Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: November 6, 2007

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Holy cow! I feel broken. This book shook my world. I feel like whatever tiny piece of innocence I had left, has been completely stolen by this story. This was weird and crazy and it just doesnt fit into any adjectives I can come up with.

There must be something very wrong with Neal Shusterman's imagination to allow him to think of this premise and the awful future that is Unwind. But it certainly is a very right kind of wrong. In fact I would say it's an absolutely brilliant kind of wrong. How is that possible? I Have no idea. I swear, the book ripped out a part of me.

Excellent writing, gripping and perfectly executed plot, and nauseating events sum up to this mind-blowing, utterly thought-provoking novel. Characters were masterfully developed. I loved the vividness of the settings and the personal the story-telling feels even though its told in third person. And I'd have to give the author like 100 extra points for originality and creativeness.

If you want a terrifyingly shocking story of an awfully realistic possibility of a future, or if you just enjoy having your  mind blown out of proportion, this is for you.

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Bruiser - Neal Shusterman

Middle Grade
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 29, 2010

Tennyson:
Don't get me started on the Bruiser. He was voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" by the entire school. He's the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about. So why is my sister, Brontë, dating him? One of these days she's going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it's not going to end well.
Brontë:
My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way—no right to threaten him. There's a reason why Brewster can't have friends—why he can't care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can't be explained. I know, because they're happening to me.

As much as I loved this book, I still found it a little too depressing for my taste, yet still absolutely unforgettable. Wonderful writing, of course, because it is Neal Shusterman after all.

The story is told from 4 different points of view, which I normally love, except this time I felt it was somehow frustrating. One of them is Cody, Bruiser's 8 year-old brother. So, um, I was really reluctant when I read his name on the beginning of the chapter. After reading it, I still found it unnecessary. On the other hand, Bruiser's (Brewster) voice was incredibly amazing. In his point of view the writing becomes very poetic (he likes poetry) and is told in verse. His parts and Tennyson's were my favorites. And then there's Brontë (such a cool name btw) with her dull voice. She falls into the all-too-nice almost-stupid category again. She's the typical character that always realizes things a bit too late. You know, like that friend that laughs at a joke five minutes after its told. Except her stuff is serious stuff so it's that much worse that she kind of lives in Limbo land.

The premise was completely creative and hard to process. It's one of those books that you keep wondering how it will end because you see no way around it. The plot was very intense and intriguing. But overall this is one of those books so so different that you don't want to miss it.

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