UnSouled: It's Not My Favorite of the Bunch, But Still ...

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for UnSouled by Neal Shusterman, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessors, UnWind and UnWholly.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Now that The Graveyard—the unwinds' sanctuary—has been destroyed, Connor Lassiter and Lev Calder are on the run.  Trying to keep a low profile, they head toward Ohio, where they hope to finally get some answers about Proactive Citizenry.  Their quest does not go smoothly, of course.  There's a kidnapping, a couple of car wrecks, an ostrich, and a band of Native Americans with their own agenda.  While all of these things distract them from their ultimate goal, neither Connor nor Lev will quit until they can stop unwinding forever.

Meanwhile, Camus Comprix, the world's first composite human being, is taxed with convincing the higher-ups that he's a worthy investment.  Risa's betrayal has made him suspect.  He wants to hate her for that, but he can't.  She's all he thinks about, whether he likes it or not.

Between Connor's adventures, Cam's exploits, and the increasing number of clapper attacks happening all over the country, the journey to stop unwinding is going to be one heck of a wild ride.

Although UnSouled, the third installment in Neal Shusterman's popular UnWind series, juggles so many different stories that it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, it's an exciting read, if an unfocused one.  Lev's back story gets filled in and we get to catch up on the doings of other familiar characters.  UnSouled is more humdrum than the first two books, but Shusterman's characters are compelling all on their own.  This isn't my favorite novel of the bunch, I admit, and yet, I still enjoyed it.  As a whole, I love this clever, thought-provoking series.  If you're not reading it, you should be.

(Readalikes:  UnWind, UnWholly, and UnDivided by Neal Shusterman)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of UnSouled with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.