Thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for the eARC :)

I read the books one after another and though it did sustain the momentum of the first one, I just think that it could have gone better. The sequel often suffers from letdowns and this is, sadly another one of those. It was still interesting and really had me going because it started right where the last book ended. The dystopian feels of yesteryears are definitely present, but in my opinion, I think I have outgrown it.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book and Unraveling Eleven is just as good!
The atmosphere is absolutely gripping, and you can feel the tension and confinement of the compound and the sweet blissful relief of fresh air and freedom!
When it comes to the main characters, their development and how they change was interesting to follow. Eve was my favorite, not because of her inner struggle of wrong and right, but because she showed some exceptional strength and didn't give up despite everything that is happening to her.Wren on the other hand I was very irritated at him! Given all she has been trough and all the danger she's in he was so inconsiderate of her position and had the guts to lecture her from the comfort of his preme life….nope…even when I finished the book I'm so iffed with him.
No need to say that after that eventful ending of the book I can't wait to read the final installment of the trilogy and what will happen next.

I really enjoyed jumping back into this world Chisholm has created. All I’m going to say is I can’t wait for where this story goes. That ending was amazing.

“But that grief-that heartache-it makes you who you are today. Someone with heart, someone strong. Someone determined to survive.”
•
It’s so good coming back to compound Eleven (well Eve would not agree with it but still 🙈). I must admit I found this book a bit slower than the first one, probably because in Escaping Eleven I was very invested in Eve and Wren’s relationship, but it was a great adventure nonetheless.

I especially appreciated Eve’s journey to find herself again. After having spent so much time trying escaping the compound being forced to come back is not easy at all and she needs to find a new way to care about her future and other people’s.

Wren is still one of my favorite cinnamon roll characters, he is so good but not in an annoying or cheap way.. you can say that he cares a lot about everyone and I’m sure he would be a great leader!

I can’t wait for the sequel and I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher to let me read it in advance.

✨Unraveling Eleven by Jerri Chisholm✨

Genre: YA Science Fiction
Trope: Dystopian
Star Rating: ☆☆☆
📚: 384 Pages
Release Date: 11/16/2021

I do enjoy the dystopian trope that my middle grade self knew and loved and I think that the series thus far has helped fill the void. Book two picks up right after the ending pages of Escaping Eleven, where Eve and Wren have escaped the compound, learning that their leaders have been deceitful about what lies above the surface. With this newfound knowledge, the go back into the compound and hide in plain sight so to speak working and planning on how to expose the corruptors.

I really enjoyed Eve’s character in book one and was delighted at the amount of character development she goes through in unraveling. She always seems to come out on top even through her struggles which I think is awesome. Her relationship with Wren changes and waivers throughout the pages of the novel, throw in some unexpected twists and you’ve got a great book two which leaves you eager for more.

This is certainly not a standalone, make sure you read book one first!

👏Thank you NetGalley/Entangled Teen for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review

#EscapingEleven #JerriChisholm #ElevenTrilogy #EveHamilton #NEtGalley #ARC #AdvancedReaderCopy #SCIFIReads #Dystopian #EntangledTeen

So.

I've just finished this book and already I feel like reading it again. I definitely took my time getting through it, but I still feel like it was over way too fast.

I know after The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, The 5th Wave and all that jazz we all kinda tacitly decided the era of YA dystopia had run its course and it was time to let it go, but if any books warrant bringing dystopian YA back to the forefront and reviving this fantastic genre, it's definitely this trilogy!

First of all, let me just reiterate how much I freaking LOVE Jerri's writing style. I don't really have the words to explain it, but the way she weaves together her paragraphs and structures her sentences just clicks with me. The way she narrates meshes so impeccably well with the dystopian universe. I'm so curious to see how she would approach other fiction genres.

In my review for Escaping Eleven, the first book in the trilogy, I pointed out how even though I really liked the book, I found the plot to get slow and repetitive at times; how there wasn't enough danger and a true sense of urgency to offset it, and how that ultimately brought down my score. Didn't have that issue with this one!

The first part was more about character development, and I'll be honest, as much as I empathized with Eve and the level 5 storm (that's catastrophic damage levels btw) that were her feelings and emotions after that fleeting taste of freedom got snatched away, I was still so frustrated and annoyed with her! She'd always been prickly and rash, but being forced underground festered poisonous hopelessness and resentment that ended up almost swallowing her whole. She became dark and mean. And rooting for her during that part was hard.

But sometimes hitting rock bottom is needed in order to kick off and wrestle our way back up. Her anger burned and consumed her, and out of the ashes a new Eve was born. Someone fierce and determined. Someone who'd honed and tempered her rage at the unfairness of her circumstances and inexcusable actions and behaviors of those in power in Eleven into a sharp, deadly blade destined to end the compound once and for all. And let me tell you, that Eve was awesome! Character growth is one of my all time favorite things in YA, and Eve's arc has been completely phenomenal to behold. Kudos to you, Jerri! An exceptionally well done job!

And coincidentally, the end of Eve's emotional unraveling meant the cementing of her goal to unravel Eleven. Which is just beautifully poetic, no? I'm trying to be intentionally vague since the blurb reveals very little of what happens in this book and I want everyone who reads it to be as surprised and stunned by the events of this novel as I was. I'll tell you this, though, the evilness of Eleven's leaders goes deeper and farther back than I had first imagined. These are truly despicable, irredeemable people.

And much like the end of book one, after another heart-pounding last few chapters, this one too ended with Eve and Wren topside (great mirroring between the books right there), except under much more dire, harrowing, grim circumstances this time. Last time stepping outside meant potential death, now the deadly place for them to be is underground.

The stage is set, everything is in place and the stakes are at an all time high. I can't wait to see how this trilogy will end!

**I received an e-copy of this book from Entangled Teen through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity**

The second book in the Eleven trilogy picks up right of from the ending of the first book, Escaping Eleven.
Eve and Wren manage to escape aboveground, but unprepared to survive in the wilderness they have to go back to their dreadful compound. But being back after knowing there's a better place to live turn Eve into a different person. A person that terrifies her friends, Wren and even herself.

I love the outside world and how Eve meet the people surviving in the wild. It shows a different setting down from the underground world. Living aboveground with freedom and no one threatening your life shows how messed up Compound Eleven really is.
I have a feeling the higher rank people back at the compound know that the aboveground wasn't as dangerous as before but if they exposed that to the civilian then they would lose control and power of the people. Something they're not ready to give up when they could live like kings rather than living aboveground with unknown possibilities.

Eve, the main character drastically change in this book. It was slightly terrifying seeing her changes. After having a taste of freedom then she has to go back by being in the cage of Compound Eleven makes her feels trapped and powerless which lead to an act of selfishness to the point where her friends barely recognize her anymore.
Fortunately, she manage to learns from her mistakes and started doing the right thing the last half part of the book. I really respect her decisions near the ending and shows how strong she really is after going through a lot of messed up things.

I wish I got to see more of Wren and other secondary characters like Eve's friends. Having Wren's POV would have been a nice touch to know his side of the story trying to uncover all the secrets from the higher rank people.
Hopefully, we'll get to see more of the outside world in the next book too because Michael and Muji are a great addition to the story!

Overall, this is very enjoyable and I have a good time being back with Eve and her friends in Compound Eleven. Great character development on Eve and discovering a new place is fascinating!
I'm looking forward the continuation of Eve's journey trying to save her friends and others in the next book!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Jerri Chisholm and Entangeld Teen for giving me this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

note: posting on my bookstagram today, 15th November 2021

This is the second book in the Eleven trilogy which picks up a few minutes after the first book ended. This is a very dystopian story, so if you like that genre you’ll like this series. We learn so much more about the outside world as well as inside the compound. Our main characters go through a lot in this second installment. Their relationship has its up’s and downs, and as much as I wanted them to resolve everything I liked how realistic it was. They had their own conflicts and resentments they were working through, sometimes together, sometimes in their own. I’m glad this didn’t fall into what I call second book syndrome. It was just as intriguing, especially the second half. With a lot of build up for the conclusion. I was super invested and couldn’t put it down. The ending! So much happened, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the third book!


This is not a standalone, definitely read the first book in this YA dystopian series Escaping Eleven before reading this book. Thank you so much to Entangled Teen, NetGalley, and Jerri Chisholm for an early ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

After the cliffhanger ending in Escaping Eleven, I was so excited to get to review book 2. Especially because of the huge cliffhanger we were left with in book one. I love that the book picks up immediately where the first left off. Eve and Wren have escaped Compound Eleven without detection and are truly free for the first time in their lives. But will it work out? Is it worth it? Tired from the run of their life will they be able to survive a world nothing like the one they knew?

3.5/5

It's nearly impossible to talk about this book without spoilers for book one. So, you've been warned.

Having to go back into the brutal, depressing compound after a small taste of freedom is as frustrating for the reader as it is for Eve. It definitely feels like they could have attempted liberation way earlier in proceedings. Most of this book is Eve being miserable and becoming more and more of a horrible person. The murder of Landry really pushed my limit of unlikeable behaviour in a main character.

I still hate Wren, just like in the first book. He is NOT kind and I don't know why the author insists on describing him that way. He never shows kindness, he's constantly criticising Eve (for example, her conversational skills), he strings Addison along as just a pawn in his plan. And then he has the audacity to act like he's morally superior. I don't think so. He's garbage and I keep hoping that Eve will wake up to how awful he is but I guess that's not going to happen.

This book suffered from Middle Book Syndrome for me. We basically end up in exactly the same place at the end of this book as we were in at the end of the first one, after a very similar climax. So I guess everything I thought would happen in this book will actually happen in book 3. That ultimately makes this book feel kind of unnecessary.

I'm keen to read the third and find out what happens finally. But I think this could have been a duology.

3.5 stars

So last book we ended up with a cliffhanger of Eve and Wren coming outside the compound. I truly thought they were going to find a community outside but I was proven wrong.
They basically were forced back into the compound and, things got even worse than they before.

I really liked the struggles Eve went through in this book. Both her and Wren, I feel they grew a lot. I love how their relationship developed in a realistic way and how their struggles felt real.
And although I do feel like this book suffered from the "second book curse" where the pacing feels a bit slow at times, I still enjoyed it very much.
Wren is still my favorite part of this series even when I think Eve is one of the strongest female mc in YA books I've read.
Now i can't wait to see what's going to happen in the final book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

After the cliffhanger ending in Escaping Eleven, I was ecstatic to see book two available so soon and jumped to request it from NetGalley.

This book picks up immediately where the first left off. Eve and Wren have escaped Compound Eleven without detection and are truly free for the first time in their lives. They’re breathing fresh air, have real dirt beneath their feet, and encounter plants and animals they’ve never seen. The above ground world is theirs for the taking – very briefly. They soon realize they’re not equipped to survive in this world. Half-starved, dehydrated, and recovering from food poisoning, they limp back to Compound Eleven and resume their lives. But many questions remain, the biggest being why the governing body hasn’t let the citizens know above ground is once again safe. Eve and Wren are determined to discover the answer.

There’s no doubt Eve is a strong protagonist, but I quickly grew annoyed with her drama queen act in the first half of the book. Everything is about her, and she lacks the ability to see the broader picture, something that’s more of a strength for Wren, and he challenges her to be better. Eve’s mouth and fists get her in trouble several times, and it becomes tiresome. Luckily, she comes to her senses in the second half of the book and makes significant strides. That’s where the story took off for me. Startling and unnerving discoveries come to light, especially for Wren, which lead them to a life-threatening point of no return. Seriously, book three can’t get here fast enough. Some new characters make a significant impact on the story, but I’m not so sure they’re trustworthy. They should figure prominently in the next book.

Expect a roller coaster of emotions with this one and extensive character development with our flawed MCs. Also expect satisfaction when some characters get what’s coming to them. I still have questions about aspects of Wren’s background that were hinted at in the first book, but it’s something that may come into play in the next. If you’re a dystopian fan, I recommend checking out this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Entangled Teen for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is the sequel to Escaping Eleven and is a dystopian YA novel. I know a lot of people have come and gone through their dystopian novel phase, but I still really love the genre. In the Eleven trilogy we follow hobby fighter Eve Hamilton who is in one of the lowest castes in the tunnels of Compound Eleven where humanity has gone to escape an uninhabitable world above. But she starts to wonder if the world above her is really as dangerous as she’s lead to believe. Unraveling Eleven explores more from where book 1 left off. It comes out on November 16th and is available for preorder now.

There are a lot of good things and a lot of not so great things in this one. I really enjoy all of the characters. I think I mentioned them in my review of the first book earlier this year. And I found Eve and Wren just as relatable as I did in book 1. I still wish we had gotten more from the side characters but plot definitely takes precedence over character development. This is a fast paced and easy read. I read the whole thing in less than a day and a half. It’s really easy to read and quick which is fitting for the dystopian genre.

There are a few things that really bothered me with this one and it’s mostly that it feels aimless at times. I feel like Eve is just wandering around and then bumping into plot points. I DO think we got more development out of her towards the end of the novel but most of the time she didn’t seem to know what she wanted or how to make it happen even if she did. I’m hoping book 3 can develop her further now that she’s made her decision. I feel like there were a lot of moments where the author could have driven the emotional moments further but instead she pulled back so I was wanting to be more emotionally invested and most of the time I wasn’t.

I’m still definitely planning on picking up the final book to the trilogy because I want to know what happens now. And I do enjoy the nostalgia I feel at times toward the dystopian genre while reading this series. I think if you or someone you know hasn’t read many dystopian novels then this would be a great one to get them started with.

Wow! This is shaping up to be one of the most interesting, THRILLING dystopian novels I’ve read in a while.

Our MMCs found themselves above ground at the end of Book 1, but the beginning of Book 2 isn’t so exciting anymore. Eve and Wren discover they are not ready for life above ground so they once again find themselves back in the compound.

What follows is a unique tale of a young woman maturing and growing and a young man fighting for what he wants. So many twists and turns. So many ups and downs.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the last one!

So, to be totally honest here, I picked this one up without reading the synopsis because it's book 2 and I just KNEW I wanted to read it! So...I was surprised to find that this wasn't going to be a book about survival above ground, but instead one of surviving below...still. So, it took me a little to get over being a bit grumpy about that 😂!

What I got in this story though, was a wonderful plot with some excellent character growth for our MC, and some exciting discoveries! I also got to enjoy some great punches thrown by Eve to some well-deserving faces! I really liked the story, and some really amazing discoveries were made, which I loved! It set up a book three nicely! Can't wait to get my hands on that one!!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Picking up directly where Escaping Eleven leaves off, Eve and Wren have escaped above ground, but it isn’t long before they are forced back down, unprepared to live a life up there… yet. It is clear that life is sustainable above ground under the sun and among the trees and grass to an extent and while back underground, she longs to be back there, still hanging onto hope that she will be able to find her brother.

This book took turns that I wasn’t expecting at all. And while I hated that she had to go back to Eleven, I understood that she needed to get answers and she needed to learn the dark secrets that were being kept. She needed to infiltrate the ranks as a guard to protect herself from the evil that taunted her. And she needed to get some sort of closure from someone close to her who so wronged her. But things never go as planned… Even while still taking trips to the surface and learning more and more about life up there, she still had to endure the life down there.

Wren made me angry in this book and I hated that. There were things that he had to deal with and actions he had to take for the greater good, but the way he went about certain things made my blood boil. All in all though, the sacrifices he must make are deadly and he learns things about his life and the actions of those closest to him that make his head spin.

Ultimately, this was a wonderful penultimate book in the Eleven trilogy and with an ending like that I am DESPERATE for more!

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Spoilers for book 1 ahead.

After the cliffhanger ending in book 1, I had to grab a copy of the sequel! I really loved the first book, and I was glad that Unraveling Eleven lived up to my expectations!

I definitely did not expect this book to go how it did. Eve and Wren don't experience freedom for long; their lack of survival know-how becomes rather evident. Forced back into the compound, things are even worse than they were before.

Eve struggles with herself a lot in this book. Her growth is one of my favorite things about Unraveling Eleven! I feel like she is much more realistic than most YA protagonists which is probably why I enjoy her character so much. Wren is another of my favorite characters! The more you learn about him, the more you love him!

I did wish the plot moved a little faster, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. This series is excellent at keeping me on the edge of my seat! And, once again, Jerri decided to end on a major cliffhanger! I was so invested in what was going on that I completely failed to realize I was on the last page! I need book 3 ASAP!

Overall, Unraveling Eleven was dark, brutal, and completely captivating. As harsh as the story is, it also contains some heart-warming scenes, a few strong friendships, and a handful of loveable characters. Personally, I love its take on the dystopian genre! I would recommend it to YA dystopian fans, or anyone looking for a strong female MC!

Content: explicit language, lots of violence/death, brief references to a sexual assault and abusive relationship from book 1

The world above ground is not as Eve has been taught to believe. She has made it out, felt the sun on her skin, and breathed clean unrecycled air for the first time. But she can't stay. She doesn't have the skills and can't leave the others to rot below the earth. Compound Eleven is a jail cell for the lucky and a death sentence for those on the lower levels. Do those in charge know? And if they do why are they keeping their society locked away underground? Fear? Concern? Maybe, power? How far is Eve willing to go for those answers?

Unraveling Eleven poses a lot of questions but in true second book form does little to move the story along. Most of the book deals with Eve's internal struggles as she grapples with her humanity and what she is truly capable of. As a reader I wanted more of the outside world and less of the back and forth teenage drama.

Still this book was entertaining and I ultimately enjoyed it. Can't wait for the third book to see how it all plays out. These cliffhanger endings are delicious and maddening all at the same time. I just need to know what happens next!

Omg! This book!!! It reached my expectations and more, as always a very good plot and the character development in this one was just amazing. I really like the execution of the plot twist and the author ability to keep me hooked through out the story and ending simply kill me …. Another cliffhanger !!!
Waiting for the third book

read this book as a voluntary ARC. I was excited to start since the ending of the first book in the series. The beginning had a lot of action which then dwindled during the middle. I found myself struggling to read chapters in the middle due to the lack of action. Then the last 30% I could not put the book down. I could have done without some of the details but did appreciate the story line