abby_ace_of_books's reviews
608 reviews

This was, quite literally, a masterpiece.

I'll be honest, this book was pretty far down on my TBR but my library recently added it to the collection so I put it on hold. I had low expectations because I don't usually enjoy adult fantasy, and the only other Sanderson books I've read are Skyward and Starsight .

This book surpassed all of my expectations. The moment I opened the book and saw the stunning character art, I knew I was in for a treat. The worldbuilding is absolutely spectacular (and every time I think I'm done obsessing over pirates, I find another book like this). I loved every single one of the characters. As for the plot...I had to force myself to put this book down. The witty style caught my attention from the beginning and this novel has one of my new favorite narrators of all time.

Needless to say, I will be checking the library to see how many more Sanderson books I can get my hands on.

Fourteen year old me would've absolutely devoured this book and made it her entire personality.

The Sunbearer Trials is marketed as a mix of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games , and Xio is a carbon copy of Nico di Angelo while Aurelio and Auristela are Cato and Clove if Cato and Clove were siblings.
Also, this book has some of the coolest official fanart that I've ever seen and I highly recommend checking it out if you read the book.

"The Second Civil War, also known as 'The Heartland War,' was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as 'The Bill of Life' was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively 'abort' a child … on the condition that the child's life doesn't 'technically' end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called 'unwinding.' Unwinding is now a common and accepted practice in society."

2007/2008 young adult dystopian books really are a whole different breed.
Unwind is one of those books that's gritty and makes you sick to your stomach. It doesn't shy away from controversial issues---namely the discussion of reproductive rights. It's a book that's banned because of "violence" and "encouragement of civil disobedience" (really, it's banned because it doesn't align with certain political views). While I agree that certain scenes were gory and made me sick to my stomach

Spoiler

(Roland's Unwinding was absolutely horrific and I can't imagine going what he went through)

, I also believe it has messages that are growing increasingly more important to share.
The more dystopian books I read, the more I fear for what society may become because none of these supposedly fictional worlds are too far off from reality.

"'And what if the treasure was the friendships we solidified along the way?' Arthur asked.
Lucy pulled a face. 'That's the worst treasure in the world. They already were my friends. I want rubies'"(192).

This book was my reminder that wholesome books can be just as good as angsty ones. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"'Yes...It's--unfortunate. We get trapped in our own little bubbles, and even though the world is a wide and mysterious place, our bubbles keep us safe from that. To our detriment...But it's so easy because there's something soothing about routine. Day in and day out, it's always the same. When we're shaken from that, when that bubble bursts, it can be hard to understand all that we've missed. We might even fear it. Some of us even fight to try and get it back. I don't know that I would fight for it, but I did exist in a bubble...Thank goodness you popped it'"(278-279).