An interesting fantasy book I found a little hard to follow at times but did enjoy the characters and would like to read more

The Unwilling by Kelly Breffat took me on a journey to a world in turmoil, where bad becomes worse in the blink of an eye. But, there is a glimmer of hope that only one character can see and make a reality. Unexpected and heart-rending, this fantasy tale explores themes of survival, independence, and love in a way I will not soon forget.

Favorite Character:
Elly
While I was reading, I kept thinking of Gone With the Wind, and one of the main reasons is because Elly reminds me of Mitchell's character, Melanie. A girl who plays a part in which she is born, seeming weak and "mealymouthed," when in actuality, she's strong and resilient. Elly is the most prepared to live through hard times, and her will to survive is strong, as is her determination and resourcefulness. She is a very admirable character who will stick with me as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes has.

What I Liked

The emotional journey The Unwilling took me on is one that I have not experienced with any other story. It is intense and often dark. I often found myself repelled and drawn in at the same time, yearning for some glimmer of hope as things felt unbelievably hopeless. Looking back at my reading experience, I am very intrigued by the strength of a plot and of the characters that could take me on such a journey.

Elly is my favorite character, but it was a close choice between her and the main character, Judah, who has the characteristics that I typically find appealing. She is strong internally with a rebelliousness that brings a bit of fun to the role. Thumbing her nose at the rules of society, as well as the adults in charge, is something she does daily. She is smart, quick to take in a situation, and wears her differences as a badge of honor. She has moxie, and I do love a character with moxie.

The world-building is good with a history woven into the current day story that makes it pretty easy to understand what is going on and how things got to be where they are. I found that there is a stark contrast between the prologue and the rest of the story. Most of the story is set in the colorful city of Highfall, but the prologue takes place outside the city in the caravan's travels. The caravan's world read very stark and basic, which was in direct contrast to the courtier life in the city.

What I Wish

I wish that the ending could have been different. I can't say any more than that because I don't want to spoil the story for those who haven't read it, but I felt that I needed to say at least that much.

To Read or Not to Read

If you love intense emotional journeys and impossible choices, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, MIRA books, and Harlequin Trade for my free copy in exchange for an honest review. Special thank you to Justine Sha for my spot on the Harlequin Trade Blog Tour for this book.

This one hurt. I had to take a break because this book was making me grouchy and I didn't need a book to help me feel grouchy. I can just read the news for that feeling. Anyway, no matter how painful the book was it's still a well written, beautiful book that I intend on reading more because there has to be more.

Judah, a founding, and Gavin, heir to an empire, have a bond that makes them feel each other's pain. This saves Judah from being killed by Gavin's father but doesn't stop them being tortured. In the palace, Judah is a pawn for several people. Outside the palace, there is another group wanting to use her for their own desires.

There are many different forces using the main characters. The interesting thing is that only one of them knows that his way is evil. The other two are thinking that their cruelty is justified by the outcome. But the outcome isn't as wonderful as they think.

Elinor was my favorite character. She was bought as Gavin's intended at a young age and is smart and kind. Her fierce kindness with Judah is a bright spot with the book. There is one time when she is the most capable character.

This one was .... long!

A complex and epic adventure which follows Judah; a foundling who shares a very special bond with Gavin, the heir to a vast empire. This bonds rules their lives as it's the key to Judah's survival. However, danger is around every corner as it seems that everyone in Highfall wants to use Judah, their bond, or both.

Usually I love a good fantasy novel but on this occasion it was just too long a drawn out for me. The pace was slow which I don't usually mind as long as it builds to something, but in this instance I just found it a little underwhelming and anticlimactic. The ending felt rushed and was disappointing after investing so much time to finally get there. There wasn't really a glimmer of hope left for any character which to be honest just felt depressing. There wasn't really any kind of pay off for the level of suffering and the amount of triggers this book contains. I don't shy away from torture in literature if it adds value, but this just seemed like cruelty and dispair at every turn..

I can see big fantasy fans enjoying this as there is a lot of good things in there. Complex characters that are beautifully woven into the story, a depth to the tale which is rich in history and an interesting magical 'Work' threaded throughout. Braffet has a real skill in building a world which is three dimensional with characters you will both love and hate. For me though, it just couldn't make up for the pace which promised so much but sadly fell a little short alongside so much darkness with little or no light to be rewarded with.

Fun book. Judah is the odd one out. Adopted as a foundling the same night as the heir is born she is raised with him but what only a few know is that they are bound. What one feels, the other feels, If one bleeds, the other bleeds. As intrigue and conspiracy build as the heir is to take his place, other strange workings come into play. I enjoyed the characters and this story.

*Review will be posted on my blog on 1/13/20*

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for giving a chance to read this eARC.

My reading experience of The Unwilling was not what I expected. I was intrigued and kept reading it, but halfway in I was getting restless. I kept reading to see why our main characters: Judah, Gavin, Theron and Elly were all suffering so much and I was hoping for somewhat of a happy ending. I didn’t get that.

Judah was born on the same night as the future Lord of the City, Gavin. Being born on the same night created some magical bond between them. They can feel each other’s pain and can communicate in a way no other two people can. Elban, Gavin’s father is a very cruel man who finds pleasure in torturing his children and foster child. He exerts his power through cruelty and Judah, Gavin, Theron (Gavin’s younger brother) and Eleanor (Gavin’s intended) all suffer because of him.

There is also political intrigue in the kingdom and someone is planning Elban’s downfall, but who? Then there is the newcomer Nate, the magus – he’s a healer with a hidden agenda. Everyone wants a piece of Judah and she has no idea why – but will she find out before it’s all too late?

What I Liked:

*Something about this book kept me reading it – and mostly because I needed to know what was so special about Judah. Why did the magus need to get to her so badly?! She had powers obviously but she hardly…and I mean HARDLY uses them in this book because she doesn’t know she has them. 🤦🏻‍♀️

*This book is depressing so the only shining light about it is the bond and love between Judah, Gavin, Theron, and Elly. They suffered together and became their own family and relied on each other. Their love for each other really came through in this story.

*There were a few twists in the story within the political environment of the kingdom but…again…the twists benefited everyone else, not the four abused people in this story.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*Triggers: Almost EVERYTHING. Torture, graphic scene of a deer hunt, graphic scene of feral hounds torturing someone (think Ramsey from Game of Thrones), cutting (it’s blood magic), drug use, physical and mental abuse…so much abuse.

*I had to reach 75% into the book to find out what Judah’s power was? Ugh…Why couldn’t it be explained earlier? Nate’s relationship with Derie (his abusive mentor)…didn’t even really explain why their people needed Judah until the end! So frustrating. 😑

*I’ve read books with torture in it, but in the end – someone is usually a hero. Someone turns the tide…this kingdom was ruled by one mad man to another. There was no happy ending in sight for Judah, Gavin, Theron and Elly. There was seriously no HOPE for these four children, now adults, trapped together in misery. They were unwilling to become like their father Elban, I get it…they were unwilling to let their family be broken apart…but it was.

*When Judah’s power explained by Nate who’s head is scrambled by Derie so he can carry out this mission of ending Elban’s line and unleashing Judah’s power – by then he’s a madman too. This whole story was about people who needed Judah for something. They all preyed on her even Nate who was supposed to “help” her, even Gavin who wasn’t supposed to hurt her.

*The ending was frustrating. 😒 And this is categorized as Sci-fi on NetGalley…what was sci-fi about it? The part where Theron tinkers as an inventor? Did I miss it?

Final Thoughts:

Despite all the things that turned me off about this book, I read this book in three days! That means something about it kept me interested and I think it was the mystery of Judah’s power. But by the time it is explained I was just so frustrated with this story and the ending left me even more unsatisfied. Judah’s dilemma seemed so impossible to fix, here was a girl who was bound to another, not by choice. Bound to a kingdom not by choice and here were this people, trying to keep her bound. This book wasn’t for me but I did finish at least.

This book was great. It was quite intense. I loved the story line! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was a new take on magic that I haven't seen before and it was quite interesting. I found the character of Judah to be well developed and the relationship between her and Gavin was very cool (and very dark)!

I shall be eternally grateful to the mighty Erin Morgenstern for recommending "The Unwilling". Until I read Morgenstern, I didn't know that fantasy was my thing. Kelly Braffet's latest offering has fuelled that fire further. It's a long read but one you still never want to end. Early reviews suggest that opinion is widely divided and this book is the literary equivalent of Marmite. I am firmly in the yes, yes, YES camp. Do you love it or hate it? I guess you'd better read it and see… As for me, I'd love a worldwide book tour (don't forget Scotland, UK!), with author signings, and merchandise, an audiobook with full cast recording and a TV adaptation please! And at the very least, a sequel, yes?

This was a lot grimmer than I was expecting. The misery endured by the four protagonists was unremitting and largely unleavened by any levity. It’s a long book too so make sure you’re in the right head space for it. The world building is excellent and the writing was compulsive. I want to read the author’s next book. It has left me with very mixed feelings on how I feel about this one however. Writing wise 4 stars. Personal enjoyment more like 3.

I had high hopes for The Unwilling. The premise sounded great, and as the story started I found myself caught up in the world and characters, interested to see how things would play out. The book is long and maybe could have done with a few trims here and there, but it never felt overly plodding and there was always enough action to keep me engaged. What spoilt the work for me was the ending. It was so vague and unsatisfactory after nearly 600 pages, I wondered for a moment if a second volume was planned. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. While I don't feel I wasted my time reading it, as I did mostly enjoy it, I was disappointed with the way it ended without really giving a proper, definite conclusion. In some ways, the ending felt a little sudden and rushed after the long, slow buildup. So it's four stars from me. There was plenty I liked about The Unwilling, but its ending let it down.

(Full review will go live on my blog on 5 February 2020)

This was a very dark, depressing book with hardly any redeeming qualities. Four children are forced to grow up together in a fortress in an oppressive totalitarian state, and are neglected at the best of times and horribly abused at the worst (and that abuse is often depicted graphically). If some relief or respite from the horrific mistreatment of these characters occurred, then perhaps the book might have been better. But it seemed that no matter what, life would never get better for them. Outside of these 4 characters, the other people depicted in the book also led dismal hopeless lives. I kept waiting for something to happen to make things even a little bit better, but when that seemingly might happen, nothing really changed.
The unlikable characters, graphic depictions of physical and mental abuse, and--sorry for the spoiler--detailed description of a pregnant woman being mauled, killed, and eaten by dogs, really made this story hard to trudge through. And at the end, there was no real resolution. I really feel that I wasted a great deal of time reading a book with no real point or purpose. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and I will not be reading any subsequent books in what I can only hope will be a series (because even though I really don't care what happens to these characters, I will feel less like I wasted my time reading this book if I can believe that at some point at least a couple of them might end up, if not happy, then maybe better off than they were at any point in Book 1).

This book just drags on and on and on... After the first hundred pages I was especially worried. I felt no connection to the characters, the story, and I honestly wanted to DNF it. I kept going since a long book like this may get better more towards the middle. It did eventually catch my attention, but it was much too late by that point. I say this is a definite skip from me.

This book draws the reader in to sympathize with the main character, Judah, as she is subjected to all manner of physical and emotional torture over the course of her young life. The author does a great job of world building, and this is a very harsh, cruel world in which these characters exist. I must say, this book is a serious downer. I kept waiting for something to get better, for the bad guys to be beaten down and the righteous to triumph. . . but there are no truly good guys, no one is happy; misery, pain, fear and mistreatment fall repeatedly on everyone. Aaargh!

It's a well-written story, but so freaking depressing that I have a hard time recommending it as an enjoyable read. The depictions of violence and torture are very realistic and, um, icky. It sometimes seemed a tad too long in places, like a bit of editing might have been helpful, but maybe that's just me being beat down by all the dreariness and pain and elimination of joy throughout the piece. There are likely many other readers who will love this work, but I felt drained when I got to the last page.