Unwholly: Volume 2

I wasn't entirely sure that Unwholly would match up to the impact that Unwind had on me. Let's face it, watching a boy be Unwound was chilling. Actually the whole concept is pretty chilling! So a follow up wasn't likely to surprise me now that that shock factor is out in full force. But actually, it was a really close second.Written in the same format as before, with alternating chapters from various characters perspectives, we see what is happening to Connor now that he is running the safe haven for AWOLs, what Lev is doing now he's doing public service as a tithe symbol, and what Risa is up to as Connors second set of eyes (and girlfriend) as she adapts to her paraplegia.There are some recurring themes in here. Namely that everyone is hunting Connor and Risa, and all the AWOLs really, for a high price. There are also some similar characters, like a boy who is basically Roland all over again minus the shark tattoo. And a cop with a vengeance. But there are also some cool new ideas I really liked too.Shusterman introduces the black market traders, known as parts pirates, who effectively hunt or trap AWOLs to sell piece by piece on the black market. This idea was really well fleshed out and kept me fully engrossed! I also liked the concept of Cam, a human entirely built from unwinds - not a single piece of him doesn't belong to someone else. This has so much potential for future books but really stuck out in this book as a massively unique selling point.The romance between Risa and Connor is actually stamped out a bit here, for which I was glad - the mushy romance stuff really detracts from the serious issues within. I also felt the short extracts from, presumably, newspaper clippings and headlines were really fun and helped break up the pace a bit.Overall, a good second instalment to the world of Unwind. I'm glad the original characters remained but that new ideas and new characters were introduced. My only niggle was some of the repetitive character types (I.e Roland part two) which were less than imaginative but the introduction of Cam may have just made up for that!

If you devoured every page of Unwind, then this second book in the trilogy cannot be missed! I really enjoyed returning to the lives of Connor, Risa and Lev and enjoyed seeing their characters develop.Risa in particular has to make some strong sacrifices and I particularly liked reading about her and Cam (a new character introduced, who is made only from undwind's body parts!) It was intriguing to read about Cam and I almost found myself questioning, is he actually real? Does he have his own feelings? He turns out to be a fantastic character (definitely one of my favourites) and I think Neil Shusterman was extremely clever with creating and explaining about this new being.Again, the book changes the perspectives in each chapter. We read events from Lev, Connor and Risa's viewpoints, but also from a few others such as Cam and Starkey (the new bully and 'Roland' type character). I welcomed the different viewpoints given in each chapter and like 'Unwind', I really feel it helps with moving events forward and creating a quick pace. Occassionally, chapters feature adverts for unwinding and official statements. I didn't really enjoy reading those chapters, as I'm not sure that they were entirely necessary. I would sooner have had read about more character interactions as opposed to adverts that we already know about.If you enjoyed the action in 'Unwind', then this book certainly won't disappoint. The final few chapters in particualar are loaded with action from all angles!! The book is also just as disturbing as its predecessor, and I still have trouble with getting my head around the unnerving idea for the plot! I definitely enjoyed being back in this horrifying world though, and it was good to learn out more about the mysteries of unwinding and why it was initially put into place.If you're still deliberating as to buy this novel, I would say do it!! It is just as good as 'Unwind' and won'tlet you down.

Another top notch book by Neal Shusterman - who's rapidly becoming a favourite author of mine.This is a sequel to the first in the series, 'unwind', soon to be followed by 'unsouled', early next year (already out in the US).This book's just as good as its predecessor, which is rare in the book world. And lots more plot twists for the reader to enjoy. Unlike one or two other commenters, I found myself taking a liking to Cam. He is an enigma I wasn't expecting.I can't wait for part three. In the mean time, I'm now going to scour Amazon for more books by this author.Rating - five stars. If you liked the first, you'll like this. If you haven't read the first book - go buy it now - You'll love it!

To my mind, the second installment in the series isn't quite as suspenseful/captivating as the first; however, it does move the story along nicely in the grand scheme of things.

Good price and delivery. Loved the series of books