Review: sadly short, but insanely good
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2014
Unbeloved sets a whole new pace in this series, and offers more insights and growth (in the entire cast of characters) than the past two books have. It ranks as my second favorite book in the series (after Undeniable) for this very reason. The writing is flawless, the story incredible, and it continues to develop as a multigenerational tale.Despite all my love for this book, I am disappointed that Unbeloved is such a short and quick read. Much is glossed over, and it feels if the action missing. The book as a whole lacks that epic read Undeniable offers (the minute details are absent, the angst is minimal, and did I mention the missing action?).Dorothy is dimensionalized in this tale. We get a better understanding of her as a person, and the chain of events that lead her down a certain path. We get a good feel for Hawk and Jace, but much feels edited out. I appreciate the flashbacks are minimal, but the present day moments feel sparse. In the same way the Dirty's story felt too small in the larger part, the path Jace takes in Unbeloved could have been explored even more (it is so interesting from a reader point of view). I also didn't have a total feel on Hawk beyond his secret past, and what a stand up brother he is. All admirable...but as he is a stoic character, I was interested in reading more to better know him.The two highlights of the book for me are the dialogue during a ride Hawk witnesses/faintly hears (to avoid any spoilers I will not elaborate), and his feelings when sitting next to Christopher before a goodbye (when Christopher is emotional and Hawk allows himself to be). These scenes evoked both actual laughter from me, and physical tears...how can a book that does this so flawlessly be less than 5 stars?Despite all my blubbering for a longer book, I am not the author or visionary here and Madeline Sheehan is evolving this story that exceeds any expectation. Just consider me a greedy reader who selfishly would enjoy to dive into more of this tale, and get to reading this book ASAP to draw your own conclusions. It is truly brilliant.