What happens when happily ever after starts to unravel?
Eliyana Ember doesn’t believe in true love. Not anymore. After defeating her grandfather and saving the Second Reflection, El only trusts what’s right in front of her. The tangible. The real. Not some unexplained Kiss of Infinity she once shared with the ghost of a boy she’s trying to forget. She has more important things to worry about—like becoming queen of the Second Reflection, a role she is so not prepared to fill.
Now that the Verity is intertwined with her soul and Joshua’s finally by her side, El is ready to learn more about her mysterious birth land, the land she now rules. So why does she feel like something—or someone—is missing?
When the thresholds begin to drain and the Callings, those powerful magical gifts, begin to fail, El wonders if her link to Ky Rhyen may have something to do with it. For light and darkness cannot coexist. She needs answers before the Callings disappear altogether. Can El find a way to sever her connection to Ky and save the Reflections—and keep herself from falling for him in the process?
Unraveling continues the whimsical journey of Eliyana, a young woman with an unusual mark on her cheek and a mirror world that has chosen her as their Queen.
But as El tries to adjust to the responsibilities of being a royal, she finds her thoughts are drawn far away to the mysterious Ky Rhyen. Posing as a double agent, Ky rescued El in her darkest moment, only to disappear—and may have stolen her heart in the process. As El fights to protect those within the enchanting world she is finally starting to call home, a new danger arrives. Before she knows it, Eliyana must journey off alone to find the one person who can help save her kingdom—and may hold the answers not only to why the magical Callings are disappearing, but why she can’t seem to unravel him from her heart. El must find Ky and convince him to help before its too late…and the magic is drained from her world.
Unraveling was by far my favorite book of this series.
It’s rare that a sequel, especially the middle book in a trilogy, outshines its predecessor—but Unraveling does just that. With higher stakes, new worlds at the reader’s fingertips, a plot with more unexpected twists, and characters that nestle especially deep in our hearts, Unraveling is a masterpiece of YA Fiction.
Not only is Sara Ella’s writing style especially lovely and engrossing in this well-written sequel, but I loved how Eliyana has continued to grow as a character, becoming a young woman rising into adulthood and fighting for her people.
Again, there is romance involved, but only a few light kisses.
There is some fantasy and adventure violence, but certainly nothing graphic.
At its core, Unraveling is a story about discovering who you are and what you are willing to sacrifice for those you love. This sequel elegantly blends soulful threads into a thrilling, whimsical triumph. Highly recommended.
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/.
