Written by Amanda Surowitz
Book cover from goodreads.com.
A first-person narrator who sounds completely devoid of emotion and looks down on everyone around her hardly sounds like the kind of heroine we want to root for — until we realize Khara is the adopted daughter of Hades and was raised in the dangerous and deceitful Underworld. Suddenly she’s whisked to Earth and dropped in an alley in the middle of cold, dark Detroit and we’re ready for Amber Lynn Natusch’s “Unborn.”
There, she meets five of her half-brothers, all of them fathered by Ares, the god of war. Their purpose is to protect the balance between the supernatural and mortal inhabitants. This requires a refreshing step back for the characters; instead of slaying every soul-stealing creature in sight, the children of Ares uphold ancient agreements and police the supernatural. Suck just a few bits of someone’s soul and you can be on your way. Turn them into a mindless soul-sucking machine, and you’ve just signed your own death warrant.
Between the exciting and perfectly paced fight scenes, Khara’s struggle to comprehend feelings provide the right touches of levity and warmth at just the right moments. When seeing one of her brothers worry about the danger she’s in, she’s struck by an unfamiliar sort of pain. “This must be sorrow,” she thinks. Distant yet accepting of each new emotion she discovers, each chink in her icy shell makes us root for her a little harder. And when she stops just short of hugging one of her brothers, it’s both disappointing and endearing. She’s come a long way, but she’s got even further to go.
While the author might have been a little heavy-handed with the breadcrumbs she left for readers to follow, there were enough surprises sprinkled throughout to keep things interesting. It’s hardly surprising when Khara feels out of place around some of her more positive siblings, or that she feels more at home around the grouchy, “Can we kill things now?” siblings. But her wavering opinion of their darkest ally and questionable trust in him affects everyone around them.
The second book in this new series, “Unseen,” is set to be released next month. Hopefully, it will offer a satisfying answer to the questions left by the peculiar and intriguing end of the first book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
