Review: The Spring Before I Met You

Title: The Spring Before I Met You (The Lynburn Legacy #0.25)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication date: September 11, 2012

This story introduces us to one of the main characters of Unspoken, Jared Lynburn. Seeing him as the broken, dangerous, closed-off teenager that he appears to be from the outside allows us to anticipate all of the insight we'll have into his character when we get inside his head--which we will, since he's the heroine's "imaginary friend."

HOW do I even begin to describe how much I loved this short e-story??? I can sum up my reaction in this one gif:

I loved Jared's character in Unspoken, but reading his story in The Spring Before I Met You has made me love him even more!

"There were certain kids at school who could only be described as mad, bad, and dangerous to teach, and Jared Moore was their king."

Told from the POV of Jared's American guidance counselor, this short story provides insight on Jared's life before he met Kami, before he met his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Before he knew about the Lynburn legacy.

In Unspoken, we saw him as the troubled, brooding outcast, and while that's true in this story as well, you see so much more character depth.
You see Jared's sanity put into question and his apathy to the world around him, except that underneath it all, he's not as tough as he appears. In The Spring Before I Met You, you meet the Jared that loves to read, who has a dry sense of humor, whose most precious thing in the world is the voice in his head he believes belongs to his imaginary friend.

“She’s mine,” he said. “She’s the only thing I ever had for my own.” 

I am now sure that Kami and Jared are endgame. After seeing him in this story, it's impossible for me to believe that he could actually say those things to Kami at the end of Unspoken and mean them! If they don't end up together, I WILL FLIP ALL THE TABLES IN THE WORLD.

Once again, Sarah Rees Brennan has made me fall in love with her characters... and brutally ripped my heart out. This short story is simultaneously hilarious and utterly heartbreaking and I am certain that SRB one seriously evil author who enjoys wreaking havoc upon the heart of her readers. 

Rating: 5 amazing, heart-wrenching stars

This is a perfect read for anyone who's already read Unspoken and wants to curb their craving for Untold--but BEWARE of the intense feelings that this book may induce!

Review: Unspoken

Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Adults
Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Rating: 5 stars*

What do I like about this book? Hmm....

I think the better question is what DON'T like about this book?

Because that list is virtually non-existent.

I just cannot get over how fabulously the author tackled every aspect of this book that could have made it just another typical, clichéd  YA novel!

Just the fact that Kami has been able to talk to this "imaginary" boy in her head for her entire life, this imaginary boy she's in love with, only to suddenly discover that he's real and they now go to the same school! Oh yes, the boy she's told everything to--every secret, thought, insecurity--this boy is not a figment of her imagination. I feel like this set-up could have easily turned into a major case of insta-love, but THANK YOU GODS OF LITERATURE for giving Sarah Rees Brennan a much more brilliant idea! 

Kami and Jared are pretty freaked out at discovering the other is 100% real--understandably so, I might add--They're not sure whether they should be friends, girlfriend-boyfriend, or enemies. They spend a fair bit of time resenting the fact that the other person isn't imaginary and I LOVED IT. 

Their relationship is just so unique in the world of YA--confusing, strained, frustrating, yet at the same time, their chemistry is undeniable. It's just crafted wonderfully and very realistically. 

Now let's just take a moment to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of Brennan's characters. Seriously. They. Are. Magnificent. Not only are they all very distinct, personality-wise, but they're all gifted with impressive wit. I wish I could be funny like Kami and Angela--no actually, can I just be BFFs with them??? Angela was a personal favorite of mine. I mean, how often do you meet a character who loves naps, is super lazy, can seriously kick butt, and hates people? I was like, "let me love you!" Kami was sassy and super witty, very much like Veronica Mars. I fell in love with Kami's character from the moment she made her first joke. Another thing about these characters that was so refreshing was how sensible they all were! Especially Kami! She thought things through, was courageous but not stupid, and didn't let her emotions take over! The best way to describe her would be this quote:

"She didn't want to be the girl who just believed in the guy she liked, no matter what extenuating mind-reading circumstances existed. She didn't want her feelings to blind her. She didn't want anything to blind her. She did not know what her feelings were, or what his were, or how to separate the two. She did not want to drown in what was between them and lose control, or lose who she was." 
If you hated Bella, I think you're going to love Kami. Heck, even if you liked Bella, you'll still probably love Kami because she is just made of awesomesauce. 

All in all: This. Book. Is. Freaking. Amazing. There is a supernatural element present in the book--which I won't spoil for you--but I can honestly say that Brennan's take on this is quite unique and honestly? I did not see it coming. At all. 

*I was provided a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publishers in return for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday #19

WoW is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine 

Marionnette

by Jamie Lynn Dougherty

November 2012

"I gazed upon him from behind glass eyes. My mouth wouldn’t move, I couldn’t tell him the words I had longed for him to hear. He had always taken such care when he placed me away into my cedar box but if he only knew that I screamed inside. I screamed to be released from the wooden cell I had been cursed to long ago..."

Unspoken (Lyburn Legacy #1)
by Sarah Rees Brennan
September 2012

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?


So what are YOU waiting for this week?