Unblemished

Unblemished #1

by Sara Ella

Eliyana has always recoiled from her own reflection in the mirror. But what if that were only one Reflection—one world? What if another world existed where her blemish could become her strength?

Eliyana is used to the shadows. With a hideous birthmark covering half her face, she just hopes to graduate high school unscathed. That is, until Joshua hops a fence and changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her as normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved.

But one night her mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets weird.

Now Joshua is her new, and rather reluctant, legal Guardian. Add a hooded stalker and a Central Park battle to the mix and you’ve gone from weird to otherworldly.

Eliyana soon finds herself in a world much larger and more complicated than she’s ever known. A world enslaved by a powerful and vile man. And Eliyana holds the answer to defeating him. How can an ordinary girl, a blemished girl, become a savior when she can’t even save herself?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2016

About the author

Once upon a time, Sara Ella brought dreams to life as a Disney cast member, wishing for the day she’d find her prince and live in a castle of her own. Now she spends her days homeschooling her three Jedi in training, braving the Arizona summers, and reminding her superhero husband that it's almost Christmas (even if it's only January). Sara is the award-winning author of The Wonderland Trials, Coral, and the Unblemished trilogy. She is old enough for fairy tales and believes happily ever after is never far away.

Connect with her online at SaraElla.com or find her on Instagram at @saraellawrites.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book for the most part but I was so confused with all of the people/things. You have the Soulless <--that's pretty obvious, Shields, Magnets, Physics, Callings, and there are many more. I couldn't keep up with them. And I don't remember what half of them do! I did love the shifters of course, I always love shifters. Some of them had some of these names too but I couldn't tell you who was who or what! My brain doesn't work that way!



**MILD SPOILERS**

So, Eliyana's mom dies or does she? And then suddenly, Joshua, the boy next door whom she loves, is suddenly her Guardian. But it's a different kind of Guardian. See, Eliyana has this horrible birthmark on the side of her face and she's been teased all of her life about it. She hides it under her hair the best she can. She's almost 18 but it's been bothering her for years as you can imagine with mean people. BUT <--- she finds out it's not just a birthmark, it's something beautiful and something that can get her killed. Just when you thought things were bad enough right?

El ends up with people trying to kill her ever where she turns. She has good people trying to save her. She has a stupid love triangle (hate those). Who has time for that anyway. She learns about her father she never knew. She learns about some different gateways you can pass through to different places. She learns a lot of stuff in a few short days.

I loved the characters of Makai and Kyaphus (Ky), Joshua (at times) and I did like El too. There are other good characters as well.

El's soul is bound to a vessel. I'm not going to get into that because there would be too many spoilers. It's kind of cool if you know what all they are talking about.

Oh yeah and the shifters don't just shift into regular stuff, they shift into mermen, griffon's and all kinds of cool things =)

Let me say one more time that I love Ky!



He seems to be a bad guy in the beginning but that's just his cover. He's there to protect El as well. She certainly has a lot of people protecting her but some of the bad guys still get their hands on her. It's like they pass her all around until the final showdown and well, the ending didn't go the way I wanted it to . . . but it was left to where there could be another book.

I liked the book enough that I would read a second one. Maybe I will understand what everything is that time around =) The world is really cool though, doors you walk through, underwater gateways. It's just really cool, depending on where your going in the gateways!!! Bring on more Ky!! ♥

*I received a print copy of this book through the BookLookBloggers Program.*

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Mary Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blurbing this book cuz Sara is a sweet writing genius. That is all you need know. ;)

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.)

This was a YA fantasy story featuring a girl with a distinguishing birthmark.

El was an okay character, although she was really self-conscious of her birthmark.

The storyline in this was about El finding out that more worlds existed other than the one she lived in, and finding out that he birthmark marked her out as special and that people were out to find her. I found this story really slow, and got quite confused with it also, there were so many different names for things floating about that I felt like I needed someone to explain everything to me.
There was some romance, but it came in the form of a love triangle between El, Joshua and Ky, and while at first I wanted her to be with Joshua, he turned out to be not all that nice to her at times, and Ky started to look like the better option.

The ending to this was okay, but I had lost interest by that point really. I don’t think I’d want to read the sequel.
6 out of 10

[Madisyn Carlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

A toxic romance, lack of admirable characters, and a convoluted plot are only a few reasons why this book should be avoided.

I picked this book up about six or seven years ago, drawn in by the cover. I didn't make it past the first two pages due to a gut warning. The book was promptly returned to the library. I should have left it there for good, but I decided a few days ago to check it out again and ensure I didn't give it the wrong rating based off a six-year-old memory.

I didn't.

Unfortunately, this book is the epitome of trashy YA, minus the explicit sex scenes.

Setting
There were a variety of settings, from New York to different worlds. It became confusing over time.

Plot
The typical plot you find in most YA books. Emotionally-inept/emotionally-constipated Teen has unknown powers/heritage that have been hidden from them since their birth until Specified Date. Teen must then save the world or an alternate world. Teen is loved by two of the opposite sex and a love triangle ensues.

Characters:
Usually there's at least one character I end up liking. Regrettably, I disliked all of them.

El was whiny and immature. I admire her love, loyalty, and dedication to and for her mom, though.

Joshua was a complex individual. The best of the three, which isn't saying much.

Ky is a semi-cretin. And a creep. It seems he's the fave of fangirls, but I didn't see it.

Faith/Spiritual elements:

No faith to speak of unless I missed something. This really disappointed me because this book is produced by a Christian publisher.


What I Liked/Was Okay With

The cover is gorgeous. Absolutely stunning.

In the front of the book, Ms. Ella has a dedication to her mom, who died. Despite the issues with the writing style, Ms. Ella somehow expertly conveyed her pain, and El's pain, and makes the reader experience it. This book feels like it's an homage to Ms. Ella's mother, and that mourning and loss is so tenderly conveyed.

What I Disliked

Honestly, I skipped huge portions of this book just so I could reach the end. There are, of course, things about every book that are subjective. I will begin with those.

Subjectives

I rarely harp on authors' writing styles because that is subjected and what I dislike another reader will like. In most cases, it's merely person preference (or personal unpreference). I also always say writing rules should be taken with a grain of salt. They are guidelines only.

El's thoughts were not italicized as they should be. Whether that's the author's or editor's fault, I don't know. But it was jarring.

I can only describe the writing style as amateurish and mediocre at best. There were some funny things, of course, like El not wanting to smell like a hobbit (now that I think about it, the hobbits probably didn't smell the best during their journey). We're always told, never showed. There was a serious allergy to conjunctions (and, or, but), and the writing is extremely stiff, stilted, and disjointed. It's annoying. We're told the sounds, not hearing them via El's awareness of her surroundings.

Examples:

Starbucks, just another block away.

Mom gasps, covers her mouth with a trembling hand.

She straightens, tightens the tie on her robe.

And then there're the noises. If El's walking down the stairs, it's basically, "I descend the stairs. Creak. Groan."

The writing style needs a lot of refinement. Every author has their own style. I get that. It makes us unique with our different voices. But this is not a style that works in the least.

The plot, also, both dragged and plodded, and it was confusing to boot. Granted, I did skip some chunks, but it was because I just couldn't get into it. At all.

Those are the subjectives. If nothing else was wrong with the book, I'd just give it a three star and toddle on. But there are some pretty serious issues that I can't ignore.

Serious:

Maybe I missed something, but it was presented like El and Joshua slept in the same home alone. Together. Without a chaperone. Yeah, I know, he's her guardian, but there are obviously romantic feelings at play and there are only, what, four?, years separating them. That's inappropriate at best.

El. Is so. Immature. Honestly, this book reminded me of why I dislike most YAs. Immature characters meant to save the world, but they can't even generate a rational, mature thought. I understand she just lost her mom. That grief is indescribable. She's going to be a bit out of it. But she doesn't think. And she's petty and jealous.

Case in point: El's jealous that Joshua has other friends. (Quote:) “Friends who aren’t me. Friends who probably include girls.”

And she's just a snot (which reveals the liberal bent in this book): she basically calls people idiots because they don't know she doesn't eat meat. Then she eats pepperoni. Then she's a snob again when she smells bacon. (Is bacon good for you? Absolutely not. But there's nothing wrong with eating it in moderation.)

And that brings up the clubbing scenes. El is 17, okay? She and friend go clubbing. She’s underaged. Apparently that doesn’t matter. While El doesn't drink, she's surrounded by alcohol, and it's suggested that...other activities are in the making. E.g., her friend goes home with a guy. (Hint: they're not married.)

El is told, “Your rack is your best feature, El. Flaunt it.”

Excuse me, how is that appropriate for a YA book touted as Christian and published by Thomas Nelson?????

It's not.

Not at all.

There are other issues along the same line. El engages in close dancing with a guy she literally just met. Hands-on-his-shoulders and his-hands-on-her-hips type of stuff. Appropriate? I think not.

El then is willing to go on a ride with the guy she literally just met. Honestly, the wheel was spinning but the hamster was dead.

There's a girl that's pretty much naked (90% in El’s estimation). Ky has no qualms looking at her.

El notes that, one time when she wakes up in an unknown location, a soft, green robe covered her 'naked body'. TMI. Really.

Then there's the love triangle. With the way Joshua's and Ky's breaths are always in her ear and yada yada and El's reaction to it, it's far too sensual.

This is one of the things that really gets me. El purportedly "loves" both of Joshua and Ky. And she alternates drooling over them. Come on, YA authors. Quit writing "heroines" that are so weak-willed and weak-minded that they're indecisive ninnies.

A movie is mentioned by name, a movie that includes sexual innuendos, and I quote from Plugged In, "A half-dozen s-words. One use of the euphemism “frikken.” Other blemishes include “h—,” “a–,” and British crudities “b-llocks” and “bloody.” God’s name is misused almost 20 times; Jesus’ once."

Yep. Sounds like a movie that should be mentioned. In a book published by a Christian publisher.

Toxicity

This book contains toxic romance. Joshua is a jerk to El, but she "still loves him". Then both he and Ky lie to her (for a range of reasons) and she "still loves them". The girl's an emotional wreck and is setting herself up for abuse.

CONCLUSION:

Unblemished has a gorgeous cover and touches on mourning a loved one, but that's where its positive qualities end. As a YA book, the Amazon page for Unblemished says it is written for those 13+. I shudder to think about anyone near that age reading this.

This book illustrates and proponents toxic romance, includes sensuality, a myriad of confusing plots and semi-plots, poor writing, and no faith. There is not one character who would make a good role-model, and as it is with most YA books, an abundance of lying occurs. But don't worry. It's "for the best".

We need stories with clean, honorable romance, admirable heroes and heroines, and edifying plot lines, which is not what this book provides.

I really would have liked to see the Gospel presented. Instead of El finding her strength (what little she did find) in her identity in the world's eyes, I would have loved it if she recognized her need for a Savior, became a child of God, and realized her worth and value are undeniable because she is created in the image of God. Not because she's someone special in some mirror kingdom.

To conclude this lengthy review, Unblemished is not a book I recommend to anyone.

[mary liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummmmmmmmm. Why did I read this and why do I kind of want to read the next book?

Oh boy....this is going to be a fun review. If you hate rants, I suggest you leave straightaway, old chap.

Lovely Things:

Okay, so the funny thing is...I don't hate this book. Nevermind the two-star rating or the status updates of me screaming into the night, I actually enjoyed parts of this book. I enjoyed it a lot more than most two-star reads.

- The setting. YES. This was very cool! I looooove urban fantasy and found the mix of modern/fantasy elements fascinating. It's intriguing that there are actually seven Reflections (aka seven other worlds). I especially liked the detail the author put into the different abilities characters possessed. They were like fantasy superpowers, basically. And THEY HAD LIMITATIONS. THANK YOU. Unrealistic powers are 1000% the most annoying thing ever. SO PROPS TO THE AUTHOR FOR HAVING LIMITATIONS.

- Ky. Just...Ky. I loved him for most of the book. Y'know, except for the part near the end where he acted like a complete idiot and I wanted to smash his face into a brick wall. Yeah. Except for that. XD He was actually a really well-drawn character and WAY more interesting and real than Joshua.

- I feel like there's something else? I'm drawing a blank here, but there has to be more than two things I liked about this book...right? I MEAN MAYBE NOT I DON'T KNOW. I guess I just really liked the setting and Ky. *shrugs* (But the main character was pretty decent, too - a little annoying but I genuinely liked her for the most part.)

Not So Lovely Things:

- The romance. HOLY GINGERSNAPS. The romance was the most eye-gouging-worthy thing I've ever read. I wouldn't have minded half as much if it had just been Eliyana and Ky...but Joshua had to exist. AND HE WAS THE WORST. I honestly don't understand how he could be a jerk for 99% of the book and Eliyana still loved him. GIRL. What is your problem?? He's the "mysterious character"...the one who's supposed to be perfect but whom I found to be about as tolerable as a book with a sticker on the cover. NOPENOPENOPE. And there was just so much drama in this book that I was over in the corner dying. The romantic drama was off the charts here. Even Ky made me want to throw this book in a haunted lagoon when he pulled the "I thought we knew each other" card near the end. BRO SERIOUSLY. Whyyyyyyyyyy. I didn't know I hated love triangles until I read this book. >.<

- The writing style. It DOES seem to fit the character's voice fairly well, but it's sudden and fragmented and kind of jolting. Just my opinion - from almost every other review I've read, it seems I'm in the minority here. At first, I couldn't stand the writing style at all. But I will admit that I got used to it about halfway in. So maybe it isn't as annoying as I thought?

- The smelling. ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN. It's a major pet peeve of mine when characters talk about how guys smell. Am I the only one who thinks this is not normal? And kind of gross? The character mentions how her jacket smells like Joshua or how Ky smells "perfect" waaaaaay too much. LIKE OKAY. I GET IT. The guys smell like a freaking Chanel ad. But...please don't keep telling me this because it's really weird and disturbing. (If you saw my status update about the quote where "guys always smell good," then you know what I'm talking about here.)

- The plot twists. They were the MOST CONFUSING THINGS EVER. Oh my word. Talk about a book that really needs to chill down about the plot twists. Look, I'm not saying that plot twists aren't important. NOT AT ALL. They're the coolest things ever when they're handled well! News flash: these were not handled well. It literally felt like the author dumped 1,093 plot twists into a bucket, stirred them with a giant spoon, and dumped them into the plot at various points. Like...my brain cannot comprehend this. HELP ME PLEASE.

- The cliches. Everyone is talking about how unique this book is...but I really don't see that. True, the setting is epic, but the book is just so full of cliches that I was cringing. You have 1) the chosen one, 2) the love triangle, 3) the villain monologue x 1000, and 4) the "everyone is related to everyone" trope. I've never read a book that felt so YA, to be honest.

- THE ROMANCE THOUGH UGH. Sorry, I just really hate all the romantic drama in this creature. XD

In short? I don't know why I even finished this....but I don't really regret it. For some reason, I actually enjoyed this book at times and find myself kind of wanting to read the sequel. (Because hello, yes, I obviously didn't torture myself enough with the love triangle in THIS book. *coughity cough*)

This book had LOTS of problems and turned me into an insane person at intervals. However, I still tore through the story because I was invested enough to continue. I guess that's saying something.

2.5 stars

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

To clarify, this is 3.5 stars. Solidly good!

The author Sara Ella is my friend so I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a YA urban fantasy with major fairy tale vibes, although it isn't a retelling. I think if you like the show Once Upon a Time you would really like Unblemished because they are similar in having other worlds where magic exists! The main theme here is Light vs. Darkness. In a world that is losing its light, an ordinary girl holds the key to defeating a looming darkness

I think that the world of Unblemished is very unique and the story will probably prove to be memorable to me because of that uniqueness. However, I personally find the urban fantasy genre difficult to initially get into. There is so much world building, action, and many characters introduced in this book that I did find myself overwhelmed and confused at times but it's definitely not a bad thing for a fantasy novel to have a large scope like this. I will say that the book never felt info-dumpy. Things seemed to be revealed at just the right pace. It's just that they kept being revealed up until the very end so I never felt like I knew the whole story. (But it's book 1 in a trilogy, so how much of the full story can you really know at this point?)

A couple of things didn't work for me in terms of the character development:
-Most of Eliyana's motivation throughout the entire book is driven by wanting to find out more information about her mom, who died just before the start of the story. However, everything we knew about her mom was that she had lied to El her entire life and I found myself just mad at her mom for this. It's assumed they are close just because they are mother and daughter, but I failed to see anything beyond their blood relation to prove their closeness on her mom's side. I wish the story had started a little before her mom's death so we could have gotten to know her more and become attached before being thrown into this mystery surrounding her.

-Another major driving force for everything Eliyana does in the book is her crush on her neighbor Joshua. While her feelings felt very true and natural, Joshua was a closed book to us. He's written like this on purpose and it makes sense as the story goes on, so this is annoyance with the character rather than the writing, but I was so frustrated with her attachment to him when he never once showed any ounce of caring toward her. Or rather, he did, but it was so out of the blue with no actions to back it up that I just wanted him to LEAVE.

Something that DID really work for me with character development:
-Ky. I thought Ky was a complex character. You don't know too much about Ky and although you could also describe him as a closed book, we actually get some good background information on him that was my favorite part of the book. He's a deliciously flawed character with a tragic background, but it's not written in to excuse problematic behavior because he isn't an abusive jerk, just mysterious.

The final thing I want to point out was that this book would really appeal to music nerds. There are many song, artist, and musical references scattered throughout the book. I personally didn't know many of these references so they were pretty lost on me, but if you love music that would probably be a fun detail!

Sara Ella does has a distinct writing style. She uses onomatopoeia and repetition, and I found some of the scene descriptions to be beautiful. She explains her unique world well, while leaving room for plot twists. I thought it was good series set-up and I will be continuing the series for sure. I've been told that the answers to the burning questions I was left with are definitely coming. :)

[Addy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This.
Book.
Was.
Amazing.

I could hardly get myself out of Unblemished, to be honest. The book was easy to get into, especially since the book is in Eliyana Ember’s POV.
Speaking of Eliyana, what a character!!!

Overview:
-Violence: people dying, kidnapping, vivid fighting scenes, nearly drowning
-Blood/Gore: near-death experiences, vivid details of blood after getting an injury, someone being killed, and what they look like, broken bones
-Romance: several kisses, feelings, touching, but it’s all clean :) [Note that the romance does get a little heavier in the second half of the book, but it’s still clean]
-Language: a few ugly words [crud, etc.]

The whole storyline along with the characters was so special! There was never really a boring part of the story.

I’m sure you’re wondering why in the world I rated it four stars if I think the book is so good!!! Here’s why:

-A few inappropriate parts
-A few bits of ugly language
-A love triangle

The inappropriate parts didn’t have to do with any romance. They weren’t terrible, and not terribly detailed, and you’ll know what I’m talking about when you read the book.

I never really enjoy love triangles because the girl always ends up with the guy you’re NOT going for. Which is exactly what happened in Unblemished. UGH. I get so infuriated!
Sadly, I don’t own the next two books, so I don’t know what happens. [No one spoil it for me, please!!!]

Ky and Joshua are incredible. They both have their flaws, but that makes them human, right? I’m not spilling any secrets about who Eliyana ends up with, but let’s just say that she is with each of them at different times throughout the book.

Y’all, this book was so good. Every book does have its flaws, but this one is definitely one to read despite its flaws.

No one hit me, but I am #TeamKy all the way. (Funny, I was #TeamKy for the Matched Trilogy too)

And, lastly,
is it just me, or is Sara Ella a super cool name?

[Leah Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

NON SPOILER REVIEW

Brief Synopsis:

Unblemished is a Young Adult Romantic Fantasy book about a young girl named Eliyana, who has a beautifully hideous mark covering one side of her face.

Eliyana is heartbroken when her mother, an ambitious artist, passes away without warning. One night, El leaves her New York brownstone for a quick walk, and a hooded figure follows her to Starbucks. After that, things go from weird to otherworldly.

Review:

The writing was very well done. I had no problem moving along with it and understanding what was going on. The descriptions were done very well and I had a lot of fun reading through the book. Sara's words enchanted my mind, and it was wonderful!

The characters were probably my favorite part of the book. Each one was incredibly well written, and I loved them all! It was great getting to see everything from Eliyana's perspective. Her love of music was an interesting touch to her development. Joshua, Makai, Elizabeth, Kyaphus and everyone else were also favorites to read about. I'm so excited to see more of them in the next book!

As I began the book, I willingly moved myself into the fantasy world that was created. It was so beautifully described, and I wanted to live within the world itself. A great world to add to my "Travel" list (On this list are a variety of worlds, including Neverland, Oz, Wonderland, Narnia, and Middle Earth)!

Also, may I mention how beautiful the romance in this book was? So many "I ship it" moments were marked in my copy that it started getting really heavy! Despite the love-triangle disliking in the book community, I think the triangle was handled very well in this book. I can't even decide whose team I want to be on, both interests had such great qualities!

My overall rating was 5 out of 5 stars. An amazingly perfect book!

I simply cannot wait for the next book, Unraveling, to come out next July!

I see big things for this series. This is one trilogy that you do not want to miss!

[Ashley Bogner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been interested in reading Unblemished for a while, so I was very excited when I got a copy for Christmas.

And....wow.

The plot was really unique! I've read a lot of fantasy books, and there were so many moments where I would stop and think, "Hmm. I have't seen that done before." Don't get me wrong, there were some typical YA cliches (particularly with the love triangle), but the premise itself was really interesting.

I also loved the writing style. Eliyana has a unique character voice, and I appreciated the emotion packed into each scene. All of the characters were developed well, and the different worlds were beautifully described. If I had to sum Unblemished up in one word.... beautiful is the exact word I would use. The style was reminiscent of a classic fairy tale.

And the cover is GORGEOUS.

As for content: Some kissing and plenty of romantic attraction. Nothing too intense, though. There are also some references to affairs and children born outside of wedlock. A couple characters can shape-shift, and they are (without details) described as naked when they turn back into human form. Profanity is mild. Violence can be intense but never overly-gruesome. The story has a very prominent good-vs.-evil theme, even though it isn't overtly Christian.

The sequel is definitely on my to-read list!

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Eliyana has always recoiled from her own reflection in the mirror. But what if that were only one Reflection—one world? What if another world existed where her blemish could become her strength?
Eliyana is used to the shadows. With a hideous birthmark covering half her face, she just hopes to graduate high school unscathed. That is, until Joshua hops a fence and changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her as normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved.
But one night her mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets weird.
Now Joshua is her new, and rather reluctant, legal Guardian. Add a hooded stalker and a Central Park battle to the mix and you’ve gone from weird to otherworldly.
Eliyana soon finds herself in a world much larger and more complicated than she’s ever known. A world enslaved by a powerful and vile man. And Eliyana holds the answer to defeating him. How can an ordinary girl, a blemished girl, become a savior when she can’t even save herself?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Unblemished” series.


Spiritual Content- Eliyana’s reaction to the alternate universe “This isn’t just weird, it’s otherworldly.”; This is a Good (Light, “the Verity”) vs Evil (Darkness, the character Crowe) storyline; A mention of petitioning the Verity; A couple mentions of blessings; Mentions of thanking the Verity; Mentions of the Verity’s vessel;
*Note: Crowe says he brought Eliyana back from the dead and she says no one is that powerful; Eliyana is said to be a savior to another world; A mention of a devilish grin; A couple mentions of a demon movie; “what the crowe”, “like the Void you thought I knew”, “Holy Verity” and “what in the Reflections” are said in place of other phrases.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘duh’, a ‘flippin’’, a ‘lush’ (a flirting drunk), a ‘son of a troll’, a ‘what the bleep’, a ‘witch’, a ‘wretched’, two ‘drat’s, two ‘gah’s, two ‘idiot’s, two ‘oh my—‘s, two ‘oh my word’s, two ‘stinkin’’s, two ‘what the—‘s, three ‘sheesh’s, three ‘snap’s, six ‘dumb’s, nine ‘crud’s, and fifteen forms of ‘stupid’; Sarcasm, Sass & Eye Rolling; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Blades/Knives, Wounds, Blood, Fighting & Killing (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Passing out, wounds, a broken bone & blood (up to semi-detailed); Enemies, arrows, being shot at, pain, injuries & blood (up to semi-detailed); Almost drowning, feeling like dying, pain, panicking & a sea monster (semi-detailed); Wanting to cause someone pain; A party with drunks (Eliyana does not drink); Many mentions of fighting, blades/knives, pain, injuries, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of weapons, gunfire, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of muggers, kidnapping, creeps & stalkers; Mentions of deaths, dying & a fire; Mentions of murders, murderers, killing & crimes (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats; Mentions of punishments; Mentions of debts; Mentions of hitting, punching & being hit and punched; Mentions of parties, drinking, drunks & alcohol; Mentions of drugs & addictions; Mentions of throwing up; Mentions of parents who left their families; Mentions of needles & syringes; Mentions of tattoos; Mentions of lies & liars; Mentions of bullies & gossip; Mentions of butchers, fish heads and guts, killing and eating a chicken (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of manure & the smell; Mentions of foul smells; A few mentions of breaking & entering; A few mentions of smoking & cigarettes; A few mentions of tobacco; A few mentions of roadkill (barley-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of peeing & a urine smelling place; A couple mentions of terrorists & shootings; A couple mentions of serial killers; A couple mentions of cocktail parties; A mention of little doggy surprise;
*Notes: Mentions of & going to Starbucks; Mentions of brands (Aeropostale, Old Navy, Coach, Uggs, JanSport, Armani & Prada); Mentions of celebrities (Marilyn Monroe, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Tommy James, U2, Charlie Chaplin, The Monkees, Christina Perri, & Disney characters); Mentions of TV shows, movies, musicals & books (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Top Gun, Sweeney Todd, The Princess Bride, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Xanadu, The Devil Wears Prada, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Wicked, Les Mis, The Music Man, Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, J. M. Barrie, C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkein); A few mentions of songs (a U2 song, “Somebody I Used to Know” by Gotye, and “Human” by Christina Perri.); A mention of McDonald’s; A mention of Boy Scouts.


Sexual Content- three hand/knuckle kisses, three head/forehead kisses, two semi-detailed kisses, and a detailed kiss; Remembering an almost kiss & other kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & to be kissed (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Dancing, Warmth/Heat & Tingles (up to semi-detailed); Nearness& Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Staring (up to semi-detailed); Butterflies & Blushes; Eliyana didn’t know who her father was (her mother was 16 when she gave birth to El); Eliyana says she’s never ever kissed a guy, so the thought of a guy taking what he wants form her raises bile in her throat; Eliyana wakes up undressed & is told that a female servant undressed her; a ‘whore’; Mentions of someone saying a young woman had an affair with a married man & is pregnant (she didn’t know she was his mistress, but did end up getting pregnant); Mentions of watching a couple couples kiss & wishing it was you once (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of hand kisses; Mentions of kisses, kissing & a good kisser; Mentions of touches & physical contact; Mentions of a married woman kissing another man & repaying him (no details); Mentions of & Talks about kisses & desires; Mentions of love, falling for someone, the emotions/feelings & rejection; Mentions of jealousy, crushes, swooning & blushes; Mentions of dates & dating; A few mentions of a husband’s unfaithfulness; A few mentions of seducing; A few mentions that a man can’t touch or have his way with a certain woman; A few mentions of a mom who died in childbirth; A couple mentions of nuzzling; A couple mentions of a guy making a move on a girl; A couple mentions of a guy rudely staring at a girl; A couple mentions of breakups; A mention of a married man making his bed elsewhere (he had an affair); Thinking you’re/Being in love & trying to keep it a secret; Some love, being/falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: Quinn says El’s best feature is her “rack” (breasts); Wearing a tank top to a party & pulling it down so it doesn’t show her midriff; A mention of a girl wearing clothes no thicker than lingerie; A mention of a girl wearing a strapless top; A couple mentions of a girl getting undressed with a guy five feet away (she actually doesn’t); A couple mentions of miniskirts; A few mentions of bikinis; Mentions of bras & underwear; Mentions of buck-naked women & a tattoo above their right (sometimes abundant) breasts; A few mentions of acne; A few mentions of a knee to the groin; A few mentions of creeps; Mentions of shirtless guys; A mention of a butt being kicked into gear; A mention of someone saying they busted their butt to rescue another; A mention of trafficked children.

-Eliyana “El” Ember, age 17-18
1st person P.O.V. of Eliyana & Ky (once)
371 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Okay. Wow. Not sure what emotions I'm feeling. I'm actually pretty stunned at that ending. (#Thatlovetrianglethough) For some reason, I was thinking this was a standalone, but there's going to be a sequel. And while I can feel excited at the thought of seeing El again, I'm slightly worried that I'm going to have to reread this one to remember what happened because. All. The. Plots.
{Y'know, I only think I understood it this first time. I'm sure I'm missing some important part of the plot because it's six stinkin' thirty in the morning when I’m writing this.}
SO, to start at the beginning, I wasn't sure what I would think about this book. I've watched the author’s BookTube videos for a while now, and I knew that Thomas Nelson was publishing her fairytale YA. I open this book to find it has a review by Krista McGee (one of my top five favorite authors ever) and Alternate Universes. Y'all, those are my jam, no lie. I've never read a Christian book that has AUs--because magic and it's kind of fantasy. Now with Unblemished, I didn't really get a Christian vibe from this novel per say, but it is the whole Good vs Evil, Light vs Dark kind of storyline. I kept looking and reading in-between the lines to see if I could find an allegory thread, but I couldn't seem to find one. Different comments made about the Verity could be used for God, but like any other fantasy, the Creator isn't named personally. I don’t know if I would say this novel has magic in it…there’s no spells, wands or Harry Potter stuff (though that character and series is mentioned a handful of times), it’s mainly people with special abilities and such. Like one character can stare at someone and paralyze them; another can turn invisible; others can transform into maybe an owl or tiger. Not really the magic you think of when you think of magic, so I don’t think I’d put it as “true magic”.
Writing style wise, Sara Ella completely impressed me. And I don't say someone has impressed me lightly. She kept to her fairytale feel with a lyrical style of writing and everything flowed very well. For a debut book, Unblemished is pretty thick, but she does a great job painting the pictures of everything the reader wouldn't know how to picture. (Unlike some fantasy authors who don't explain well enough and the reader is left confused.)
The romance and Guardian parts reminded me of the Remnants series by Lisa T. Bergren, just not to the all the touchy-feelys that that author did for that Dystopian series. So in that regard, I think Sara Ella did another great job. The romance was pretty clean even though mentions of kisses and actual kisses were important to the story, nothing was taken to the extreme feelings and desires.
*Spoiler*
Speaking of that love triangle. At first I was Team Joshua. Then he was acted like a jerk, and I was Team Ky. And then they went back and forth so much with them playing the jerk/standoffish card, I frankly don't care much who El ends up with. I can't say I'd pick either of them of her right now, but I'm very curious on who/how the author will pick. I'm leaning towards Ky, but I think that's because of the last chapter. See what I mean?! I just keep going back and forth, and well, hmmp.
*End of Spoiler*
There was a lot of mentions of pop culture, which I normally don't like, but it added a realness to this novel that mostly takes place in another world universe. I really enjoyed that when I song was mentioned, I would look it up and hear it. Every song mentioned was perfect for that part of the book! And a side-note: El was so anti-meat eating, that as a vegan, I found her comments hilarious. (Even though I’m not that kind of vegan, I don’t care if you eat meat, I just won’t.)
It was funny to me at some points I could hear the author saying different lines, like all the Disney mentions and El wearing her chuck shoes. Very Sara Ella-ish. ;)
Whew, I think this is one of my longest reviews for BFCG coming in at over two-thousand words. ;)


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this honest review.

[Tracey Dyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried this book wouldn't live up to the very hype-y hype I've been seeing all over the internet, but it was actually super fun and cute and engrossing!

WHAT I LIKED:

-The writing style, which was pretty enough to appease my writer side and invisible enough to keep my reader side turning pages
-The Once Upon a Time feel to it--I love, love, love fairytales. Bonus points for fairytales being integrated into the real world.
-A surprisingly twisty plot. I mean, that ending. Wow.
-After much thought and deliberation, I am definitely Team Ky! <3
-I actually liked El, the main character! (This does not always happen in contemporary-ish books.) But this girl needs to change her opinion on bacon. xD
-The love triangle had life-or-death stakes in a fresh way.
-It took me forever to realize the subtle nods to the Biblical Esther story.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

-It started out kind of predictably? Things got very twisty-turny later on, but the early mysteries were pretty easy to see through.
-Let's just say someone's decision at the end needs fixing. SOON.

So obviously I must read the rest of the trilogy and find out what happens to El and her friends. This one was a pleasant surprise! Looking forward to the next book!

4.5 stars

[R.J. Rodda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow my brain got a workout with this book! What a complex plot. There is lots to love here: how birthmark she is ashamed of actually shows how special she is, that her goal is to rescue her mum, how the character of Ky unfolds, the importance placed on kissing, the interplay between El/Em and Ky and Joshua and the way information of the plot is revealed. I also really liked the name Kyaphus.

I didn't like all the (non-sexual) nudity.

There are some Christian concepts here that have influenced the plot but this is not fundamentally a Christian story or analogy. (It would be interesting to tease out which aspects do reflect the Christian worldview and which don't).

And now that I have finished this, I should make a big chart of how everyone connects so I can keep it straight for the next book!

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my, Book Two please! ^_^

Unblemished by Sara Ella was complex tale with an intriguing cast of characters! In a modern-day setting, we meet Eliyana, a teenage girl with a strange birthmark on her face. She lives with her single mother in New York ... and couldn't imagine that there's another world beyond hers, and her history and destiny are intricately entwined within it.

I really enjoyed it! It's a sort of time-travel (realm-travel) speculative fiction, with a generous dash of fairy tale, where people travel from contemporary time to a fantasy realm! And I love both fairy tales and fantasy. There are several nods to Disney fairy tale classics, such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. One or two scenes reminded me of parts from the "Rapunzel-retelling movie", Tangled, and I adored that! *smiles*

Kisses of true love. Binding of hearts and souls. Deadly deals. Shadowy lands. Unfortunate family trees. Devious plans. Deep secrets ... Unblemished was one mysterious, mind-boggling, heart-wrenching story! Sara Ella has a great writing style, and I really enjoyed her take on writing in first-person. The plot was intricate. Sometimes the pace was a little slow, but the end was definitely worth it! Seeing everything come together ... oh my stars! Nearly blew my mind! Granted, I was a little confused at points, but I loved the conclusion and can hardly wait to see what happens next! I believe the next book in this series is titled, Unraveling. Eeee!

Unblemished didn't have a clear Christian allegory. But the author is a Christian, and you could definitely see the battle of light vs. darkness and little meaningful themes and lessons. One of the themes is of self-acceptance; Eliyana sees herself as ugly and has a hard time believing she's truly loved. And so she goes on this journey of discovering that even a birthmark that people make fun of, can be beautiful and meaningful.

And ... the love triangle. I don't like love triangles! Someone always gets hurt! (I get hurt too, my poor heart can't take it.) *cries* However, even though the love triangle is very evident in this book, it was handled fairly well ... for a love triangle. I didn't appreciate some of the kissing; but the guy I'm rooting for got more screen time and I think his actions are pretty clear - he's noble and kind and selfless, and he loves her; without any hidden agenda. And ... I think she truly loves him. #TeamKy all the way! Pleeeeaase!

*Ahem* Anyway, I'm so glad I got a chance to read this beautiful book! The cover is gorgeous, by the way! Fairy Tale <3. I now await Unraveling!

I received a copy of Unblemished from BookLookBloggers.com.

[Abigayle Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning I wasn't so sure about. The last half was really neat and I think I finally understand it all. :P Good themes, lots of fairy tale and real life charm. Not my favorite writing style, but I got used to it. Eliyana wasn't my favorite at the beginning (but neither was Ky and geez look at me now). Joshua is so ... unpredictable and doublesided o.o In the end, this book is SO worth the read. Hopefully you'll connect to it quicker than I did--the only real reason it has 4 stars. The plot is super twisty and the storytelling and world building masterful :) Even though Christianity wasn't a huge part of it, the Verity and the Void contrast was very neat and I picked up on a lot of "reflections." ;) Hopefully we'll see El grow more in Unraveled!!

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really fun to read a book like this because it's been a while since I've read about a girl who's uninitiated to the fantasy world she lives in. If you liked 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'Once Upon a Time' then this is definitely for you. (Also, I was getting a lot of 'Twitches' vibes from this too, for anyone from the old school DCOM days!)

Fair warning: there's a lot of world building in this. So many terms to wrap your head around that are explained, but I'll definitely need a refresher course for the second book! Also, a lot of character relationships that only gain clarity in back story towards the end of the book, so it's one I'd recommend paying attention to.

[Zac]

I need this book in my life. Like, now.

EDIT: HAAAAA IT HAS A COVER AND IT'S GLORIOUS. OCTOBER CAN'T GET HERE SOON ENOUGH.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, gripping, inspiring tale. Can’t wait to read more in this series. ✨

[booknuts_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book IS pretty unique and the world building is vibrant and fun. There were great things about this book that many people will like. It's fast paced busy which I like.

The world building was fun as it was contemporary but this story deals in Reflections or with parallel worlds. Not necessarily parallel PEOPLE but just worlds and these are called Reflections. It gets pretty complex which I appreciate big time, I enjoy a good unique world building and what makes this story so different. I liked that a lot. There is A LOT to this story that makes the world and the story very enchanting and vibrant.

Eliyana is marked. Not scared or deformed, marked. It's a very unique mark of swirls. This mark covers the entire right side of her face. However due to this mark she's been the brunt of ridicule and lack of friends. She feels like she is a freak, monster and ugly. You immediately feel bad for her. Especially as she talks about her only "friend" and then there is the guy she's been crushing on forever. As the story begins the loss of her mother which makes you just sad for the main character. Ugh what a beginning, it was brilliant you were immediately hooked.

I really liked Eliyana or 'El' at first and I felt bad for her and I was very interested in this mark. But I grew tired and annoyed of El and her obsession with Joshua her one true friend and long time crush. Throughout the whole book I had to listen to her whine and mope over this guy, I just wanted to shake her or slap her! GAH!

One good thing about Eliyana was the character development, it was a bit of a roller coaster with her as I liked her and then I didn't and it wasn't till the end that I really decided I liked her. She had A LOT of growing to do and fast which can be hard for a reader but in the end I was satisfied.

The big elephant in this book is the love triangle. I don't mind triangles if they are done well. And I need a good understanding and reason as to why there would even need to be one. Not sure if there is a good reason in this one but if you enjoy triangles, then you'll definitely want to pick this up.

The pace was overall fast which I generally enjoy. However I did feel like there were something missing at times. Things sometimes happened almost too quickly and conveniently.

Overall I enjoyed the book but there were times I felt like I had missed something or things happened and the romance was a bit much for me ONLY because I got tired of El and her constant obsession with a boy. I look forward to the next book and MORE from this author.



*A HUGE thank you to Sara Ella and Thomas Nelson for this ARC which I got in exchange for an honest review.*

[Erin Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am destroyed. Ordered the next two books in the series immediately upon finishing! How shall I ever organize my thoughts for this one?!

No one has a way with words like Sara Ella; masterful, poetic, emotional, raw and real. She writes in a way that makes me not want to miss a word. Her writing style reminds me of Kiera Cass, being extremely authentic and relatable, but it's the Broadway/Disney fairytale that meets Narnia story that had me hooked! This series NEEDS to be a movie or a tv series pronto!

There was just so much good in this story. The writing: phenomenal. The characters: relatable and real. The world: magical and mysterious. The themes: spot on and inspiring! I love how Sara Ella re-invented "kiss magic" to make it so much more than just romance. OH MY GOSH THAT ENDING! I JUST REMEMBERED AND I'M LIVING IT AGAIN GIVE ME A MOMENT

Okay. Back to the review.

The first thing that hit me was the opening chapter (duh) but the representation of grief was so authentic and real. Really hit home for me.

There were also so many vibes that I couldn't get enough of! There were “you can’t trust anyone” vibes, great political tension, amazing musical theatre references! Also, without giving away too much, this is the first time I've found a character caught in a love triangle and I'm like "girl, I know how we got here and I don't blame you but this is an impossible decision don't make me choose." And y'all, I have NEVER NOT ONE been invested in a love triangle. Golden.

I also really loved the mom's journal entries! In fact, the worldbuilding and exposition was top notch. Like, the iceberg was in full effect, but also, when I was finally desperately in need of answers, they were given! Rather than dumping the details right at the beginning (which can slow down the pacing too much for me somethings), the more expositiony worldbuilding is explained once the story has picked up speed, so it MATTERS! I have questions and context that give the information purpose beyond preparation. Masterful storytelling

I also loved how addiction is represented—not as something that makes someone disgusting, but with compassion to see that sometimes addictions are introduced maliciously, not always selfishly sought out. Well shown that addiction is often not conquered once and for all, but a daily battle.

Truly, I hit a point where I couldn't put this book down. If I had had the time, I would have finished it in a few days no doubt, and I'll be prepared with books 2 and 3 to make sure I have PLENTY of free time to knock them out, because I've heard they are even HARDER to put down!

[Issabelle Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'all I've got a lotta thoughts, so I'm just gonna dump them here, kay? Warning: I cannot promise any of the following sentences will be coherent and sane, but I shall try my best. ;) I'm gonna break it up into each of the different categories in a story: plot, characters, prose, etc.

PLOT:

So at first, this was about my least favorite part. Let's just say, I was expecting a novel that would draw me in from the very first word and carry me through to the very end, in which I would be left breathless and not able to comprehend what just happened. (Maybe shatter my heart along the way, but then *mostly* put it back together.) Can't lie, I was a bit disappointed at first, when I was over halfway and was still waiting for all that to happen. But, oh boy did that all change in that last stretch. Like, y'all, Ella pretty much slapped me in the face with the plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist (sometimes twisting the same part of the plot a hundred million times). I could hardly grasp what in the world was happening and in the end, I was left with no words. (Well, er, except for the loud rant I sorta dumped on one of my sisters. XD) Honestly, I JUST LOVED HOW IT ENDED SO, SO, SO, SOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! And, seriously, I'm REALLY content with its ending. (I know, I'm probably the only one out there like that.)

CHARACTERS:

DEFINITELY my favorite part of this book. Like El, Ky, and Joshua were really like THE best characters EVER!!! That whole ending part with the three of them... like oh my goodness, it was AMAZING!!! Crazy fangirl mode kicked in at that moment. I LOVED El's character arc AND her character voice. It was soo well-done that it just felt real. I was so happy how it stayed so true to her character and gave her a distinct voice. Ella really did nail this part! But let's talk about Ky and Joshua and my totally unpopular opinion about them. Y'all I LOVED JOSHUA!!!!!! I'm seriously okay if El ends up with him. HOWEVER, Ky is still my first pick, simply 'cause that dude has his own brand of awesome.

THEME:

Oooh, actually this might be my favorite part! I know that using "love" as the whole theme/message has pretty much been done a hundred times, but y'all this stuff literally never gets old to me. (My favorite part was the line where it talked about "unblemished love.")

IDEA:

So, this is never a big, deciding factor in how much I like a story BUT it is soooo cool when you find an amazing story WITH a genius idea! I mean, Reflections? Seriously? HOW CREATIVE!!!! I'm just the typical writer who writes about other "worlds." Never thought to do something outside of that with "Reflections." And then the Evers, Shields, Mirrors, Scribes, Physics, *I can't remember them all* just left me like man, I wish I had thought of this first because it was AH-MAY-ZING!!!!!!!

PROSE:

I will be one of the first to tell ya Ella has a VERY unique and gorgeous writing voice. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it. And it was sooo cool to see a fresh writing prose like that. It was mind-blowing and left me in awe! So, all that aside, even though her writing voice is so cool, it's not really my favorite one ever. Mainly 'cause sometimes it was hard to follow along with and felt choppy in a few places, but that's ONLY personal preference!!!

THE REASON FOR THE STAR CUT OFF?

Well, that's mainly for three reasons: (1) the plot moving a bit slower than I'd like. (2) the fact that I came in with too high expectations. I've heard Nadine Brandes and Sara Ella talked about hand in hand, so I was expecting to read a story similar to Brandes (especially 'cause I'm going through a Fawkes-withdrawal and NEED something similar to it!), but well, they're not really very similar. They're both good and awesome, but two different writers. So that's really my fault right there. ;) (3) there were a few content things that really pushed the limit for me. If I'm reading Christian fiction, I expect it to be clean as far as language and NOT almost come off with a cuss word in it. Yeah, it cut it off, but I still knew what the word was, so it's not much different than if you actually put it in there.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book and recommend it to ALL my fellow YA fantasy readers!!! *shoves the book in your hand because you NEED Ky in your life* XD Will I read the sequel? Um... I'd like to, but I'm really worried over here 'cause I just know the author's gonna mess everything up and I'm not emotionally ready to handle that. 😂😂😂 I'm sorta content at the moment but maybe.

[Alabama Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

My hearttttttttt

Yes the plot was confusing & I had to reread multiple pages in order to understand, yes the main character was sometimes annoying, yes it's tropey...

BUT THE CHARACTERS. THE EMOTIONS. Enough said.

I just..... yeah. My heart.

Also just wanna say I feel like this love triangle was the best one I've seen so far? I can't put my finger on why but I liked it more than normal. (Although I was super annoyed Eliyana kept kissing both of them. Like, just pick one, okay?!)

Anyway..... I'm probably gonna be on a book hangover until I can read the next book in the series. XD

[Faith M:) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. Mixed feelings...

Negatives:

There was some violence, but nothing terrible.

There is a party with alcohol at the beginning of the book, and a bunch of people are drunk.

Several mentions of people dressing immodestly. A few shapeshifting girls being completely naked in front of a bunch of people after they change out of their “animal form”.

I’m not a huge romance fan. A little bit is ok for me, but this romance was too much for my personal taste. The kissing was VERY descriptive, and I found myself skipping over those scenes and gagging. I’m such a wimp if someone is kissing. 😂😂😂

Positives:

The storyline was good!!! I enjoyed it!!! Ms. Sara Ella’s writing style is GORGEOUS!!! It sucked me right in to the story as soon as I picked up the book.

The characters were also very well put together!!! The love triangle!!! :O I despised Ky, but grew to like him!!! I’m still #TeamJoshua though!!! Lol

[Ry · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH WOW. I literally stayed up till 11:30 reading the last 260 pages. I blew me away. It was slower at the beginning, but once we hit the intense part, I couldn't put it down Aka. why i read 3/4 of it in one night. XD I was so torn. Sometimes there were moments when i was like YAY KY!! And then YAY JOSHUA! And that is why i hate/love triangles. In the Hunger games, i absolutely HATE that love triangle because Peeta is a Weakly Moron. (I stand by that FOREVER) So angry bc Gale is awesome. And in Hunger Games, Keefe is the obvious choice. So I'm kinda interested in where this love triangle will lead!. XD Also, the whole thing about the verity/void has got me confused. XD It took me like three watching of the movie and reading of the book to understand why Harry lived. (in Harry Potter) so if these next two books don't explain the situation very well, I'll just be stuck and in need for a re-read. XDDD But that was AWESOME.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my updated review on my blog!
https://geekychristianblog.wordpress....

[Storm]

Oh my goodness I need this now!!!!!! Sara Ella is one of my favorite BookTubers and I cannot wait to read her debut novel! This book sounds absolutely amazing. ^-^ Hugs to her on her success in the publishing world! :)

[Coralie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the cover for this is so pretty. The muted colors and the design are just so aesthetic.

Though this was Sara Ella's first book, I actually read Coral and then The Wonderland Trials first. It was interesting to go back and see her debut. I can see how she's grown, which is such a cool thing to be able to do. It's also encouraging to me that I myself can continue to grow in my own writing.

This story is more like something I'd likely pick up than Coral or even The Wonderland Trials usually. But I don't think I enjoyed it as much as The Wonderland Trials. Sara is full of such surprises!

That said, I did really like many elements of this one. The portal fantasy, the cool reflection idea. The worldbuilding was fun and I do look forward to seeing more of that in the remaining books of the trilogy. The idea of the Reflections is neat, but also somewhat familiar. (It kind of has Wonderlandish vibes a little.) And the second reflection tickled my fantasy girl love.

There were a ton of references throughout the book, and I did at a certain point get a little annoyed with those. I wanted to focus on El's story, not see how the world compared to a beloved classic or cool song. The references kind of pulled me out of the story and felt a little jarring. But, I did really like the lyrical emphasis and musical lens. As a musician, it was neat to see how the prose filtered through a musician's head and how it affected the plot itself.

I did get a little confused, especially toward the end. I struggled to follow what exactly had happened, but I'm hoping the sequels will explain a little bit more. There were some pretty cool twists and turns, but there were also some more complicated abstract ideas that I got a little lost in, especially in the climax.

I liked the characters. I'm usually pretty sure which side of a triangle I land on, but Sara's trixy and she tugged and pulled me around a little. I'm a little nervous now! I do somehow end up on the wrong end of a love triangle more times than not, though. The relationships between each of the characters drew me in, though. I liked seeing how they each connected in the plot with one another. And there were some fun side characters that made the journey an adventure.

The magic system had some neat elements. I'm really curious to learn more about this mirroring thing, but I also want to see more of the different Callings. I love the way Sara set up the shifters and shields and healers and whatnot. It was pleasantly surprising to see the variety, even within families and Callings themselves. That was probably one of my favorite parts.

As for content, there's no swearing, some mild fantasy violence, and some clean teen romance. The story deals with the ideas of love, abandonment, and grief. Thematically it explores good and evil. But there's nothing more than a kiss romantically and imagery of dark gloom over the land, etc. I'd say it's probably fine for 14/15+.

[Emileigh Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Unblemished,
You swept me off my feet. It has been a long time since I've read a really good and original fantasy story filled with amazing powers and gifts, mythological creatures, and unique places. Your author has such a talent for writing with a lyrical pen. How the words flowed together throughout your pages felt like every word was graced with music.
Eliyana, your main character, was very relatable. There were several times I found her dark thoughts about her self-worth mirroring my own thoughts through my darkest of times in my life and it made me want to read to the end because I wanted to see how she overcame those thoughts and feelings about herself.
The cast in your pages is adorable but there is one in particular that stole my heart...Ky. His back story is tragic but he has never let that stop him. He is truly an admirable character and (TINY SPOILER) I can't wait to see how his and Eliyana's stories continue in your sister, Unraveling. #TeamKy

Sincerely, Emmy

P.S. You delayed me from watching the Once Upon A Time TV series because I already felt like I was getting my fairy-tale dose for the week.

[Allyson Jamison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I seriously just finish that in a little over a day? Yes, yes I most definitely did.

Let me just say, this was the first fantasy novel that I completely and totally lost my heart over! The fantasy side of it was very well done (and that's coming from someone who's not a fan of fantasy) and I simply loved the fairy tale side of it. I felt like a little kid once again in the worlds of make believe I would come up with.

I cannot give this book enough praise, honestly. From the moment it began I was hooked. I instantly fell in love with Eliyana and just the story in general. All of the characters were beautifully portrayed and I couldn't help but fall in love with them all, even the bad ones!

My heart was thumping from the moment she started being stalked and for the rest of the book it was a back and forth trust Ky, don't trust Ky. I'm still not for sure. But, let's just say, I am definitely on his side no matter what happens!

This book had so many emotions packed into it, it was truly a masterpiece. Even though I finished it it's still in my thoughts and I know I'll definitely be reading it again! For now, however, I can't wait to start the second book!!

[Sarah Briel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, my dear, this book disappointed me.

I'm not sure, man.

Okay first off, let's get it out of the way that this cover is drop dead gorgeous. I will love this cover forever and just wish that I loved the book inside it quite as much but ... I had a range of problems with it.

• The writing style is incredibly annoying. Or, more accurately the style of literally. Writing. All. The. Sound. Effects. Like ... *deep sigh* This is a book, alright? I do not need random italicized sound effects sprinkled all over the place, knocking me out of the story to instead give an annoyed sigh. It just got really annoying and really old exceptionally fast. Not only that, but sometimes there were random sound effects that made zero sense. Such as one of my favorites: the time where it literally says "Double snap". What is a double snap you ask? Is someone snapping their fingers? I don't believe so. Is there ... like seriously. I'm out of answers here. These sound effects also often come in random threes such as

"Flip. Flap. Flit"
"Flip. Scan. Turn"
"Hiss, spray, whoosh."

And many more.
This just ... happens throughout the entire book. Honestly, it's entirely personal opinion, but this was literally grating on my nerves.

• On the topic of writing style ... El has ... an incredibly annoying and unrealistic way of "swearing". Basically, she happens to go into this world, be there for a couple days, and then naturally basically just use the names of stuff there in place of "oh my gosh" or something of the sort. Which frankly ... this is like ... erm ... you literally just learned these names this week. Why are you doing this. How are you doing this. For example with frequency she says stuff such as "if it wasn't broken before it sure as crowe is now" Crowe happens to be the name of the antagonist. I'm just ... I'm confused guys. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

• El is a Special Snowflake™ X100. This kid ... *sighs* I don't think I can say much without revealing spoilers but She happens to be the "savior" of the entire place which as of itself is a warning sign. But wait! There's more! Her birthmark is One Of A Kind™ Basically at one point (I really should have been marking these passages ... they're just too good not to share but I can't remember the wording exactly ...) she basically says "Only people who are exceptionally good and kind and selfless can do so and so." (apologies for my inexact quote. If anyone knows the actual one I'm talking about I'd love to correct it. Hopefully I'm remembering correctly.) where she happens to have done so and so ... thus basically calling herself good and kind and selfless by default which, as it happens I know for a fact she's not because I've had to stick with her this entire. book. Basically she's the Only One™ who can do way to many things.

• I found El as annoying as a strawberry that looks beautiful but's been eaten on the inside by a slug. Basically just really annoying. There's one major point I'll get to later because it deserves it's own category but ... for the majority of the story she was obsessed with her mother. I'm talking unhealthy obsession here. Like ... normally this would be sweet but it got really annoying really fast. She was basically putting the safety of literally everyone else at stake and shunning any sensible and logical plans and everything at all just because she wanted to be incredibly stupid because for some reason she thought she could save her mother. Like ... chickadee ... I get that you love your mum but would you just calm the heck down and listen to people who actually know what's going on and just ... chillll ...
Ah, but that's not all. She literally hears her mother's voice in her head. Like she kind of tries to brush it off at the beginning by saying something like

"Beneath winter's ice sadness lies spring's blooming joy."
Mom's poetic words breeze across my heart. She was always repeating things like this, urging me to remember them, to write them down.

But see, this thing is, most of these random conversations you're having in your head with your mum Eliyana aren't at all poetic words or anything resembling that. For instance this one conversation she has in her head when her mum's not there ...

"Call Joshua now."
I've got this. I have to learn to do things on my own.
....
He seems nice enough. What's the harm?
"Stop, Eliyana."
Mom—
"This is a bad idea."
I'm fine.

Which the first time isn't admittedly that weird but she does this all. the. time.

• There was a love triangle! *applauds before dying* Okay don't get me wrong ... I kind of sort of maybe don't care that much about love triangles but for the most part they're just plain annoying. And this one was about ten times worse than normal annoying ones.
See ... first off we have Josh who is apparently perfect in all things and El lurrvves him and he's possibly maybe shown something back and there's backstory and we literally see NONE OF THIS??? Like ... from the summary it sounds like a major part of the story is about this Joshua fellow and his accepting her (like ... literally half the summary is this ...) but we see none of that in the beginning of the story. At all. We're basically just told to accept it and MY PUNY BRAIN CANNOT GUYS. He's basically a jerk the entire time. Like a major jerk. That El the slightly stupid special snowflake lurves for whatever reason.
Then add another guy where it's kind of love/hate but at least he's not as jerky as Joshua (most ... of the time ...) and it's jut like ... Fun! Love triangle! Who wouldn't want to read about this disgusting thing! (I'm sorry guys, I'm having major issues with romance in books at this time in my life ... It's ... not good ...)

• So ... I'm also confused by her birthmark. Apparently it's music notes. That were obviously actual notes that one could read because she was singing them. But what I desperately want to know is how in the world did literally nobody else get this. Like ... El makes sense, with the mirror and all but what about the literal hundreds of people that she must have seen everyday in school and in town and everything? Are you telling me literally none of them can read music or even recognize musical notes? I find this utterly unbelievable. I am just confused.

• [Edit 10/14/19 A couple people have commented and mentioned that they didn't interpret this passage like this. Honestly? It's been two years since I've written this review, and now I am an aged bean, and I have to say I probably wouldn't have interpreted this passage as I did when I originally read it. That being said, my young brain was pretty sure for the whole book that El ate some pepperoni, and I would say the passage could have been written slightly clearer. Feel free to disregard this point. I'm going to leave what I originally wrote in, but I do think my views have changed.]
And last but not least ... there's a major actual literal plot hole! Like ... it's not super major or anything but as El was already annoying my to start with it's just like ... no.
See ... El, on page 6 says

"Prosciutto? Really? Gag me. I haven't touched meat in ten years, and I'm certainly not going to start now."

Which is all fine and good really. I mean vegetarians don't bug me at all. As long as you don't hate on people I don't really care. You go girl. But the problem here is, 25 pages after she literally said she hadn't eaten meat in ten years and wasn't going to start anytime soon she EATS FLIPPING PEPPERONI. I am not even kidding. And it wasn't even vegetarian pepperoni either. The book literally says

A stack of pizza boxes sits on the counter.
....
In the fourth I find a few slices of cold pepperoni. It'll have to do. One by one I pick off the processed-meat circles and toss them onto a napkin. When I take my first bite, I sigh. It might be cold, but my stomach doesn't care.

Um ... excuse me? You, vegetarian who hasn't eaten meat in ten years literally just ate "processed-meat circles" MEAT. Like ... *blinks* What just happened here?
Not only that, but she goes on the rest of the book constantly complaining about meat, people eating meat, the smell of meat, the look of meat, how people can eat something that was alive, and I'm just here HEADDESKING violently as I sit in my confusion because Eliyana child ... you. ate. meat. What's happening. Why. Why. What. And how.

• There also happens to be another error, though much smaller. See ... El is facing a mirror. She pulls off the sheet covering the mirror. She sees something in the mirror and I quote. "I do a 360" She then is apparently facing what she saw in the mirror and then later "back[s] away, nearly knocking over the mirror." Now ... correct me if I'm wrong but ... is a 360 not all the way around in a circle? So apparently, if we're taking this directly out of the book, she swirled in a circle 360 degrees to face back where she was originally facing, magically was facing the other direction, and then as she was magically facing the other direction still she walked backwards, bumping into what she would have been facing if she hadn't magically faced the other direction after swirling entirely in a circle. Right ... This makes perfect sense ...

Okay so I realize that this entire review so far has been very negative but I mean ... I didn't really hate the book? I literally wanted to chuck it at the wall out of annoyance at least 100 times but like ... The ending was good. It was Special Snowflakey™ but it actually made me want to read the next book (before I remembered all the reasons I didn't like this one *cough cough*). I ... can't exactly put my finger on anything that I actually liked but there were some okay parts to it ...

Anyway ... it was a slight waste of time and incredibly annoying but at least it's off my TBR pile now. *headdesks* I hope anybody else out there who's read this one actually enjoys it, as I really didn't. All I can say is that the cover is really amazing. XD

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow, that was intense. I wasn't expecting Unblemished to be that good. I saw all the rave reviews on Goodreads, and felt skeptical. "Well, might as well give it a try, I suppose." I'm glad I did.

I'm normally not a fan of allegories--I suppose that only contributed to my skepticism. However, it was really well done here. Very subtle, and not in your face at all. I'm interested to see where the author takes it in following books. The entire story kept me riveted, and I couldn't wait to see what happened to Eliyana next. I found the world-building to be believable, and very fascinating. I'm not normally of fan of alternate reality stories, but...this book is an exception to a lot of my dislikes.

But not all of them. (Warning! Warning! Minor spoilers ahead!) This book does have a love triangle. And yes, it is very frustrating. It was convincing at the beginning--the author had me rooting for one guy, until the tables turned and I was rooting for the other, just like Eliyana. Unfortunately, I remained rooting for that one character for the rest of the book. Guy #1 totally and completely lost my vote by acting like a total jerk. 'Nuff said. Most of the characters were well-rounded, and sympathetic. Eliyana was especially endearing, as we spent the most time in her head, experiencing her every emotion. Her character transformation was excellently done.

I liked how it started in our world, before transitioning into the fantasy realm. All the pop culture references were really fun. It was neat to watch El transition into the new realm, and start to unconsciously use 2nd Reflection phrases in her thoughts and dialogue. I also loved the idea of Callings, and Thresholds. However, quite a bit of the world-building was very confusing. What, exactly, happened to Reflections 5-7? (Is that correct? There are 7 Reflections total, right? Ugh. See, it's totally confusing.) And I'm not sure I totally got the concept of what the Verity and the Void are, and what they can do. Things only got messier towards the end, and I'm still not sure what happened. I can't share much more details, as I'll only spoil the plot.

Overall, I'd rate the book 5 stars, minus 1/2 for confusion, and another 1/2 for the love triangle. I can't wait to start Unraveling, as Unblemished left me with a bit of a cliffhanger. Let's hope it's just as good--or dare I say, even better--than the first!

Rating: 4 stars

Recommended: Yes. 14 and up. (Too confusing for younger readers, and some content issues.)

Content guide:

Language: 2/10 (at least one bad word and unfinished sentence that implied foul language)
Sexual content: 6/10 (frequent non-sexual nudity, desire to kiss or touch, heavy kissing, some touching, innuendo, implications of rape, adultery, fornification)
Violence: 6/10 (quite a few injuries and deaths, but most non-graphic)

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy to review!*

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