Unwritten – 4 Star Book Review

Welcome to one of the April 20th stops on the blog tour for Unwritten by Alicia J. Novo, organized by XPresso Book Tours. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Unwritten
The Zweeshen Chronicles Book One
by Alicia J. Novo

Publishing 8 May 2021
INtense Publications

Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 324
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Books whisper to Beatrix Alba. But they aren’t the reason she has never fit in. Bullied at home and school, she keeps a secret—a power of violence and darkness.

When the spell that keeps her hidden fails, she’s catapulted into the Zweeshen, a realm where all tales live, and her dream of meeting her favorite characters comes true. But wishes are tricky, and behind its wonder and whimsy, the Zweeshen is under attack. A character is burning bookworlds in pursuit of a weapon to rule both stories and storytellers. To succeed, he needs a riddle in Beatrix’s keeping.

Now he’s hunting her down.

Joining forces with William, a cursed conjurer, Beatrix must face an enemy who knows her every weakness in a realm where witches play with time, Egyptian gods roam, and Regency heroines lead covert operations. And with her darkness as the only weapon, she may have to sacrifice everything to save a world that rejects her.

—-

Praise for UNWRITTEN

“Fascinating and magic-filled, the fantasy novel Unwritten promises adventure right up to its final page.” — Foreword Reviews.

“Novo’s well-crafted story will delight and engage readers … A satisfying and socially relevant story about acceptance and sacrifice.” — Kirkus Reviews.

“Wholly original and wondrously imaginative…” — Reader’s Favorite Reviews (5 Stars).

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads.

I was granted eARC access to Unwritten by Alicia J. Novo as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with XPresso Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Books have always spoken to Beatrix, quite literally, and for good reason. She belongs in the pages of one, quite literally! Beatrix finds herself in the middle of a war between the characters, worlds, and stories all around her, and some that haven’t even been published.

The premise of this book fascinated me and the experience of reading it did not disappoint. Haven’t we all dreamed of living a book’s world? Haven’t we all wanted to go adventuring with the characters? Beatrix gets to do that.

Novo’s world-building is extensive, magical, and absolutely breathtaking! It’s a beautiful book full of fascinating worlds, and all of it is delivered without excessive info-dumping, so the book never drags or slows at all. It’s difficult to put down! I see on the Goodreads listing that this is the start of a series and I’m beyond excited to read more!

My one major critique is that it ended too quickly. I rarely say a book needed to be longer, but this one did. Thank goodness the story isn’t over!

If you’re a fantasy fan, YA or otherwise, read this book!

About the Author

Alicia has a weak spot for happy endings and transformative journeys. She spent her teenage years
in Argentina and Europe, speaks several languages and loves to travel.
 
An eclectic reader, she grew up on a diet ranging from Lucy M. Montgomery and Jane Austen to Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Raymond Chandler, Hermann Hesse, Jorge Luis Borges, and many classics. She’s never been cured of reading a bit of everything and is as likely to geek out about Mr. Darcy as Dr. Who.
​
She is a history and astronomy aficionado, who walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, completed her Masters in the Netherlands and worked for Google in Ireland. She decided to become a writer at six but took a full, winding road here. Along the way, she learned if there’s one thing that cuts across cultures, one unifying thread that pulls everyone together, it’s a good story.
 
A big-city girl, she now lives in the Midwest, where she occasionally picks apples and pretends witches exist.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Alert!

Enter to win…

• A physical copy and a box of branded goodies (bookmarks, keychain, enamel pin, character art, candle, tote – US only)
• Ebook with digital goodies (character art, background, map – International)

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.