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(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)

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When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2009, I heard a lot of people say, "Well, if you have to have cancer, that's the best kind to have."  This is true.  With a survival rate of 97-100%, it's a whole lot more common to survive it than otherwise.  There are, however, exceptions.  Like Ester Earl, a 12-year-old girl from Massachusetts, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006.  Four years later, it killed her.  

Famous because of her friendship with popular YA author John Green (although The Fault in Our Stars is not based on Ester's life, it is dedicated to her), Ester became known for her bubbly personality, her positive outlook on life, and her courage in the face of a devastating illness.  She was a prolific writer, crafting many journal entries, as well as stories and letters, in her short life.  These pieces, along with some of Ester's sketches, many photos, and essays from family and friends have been collected into a thick, inspiring book titled This Star Won't Go Out.  Published last year, it quickly became a New York Times bestseller.  My 13-year-old daughter begged me to get it for her for Christmas because it's one of her all-time favorite books.

Although This Star Won't Go Out has been touching people's hearts for awhile now, I only read it a few months ago.  For a book about a kid with cancer, it's surprisingly upbeat.  It's also heartfelt, affecting, and deserving of the hype it's received.  Ester's writing emphasizes the fragility of life and the importance of holding on to faith, family, friends, and hope when trials come into your life.  As someone whose world has been changed forever by thyroid cancer, I appreciated these words of wisdom that helped me remember never to take life for granted.  It's an important message delivered by a talented writer who continues to share her experiences for the good of others (see tswgo.org).  

(Readalikes: Hm, nothing comes to mind except The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)

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On a lazy summer afternoon in the English countryside, 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson hides in her backyard treehouse.  High above her seeking sisters she lounges, dreaming of her secret boyfriend and the rendezvous they've planned for the evening.  In that moment, anything—and everything—seems possible.

Laurel has no idea just how much this ordinary afternoon will change her life until she spies a stranger in her yard.  Unseen by him or her mother, Laurel witnesses a shocking crime that throws everything she knows about her family and their seemingly perfect home life into question.  Unable to process what it all means, Laurel flees to London, with no intention of ever going back.

Fifty years later, Laurel's sisters are organizing a birthday party for their mother, who is turning 90.  Reluctantly returning to her childhood home, Laurel vows to finally get the truth about what happened that long ago summer afternoon.  Her mother's frail, with a memory that's fading fast—it's now or never.  As Laurel probes for answers, she learns the incredible story of three people, whose lives intertwine in ways that will change all of them forever.

Considering the fact that I've raved about every book she's ever written, it's not going to surprise you that I loved The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  The Australian author just knows how to write the kind of stories that capture not only my attention, but also my heart.  Her family sagas are full of everything I look for in a novel—rich, atmospheric settings; complex, empathetic characters; intriguing, mystery-filled plot lines; and vivid, flowing prose.  I adore all her books, but The Secret Keeper might be my favorite of them all.  Really, the only complaint I have with this author is that she writes too slowly (although she does have a new book coming out in October).   

(Readalikes:  Kate Morton's other books—The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, and The Distant Hours)

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(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers from Son, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from The Giver, Gathering Blue, or Messenger.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

No one in the community knows who she is or from whence she came.  They only know that she washed up on their shore one day, with no knowledge of her life before.  Except for her name—Claire—the girl knows nothing of herself.  Then, vague memories start floating through her mind.  It's only then that Claire recalls the place of her birth—a bland, colorless world devoid of affection and personal choice.  A place where children are Assigned a duty which they must fulfill.  Even if it means becoming pregnant at 14 years old with a baby who will be given to an appropriate family, never to be known by his Birthmother.  As a Vessel, Claire should have borne the infant and forgotten him, moved on with her life.  But, even now, she can't forget her son.  She'd give anything—anything—to see him again.

The road to Gabriel is an impossible one.  It will require everything Claire has—and more.  Can she make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love or will she, finally, allow herself to let go of the son she's never forgotten?  

Son, the final installment in The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry, ties up a lot of unanswered questions from the first three books in the series.  It is, however, Claire's story.  She's a courageous young heroine, one whose desperate plight the reader can't help but care about.  As Claire fights to see her son again, we can't help but ponder the questions Lowry's been forcing us to ask all throughout this series, questions about freedom, personal choice, imagination, consequences, pain, and passion.  It's a satisfying finale about the fierceness of a mother's love, the war between good and evil, and the beauty that exists in the world even in the midst of pain.    

(Readalikes:  The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger by Lois Lowry)

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