Description

Unraveling (Unblemished #2)
By Sara Ella

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32673847-unraveling

Review

Eliyana Ember is about to be crowned queen. Everything is perfect. Her mother is married, happy, (alive), and pregnant. Joshua is confessing his undying love and only awaits her word before planning a wedding. Ky is the only thing missing, and Eliyana is frustrated that he disappeared. Then an attack interrupts the crowning celebrations, initiating a war and revealing another dire situation – the Callings are disappearing.

Unraveling is the second book in the Unblemished series, and it is pretty epic! I loved the first book very much because of all the symbolism and allegory teaching about Real love and the contrast between light and darkness. The idea of “true love’s kiss” is retold in a beautiful and stunning new way, and I couldn’t help but be delighted with its representation. As a second book, Unraveling didn’t beat its predecessor in awesomeness, but it came pretty close. I can see a potential, too, of the third book blasting the first two out of the water. We shall see.

True love, good, and evil continue to be strong themes in this second book in the series. Eliyana is the “human incarnation” of the best possible good, called the Verity. And the two men who shared Kisses of Infinity with her (Yes – two. Talk about a love triangle.) make up two parts of the incarnation of the evilest evil, called the Void; having two Voids has never happened before in this realm. The situation does not mean that Eliyana is perfect or that the guys are evil. Rather, they have a strong impulse to go one way or the other, and the only way to moderate the impulse is to love each other unconditionally. I love this dynamic. It teaches about an unconditional love like Christ’s in a new and beautiful way.

Mind you, it is the most inaccurate allegory I have ever read, if you even want to call it that. It captures the idea of unconditional love beautifully, which is a theme integral to Christianity. But the book fails to represent the relationships among Jesus, God, Satan, Good, and Evil correctly. It tends toward the belief that there are two equal gods, one evil and one good, continually fighting each other (Manichaeism), and the only way for good to win is through unconditional love. And those gods are more like forces of nature that collect on individuals than individuals themselves. An interesting concept, but not one that is true in Christianity. And this is supposed to be a Christian book.
Then there is the love triangle. It’s so hurtful! I have no idea how Eliyana, James, and Ky are going to work things out. Eliyana shared Kisses of Infinity with both, which means she is tied with both forever. What happens to the one not chosen, especially since both men have a tendency toward evil that only she can overcome by her love? Yikes. The events in this book … I’m sad and frustrated. It’s a good thing there will be a third book in the series.

Truly, I loved Unraveling, and I’m dying to read Unbreakable. May 1, 2018 is so far away! I recommend this book to fans of fantasy, romance, YA, and Christian themes.

I received copy from NetGalley … and then I bought a copy because it was so good. All opinions are definitely my own.