AUDIO BOOK REVIEW FOR - UNDIVIDED - BOOK 4 IN THE UNWIND DYSTOLOGY - BY: NEAL SHUSTERMAN

pic and description taken from Amazon.com

DESCRIPTION:

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.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

*** may have spoilers, because this is the 4th book ***

This series has been so great from the beginning to the very end.  Each book got better and better.  This book was no exception.  

There is so much going on in this story, that at times I felt like there was no way out for the characters I have come to love so much.  While I scream at my book for them to do something different, it's like watching a scary movie and yelling at the TV for them to "stop"!.  You know if they take certain steps something bad will happen.  It's so frustrating, and so aggravating, I cannot make myself stop listening.

Grace may be one of my favorite characters that has been brought into this wonderful series.  She is considered a "low cortal", and has never been expected to do much because the world didn't deem her smart enough.  Well, well, well...Miss Grace shows just how smart she is and helps these "seasoned" AWOL S's how to get out of  bad situations.  She is hilarious to boot.

Risa and Conner are still just as fabulous, but their relationship is so aggravating.  In an "I can't get enough of them kind of way".  They never seem to see eye to eye on anything until it comes right down to the heart of things.  Then they realize they are all on the same page, just going about it in different ways.  Ugh, just be happy together dang it..kidding.  They kept things interesting that is for sure.

Starkey, nasty, nasty Starkey.  I didn't like him from the very beginning,  I knew he was going to turn out to be a turd.  I cannot say I was saddened by his downfall at all.  I wanted just one of his people to stand up to him...When they finally did, I was in a happy place.  Nasty, nasty Starkey.  It's always the people who think they are doing what is best for their world that seem to do the most harm.  Power, makes people do strange things. 

Lev, about made me want to throw my phone a few times.  His little pretend "clapper" moment made me so angry.  Boys.  Always trying to be the center of attention.  He is a great character, but when he decided to tattoo himself I knew he had a horrible plan in mind.  

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book.  Shusterman is such a fantastic writer.  The narrator for this series is phenomenal as well.  I am sad that the series has come to an end, but so glad that it ended the way it did!  It made me love the series even more.  

Series give me a lot of anxiety.  I know that sounds silly but they do.  They suck you in at the beginning making you "HAVE" to buy the next one and the next one, but if they don't end well for me it ruins the whole thing.  Then I am just mad.  BUT, when I do get into a series, and like this one they just keep getting better, and better, I am sad when they come to an end.  

Try this series.  Read or listen and you won't be disappointed.  It is a fabulous series. and Shusterman is a brilliant author.

Source:  I bought this audio book for myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

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ABOUT THE AMAZING AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.

In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.

As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.

Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.

Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”

Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.

Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.

Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."

And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.

Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!