Untold

Sorry-in-the-Vale is a quaint English town to the casual observer, but it actually has a bloody history full of magic and sorcerers. The Lynburn family used to rule with terror and practiced human sacrifice for the most potent power. Now, the family is split. Robert Lynburn and his faction of sorcerers want to return to how it used to be while Jared Lynburn and his faction plan to stop him and return peace to the town. Kami Glass is working with the latter group, but after severing her connection to Jared, it's kind of awkward. However, with Robert and his camp demanding blood sacrifices of the inhabitants of the town, that must be put aside to try to figure out a way to gather enough power to beat them.

I loved the first in the series and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second. Sarah Rees Brennan's books are always a breeze to read with her witty dialog, atmospheric settings, and vivid characters. Her writing never fails to make me laugh out loud in public so I have endure weird glances from random people. Kami is pretty awesome. She investigates on her own despite having no support from her own side or her parents. After she severs her connection with Jared, she works to find out who she is without Jared's constant presence. Because of their history with the Lynburns, Kami's family threatens to collapse after lies are discovered. In addition to the evil sorcerers, she has to deal with every day things like relationship problems and family problems (although both are more supernatural here). The romance aspect takes up much of the novel. The longing glances, angst, and miscommunication between Jared and Kami are numerous. Normally I would find this annoying, but it really pulled on my heartstrings. I did wish they would just sit down and talk already, but then the romantic drama wouldn't be nearly as good.

Untold is not as good as its predecessor. Not a whole lot happens because many, many pages are dedicated to relationship drama and love triangle annoyances. Nothing really exciting happens plotwise until the very very end of the book. The plot very weak compared to the first book. I also didn't like Jared as much in this book because of his crazy way of dealing with emotions, his codependency on Kami, and his refusal to communicate like an adult. I still like the character, but he was so frustrating. I just wanted to reach into the book and shake him. This is more of a side note, but it really annoys me when the covers change after a style has already been established. The first book's style is much better and it would have been cool to see it the style with different colors.

Although I had a few problems with it, Untold is still enjoyable. Sarah Rees Brennan hasn't written a bad book yet and I will get the next one as soon as it comes out. I'm excited to see what's in store for these characters.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins