Book Review: The Unlocked by J.D. Stonebridge

6/16/2017

Beverly Hills, 90210 meets The X-Men

Charlene "Charlie" Hartley is about to graduate High School and go off to college when her secret catches the attention of a young A.N.D.R.E.I. operative with a special ability of her own.

When Charlie learns she's not only adopted, but she may have a twin sister working for A.N.D.R.E.I., she walks away from her path to Harvard to develop her powers and reunite with the family she's never known.

The dark plot behind A.N.D.R.E.I. unfolds as Charlie continues to dig for clues to her twin's whereabouts while making friends and enemies on campus.

Can Charlie trust any of the students of staff at A.N.D.R.E.I.,? Will she finally get to meet the sister she's been dreaming about?

J.D. Stonebridge weaves an imaginative tale of life for a new adult with superhuman powers and gets caught up in a world of hidden agendas while longing for a connection to someone she didn't know existed just a few months prior.

What I liked:

The descriptive narrative shows a great deal of thought behind the powers that the kids (I call them kids because they act more like teenagers than college-aged 20-somethings) wield and their various personalities, and there were a few surprises in the plot.

Charlie is sweet, kind, loving, and respectful to her parents (which I found refreshing since I know many young women who are) but not weak. Having a strong, but gentle, protagonist is refreshing after so many "Katniss" spin-offs.

What I didn't like:

The characters are pretty 2D. There's the Jock, the Cheerleader, the best friend waif, the nerd-girl, the heartthrob, etc. Pretty much what you'd expect in a teenage melodrama. However, these kids are supposed to be a little more mature and past the typical high school cliques, so that was a little off-putting. Emotionally, I'd say Charlie and the others are closer to 16 than 18+.

The other major issue I had preventing me from becoming fully engrossed in the story, was POV jumping. The author writes in a 3rd Person Omniscient style, seeing into the heads of each character. This wouldn't be a huge problem if there were breaks to make the change in POV. One scene in particular jumped from a fight in a field to the inside of a building and back to the field within 4 paragraphs.

I'd also recommend a fresh pair of eyes to mark up the spelling and grammar errors that were missed before publication. Since this book is digital only (as best as I can determine) that shouldn't be a bid deal.

Overall, I give The Unlocked Four Stars for younger readers.