Book of the Week #69 "Unblemished"

Unblemished

by Sara Ella

Eliyana Ember isn’t a big fan of her life. Her face is marred with an unsightly birthmark, which has caused her much ridicule over the years, leaving her without a friend at school. Her only friends are her mom, who has always been there for her, and her neighbor Joshua, who she has developed a crush on over the years. As the story begins, Eliyana’s mother Elizabeth has passed away and she finds herself wrapped in grief. This also leads to the discovery that Joshua is her guardian, making things awkward between them. When her “frenemy” Quinn invites her to a party to get her mind off of things, she meets a guy who follows her to Central Park. There, she finds that there is a whole other realm where kings and queens still live in castles, merpeople swim alongside boats, and almost nothing is what it seems. Even Eliyana herself can possess powers she never imagined possible in this world; a world that very well could depend on her.

This book was so good. If you’re a fan of the show Once Upon A Time, you will LOVE this book. It is so reminiscent of the show with how every character is connected in some way, and people transform, but Unblemished is a phenomenon all its own. It’s the perfect balance of contemporary, dystopian, and classic fairytale. I love the different settings between modern day New York, to the other realms where there’s a touch of 16^th century. So many twists and turns continually keep you guessing as you fly through the pages.

I felt so sorry for Eliyana. She seemed so lonely and so hard on herself in this book. Yet slowly she is coming to realize her worth and her focus shifts from negativity and the positive things in life.

There is a symbolism throughout the book that isn’t blatant, but if one reads closely, one can see what the author is alluding to. It’s very reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia, which adds even more charm to this book.

All in all, Unblemished was a charming fairytale style Y/A that I really enjoyed. If you love fantasy and fairytales, you must read this book.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.