Review: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Unbreakable (Unraveling #2)
by Elizabeth Norris
Published: April 23, 2013




Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

I don’t know where to start. I have a lot of good things to say about Unbreakable and to be honest I’m still in the middle of calming myself after reading it. First of all, I did not know this is the last book. I only have a hundred pages left when I decided to call it quits since I have school in the morning. Before I decided to continue reading the following day, I visited my Goodreads page and saw one review of Unbreakable saying there will not be any sequel. Now I did not exactly expect it to be a long series but imagine how I would feel to know that little info when I am 1/5 left to finishing it. Panic attack. Of course I freaked out. I find it really hard to read endings in a series I absolutely love. And now that Janelle’s story has been concluded and let go (not fully, but still) I am going to say that IF this really is the last book then it is a good one.

Janelle Tenner had stopped her and Ben’s world from colliding but not before the massive destruction it left behind. Many lives have been lost and the world is a pile of rubble and misery. Ben and Elijah is finally back in their own worlds with their families while Janelle continues to be strong for her younger brother, doing what she can to try and put pieces of their Earth back together.

It was a depressing and sad start. Unraveling ended with the mystery of how Janelle came back from being dead solved but also with heartbreaking consequences. They’ve finally connected the dots and found out that it was bigger than they could ever imagine and now they are staring at what could have been Earth being wiped out of existence. The first part of Unbreakable describes such a vivid image of the present state of Janelle’s place. It felt like I was watching those post-apocalyptic movies in slow motion. There’s little food and supplies and people are cramming in evacuation centers. A lot of people were missing but as days go by, it increases into an alarming number that Janelle and the FBI soon learned was not just a normal circumstance because apparently human trafficking between worlds for slavery and such when your own world is currently healing is not a big pain in the ass.

As expected, the plot and pacing is just as gripping and brilliant that you’d never ever get bored. Readers will be hopping between worlds in Unbreakable trying to bring down the largest human trafficking ring in five days before those wrongfully accused will be punished in their place. If that alone is not enough to bring you on the edge of your seat well, ha, you get to know more about some of the characters you met in the first book. Yes, I’m talking about Barclay. You get to see not the other side of him but rather the best and honorable part of being Barclay-the-jerk. And yes, I definitely love him.

You guys should really look forward to the world-hopping part. For one, you don’t know what or whom you will meet in the process and you might wholly be surprised. Also, bonus points to Ben Michael’s first appearance in this book because he’s singing Iridescent by Linkin’ Park which made me all swoony and smiling like an idiot for some reason WHICH, thanks to you Ms. Norris, proceeded to a broken heart and numerous gasps of disbelief coming from me. I mean, what was that? WHAT THE FREAK WAS THAT? THAT. PART. IS. CRUEL.

When you were standing in the wake of devastation

when you were waiting on the edge of the unknown

with the cataclysm raining down, insides crying save me now

you were there and possibly alone.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation

you build up all the failures all you've known

remember all the sadness and frustration

and let it go, let it go.

Yeah, BEN. You couldn’t have picked a more appropriate song for that particular moment you were singing it.

There’s a lot of planning, and hiding, and kicking ass so don’t ya’ worry; a little romance, funny moments in the middle of or close to an i-give-up situation (thing is, they’ve never given up), this-is-it moments, life-flashing-before my eyes moments.. It’s a roller coaster of emotions which means that, unfortunately, there are also a lot of tears and goodbyes.

This is probably the part where I bawl and express my sentiments about everything that has happened in this book. It’s a perfect ending to the story. It was wrapped up nicely and left me satisfied without questions left unanswered but not before Elizabeth Norris punched my gut with that.. that.. UGH! I know, I know. I accepted the fact not for long because it was inevitable and it wouldn’t be realistic if everyone will have a happy ending in a world of corruption and trafficking and guys with guns but DAMN. IT. HURTS!

So yeah, this review probably did not make that much sense that you decided to skip the rest of it and just read my final verdict and here it is in bold letters so you won’t miss it: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ UNRAVELING AND UNBREAKABLE!

**Cover comments!

I love the cover! It’s amazing if not better than the first one. Who are the other two? Ohmygod, is that BARCLAY?! Or Elijah? I’m pretty sure the girl is Cecily. *gushes* I’m so in love with this series’ covers. Sad not to see more of them in the future :(

Words!

“Grab a gun. We might need it.”

“Whatever, J,” Elijah says. “This is the second fucking time I’ve gotten shot when I was with you. I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

____

Elijah nods. His face is serious, like he’s really thinking about whether he could make it a week and only swear once. I don’t know why he’s even considering it – we all know he couldn’t do it.

____

Nothing has ever felt so right.

Everything that tried to stand between us doesn’t matter now. We might have broken a little.

But now we’re stronger in those broken places.

And we’re going to face whatever comes next together.