Unblemished was such a confusing read for me. I spent a good portion of the book just trying to figure out who everyone was and how they were connected to each other. I'm still not even sure if I have it all correct. :p

The characters were okay. I was not a fan of the romance/love triangle. El was WAY too infatuated with Joshua, in my opinion.

All in all, some parts of the story were interesting, but overall this was just an okay read. I will be finishing the series since I already have the books.

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Sara Ella's debut novel is a stunning journey into a fascinating new world of reflections. Intricately plotted, the story is complex, but not difficult to follow. Eliyana is a strong heroine, yet also has a vulnerable side that readers will definitely identify with. The other characters are also well-developed and have many hidden secrets revealed throughout the course of the tale. Good vs. evil is the overarching theme, and it's easy to draw parallels with faith. The book is set up for further installments, and it will be fascinating to see where the author takes the characters next.
Eliyana will be relieved to finally graduate from high school soon. Bullied and ignored due to a birthmark covering most of her face, she hides in the shadows. Joshua, a college student next door, doesn't seem to notice the mark and the two form a close friendship. When Eliyana's mother disappears, Joshua becomes her legal guardian, but Eliyana finds he's acting quite strangely. Mysterious events begin to occur, and overheard conversations lead Eliyana to wonder if her mother might have withheld some vital information. What Eliyana discovers next changes her entire world, as well as everyone that she comes in contact with — could her birthmark be more important than she realizes?

I unfortunately was not able to read and review this book before the digital ecopy expired. The synopsis sounds great though, so I will be buying a copy of my own to read soon!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, while the blurb really interested me, I have been unable to get into the book.

Unblemished by Sara Ella is book one in her Unblemished series. A YA fantasy novel about a girl named Eliyana who finds herself thrust into an adventure where other worlds exist. A fun story to read with a strong heroine. Would recommend.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

I’ve looked forward to reading this fantasy novel for years. The cover is gorgeous, the premise intriguing, and I thought for sure I was in for a good, decent read.

Not so, my friends.

The core story was good and entertaining, but it was bogged down in many, many problems that are unquantifiable to me. The language was crude and profane, though the bad words were changed to the fantasy-world’s lingo. There was nudity that made no sense to be included. The straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was the developing feelings of love for a character’s half-sibling. It was made a huge deal for many chapters that these two characters were half-siblings, yet moments after the last mention, the character that had realized this relationship existed suddenly ignored or forgot about the person’s being their own half-sibling and fell completely in love with said person. Incest is gross and morally wrong, and I don’t like reading about it. The relationships in this book were complicated by an over-abundance of plot twists and backstory dumps and a few random flashbacks, so things got a bit confusing at times, but it was very clear that a romance was developed between half-siblings. Also, the leading gal’s guiding force seemed to be her mother. I found that to be very strange and disconcerting in a book sold in Christian bookstores.

The Reflections and Callings were intriguing, so I have to say the creativity was good for developing such an interesting story world and rules for said world. I only wish it were delivered in a more appealing and easy to understand story without the incest romance.

I bought the second book in this trilogy on clearance at Mardel a few years ago, because I knew I had this one to read and the cover of book two is even more beautiful than this one’s. Now I’m not so sure I want to read it, despite the finale that prompts the reader to immediately pick up book two. There were aspects of this story that fascinated me, so it’s possible I’ll read book two, since I own a copy, but I’m not making up my mind today.

Content: romantic feelings for a half-sibling, profanity, expletives, crude talk and innuendo, teen drinking/drunkenness, alcohol, tobacco, replacement expletives, tattoos, nudity, casual mentions of betting and wagering, unwed pregnancy

Interesting Christian YA reminding me of several very creative SF/F plots (namely Roger Zelazny's Amber), but it has its own interesting messages.

Eliyana is blemished - she has a big birthmark on her face and because of it she is used to be the invisible girl in the culture of beauty. Yet - what if her value lies elsewhere? What if the real world is elsewhere? What if she is inherently beautiful?

Very good, witty debut. Of course it needs some polishing in my opinion - namely I find it a bit prolonged and I feel that the authoress sometimes can not decide between the soft/goody and the dark edition (go for the darker story, please! It makes for a better read - and a better growth for the characters!).
But I very much like the empowering messages about the true value for the girls/women.

As for the guys vying for her attention - I am team Ky all the way!

Do you ever read a book and think, "this is terrible," but you're also somehow obsessed with it?! Unblemished by Sara Ella is that for me. And, okay, terrible is a strong word. This isn't terrible, but it does read like the debut novel that it is.

My main issue is the writing style. This reads like an annoying romance novel, which is not my personal favorite . The first person perspective transports the reader into a teenager's constant dialogue replete with sentence fragments, slang words, and neverending selfish thoughts. While this is YA and somewhat forgivable, I almost put the book down based on the main character's annoying personality alone. However, I was drawn in with the unique fantasy world and I stayed for the love triangle.

In terms of the fantasy aspect, I do think the author is up to something good. I've never read a story containing so many unique elements. Unfortunately, the world feels a bit convoluted, and I still don't exactly know how everything works. I honestly couldn't explain the Reflections and the Callings to you. Yet they were cool enough that I decided to just buy into them.

My favorite part of this book is the romance. The love triangle is done right in this book because it is tied to the core plot of the novel and not just thrown in for fun. I absolutely have my favorite (#TeamKy, please), and the ending of this book only makes me want to read the next installment in the series. Too bad these books aren't available at my library!

Clean read;, YA;, series, book 1.
Gorgeous world created by Sara Ella. This is a suspenseful, multi-layered, fantastic read for me. The characters, the different worlds, the tension, suspense, and multiple characters trying to figure out the savior and ruler. Eliyana figuring out this world, the different people in it, and how they relate to who she is, and what her role is. Who can she trust, how can she help those around her, and who really cares for her? Their worlds hang in the balance. A bit of romance, intrigue, and the clever parts of this world that Sara Ella created, had me wanting more! Can't wait to read the next book in this series! I had this sitting on my to read pile for a bit, and am so grateful I finely picked it up. Perfect read for me.

Rough start but good finish. The premise is intriguing, and has many great things going for it. Characters again have some interest to them but alas I’m not sure if I’d be convinced to reread this or continue the journey with the series.

Beautiful yet predictable. I liked this book and will continue to read the others in the series. It had a great premise that I feel missed the mark a little bit.

A really cool premise, and a relatable character. The mystery pulled me along, and I definitely wanted to know what was going on (I love a book with a little mystery involved!). This book is a great read for fantasy lovers.

This was a very good book that held my attention from beginning to end. I highly recommend it. The characters are interesting and have dimension. The plot is tight and there are surprises.

If I could give partial star ratings, I would. This book, for me, is somewhere between two and three stars. It was hard for me to get into at first, which makes it difficult for me to continue reading, but I stuck with it. As the story progressed, and knowledge about Reflections came to light, I became more invested in the story line. The author seemed to pick up speed once everyone was out of New York.

By the time I finished the book, I was ready to read the other two books in the series as soon as possible, which is a good sign. If the first book in a series doesn't grab the reader, it doesn't matter how great the other books are.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Sara Ella
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 11 Oct 2016

This is a YA fantasy book with lots of characters/things that I found very confusing. El, the main character has a large birthmark on her face that is considered by some to make her special. The different worlds and other fantasy things did not appeal to me and I lost interest quickly.

I love this series! Sara Ella has created such a vivid, beautiful world with engaging characters. I love Eliyana. She's real to me. I felt every up and down with her. I laughed and cried so much. I just can't say enough about it. Add this book to your must read!

Umblemished was definitely my favourite book of the series. It had issues: too much interior monolgoue, some weird writing (more than compensated for by some brilliant writing), an annoying habit of having three consectutive one-word sentences. So. Very. Annoying.

Again. Again. Again.

But I liked the main character. I liked her voice—I knew I was reading YA and I haven't been YA for many years, so I was able to move past some of her annoying teenageisms. I liked the concept of the orphan who discovers everything she knew about life was wrong, that people weren't who they seemed, and even the world she lived in (modern New York) was one of seven dimensions.

Yes, the worldbuilding was a little confusing at times. Yes, the writing was occasionally annoying. Yes, the author has skewered in every possible YA fantasy trope, every possible pop culture reference. But underneath, it was the age-old battle between good and evil (accompanied by the age-old love triangle), and it worked. Enough that I read the next book ...

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This book is not what I typically read. But it has such a great storyline of girl who need to feel normal and be seen as normal. It is so great to have books like this to show youth that not everyone is perfect. We live in a world where we are made to think we should be one way and if we are not then we aren’t normal. Great read for this time!!!!

Thank you Netgally and Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins for granting me the chance to read the ARC of Unblemished by Sara Ella.
Eliyana can’t bear to see her own reflection. In this world perfection is beauty. What if another world exists where her blemish could become her strength?

Eliyana has a birthmark covering half her face. Currently, a high school student, her desire is to just graduate unscathed. She didn’t expect to encounter Joshua. Joshua changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her like he does: normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved.

One night, Eliyana’s mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets really strange.

Weirdly, Joshua is now her legal Guardian. Enter a hooded stalker and a Central Park battle and you’ve gone from just weird now to otherworldly.

Eliyana’s new world is much larger and more complicated than she’s ever known. A world enslaved by a powerful and vile man. Eliyana holds the key to defeating him. The big question, reader, can an ordinary girl, a blemished girl, become a savior when she can’t even save herself?

It will help to know that Unblemished is written in first-person point-of-view as you begin reading. The story took me back to when I also was a confused and a not so perfect 17-year-old girl trying to figure out what’s happening in life.

If you enjoy descriptive writing, her descriptions paint detailed pictures, making it easy to envision these imaginary places.

Sara Ella’s writing quickly engaged me and held my attention. This is a young adult spec-fic novel. That stands for speculative fiction, my first read in this genre. I look forward to Ella’s next book.

Dnf at 18%. I need a book that will keep me addicted and invested and as I have a rather large tbr I don't want to be wasting my time and forcing myself.

Simply when it comes down to it, the narrative voice wasn't for me. It reminds me of something like 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' which is a children's book! There's onomatopoeia's thrown in like "fwip fwip fwip", "tap tap tap,"... Just not for me. And I didn't enjoy the inner monologue.