Unleashed (Uninvited #2)

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophie Jordan has taken some chances here and for some of us, it's paid off.

Unleashed is the sequel to Uninvited. This is a dystopian based on the idea that scientists have discovered a gene that is a marker for homicidal tendencies. Those who have the gene are segregated, imprisoned, branded and often killed. There's an evil corporation behind it all and the government is backing it. Davy, our protagonist, has escaped her circumstances in Uninvited and now is headed to Mexico to escape with her friends and her boyfriend Sean.

From the outset this romance is questioned. It's uncomfortable but understandable. When Davy gets separated from the group things change dramatically. We get to see a new side of things, a resistance group who has formed an underground railroad of sorts. We also get to see some characters who really are homicidal maniacs. It was nice to know that not everyone was mistakenly tagged. Davy is very clear in her view that everyone with the gene is either apt to commit violence or seriously dangerous. There was no whining here about how things weren't fair.

What took a serious turn here was the romance. Jordan took a big risk by separating the two romantic leads and introducing another guy. There was really no love triangle. Instead we got Davy being conflicted but committed to bigger issues. The world does not treat her well in this book. She is sympathetic but not someone to pity. In fact, she's pretty much fed up with the whole situation.

Caden, the new love interest, is a great guy. He's a leader of the resistance and hard not to like. His character develops slowly through his interaction with Davy and the other resistance leaders. There's a clear bad guy with his gang of thugs. There are rivalries. There is a lot of chest-pounding and sword rattling. The problem is that there is no real clear reason why. A lot of questions weren't answered with regard to why some of the characters had a problem with Davy. And the ultimate villain had such a poor reason for being a villain, making the plot somewhat disappointing.

That said, it still worked. The story was engaging. The characters were likable. And the ending worked. There have been other books where this sort of thing completely flopped - but somehow Jordan pulled it off. Everybody was happy in the end.

On audio this book is narrated by Rebecca Gibel. She embodies Davy beautifully. Her voices for the other characters were also well done.

Overall this is a good dystopian duology that is worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.


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