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wanderonwards's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Untethered is the sequel to Shielded (which I reviewed an ARC of about this time last year) and is just as fast-paced and action-packed as its predecessor. This time around, though, there is more focus on the characters than the world building and themes of teamwork, friendship, family, and healing are especially prevalent.
I love spending time with these characters and each of the enchanting settings that make up this world and I really enjoyed discovering the new settings and characters introduced. I hope to see more of them in a future story.
There is one noticeable difference between the two books: in Shielded we had one major POV with brief snapshots from a limited number of minor characters while in Untethered we are treated to two main POVs with snapshots from a wide range of characters. Since I prefer multiple POVs, I liked this change and think it’s clever how the number of POVs expands as the story and world do. However, I did find the spacing between POVs to be a bit off: I always wanted to check back in with characters well before the story made it back to them and sometimes the parts I was hoping to read were skipped over entirely.
Overall, though, I think my biggest complaint is with Ren’s initial setup in his opening chapters. By the end of Untethered, none of the issues brought up in the beginning with Ren are even remotely resolved and I don’t understand why this setup was chosen as his catalyst. Obviously, Ren needed something to set him on his path so the events of this book could happen…but I feel like there could have been a more satisfactory catalyst that didn’t leave so many unresolved questions. When I first read Shielded I was under the impression this was a duology, however Untethered reads more like a trilogy (and, after some research, I can’t find an answer to that question and I have absolutely no idea where I got that impression). Since there were a bit too many loose ends for me for a duology, my rating will probably bump up if this turns out to be a trilogy.
Thank you again to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
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