Unwept — the beginning of a spellbinding new trilogy by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman bestselling co-creators of Dragonlance and Ravenloft
Gamin, Maine, is a remote seaside town where everyone seems to know Ellis Harkington better than she knows herself—but she doesn’t remember any of them.
Unknown events have robbed Ellis of her memory. Concerned individuals, who claim to be friends and loved ones, insist that she simply needs to recuperate, and that her memories may return in time. But, for her own sake—so they claim—they refuse to divulge what has brought her to this state.
Ellis finds herself adrift in a town of ominous mysteries, cryptic hints, and disturbingly familiar strangers. The Nightbirds, a clique of fashionable young men and women, claim her as one of their own, but who can she truly trust? And what of the phantom suitor who visits her in her dreams? Is he a memory, a figment of her imagination, or a living nightmare beyond rational explanation?Only her lost past holds the answers she seeks—if she can uncover its secrets before she falls prey to an unearthly killer.
I am about a week out from finishing this book and already know I am going to have a hard time trying to review this. To say it was different is putting it mildly. For me to say I loved it would be difficult. Did I like it? I am still not really sure. But I will try to explain what I mean.
Ellis wakes up on a train and realizes she has amnesia. This takes place during World War 1- at least that was my take on it-I don’t think a year is ever mentioned. She is met at the train station by a man claiming to be her uncle(and doctor) and another man named Merrick. Merrick was very strange from the beginning. You know things are going to be weird when it comes to him. Ellis goes to stay with her cousin Jenny. If I thought Merrick was strange, well Jenny took the prize. Actually all the characters were really strange, and the town was as well. Then we find out that someone is murdering young women in the area.
I thought the premise was pretty interesting, but I found the book to be really slow going until at least the half way point, or more. When things started happening, there was no way to figure out what was really going on. Ellis is as far in the dark, as the reader is. Every time I would think I figured something out, then I would be proven wrong. Of course it’s a mystery; who is Ellis, why is the town where she has always lived, so strange, as well as all the townspeople? Why does Merrick treat her like they must have been in a relationship together at some point? And the big question-why won’t anyone tell her what’s going on?
I thought the writers definitely know how to write. The book was very readable, and I didn’t keep putting it down like I do some books, so besides the premise, that was a good thing about reading this book.
What Didn’t I like about this book?
This story was a bit too strange for me to really enjoy. The reader is kept in the dark about so much, for too long a time. By the time we actually find out things, it was almost over, and I was a bit bored. I am used to paranormal books being exciting, with lots of action, and usually romance. If you want that in your books, I don’t think this book will fill the bill for you. It’s very atmospheric, mysterious, and true to the time period, so if you like that sort of thing, this could be just the thing for you.
Who would I recommend this book to?
That’s a hard one. On the one hand, it was almost YA, on the other, it’s complicated, at times confusing, has some violence, and one abbreviated, almost sexual scene, but not quite, so I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it to the YA readers. Adult readers that like a really different, fairly slow moving story, with paranormal elements, may enjoy this. Me? I am still a little confused about the ending and will not be continuing with the series.
I did talk to someone on GoodReads (because I was so confused) and she really liked it, so I guess it’s a case of to each his own. It just wasn’t my favorite book, but it certainly could be yours.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest and fair review.
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