Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.
Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.
Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
I'm going to say this straight out: I'm a bit disappointed with Unleashed. It felt almost unnecessary, and there were so many times when I found myself wondering why it was necessary for this to be a duology.
I absolutely loved Uninvited with its unique look on a dystopian society based on science. To someone who is intrigued by genetics, it was utterly plausible in the most eerie way possible. Yet, in Unleashed, I didn't feel that same fearful and plausible atmosphere. The sense of fear and unfairness towards the government that our protagonist Davy felt in Uninvited was gone, replaced by simply a sense of indifference, something I felt a little odd about. Surely after all the horrible things she went through in the first book she'd be a little hungry for justice against the government?
While I adored the romance in Uninvited, I can't say I support it as much here. At the end of Uninvited, we witness Davy, Sean, Gil and Sabine escaping from the brutal imprisonment where they were held. At about 100 pages into Unleashed, they end up getting separated. Davy is picked up by a man named Caden, who turns out to be the absolutely gorgeous (*eye roll*) leader of the resistance against the government.
Embracing every single possible cliche known to the young adult genre, Davy ends up falling for Caden, but then she remembers she loves Sean too.
I just could not support the romance. Adding a second love interest in the final book of a series is a risky and skeptical choice that I bet very, very, very few authors would be able to pull off, and Sophie Jordan was not one of them.
I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance between Sean and Davy in Uninvited, but I tolerated it well enough. Also, I definitely believe that if you're going to have an entire cliffhanger devoted to two characters, the second installment should definitely follow those two characters. .
The worst part though? We still have no idea how the damn disease was formed / discovered in the first place.
1. the cover 2. oh lookie, rebels. again. fun stuff. 3. I spy with my little eye a love triangle 4. where the heck is Sean 5. I already forgot what happened in Uninvited
I just didn't think this sequel was necessary. I was much more interested in the snippets between each chapter of what was going on within the government on a broader scale than in Davy's romantic detour. She personally didn't DO anything in this book, and even her personal arc was quickly undone in the end, so having her be the sole focus was a bit boring. I wanted to know more about those internal government snippets because they just seemed to keep saying "A big thing just happened that you didn't get to see play out!" and it would have been much better if they were the entire story, perhaps in epistolary/transcript format.
Additionally, the romance was trash. The love interest was just a red flag with a face. He had the worst case of instalove I've ever encountered and kept TELLING Davy how she should feel, and was physically forceful (grabbing, shaking) toward her quite often.
Not to mention he did the exact same thing as the love interest from book 1 did - any time Davy was in trouble, this guy shows up out of nowhere as if he has a tracker on her. I felt like Davy was constantly being undermined in her own story.
I'm quite disappointed, as I LOVE the premise of this series and had procrastinated reading this sequel for 5 years. It wasn't worth the wait.
If you choose to read the first book - and I really think you should because despite its flaws, the examination of self-fulfilling prophecy is so interesting and relevant - I would recommend viewing it as a standalone with an open ending. If you were hoping to see more of the pairing from book 1 or a more active takedown of the system, this sequel doesn't explore either of those things and will leave you disappointed.
Audiobook review: Same narrator as the first book, and because I listened to them back to back I could tell that she was reading Davy differently in this one. She doesn't put on as much of a voice so Davy sounds much older and colder than she's written. It's a minor complaint though, the rest was fine.
I know quite a few people didn't enjoy book one in this series, Uninvited, but I absolutely loved it. Most people weren't happy that there wasn't an explanation provided about the HTS gene and how that is even supposed to work. But I'm the girl who enjoys superhero movies, if I was going to sit there and question the actual science behind them then I wouldn't enjoy them half as much. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the story for what it is, a piece of fiction. My review for Uninvited was really glowing, I was completely won over by all of the action, but also by the romance between Davy and Sean. So imagine my surprise when the plot summary for book two doesn't even mention Sean once. I was not happy with that and I became very nervous to start this book, especially with the mention of a new male character, I began to worry that this was going to turn into another horrid love triangle book and I was not looking forward to it.
I wish that I was able to say that I enjoyed Unleashed just as much as I did Uninvited, but I would most definitely be lying. I was so disappointed by this book and part of me really wishes that I hadn't read it and had just made up my own conclusion to this duology. We come into the story right where book one left off, Davy and the others have managed to escape the training camp and are about to make the crossing into Mexico. It's painfully obvious from the blurb that she's not going to be sticking with these guys for too long, and that happens by about page 70. Davy finds herself in trouble and is rescued by a guy who just happens to be part of a resistance cell and is going to go out of his way to save her from everything.
When I realise a books going to be ALL romance.
What I really liked about book one was the fact that the romance in it wasn't the main focus. I've said time and time again that I don't mind romance in my reads, as long as that romance only takes up a small part of the plot. Uninvited did this well, the romance was there but it was more of a slow build and wasn't the focus of the story. I liked that I couldn't put the book down because it had a lot of action to it. As Unleashed was the concluding book to the series, I assumed it would be packed full of action and I'd be reading into the early hours of the morning, unable to put the book down. I couldn't have been more wrong, this book became all about the romance. What makes that a million times more frustrating is the fact it's a completely new romance to book one. Maybe some authors can pull of introducing an entirely new love interest and get you to suddenly root for them, but this did not work here.
I liked Davy in book one, by the end she was becoming strong and didn't constantly need Sean to keep jumping in and rescuing her. I didn't like that we suddenly have a new guy show up who feels the need to constantly jump in and save her. You'd also think that being part of the group that's trying to take down the Wainwright Agency that Davy would get to play some role in this. She doesn't. Everything happens without her because she's too busy having yet another romance storyline with a guy I don't really care for. I was hoping for action, suspense and twists and turns, what I got was romance and melodrama.
2/5 Butterflies
I can't even begin to express just how disappointed I was with this conclusion. It had zero of what I was hoping for and just ended up making me really annoyed. Book one was really good, it was one of my favourite reads last year, and there's nothing more disappointing then when the conclusion to a series doesn't live up to your expectations. I received this book filled with excitement, so sure that I was going to absolutely love it. But, quite honestly, my feelings can be summed up in one gif:
Yay, this is going to be epic. Lets get my celebratory cake ready! Wait.... what? What? Ehhhhh, f*ck this sh*t.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.
If you have NOT read Uninvited please read with caution. There are some spoilers that were unavoidable. Proceed with caution . . .
Duologies are perfect for those who don’t like sticking with trilogies, or worse, series that are longer than three books. They’re also perfect for those who don’t like standalones. However; in this case, I might have preferred a standalone. This is coming from someone who is obsessed with Sean. Bringing in a new love interest was hard. I couldn’t find myself enjoying their moments together when all I kept thinking was “…but SEAN…”. It’s tough. All those swoon-worthy moments were anything but for me . . . I just didn’t feel that connection with Caden or even with Caden and Davy. Again, this could because my mind wouldn’t let me. I should add that it’s not that I didn’t like Caden, because I did. As a person, he was fantastic. Hell, he’d even be a guy I’d want to date but I couldn’t connect with the idea of him and Davy or where his feelings for her may have come from, you know?
The story itself wasn’t as exciting, either. One thing I did love was the little things in between each chapter. Some were conversations, some were emails, some were articles and some were even obituaries. I liked that and I can’t remember if it was like that in the first book but even if it was, I really really liked that. But that’s beside the point – it just wasn’t as exciting, engrossing or frankly, entertaining as the first one. I was so engrossed in Uninvited and I wanted, no, needed more. I guess sometimes when your expectations are so high, they never quite reach.
I found this book to be quite predictable, as well. I don’t think anything surprised me and that disappoints me. I predict things in a lot of books but there is always something that surprises me; not here, though.
Even with all that, it wasn’t bad, per say, it just wasn’t as good as the first. You can’t even call them close. Who knows, maybe someone will actually like it more than the first book? It’s all about what you like and matter of opinions but sadly, this was mine.
I will say, by the end of the book, I was okay. I came around to liking Caden and I was happy that mostly everyone was happy.
As much as this pains me, because of how much I loved Uninvited, this book was a complete and utter let down. Especially to those of us who were very fond of Sean; which is probably most of us.
Thank you so much to Hannah from The Irish Banana Review for allowing me to borrow this book. In turn, thank you so much to HarperCollins for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
MY THOUGHTS I read the last book a year ago, but I remember really enjoying it. Sadly, I didn't like this book as much and, really, it didn't feel like it was even the same series.
Davy and her friends have escaped their horrible imprisonment and are making their way to a safe camp down in Mexico. Things go awry along the way, though, and Davy ends up getting separated from her friends. Dying, Davy is saved by a man and taken to a hidden rebel camp. There, she will have to decide whether to stay there and fight or go back to her friends.
This book was a big disappointment. It wasn't too bad for awhile, but looking back at the book, I really have less than stellar thoughts on it. First of all, nothing really happens. The Goodreads synopsis describes this book as action-packed. It is that way in the very beginning and there are some deadly things going on in the rebel camp (which ended up being stupid. More on that later), but other than that? Nope. Most of it was Davy always changing her mind. Did she want to stay? Go? I don't know! I swear she changed her mind every chapter! Also, the romance took up a lot of the book. She kept fighting off her feelings for Caden.
That's right. Caden. Not Sean. Caden. Caden is a guy that Davy meets at the rebel camp and she is attracted to him, despite the fact that she was still technically with Sean. Sean, by the way, is hardly in this book. He's in the first few chapters, but that's really it. It wasn't really the fact that she liked the other guy that bothered me, because it's been so long since I've read Uninvited so I don't really have strong feelings for Sean. What bothered me is the fact that another love interest is introduced in the sequel! This is a huge pet peeve of mine! I also felt like they became close way too quickly.
I didn't really have huge problems with this book until closer to the end. All the action-y things ended in a 'twist' that only made the book ridiculous. I will hide due to spoilers.
IN CONCLUSION This book was a big disappointment. I really was too nice with my rating, but I gave the 'higher' rating because of the previous book. But really, this book didn't even feel like the sequel to Uninvited. It had different characters, setting, and even Davy acted differently. The carrier gene only seemed like background noise as well. Anyway, if you are a fan of the first book, you may want to skip this one. Especially if you liked Sean.
Ich fand es jetzt nicht grottenschlecht, aber ich hatte etwas ganz anderes erwartet. Es hatte einen ganz anderen Fokus ... mehr Liebesdrama als das wirklich ernste Thema aus Band 1
Lange hab ich auf die Fortsetzung gewartet und ich war so gespannt, wie es mit Davy weitergeht. So ganz überzeugend fand ich den ersten Band ja nicht. Mit der Protagonistin bin ich nicht so recht warm geworden und stellenweise hatte es sich etwas gezogen - deshalb hatte ich jetzt viele Erwartungen in einen rasanten und spannenden Abschlussband.
Leider hat mir auch hier ein bisschen die Begeisterung gefehlt ... Davy musste ja jemanden töten, um ihren Freund Sean zu retten. Ich weiß ja nicht, wie andere das sehen oder ob es (sehr wahrscheinlich) am Alter der Protagonistin liegt, aber in dieser Situation war diese Handlung für mich absolut nachvollziehbar. Im Gegensatz zu Davy, die damit überhaupt nicht klarkommt. Die Geschichte startet in einer Art sicherem Unterschlupf kurz vor der mexikanischen Grenze, wo Davy mit Sean, Gil und Sabine auf Nachricht warten, um den Fluss nach Mexiko in eine geschützte Zone zu überqueren. Die Behörden sind ihnen auf den Fersen und die Angst um Entdeckung allgegenwärtig. Bis sie dann endlich aufbrechen zieht sich ewig hin - das ganze erste Drittel des Buches - und wird geprägt durch Davys Gedankenkarussell um den Mann, den sie erschossen hat. Natürlich hängt einem das nach und natürlich kann man das alles nicht so einfach wegstecken. Aber für mich war es einfach zu viel und mit ständigen Wiederholungen.
Als Davy dann endlich auf Caden trifft hab ich gehofft, dass jetzt endlich etwas mehr Action in die ganze Sache kommt, aber der richtige Schwung hat mir immer noch gefehlt. Es gibt zwar schon das ein oder andere, das Spannung reinbringt, aber richtig mitreißen konnte es mich nicht. Mit Davy kam ich auch immer noch nicht so recht klar, auch wenn ich ihre Handlungen und Gedanken teilweise nachvollziehen kann. Ein großer Lichtblick war Caden, der sich in dieser wirklich grausamen und verqueren Welt einen Ort geschaffen hat - und nicht nur physisch - in dem er noch sieht, was im Leben wichtig ist. Davys Gedanken kreisen immer nur um dieses Gen und dass sie damit "böse" ist. Sie erwartet Vertrauen ist aber nicht bereit, welches zu geben. Und jede Handlung, die eigentlich ganz normal erscheint, schiebt sie auf das Gen und zeigt auch immer demonstrativ auf ihren Hals mit der Tätowierung. Sie definiert sich völlig darüber und das ist auch das, was mich schon im ersten Band etwas genervt hat: Sie lässt sich völlig von diesem Stempel vereinnahmen und denkt nur noch total unlogisch, was ihr Verhalten betrifft. Obwohl ihr genug Beispiele vor Augen geführt werden und die schon der gesunde Menschenverstand eigentlich in sich trägt, die ihr das Gegenteil beweisen.
Der Schreibstil war sehr angenehm und flüssig zu lesen, auch wenn es wie gesagt sehr langsam voranging und erst im letzten Drittel wirklich Tempo und Action aufgekommen ist. Vor jedem Kapitel gibt es Statements zur aktuellen Lage über die Entwicklung des HTS Gens, den bedrohlichen Situationen in den verschiedenen Staaten oder auch kleinen Nachrichten, die zum Verständnis der Handlung beitragen. Sowas mag ich sehr gerne!
Bei manchen Jugendbüchern kann ich mitfiebern und mitfühlen ohne dass ich merke, dass eine bestimmte Altersgruppe angesprochen wird - hier hab ich mich definitiv zu alt gefühlt für dieses pupertäre Gehabe. Auch wenn ich natürlich die Hintergründe dazu super interessant finde, grade weil man weiß, dass sich die Gen Forschung in unserer Zeit ja ebenfalls in dieser Richtung entwickelt, ist die Vorstellung von diesem Szenario mehr als gruselig; aber mit dieser übertriebenen Charaktervorstellung kann ich mich einfach nicht anfreunden. Auch das überdramatisierte Ende war nicht so meins.
Imagine this, a sequel to the Uninvited a book that mixes the minority report and teen kind of dystopia. There, you’ll meet Davy, a girl who has it all but loses it due to a gene that she carries. A killer gene. People like her, known as hts carriers or carries for short, are potential killers. They face persecution for a gene that they have no control over and are constantly watching their backs for fear of going to jail or ending up in a worse place.
After a mall shooting, Davy is recruited to the Agency where she’s trained to hone her skills and become a deadly weapon. It doesn’t last long, because Davy, along with her three friends Sean, Gil, and Sabine, break out with relative ease and are now on the run to Mexico. The Agency is hot on their trails, but Davy will do whatever she can to escape their reign of terror, because while there she learned that there are scarier things than carriers. Things that she’d gladly run away from, because to face them head on would mean questioning everything she use to believe.
This is where the Uninvited ended. If you thought we’d get a thrilling conclusion to this duology where we watch Davy come to terms with being a carrier while running from people who want her to embrace the dark side and kill without remorse. Then you thought wrong. If you thought we’d see Davy and Sean deepen their relationship. Then you thought wrong. If you thought that Davy’s nightmares about killing a man would serve a bigger purpose in the plot other than given her a reason to stop thinking about Sean while she can make out with a guy she met two seconds ago. Then you thought wrong. If you thought that this book would have female characters that wouldn’t be jealous fiends who are always out to get Davy. Then you thought wrong again.
If you thought something would happen in this book, then…I think you get the point now.
The Uninvited had its faults, but the writing and the world kept me engaged enough to want to see what happened next. Unfortunately, now that I’m done with Unleashed I wish that I never read this book. Unleashed started off well. Davy is on the run and is struggling with survivor’s remorse after she killed someone to save Sean. This is actually some pretty interesting angst when it comes to their relationship and one that I was definitely on board with.
Only, it never fully materialized because she refused to talk to him about it. She shuts him out and lets her worries fester alone. Then, she gets shot and is rescued by Caden who runs an underground rebellion group. Sean, Gil, and Sabine are somewhere in Mexico and we don’t see them until the final few pages of the book. Instead, we get to see Davy talk to Caden and struggle with her feelings for him, even though she has Sean. But Caden makes her feel alive, he makes her feel normal, he makes her feel!
It’s still cheating and Caden is kind of a jerk for going after Davy when he knows she has someone. Even if Davy is having issues with Sean, issues that she refuses to solve and refuse to talk to him about, that still doesn’t negate their relationship.
I may not have been a fan of their hook up, but we spent a book of them pining away with for one another so for it to just dissolve because a new guy is there is off putting. Maybe if we got to see more of the world and more of what the rebellion was trying to do I wouldn’t feel so blasé about this relationship, but Unleashed is only about Davy and Caden.
Sure we hear the characters say rebellion this and rebellion that, but they don’t do anything. In the end, everything is solved and you’re left wondering what the point of the rebellion was if they just hung out in their underground home and talked a lot.
We don’t learn anything new about the killer gene, but we do learn about Caden’s smokey eyes. We don’t get to learn about what the Agency plans on doing but we do learn that Caden is lean and gorgeous. We don’t get to see what’s happening to the other carriers, but we do learn that out of all the girls that hottie Caden can have he wants to be with Davy.
Even the nightmares that Davy had only showed up to cockblock Sean and once he was out of the picture and Caden’s smile and infectious laughter came around that all stopped. For someone who was so haunted about killing someone, she sure got over it once someone easy on the eyes showed up.
We do learn about Tori, but I think what happened with her was a disservice to the book. It cheapened everything that she did in the previous novel and instead of seeing her talk to Davy and explain why she did what she did, we get a paragraph and that’s it.
I think my main problem with the book is that it left me feeling disappointed. Nothing was answered and everything was solved in a convenient little bow. The writing is still good, but that’s pretty much it. Davy doesn't get over her carrier's prejudice. The Agency falls while Davy is sucking face with Caden. Tori is out of the picture while Davy is thinking about sucking face with Caden. And carriers can go back and live their lives if they choose to, while Davy is wondering about whether now or later is a good time to suck face with Caden.
Despite what the synopsis says, Unleashed is about Davy in a bunker and her love story with a guy who says he's leading a rebellion only he doesn't really do much. The end.
Okay so I made it almost half way through this one and then I had to give it a rest. It was literally driving me nuts. I was forcing myself to read it and not enjoying it and really, this is supposed to be fun. It shouldn't be this hard.
I loved Uninvited. I thought it was interesting and refreshing and unique. In Uninvited Davy started out a little sheltered, a bit superficial, but from her upbringing and expectations in life, that didn't seem unusual. Once she's labeled and then branded as a carrier, she has some growing up to do. And I did think she learned a few things in Uninvited. I thought she understood herself and others better. I thought she got that being a carrier didn't actually mean anything, let alone define an entire people group. I actually thought that was kind of the point the book was trying to make. That your genetics don't control who you actually are and the way that prejudice and being treated a certain way may play into your behavior, etc. I *thought* this series was going a little bit deeper than surface level. And then we have Unleashed.
I don't know what happened here to be honest. It almost doesn't seem like this book is really connected to the last book in a weird way. Yes we have the same characters (kind of) and the same setting. But it feels like all of the events and personal and relational growth that happened in the first book have mysteriously vanished. We're back to square one with Davy, only now with even more selfishness and whining. She's traumatized, and so very judgmental and prejudiced towards carriers, EVEN THOUGH SHE IS ONE! This drove me insane in the first book too, but I thought she'd learned her lesson. She got her mark for slapping a guy who deserved that and worse. How does she not realize that it's likely that a lot of other carriers are completely innocent too? She's constantly thinks about herself as some kind of hardened killer because she shot that guy under duress. SOO not the same as premeditated murder. Everyone knows there are different levels of murder. I get that it would be a shocking terrible thing to have to do, but the way she handled it, or didn't, bugged me. Every time she mentioned being haunted by that guy I rolled my eyes. Get over it already Davy!! I mean would she rather Sean be dead? Yeah it sucks that guy's dead, but we don't know that dude. We know us. You saved the life of the guy who put himself on the line to save your butt time and time and time again and who you supposedly love. But then again, maybe she doesn't actually care too much about him after all…. And the part where she says she doesn't feel at all bad about killing that dude that tried to kill her, because it was him or her? She thinks she won't be haunted by that guy at all. But when she killed the other dude it was that dude or Sean! So, she's fine with killing to save herself but not killing to save someone she's supposed to love?? UGH. She also goes on and on and ON about how she can trust no one and must rely only on herself. No one is going to be there to rescue her so she can't wait around for that. Except every single time anything happens she waits for someone to rescue her. Every. Single. Time. She needed to be rescued so often that it became more than a one man job. Sean couldn't be there 24/7, so enter Caden.
I'm not a fan of Sean going missing in this one at all. And not for the reason you think. Switching love interests in the second book of a duology is a bold move. Is bold the word I'm looking for? :P But regardless, it wasn't that there WAS a switch that really bugged me. It was the way that it happened. Caden just swooped in out of nowhere and oh look Sean's not here and besides he reminds me of that icky thing I did that I didn't even have to do. So I can't even look at him even though he's literally put his life on the line for me and done everything he could to help and protect me from day one. Out of sight, out of mind. Sean who? Oh look Caden sings, and he reminds me of all the things I loved about my old life and my old self, yadda yadda yadda. Plus he's attractive and in closest proximity to me right now so I must really be in love with him. Honestly Caden and Davy's relationship felt like insta-love of the worst kind. They have literally nothing in common and know nothing about each other, but hey they're both good looking and in the same general area, so clearly they're meant to be. Oh yeah, and they both like to sing occasionally. Honestly as soon as the singing thing became such a big deal to Davy I couldn't help but wonder if Caden = the male form of Cadence. And that's pretty much all I thought about him because he hardly had a personality, at least in the part I managed to get through.
I really do actually want to finish this book. I want to find out what happens with the resistance and all. I'm hoping I'll be able to come back to it at some point without it driving me completely crazy. The characters just got under my skin and I need to take a break. I also know there are so many books out there that would have me excited about reading them. I don't want to spend my time on something I have to force my way through.
I gave Uninvited five stars last year, but after a while I wasn't incredibly interested in the sequel for some strange reason. When I was sent a review copy, though, I picked it up because--well, I love the first book, so why not give the second a chance? Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have really picked it up. It's hard to introduce a new major player in a sequel and even more so when that new player turns out to be a love interest. It's not exactly a love triangle per say, but we'll get to that later. The gist of it is, though, that the romance severely impacted my enjoyment of this read.
After the end of Uninvited, you expect a sequel filled with action and adventure and, yes, romance. After all, our characters are now on the run and probably bring down the government while they're at it. Something almost immediately goes wrong right off the bat though, and our so-called fearless heroine is separated from her friends, leaving her stranded and washed back on US soil. This is where things should get interesting. Instead, we're given a lackluster romance that overtook the entire story. There was little to no plot, and pretty much everything hinged on this romance. While there was a bit of a plot, most of it happened in the 1-2 page snippets inserted between each chapter--snippets that didn't include Davy in any way. Davy was, essentially, a damsel in distress. Yes, she did kill in this novel, but we never saw her actually act strong. She depended more on Caden than she seemed to think.
Davy was so much weaker in this than she was previously. I didn't empathize with her at all, especially when every other page, she'd bring up the fact that they were carriers. That they were alllll destined to be violent. That they were all terrible and that she couldn't trust anyone--despite many people trying to reach out to her. There was too much unneeded angst that made me want to smack my head against a table.
As for the romance...oh god, the romance. It was sickeningly sweet and there were an abundance of cliches. It was adorable in places, and Caden wasn't a bad guy, but the romance just didn't feel real. There were so many cliches too (Caden sees under her "tough girl" act, guys. Sound the wedding bells!), and it was hard to get past that. The plot really just hinged on the romance. I doubt there even would've been a plot if Caden and Davy hadn't fallen for each other, and the plot twist, while surprising, was kind of a desperate attempt at a shocking reveal.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend Unleashed, even if you've read and loved Uninvited. It severely suffers from Sequel Syndrome and it's hard to get past all the glaringly major flaws.
I think if you can get past the change in direction that Sophie Jordan takes in this sequel (yes, I became attached also--and yes, this was difficult!), then you can enjoy the intensity of Unleashed. It may not have as much straight action, but it is still exciting and has many thrilling moments. It was another quick read and very addictive--fun escape!
Es ist nun schon einige Zeit her, dass ich den ersten Teil der Infernale Reihe gelesen, dennoch bin ich gut in die Geschichte reingekommen und hatte nicht das Gefühl, dass mir irgendwelche Infos fehlen.
Das zweite Buch knüpft nahtlos an das erste an und mit Davy und ihren Freunden auf der Flucht, hält das Buch jede Menge Action und Spannung parat. Ich habe mich bei der Geschichte zwar nicht gelangweilt, aber ich hatte öfter das Gefühl, dass sich die Geschichte ein wenig im Kreis dreht und eigentlich nicht viel passiert. Als Standalone wäre die Geschichte vermutlich auch ausreichend gewesen.
Die Liebesgeschichte konnte mich nicht völlig überzeugen und hätte mir ein wenig mehr Chemie zwischen den Charakteren gewünscht.
Der Schreibstil war flüssig und angenehm zu lesen.
I think there's not really much to say about this book, and book 2 was really unnecessary :( 3/5 May not read it again -------- Like my post to be mentioned ;) (and get a shoutout if you follow my bookstagram, wattpad and pinterest I am usually found here: https://beacons.ai/chevreads Find me on: Instagram: @chevreads Wattpad: @writerthursday Pinterest: @thursdayfrappe Youtube: @chevreads P.S. Add me as a friend :) I like to read romance novels and mystery stories
Genre: Young Adult; Science Fiction Love Triangle/Insta Love?: Slight Triangle. Cliff Hanger: no. Rating: 3.5 Stars
Score Sheet All out of ten
Cover: 8 Plot: 7 Characters: 9 World Building: 8 Flow: 9 Series Congruity: 9 Writing: 8 Ending: 5
Total: 7
In Dept
Best Part: One of my top 10 favorite female MC's Worst Part: Plot didn't make enough sense Thoughts Had: holy crap!!!; Not him again!; You get 'em girl!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: n/a Recommending: yes
Short Review: The only issue i had with this book was that the plot movement made no sense. Why they heck did that guy just do what that guy asked?! If i was the president i would have just shot him and made it look like an accident from a carrier and then keep going. Also got annoyed that the MC thought she was in love for so long than the second she sees the guy be like "nope i'm good". WTH. Good MC, but very unrealistic plot movements.
Ok, I know plenty of people have already mentioned it before but ...where the actual hell is Sean?
The thing about Uninvited was they were planning for a future, to escape with Gil and Sabine, then bam no mention of the love interest you have been lusting over from about the first chapter. And while I am all for new love interests, but not triangles, this series is great with just one guy and that guy is Sean.
So I swear if this book has a love triangle or if Sean dies, which I seriously hope will not happen, I may cry.
I was afraid this would happen. The first book was so exciting and filled with new ideas. This book centered on a romance that was INSANELY back and forth, while the world building took a back seat. Like all the way back. What a bummer.
I thought this book would be crap but it was amazing again. After I finished Uninvited I read the summary of Unleashed and saw that it mentioned some guy named Caden instead of Sean. After that I immediately started judging the book. I thought Sean and Davy were good together. But after you read Unleashed and get a feel for what is happening you start to get into it and go along with the flow. And I now realize that Caden and Davy were perfect for each other. So for anyone who judges the summary like I did please don't because this book was amazing and everything I had hoped for. If you read the first one you should read this one. I am giving this book another 4.5 stars because the only thing that was missing to make it better was perspectives from Sabine, Sean, and Gil when Davy spilt up from them. I think that would have made it perfect. This was a lovely book series.