misspearch's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! what an amazing book and talented writer! This book tackles a pretty heavy subject and makes some amazing points, but never seems forced or contrived. I am still shocked by one chapter towards the end. I plan on reading more of this authors work and highly recommend this one.
antimony's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
so readable and fast-paced like any good ya dystopian and wonderfully bereft of a love triangle (since it was published pre-hunger games) . and the concept is interesting and ripe with potential for horror. ()
but on the other hand. the worldbuilding is rather, well. nonsense. in what world is the compromise between pro- and anti-choice people to kill teenagers....i know it's kind of a grey area in the book of whether they die or not and their memories can pass on to the people who recieve their parts but like. they die. let's be real about it. from a pro-choice standpoint this solves nothing. and neither does storking. it's kind of obvious that this was a man's sci-fi dystopian idea of a compromise over reproductive rights because it doesn't really take into account a big part of abortions -- in our world if you can't take care of a baby you can still give it up for adoption. but if you don't want to be pregnant, you have an abortion. which is not an option in this world, so clearly anti-choice people won. (though like. if they're genuinely anti-choice because they believe life begins at conception rather than just for the sake of controlling women's bodies then they wouldn't agree with this as a solution either. because it's so obvious to the entire real world(me as opposed to the characters in this book) that unwinding is the same thing as dying.
and the thing is that it is still good as a dystopian concept! it's just that the reason unwinding exists is dumb. why couldn't it be like for population control reasons? which is still horrible but like . as worldbuilding makes a lot more sense.
i would have enjoyed this in 6th grade though. which is when i primarily wanted to read it.
Spoiler
the chapter where roland was unwound. yeahbut on the other hand. the worldbuilding is rather, well. nonsense. in what world is the compromise between pro- and anti-choice people to kill teenagers....i know it's kind of a grey area in the book of whether they die or not and their memories can pass on to the people who recieve their parts but like. they die. let's be real about it. from a pro-choice standpoint this solves nothing. and neither does storking. it's kind of obvious that this was a man's sci-fi dystopian idea of a compromise over reproductive rights because it doesn't really take into account a big part of abortions -- in our world if you can't take care of a baby you can still give it up for adoption. but if you don't want to be pregnant, you have an abortion. which is not an option in this world, so clearly anti-choice people won. (though like. if they're genuinely anti-choice because they believe life begins at conception rather than just for the sake of controlling women's bodies then they wouldn't agree with this as a solution either. because it's so obvious to the entire real world(me as opposed to the characters in this book) that unwinding is the same thing as dying.
and the thing is that it is still good as a dystopian concept! it's just that the reason unwinding exists is dumb. why couldn't it be like for population control reasons? which is still horrible but like . as worldbuilding makes a lot more sense.
i would have enjoyed this in 6th grade though. which is when i primarily wanted to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Sexual harassment, Child death, and Death
Minor: Suicide and War
kcoccia's review against another edition
4.0
The premise of this book is just crazy. Its okay to cut up kids between 13 and 18 and use those parts on others just because??? What?! Crazy! But anyways, I was convinced that this book was seriously going to gross me out but not as bad as I was expecting. I'll admit there are a few parts that are really disturbing but I think its mostly the idea of the book that is disturbing. I like all of the characters though I do think they could be developed more. I need a tad more emotional connection. Will start the next one immediately
ark99's review against another edition
5.0
neal shusterman my beloved
so realistic its scary really makes you question all of these issues
so realistic its scary really makes you question all of these issues
caitbooks_27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
emmaadele's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nikamarie's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
eliana12's review against another edition
4.0
With a terrifying premise unlike any other, Unwind set the stage for a new and thrilling dystopia. Utilizing super short chapters, the book flows quickly and easily through the story. The story covers a lot of ground and it is handled marvelously. I came to love the characters, and they were all developed to the maximum. The characters especially were incredibly well written. While this book follows much of the same formula as other dystopian novels, including Schusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series, it presents the story in a fresh and exciting way. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!
ronimac74's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting and twisted on so many levels. It had a good story line and definitely an intriguing story about a society that feels that they are satisfying both sides of pro- life and pro-choice groups by developing the "unwinding process". A process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive in an divided state. Still trying to real in the story but looking forward to the next two reads in the series.