NA Review: Unseen (Unborn #2) by Amber Lynn Natusch

Title: Unseen
Author: Amber Lynn Natusch
Series: Unborn
Book #: 2
Pages: 288
Reading Level: NA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.01
Published: February 17th, 2015

Welcome to the Kingdom of Hades, where even its prodigal princess sleeps lightly.
After fighting Soul Stealers in Detroit, Khara hoped to return home to find answers in her father's realm. But the land of the dead offers little information, and far too much tragedy. Now cut off from her brothers, and left only with her dark and unreliable companion Oz, Khara must navigate the centuries-old webs of deceit and betrayal, all while eluding the Underworld's most depraved inhabitant. But she soon finds an unexpected ally in her adopted sister Persephone. Together, they endeavor to right a terrible wrong. And as Khara soon discovers, there's more riding on her success than she ever thought possible.
 

Taschima's POV:

 



I almost didn't even pick up Unseen. After Unborn I was well and ready to give up on the series, but then I thought about the boys (brothers) in the books and I felt an inkling of curiosity. So I said fuck it and went ahead and picked this one up, going against my better judgment. Unseen tries to improve on Unborn, and it really takes to heart things that were wrong with the previous title and tries to fix them, but then how come it still felt like it fell flat? Maybe this series, this story overall, just isn't for me. I still couldn't stand the "romantic" interest (actually, if it is even possible, I hated him even MORE in this title), I felt like for most of the book NOTHING was happening and we were just going round and round looking for answers no one was willing to provide, and I got to see little of the characters I loved and a lot of the characters I disliked in the previous novel. Which made for an overall bland and unexciting reading experience.

So after the mess of an ending that was Unborn Khara loses all sense and follows Oz into the Underworld to quote unquote "look for answers about her origins". But pretty much she gets to the Underworld and everybody brushes her off. Nobody wants to give her answers, they all just want to use her for their own purposes. Greed, revenge, sexual frustration, Khara seems to be in high demand as an object. Nobody wants to give her the light of day until they need something from her. Not even Oz. Specially Oz.

So Khara goes to the Underworld and she pretty much spends most of the book walking round and round in these never ending corridors that seem to be the Underworld's living quarters. Because this is how it is described. As never ending corridors. No real description is given, you take it or leave it. Make something up in your mind and hopefully it sticks.

I personally liked to imagined the Underworld as if it was  Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

I don't necessarily know why, but since so little was described in terms of setting I guess I just grasped at straws and came up with something that felt familiar. An endless stream of corridors, with little to no distinctions.

The story is much like the corridors, and endless quest to look for answers that keeps going and going with no answers on sight. The worst part of this is that you get to experience this with Oz right behind you.

"Same old ego-driven asshole."
"No," Oz countered. "Not the same ego-driven asshole. An even bigger one. One that can destroy you far more efficiently than before."

They keep talking about Oz and the power of the "Dark Ones" but other than some very big talk I saw nothing to back this up. But other than an attitude upgrade (or is it downgrade?) Oz just seems to be the same prick with double the confidence. He gets tiresome quick, his threats, his "you have to trust me just CAUSE I SAY SO", his machismo... I sincerely hate him as a character. Every time I think of him it makes me want to hit something, and if I have to result to violence well then all hope is lost.

"He stepped back from me enough to rake his eyes over my body as though he was trying to memorize it. As though he thought he might never see it again."

Hey there buddy, my eyes are up here.

Every other sentence allures to sex, which makes Unseen seem like Erotica for the NA crowd, with supernatural creatures! I want to be clear as to what I am reading (genre wise) so I don't create expectations. If I am told I am getting this (erotica) then I expect it and all the rest doesn't seem as bad.

"I have to say that I find it mildly amusing that you are now so dependent on these feelings of yours. This from the girl who formerly felt nothing? I cannot help but be skeptical of this new dependence,"

Before I criticized Khara because she seemed like an empty vessel. In fact, a lot of reviewers did this because she was utterly empty of emotions. Now in Unseen everybody (and by everybody I mean the characters) criticize her for being full of emotion. Although, I barely see it. Having the characters constantly refer to her "emotions" does not make for an emotional character, it just makes me annoyed. There is a difference between telling a reader, and showing a reader.

"I was not devoid of all emotion when we met," I countered. "There was a barely perceptible shift in me when I met my brothers, as if my being had finally found a place that it belonged to. I would not have fought to stay there is that had not been the case."

And she said this with a deadpan face and tone.

There was one point in the novel that Khara might have woken up completely naked next to a certain fellow (after he kind of punched her out of commission) and she didn't even throw a fit. After that I was dooone with the "romance", and lost a bit of respect for Khara. I would have had him HAVE IT. I would have KICKED HIS ASS. She didn't even argue! She was just like, "why did you do this?", explanation was given, "okay". If it was me, the situation might have gotten a little like this: "YOU DID WHAT?"

Overall Unseen was just not for me. In fact, the whole series might just not be for me. I gave it a second try and it just didn't work out. It is not you it's me? Although, I do think it is you so let's just agree to part ways amicably.

PS; OZ needs to die. Bring back the brothers for reals as necessary characters; Khara is doing better, keep it up girl. Please OZ, stop calling Khara "new girl", it is quite annoying.