Unravelling | Elizabeth Norris | Review
Unravelling, by Elizabeth Norris, is a teen thriller, sci-fi, crime story with a bit of romance and comedy thrown in. It tells of Janelle Tenner, a normal teenage girl with a part time job, a sort-of boyfriend, and a high school to go to. Her father is an FBI agent, her mother has Bipolar, and her little brother, Jared, has a bit of video game addiction. Her neighbour, Alex, is also her best friend, and life is good. Until one day, when she dies.
Crossing the road, Janelle is hit by a truck and can feel her life slipping away. She dies. Only she's brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a bit of a stoner outcast at school, and doesn't know a) how he did it, or b) why she was brought back. It seems like no coincidence that there is also a major FBI investigation happening, with unidentifiable victims that keep popping up with melting skin, and a 23 day countdown to what seems to be some sort of viral explosion. As Janelle tries to persuade Alex that she did actually die, they try to piece together all these events, while attempting to get answers out of Ben, staying secretive from Janelle's father, and figure it all out before the countdown ends the world turns to custard.
Written in first person, Unravelling was an enjoyable story. I actually really liked Janelle as a main character, and she reminded me of myself at times. Alex was your typical best friend, with humourous lines, and a 'I've always got your back' kind of attitude. The other characters involved were likeable enough, and the ones that you weren't supposed to like, you didn't. So props to Norris for that. I did find, however, that there were a few chapters that went on a bit, and there was a bit of a lull nearer the end, but the last few pages picked up, and there is a second book (called Unbreakable) that will continue the story.
Overall, I've given it a 3/5 stars. I did enjoy it, but it took about 2 weeks to read, and I can't quite figure out why. I really enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I didn't feel like I just had to know what happened next, or I had to keep reading deep into the night to finish the book. But if you like stories with a multi-genre type feel to them, do have a read. Who knows, maybe it'll become your favourite book?
Image from Good Reads
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