Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Book Review: Unknown (Unknown #1)

Unknown (Unknown Trilogy #1)About the Book:
Title: Unknown (Unknown #1)
Author: Wendy Higgins
Pub. Date: August 16, 2016
Publisher: Wendy Higgins
Pages: 342
Rating: 4/5 stars




Synopsis:

Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technology and communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.
 

Review:

This is a fantastic start to Wendy Higgins new self-published series! If anyone follows Wendy's newsletter, they know the struggle she went through with this book. I for one am glad that she self-published it so that she could deliver readers exactly what she wanted. And let me tell you, this one is sure to be a hit! While this has been marketed as romance, there really isn't too much in it (it's not your typical Wendy Higgins book that is). This is definitely more of a dystopian/sci-fi book than it is romance. I personally liked this departure from her usual writing because it shows that she is a truly great author who isn't inclined to just stick to one genre. She wants to reach out and explore her writing skills. If this book is any indication, I can't wait to see what other genres Wendy would decide to write in. 

This book follows Amber and is told from her perspective. She is a fantastic lead character--one who is strong and confident in her abilities, and determined to help others and those she loves most. Amber is selfless (even though she might not think so) and is such an admirable character. I found myself relating to her a lot while reading, which made this book even better for me. The one thing I liked about her the most though, is there really is not that much that is special about her (just hear me out on this one). She is a regular ordinary girl, whose life is turned upside down and sideways. But she doesn't let anything stop her from doing anything she sets her mind to. Amber's character is a great role model and you can take away a lot from her character if you pay attention. The other characters were all very well developed and easily find a way into your heart. Rylen is our "love interest" and I'm intrigued as to where Amber and Rylen's relationship will go. There's a very big boulder in their path toward actually being together (and I don't see that boulder rolling away anytime soon). But I really did like his character and am interested to see how his character grows and develops in the next book.

While the book is NA, there's really not much that is NA about it (other than the characters being 21+). The romance is light (in other words, nothing graphic), but written beautifully--just like we've come to expect from Wendy. She did a great job at writing the romance realistically as it takes a backseat to the craziness that is going on around the characters. When things calm down a bit, and the romance comes back out, well it shines through on the page and the scenes are fraught with sexual tension and undeniable chemistry between our two characters. But this book truly shines when it comes to the focus on family and friendship. These are two core aspects of Unknown and I liked how this little addition made me love the story that much more. Wendy puts the focus on fighting together as a family, and remembering that you have people who love you to help get you through the tough times. You don't have to do everything yourself. 

The plot of the story, while a little slow, definitely builds up over the course of the story, and sets up the sequel perfectly. There is a lot of different directions this story could take and I am extremely excited to see what Wendy has in store for us next! The story is very creative and unique and I have my theories about what is going on. I highly recommend checking out this book if you're into eerie dystopian/sci-fi novels with a touch of romance. Definitely add this to your TBR right away!


Happy reading :)

~Cassie

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