Eliyana can’t bear to look at her own reflection. But what if that were only one Reflection—one world? What if another world exists where her blemish could become her strength?
Eliyana is used to the shadows. With a birthmark covering half her face, she just hopes to graduate high school unscathed. That is, until Joshua hops a fence and changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her like he does: normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved.
But one night her mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets weird. Now Joshua is her new, and rather reluctant, legal Guardian. Add a hooded stalker and a Central Park battle to the mix and you’ve gone from weird to otherworldly.
Eliyana soon finds herself in a world much larger and more complicated than she’s ever known. A world enslaved by a powerful and vile man. And Eliyana holds the answer to defeating him. How can an ordinary girl, a blemished girl, become a savior when she can’t even save herself?
Unblemished is a Young Adult Fantasy Novel with unique worlds, lyrical prose and a big heart.
It follows the journey of Eliyana Ember, a teenager who has just lost her mother when the novel opens. Despite the ache of having her sole family member vanish, El is determined to make the most of things, especially with her guardian and longtime crush, Joshua, beside her. Eliyana loves all things Broadway, and has a flair for the whimsical—but tends to hide away from her classmates and those around her due to the unusual birthmark that covers half of her face.
In El’s eyes, the birthmark is a blemish—but she soon finds out that it is anything but. The pattern across her cheek is called a mirror mark and is actually a magical seal that hints at a destiny in a world Eliyana didn’t even know existed. A world her mother was born in. A world where her beautiful heart shines through the mark on her face.
Before she knows it, the teenager is swept up in a magical adventure, making new friends and meeting old enemies as she is drawn into a parallel world called a “Reflection.” Eliyana is called on to help save this world from the darkness encroaching on it, and in doing so, discover more about her own histories—and maybe learn to see the beauty in herself at the same time.
Unblemished is fast paced and beautifully written, with a colorful cast and unique worlds that will come to life across the pages.
It is a Young Adult novel, and so the voice and a lot of the internal thoughts and conversations come across very…teen. A little youthful and gushy and at times very clear that this was a young teen with an overactive crush. Still, Sara Ella’s voice and prose were lovely.
There is romance involved, nothing particularly steamy, just a chaste kiss or two.
There is some fantasy and adventure violence, but certainly nothing graphic.
The plot was intricate and well woven, although I found the climax was a little predictable and not quite the twist I was hoping for—but still satisfying enough.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this first installment of Sara Ella’s debut fantasy series, especially the vibrant worldbuilding, lovable characters and moving themes of worth and beauty. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written, soulful fantasy adventure.
This review was written by Kara Swanson, award-winning author of The Girl Who Could See and Peter Pan retelling/sequel Dust (Enclave Publishing, July 2020). She helps young writers explore their passions as a faculty member of the Young Writer’s Workshop and also offers her own author coaching services. You can find her online at https://www.karaswanson.com/.
