Review: UnDivided by Neal Shusterman

Review: UnDivided by Neal Shusterman UnDivided on October 14, 2014
Pages: 384
Format:Hardcover

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

A few things you should probably be aware of:

1. Unwind is one of my all-time favorite series, and this epic conclusion cements that.

2. Neal Shusterman is, in my opinion, a freaking genius. When you think the surprises and insanity are over… they aren’t.

3. I cried last night when I finished this book (fine, it was 5:30 am, whatever) because I knew I would miss these characters.

I know a lot of you out there haven’t read the rest of this series, so in the interest of keeping things spoiler-free, this is mainly going to be flailing and gif-ing. No need to divert your eyes.

If you know anything about the Unwind Dystology, you know it is pretty messed up. The whole concept is basically taking teenagers whose parents no longer have the ability and/or desire to care for them, putting them in “harvest camps”, and then pretty much using them for spare parts. Trust me, this is not a spoiler, it is basically all in the synopsis for book 1. And it only  gets more horrific from there.

And yeah, the plot on its own would be enough to keep anyone interested, but the characters… they are wonderful. I dare you not to fall in love with them. And sure, there are plenty of characters to absolutely hate as well, but the courage and inspiration and growth of the protagonists is just mesmerising. And they are so human. They make mistakes, they have awful, terrible moments, but they change, and grow, and amaze.

Basically, here is what will happen if you read this book: 

Because “Bonsai Cats” will have that effect. 

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And then this, obviously. 

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But then wait! Something awesome will happen! 

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Ah, but then more insane stuff happens.

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Which inevitably leads to this Happy_gif

And then again, this.

But the end happens, and you need to read it. I am not even going to gif it for you. But seriously, I implore you to read this series. snl-moments-33-5

So, do tell: What is the last series finale that left you speechless and satisfied and emotionally a mess? Have you read any of the Unwind books? Thoughts? 

Posted October 20, 2014 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Review / 10 Comments

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10 responses to “Review: UnDivided by Neal Shusterman

    • There was like, ZERO fanfare around the release! Which is weird, because he is a pretty well-known author, it’s a major publisher, and a pretty well-known series! So I figured I would start spreading the word on my own 😉 But get it! You won’t be disappointed! I hope you LOVE it!

    • This series is crazy. I mean, it is NOT for the faint of heart. It is messed up, but worth it. And it really makes you think- AND uses real world examples of how close to horror we really are. It is an eye opener!

  1. I’m glad I’m not the only one who ‘accidentally’ reads all night. I haven’t read this series yet! Yeah that’s all I knew about the books, they unwind children. *shudders* Characters so make the book, I’ll have to move this one up on my to read list! (I keep saying that and my books are playing hop scotch) I think the series finale I got the most emotional about was Grisha, but that’s because I wasn’t happy. Blood of Olympus was pretty emotional too. I hate when a great series is over!

    • DO IT! I mean, I don’t know honestly if the concept is for everyone, and if you don’t think you can handle it… well, some parts of it are awful (in the good fictional way, I mean). It’s horrifying but still maintains that bit of hope so it isn’t an utterly depressing series or anything.

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