Review of Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris and INT giveaway

Goodreads Book Description: Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

And that was before she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review: After enduring several duds on my list, I decided to treat myself to a book I've been dying to read for a while. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I loved this book!

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris is about Janelle, a teenaged girl who seems just like any other ordinary teen, until she dies... and is brought back to life by a boy she's never noticed. She believes she has been given a second chance and is determined to live life to the fullest. But she also has a streak of curiosity and wants to find out Ben's secret in addition to helping her FBI agent dad solve a case about several dead people who have apparently been killed by a healthy dose of radiation. To make matters worse, her father has found a device that is ticking down to a certain doomsday. Will Janelle be able to figure out the answers before the clock reaches zero?

If I could describe this book in a tagline, it would be Veronica Mars meets Fringe. The first 60% of the book, while beautifully written, doesn't have a ton of surprises. Instead, I would say it is almost an homage of all the wonderful books, movies, and shows that have come before it. In addition to the two I mentioned above, there are shout-outs to X-files, Ender's Game, Before I Fall, and some plot twists that are similar to the teen series and show Roswell. The characters are terrific-- Janelle is a wonderful protagonist-- spunky and smart. Her best friend, Alex, may be my favorite character. Ben is a fascinating love interest, and even though when I realize logically that the way he knows Janelle is kind of creepy, Norris masterfully weaves the story to make it seem normal. The pacing of the story is great, and the last 40% of the book approaches unknown territory, which makes it fun to keep guessing.

Overall, a terrific addition to the small but persistent genre of YA science fiction with a great protagonist and plot twists-- I can't wait to pick up the next installment.

Now enter this great giveaway to win a signed copy of either Unraveling or the sequel, Unbreakable! 
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