{Early Review} of Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

GENRE: YA Dystopian
THEME: Futuristic/Romance
RECEIVED: Received for Balzer + Bray
AUTHORS BLOG: Elizabeth Norris' Blog


BLURB:

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life. 

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process. 

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

REVIEW:
Dystopian novels are all the talk these days, Unraveling hit the list as one of the most interesting and best I’ve read in a while. I was trying to connect and solve all the mysteries along with Janelle, the protagonist and loved how everything was just so intense.

Janelle is an ordinary teenage girl, with a boyfriend, great friends, a close bond with her brother and a busy but awesome father. But then something happened that will change her life forever, she was hit and killed by a pickup truck. The she woke up seeing the face of Ben Michael, a loner at her high school. Soon after that she discovers her accident is connect to her fathers cause with the FBI and a countdown has begin and the possibility of the end of the world in coming.

Janelle reminded me a lot of myself, which was kind of creepy and I also live in San Diego where this whole book takes place. It kind of tripped me out but I was excited to know where the characters were by the location. She’s a smart character and even though her dad is super busy all the time, there is that unmistakable bond and as well as both are protective over her brother. There is a lot of family drama that she deals with and some parts just broke my heart. Elizabeth Norris really knows how to hit the emotion mark and connect you to her characters. My key favorite part was the x-files television show connection with the family and how they quoted it; my dad and I always did that!

Ben is an interesting guy and super mysterious, but of course there is a major reason behind it. I was trying to find his connection to how he saved Janelle to the mysterious murders that were occurring around the city. The twist and turns were what made this a thriller; I was on the edge of my seat and hoped that everything would turn out well. Also the chemistry with Ben and Janelle was undeniable, I wanted them together but also knew that a lot of things would keep them apart.

Overall I was kind of an emotional wreck over this book, but in a good way. I loved the characters and how nothing was predicable, even in the end I was shocked. There are bad guys, but I had no clue who there were until the last minute. The only thing I don’t like is that I have to wait a very long time now for the next book; I can’t wait for Norris’ next chapter in this fantastic thriller.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel with a unique story line that gets the heart pumping. Fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin’s by and Lauren DeStefano’s The Chemical Garden will want to get there hands on Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris.

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