Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Release Date: September 11, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384
Source: Copy provided by publisher

Overall: 5 Stars

Summary:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met... a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in.She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him? 

My Thoughts: 
It's extremely difficult to capture into words just how much I love Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken! I read Unspoken months ago when it first came out, and since then, whenever I merely mention the book, I immediately enter into complete fangirl mode. Unspoken is easily one of the best books I've read in a seriously very long time. I instantly considered it to be among my top favourite novels!

For as long as Kami can remember, she has always heard a voice in her head– a voice named Jared who is more than just an imaginary friend. But Jared is not some figment of her imagination... He's a very real, darkly gorgeous young man who knows all her inner thoughts and secrets. And when the sleepy town of Sorry-in-the-Vale is awakened by the sudden return of the mysterious Lynburn family, who haven't been seen for over 15 years, the secrets of Jared's family will place Kami in grave danger.

Kami is an intrepid school reporter who's dying with curiosity to get the scoop about the Lynburns. Her personality is simply infectious! When Kami discovers animals being killed in the Vale woods, she's determined more than ever to find answers and relentlessly searches for clues, even if means breaking some rules along the way. The locals in town think Kami is a strange girl, but she's long given up caring what they thought of her. Jared is a bad boy with a heart of gold; everyone has written him off, but not Kami, who has always supported him.  

Kami's best friend Angela, Angela's older brother Rusty, classmate Holly, and handsome Ash Lynburn round out a fantastic cast of characters with very individual, unique personalities. They each play an important role in the novel that is not meant to be brushed aside. The dialogue in Unspoken was hilarious and filled with sarcastic, witty remarks, but Sarah Rees Brennan is able to expertly switch gears and bring about touching, emotional moments as well.

Unspoken will leave you with FEELINGS. The ending feels like a dagger to your heart, leaving you anxiously searching for more pages to read, only to cry out when you can't find any. Sarah Rees Brennan will make you suffer, but you'll be happy about it. I'm desperately awaiting Untold, the second book in the series, to find out what will happen to Kami and Jared next!

Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken is a fantastic introduction to The Lynburn Legacy! If the teaser snippets for Untold are any indication, the series promises to only get better from here... and wreak more havoc on my heart in the process. 

Thanks so much to Random House Canada for providing this review copy!