards her family and boys as she believes that being independent is important and to never be possessed by anyone or let them put you down. She’s one of the most determined and ambitious heroines I’ve ever met and she has gone through the typical woes of childhood with school friends finding her weird but she refuses to let people’s opinions interfere with her aspirations.

When Kami is attacked with no clear suspect and animal sacrifices keep occurring throughout the town Kami is determined to discover the truth. As previously said Kami has had an imaginary friend Jared since she was born. Then Jared comes crashing into town and Kami realises; one shes not crazy and two the person who knows every little detail about her is real.

The lengths the author goes to in order to make the connection between Kami and Jared real is absolutely amazing both mentally and physically. It’s so realistic with no insta-love because obviously you’d be in complete horror if this happened to you! The romance is different from other YA books which is both good and bad because I seriously didn’t know what was going to happen but the tension is delicious, you will not suddenly turn the page and find kisses and declarations of love I hate to spoil this but you hardly get anything from the first book! ~~YES I’m already reading the second, Ooops.~~ Jared = Hot, Broody, has a Deathwish, Bad Temper, Scars.. that it all ;)

So why not 5 stars? It took me a while to actually enjoy reading this book, slow starter however it quickly picked up towards the end and the cliffhanger which was just cruel will have you wanting more!

NOTE: Yes this may be 3 stars but I’m already half way through Untold and it is without a doubt 10 times better. You need this epic series! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

Literary-ly Obsessed ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2018 Jennie Damron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I love Gothic books. Hands down my favorite type of book to read. This book was a great Gothic read. The atmosphere, spooky house, and creepy woods were all on point. At times Kami got on my nerves. Her trying to joke or lighten a moment would be a mood breaker and disrupt the flow of the story. Set that aside, the book was great. The plot moved well and the characters likable. I will definitely be reading the next on the series.

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 S.J. Kincaid rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a fun, cute book. Although I think the magical world still needs some fleshing out (I trust that will happen in book two), I really loved the characters, and even the Kami/Jared relationship. It's very rare for me to appreciate romance in most YAs, so it's all the better to discover a great one here between two well-developed characters. I look forward to the next one.

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-review, 2013-reads, awesome-world-building, didn-t-see-that-coming, brb-biting-my-nails, swoooon, caught-in-a-bad-romance, creeeeepy, clever-plot-twists, deserves-the-hype

Sarah Rees Brennan is the devil.

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Buka rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: thanks-but-no-thanks, reviewed

My relationship with Sarah Rees Brennan's books is like a see-saw. I liked Demon's Lexicon but was annoyed by Demon's Covenant, I really liked Team Human (written with Justine Larbaleister) and - once again - was really annoyed by Unspoken. This is Sara Rees Brennan of Demon's Covenant and everything irritating that I remember about it is here again.
It's one more book where everything - characters, pacing, plot, mood - can and will be sacrificed in order to deliver at least one more witty one-l ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2012 Susana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Readers that appreciate inteligent dialogue and quirky characters

Recommended to Susana by: Isa Lavinia

Shelves: favorites, ya, dash-of-romance, adventure, 2012, heartbreaking-stories, fantasy

2nd Re-Read : October, 7th
Still as good as the first time I read it! :)
______________"_________________________
This book has one of the most intriguing plots allied with a vast, vast number of quirky characters, that I've ever encountered in a story.

In fact, I've never encountered such a number of strange, a little out of this world, lovable characters! It was great!

There's Kami, our fearless reporter: "Kami had been hearing a voice in her head all her life. When she was eight, people had though ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2014 Anna (Enchanted by YA) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: beautiful-writing, needed-more-pages, coverly-love, great-characters, swoonworthy-love-interest, twists-and-turns, kick-ass-heroine, super-ending, impossible-not-to-love

For what I’d consider a “well-known book”, I’d heard surprisingly little going into Unspoken and with such a vague synopsis I was intrigued… After the first few pages I was hooked.

The mystery aspect was done so well in that we get enough information to keep the momentum going, but not enough to feel satisfied. There never failed to be something more to come which I loved. Most of this led up to (several) big reveals where the pace really picks up until it’s impossible to stop reading. That endin ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met... a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. Lynburn family manor, eerie teenage sons, bloody deeds. [s]	10	972	Jul 11, 2020 08:32AM
Första frågan	1	2	Apr 29, 2020 04:22AM
any similar books?	7	122	Aug 01, 2019 04:40PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Whiny, bratty, ridiculous, or just plain annoying characters!	149	419	Apr 15, 2019 04:21PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA fantasy, a series (I believe a trilogy) with the first book having the setting of a small town in England with a notorious house on a hill where the founders of the town once lived but moved to the States. [s]	3	26	Jan 02, 2018 02:58PM
Paranormal Romanc...: Similar books to Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan?	2	36	Mar 07, 2017 02:52PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan - Restarting August 25th 2016	103	167	Sep 04, 2016 07:06PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

1,442 users

Young Adult

1,408 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

763 users

Romance

508 users

Mystery

454 users

Fantasy > Magic

413 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

254 users

Fiction

191 users

Gothic

180 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

172 users

See top shelves…

About Sarah Rees Brennan

Sarah Rees Brennan

4,858 followers

Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. For a short stint, she lived in New York and became involved with a wide circle of writers who encouraged and supported her, including Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. She has developed a wide audience through her popular blog, mistful.livejournal.com, where she writes movie parodies, book reviews and some stories.

Other books in the series

The Lynburn Legacy (3 books)

Books by Sarah Rees Brennan

More…

'Mexican Gothic' Takes Readers Deep into Danger

Mexican Gothic begins when happily ever after turns into a nightmare. The story unfolds with the Taboada family receiving a mysterious letter from...

Trivia About Unspoken (The Lyn...

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Unspoken

“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 behaviour has inspired some negative feelings that caused me to pick a slightly overlarge pebble,” Kami admitted.” — 282 likes

“What the hell is going on?" demanded Kami's dad, advancing with his black eyes snapping. Jared blurted, "My intentions are honourable."
Kami sat up straight in her bed and stared in Jared's direction. "Are you completely crazy?" she wanted to know. "This isn't the eighteenth century. How do you think that's going to help?"
"Well, I mean," Jared said, back against the wall like a cornered animal. "When we're older. I mean-"
"Please shut up," Kami begged.
"I agree with Kami," said Dad. "When you're in an abyss-like hole, quit digging.” — 242 likes

More quotes…