I am going to leave this neutral as I could not finish the book. I had to give in about 60% of the way as I felt the the writing was just too jumbled, the characters were not enjoyable, and the plot was all over the place. I never felt that I was with these kids or that I fully knew what was going on. Unfortunate as it had an interesting premise.

Friesen’s novel has an intriguing premise, with fantasy and paranormal elements that will appeal to the young adult audience. Unfortunately, the execution of the tale suffers from an extreme amount of foreshadowing and an excruciatingly slow revelation of answers. Readers willing to stick with it will find the core of a decent story in the end.
Stormi arrives as a baby, falling from the sky during a storm in a small Oklahoma town. Jonah is her next-door neighbor, and as he turns 18, he cannot deny the connection and love he feels for Stormi. Jonah suffers from severe epilepsy and scoliosis, making him somewhat of an outcast to the rest of the school. Add to this mix a mysterious prisoner held in an abandoned prison, an authoritative group of men who run the town with an iron fist and strange occurrences that may or may not be related to Stormi, and things begin to come together for an epic confrontation. Now Jonah must determine which side he is on and why

Billy Coffey and (milder, YA-minded and Christian-like version of) Stephen King comes to mind when reading Unfolding. This (fantasy/mildly dystopian) YA deals with many burdens, some visible and present (hero Jonah suffers from 2 harsh illnesses - both serious case of scoliosis and epilepsia), some hidden in the past, but therefore they are even more devastating. Freedom seems impossible to come, yet truth can set you free. Really?

This novel reads very easily, maybe because it is very relatable in both the teenage angst and vulnerability (and adults suffer from that too, we are only trained better to bottle these feelings up and do not show the signs) and the need to save the world twisted by many untruths and many cruelties. Jonah and Stormi are also a very compelling pair (even if she seems to need him less than he needs her in the area of building him as a man).
The hidden story is fascinating and evil and it resembles the desire to cover the darkest things (of course, upsized here, but also they could be shockingly real) we all know too well. And maybe we all question from time to time the way out from the long-held secrets, sins and/or darknesses.

Not everything is said here, one must think long to get the answers (which is both strong and weak point of the novel). And many unnatural occurrences are not explained well (like how could Tres know so many things?). Yet the plot is strong, the characters all too real (and the innocence of teenager Jonah too much needed in this world), the dangers are well-described and the way out in truth is a very good solution. And we very well may be not alone in the storms of life (I believe that).
Very interesting YA novel, which I would recommend to any deep-thinking/feeling teenager (or teenager (occasional or more often occurring) teenager at heart!).

As I began reading this novel, I wasn't sure what to expect. The voice of the narration was suspenseful and foreshadowed something, but I had no idea what would happen in a tiny town in middle of nowhere Oklahoma. I was pleasantly surprised by how this story unfolded and the depth that was hidden in this town.

The plot itself was morbid and disturbing, but so compelling! It's hard to believe a town would go to such lengths to cover up something so grisly - although I can only imagine the particulars and wish that the actual events had been developed a bit more without just leaving the reader to imagine how certain things actually went down.

Overall, this was a really interesting book and I will be taking another look at the books Jonathan Friesen writes!

I'm culling older NetGalley epubs that I'm unlikely to read at this stage

Thanks for letting me review it! My students like this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Zonderkidz-Books Blink for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This book was very confusing and convoluted. I read it all the way through and went back to re-read because I felt I was missing something. I understood some of it, but a lot went right over my head. The mystical parts confused me because while the book is published by an imprint of a religious publisher, the mystical parts didn't seem to be connected to the higher power one would expect.

The mystical parts kind of overshadowed the horror of what the town did. I think if the mystical parts had been left out, this book could have been much more understandable and powerful. As it is now, the plot is hidden by stuff that makes the reader scratch their head and go "huh?".

I liked the main characters and what Jonah was going through with his crush on Stormi. I even liked Stormi's grandfather. If the woo-woo stuff had been left out, this story had good bones. Good characters, good plot, good setting. It the mystical stuff was left out and more development of the leaders of the town, probably four stars. As it stands now, two because I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

It took me some time to actually get the meaning behind this book. And even then, I'm still not completely convinced I understand it totally. There was much of the book that felt choppy and hard to follow. Like pieces that didn't fit properly in a puzzle, but looked like they fit so they stay.

My favorite part of <i>Unfolding</i> were the characters of Jonah and Stormi. Their unlikely friendship beat all odds. That's encouraging in this day and age. Another part of the book that stuck with me are that the winds and strength of an Oklahoma tornado are strong. The imagery represented is great and the symbolism was not lost on me. However, I still can't get past the fact that I don't think the story ever really finished what it started.

<i>Unfolding</i> is an non-traditional coming of age story. The reader watches Jonah go from an uncomfortable (physically and emotionally) teenage boy to a strong and very sure of himself young man. I can appreciate the story for this purpose. However, the underlying theme of a town brought to ruin by a group of prisoners still hasn't taken root for me yet.

My heart went out to Jonah. He is such a believable and likable character. He is such a sweet, kind person and his medical issues make him a perfect target for cruelty. The mystery surrounding Stormi's presence in their life and the situation surrounding the prison was a little less intriguing then I expect but I am always rooting for the underdog. If you enjoy mysteries with continual twists and turns this is the book for you! Enjoy!!! .