Review: Unhinged by Tempest Avery

Let's kick things off with a book review, shall we? To make it even better, let's kick things off with a review of a book I actually enjoyed. Exciting!

Without further ado, I give you:

Goodreads Summary: Spencer Perry lost everything the day her boyfriend died. Even when he came back as a ghost, she was never able to return to her old self. Determined to find a way to bring both of them back--him from the dead and her from her depression--Spencer hops a ride with a Reaper across the river to the Underworld where she meets the god of the dead. Hadrian isn't what she expected Hades to be like, but when he agrees to a deal that can get her Micah back, she puts all caution aside and accepts. Too bad she didn't realize that she'd also just accepted a lot more than one gorgeous yet frustrating god. Bad things are happening all around her, and now she not only has to worry about keeping Micah's ghost status a secret from their friends, but also figure out who's behind all of the accidents. All signs point towards Hadrian, but something about that just doesn't feel right to her. Something that she hopes has nothing to do with her growing attraction towards him.

Now, if that doesn't sound interesting, I don't know what does.

Unhinged was everything that I could have asked for. Beautifully written, unique, and holding a plot that keeps you interested the entire time, it is hard to put down. (I would know, because I hardly did.)

Having the story intertwined with mythology was definitely something refreshing to see, especially for those of us who are fans of both the gods and young adult fiction.

Also, Avery creates realistic and interesting characters that you really can connect through without the story. It isn't easy to find well-crafted female protagonists in YA novels, but Spencer Perry is funny, witty and real.

Not to mention, you know that the author did a good job with characters when they get you to fall in love with the God of the Underworld. (Which I also give props to. I am a major fan of questioning the balance of good and evil and what we know as both of those terms, which is done elegantly through Hadrian's character.)

Normally, I am not a huge fan of the love V, in which the heroine has to choose between two possible love interests, but Unhinged uses that plot well. Okay, so maybe I am already one-hundred percent sold on which guy I would choose, (Hadrian, in case that wasn't clear) the conflict created by this decision definitely adds to the story.

All in all, Unhinged shot down my waning expectations of YA paranormal romance and set the bar very high. It was a pleasure to read, and completely worth all the procrastination it had caused me to do. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent read, especially if you have an interest in the ideas of afterlife/mythology/attractive gods, like I so clearly do.

If you want to be left satisfied, but also angrily wanting more, then read Unhinged. If you don't, read Unhinged anyway, because you clearly don't know what you want.