ARC Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable (The Legion)

Author: Kami Garcia

Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2013)

Description: Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia. 

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this first book in a new paranormal series by Kami Garcia. The main character is Kennedy Waters whose world is shaken up when she finds her mother dead and learns that she was killed by a ghost. She soon meets four other young people - Jared and Lukas Lockhart, Priest, and Aleta - who also lost people close to them at the same time Kennedy's mother was killed.

She first meets Jared and Lukas when they break into her house and save her life from the same revenge spirit that took her mother's life. They introduce her to a world of demons, spirits, and a society that is determined to battle them. They, along with Aleta and Priest, and the current members of the Legion and tell Kennedy that she is too.

While the other four knew about the Legion and were trained to be the successors in this generation, Kennedy had never heard of it. This lack of knowledge causes her to make dangerous mistakes and to doubt that she really has a place among the others. Since she has already been abandoned by her father and lost her mother so suddenly, Kennedy has real issues with abandonment and with feeling any sort of belonging.

This story has the group trying to reassemble an "ocular device" which they hope can be used to destroy the demon who is controlling the spirits who, besides killing the previous members of the Legion, are causing outbreaks of violence in the human world. In order to collect all the pieces, they have to travel to five haunted sites and battle the ghosts who are guarding the pieces. The descriptions of the various ghosts and haunted places were chilling.

I can't wait to find out what happens next for Kennedy, Jared, Lukas, Priest and Aleta. This isn't a standalone novel. There are many questions left to be answered regarding the relationships among the team and the battle with the demon. 

Favorite Quote:

Halfway across the parking lot, a hand closed around my wrist. I spun around. Hared stared back at me, desperate and lost. "I didn't mean to grab you."

I wanted to tell him it was okay—that I needed someone to hold me unitl the pain melted away.

Someone who wouldn't let go.

I got this ARC at ALA. You can buy your copy here.