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Looking back on Unbreakable, I'm overcome with a sense of disappointment at both myself and the book itself. I had been looking forward to this book for ages and it was one of my most anticipated books of 2013. I am a huge fan of the Beautiful Creatures series and so I had astronomically high expectations for Unbreakable. In other words, I was 100% convinced that I would love this book to no end. I was so convinced that it would become one of my favorite YA novels, that is until I actually started to read Unbreakable.
I enjoyed Unbreakable right from the start due to Garcia's compelling writing skills and her ability to create such a creepy atmosphere. Kami Garcia is talented and there's no denying that, but I really don't think Unbreakable really showcases all of her writing abilities to their utmost capabilities. The beginning of the novel gave me an idea that the characters would be well-developed, but as the novel went on, it seemed that some of the characters morphed into personality-less husks.
Kennedy Waters is really unsure of herself at the beginning of Unbreakable and she is saved by Jared and Lukas Lockhart. I really liked Kennedy, but I kept waiting for that moment when Kennedy would accept who she is and take action. When her mother dies, Kennedy really doesn't seem to be affected all too much by this death until later. I understand that Kennedy is blinded by her loss to see that she is a member of the Legion, but it was all too much. The fact that Kennedy had to kept denying that she was apart of Legion and acted immature when the matter was brought up, really irked me. I expected a little bit of denial, but for her to keep shooting down the idea so often really didn't work for me. I expected to see Kennedy more comfortable in her skin and more comfortable in Unbreakable, but the reader doesn't see much of a character progression on her part.
When it comes to the brothers, Lukas and Jared Lockhart, I can only express statements of disappointment. I love the way Garcia (and Stohl) portrayed Ethan in Beautiful Creatures, but Lukas and Jared really lacked the believability that Ethan wore like a cloak. Lukas and Jared's characters are never fully scoped out through the novel and I felt like I never really understood either character at all. Unless a name was mentioned, I couldn't really differentiate between Lukas and Jared too much because both characters just felt incomplete like they were missing something so essential. Not to mention the fact that the brothers are constantly fighting like juveniles when there are bigger problems like demons and vengeance spirits. I understand that the brothers have an irreconcilable backstory, but the brothers attacked more like elementary school than mature teenagers.
The plot of Unbreakable is full of enough mysterious and creepy happenings to sate my macabre cravings. Garcia really knows how to weave a paranormal novel, making each encounter with a supernatural being exciting and intense. This book is insanely creepy, like leave your lights on at night kind of creepy and I appreciate all of the horror elements that went into this book. Garcia never truly holds back when it comes to the horror and Unbreakable isn't for the faint at heart.
I'm really not sure where the whole romance angle of this book is going at all. There are only romantic tinges that really didn't stick out much in my mind. I'm not sure if there's going to be in future installments because the romance in this book doesn't really go anywhere. I won't mind reading a love triangle in this series, as long as it's executed well.
Unbreakable really had promise and it's really a shame that I didn't enjoy it more. I really loved the plot and the horror aspects, but the characters and the romance really fell short for me. I will be continuing this series because I know this series has tons of potential and I just love Garcia's writing. I know I didn't enjoy Unbreakable as I would have liked, but I have a feeling that fans of horror novels will absolutely love it.
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