Finally some aroace representation in sci-fi/fantasy!!!

This is the first anthology I've ever read, and I'm glad that it gets to be the first. It covers a variety of genres, ranging from contemporary to science fiction to fantasy and each story takes place in its own little universe. My favorite story was "The Mermaid's Sister," but I also really liked "Across the Stars," "Give up the Ghost," "Smells Like Teen Virgin," and "Nylon Bed Socks" (that one was super deep). And all of the protagonists are ace, if not aro so that's a bonus!

Thanks to Spoiler Alert at YCL for the ARC.

Fourteen year old me would've absolutely devoured this book and made it her entire personality.

The Sunbearer Trials is marketed as a mix of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games , and Xio is a carbon copy of Nico di Angelo while Aurelio and Auristela are Cato and Clove if Cato and Clove were siblings.
Also, this book has some of the coolest official fanart that I've ever seen and I highly recommend checking it out if you read the book.

"The Second Civil War, also known as 'The Heartland War,' was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as 'The Bill of Life' was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively 'abort' a child … on the condition that the child's life doesn't 'technically' end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called 'unwinding.' Unwinding is now a common and accepted practice in society."

2007/2008 young adult dystopian books really are a whole different breed.
Unwind is one of those books that's gritty and makes you sick to your stomach. It doesn't shy away from controversial issues---namely the discussion of reproductive rights. It's a book that's banned because of "violence" and "encouragement of civil disobedience" (really, it's banned because it doesn't align with certain political views). While I agree that certain scenes were gory and made me sick to my stomach

Spoiler

(Roland's Unwinding was absolutely horrific and I can't imagine going what he went through)

, I also believe it has messages that are growing increasingly more important to share.
The more dystopian books I read, the more I fear for what society may become because none of these supposedly fictional worlds are too far off from reality.

Spoiler

"He loves her. Of this he's certain. He loves her laugh; that sharp sudden sound; that cynical laugh that always comes too quick, like it's ripped out of her. He loves her quick, confident grin. He loves her resilience, her bravery, even her impulsiveness. She's everything he's not: unbound, reckless, free. He's never known anyone like her. She terrifies him, and he loves her so much it hurts"(10).

"She's the only thing he's ever believed in. The only creature in the vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does"(15).

15 pages. 15 pages is all it took to make me want to cry.

One of the worst reading experiences is when your imagination runs wild and you have a whole intricate plot planned out for what you think will happen in a book ... and then it doesn't happen.
Unfortunately, Steelstriker fell prey to this situation. The book wasn't bad, per say, but I had extremely high expectations and so I was disappointed when it didn't follow the path I had laid out for it in my mind.

Red is still one of my favorite characters of all time, though.

"'And what if the treasure was the friendships we solidified along the way?' Arthur asked.
Lucy pulled a face. 'That's the worst treasure in the world. They already were my friends. I want rubies'"(192).

This book was my reminder that wholesome books can be just as good as angsty ones. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"'Yes...It's--unfortunate. We get trapped in our own little bubbles, and even though the world is a wide and mysterious place, our bubbles keep us safe from that. To our detriment...But it's so easy because there's something soothing about routine. Day in and day out, it's always the same. When we're shaken from that, when that bubble bursts, it can be hard to understand all that we've missed. We might even fear it. Some of us even fight to try and get it back. I don't know that I would fight for it, but I did exist in a bubble...Thank goodness you popped it'"(278-279).

"'Then I will stay with you...until the end.'"

This is my fourth...fifth...sixth?...time reading this book and it's still one of my all-time favorites.

Things I love about this book:
- Greco-Roman-inspired world with lots of magic!
- Jude and Anton, no explanation necessary
- the ANGST
- the way every piece of the book fits together like a puzzle at the end
- the color scheme of the world? I don't know if that makes sense but I like it
- the beginning of a found family...
- the foreshadowing...

Spoiler

every time Anton mentions how Jude's Grace calls out to him

"'I've been running for a long, long time,' Anton said, touching his thumb to Jude's brow. 'And you were the first thing that ever made me want to stay.' ... 'Your Grace called out to me...I found you...That means...I get to keep you'"(404).
Okay, to be fair, all of chapter 44 is, like, one of my favorite chapters of all time.

I still can't decide if I like this book more or less than the first. It's still an amazing book, but I think I liked book one better...except for the ending. The ending of book two is awesome.
The worldbuilding of this series is just incredible to me. I love the Greco-Roman vibes, especially with the map of what's definitely not the Mediterranean Sea. And the characters? I would give so much just to be a part of the little found family.
This series is so underrated it's not fair.

Also, I've read this book at least four times and I still forget that Illya's hair is brown...

I think that this was a classic case of right book, wrong time.

In theory, I should've adored this book. It was like A Darker Shade of Magic met Elena of Avalor and they had a baby with some of my favorite tropes.
But it took forever to read the book and I was bored. Were there plenty of actions scenes? Yes. Was there angst and danger? All the time. Did I like the characters? They weren't my favorites, but I didn't dislike them.
I don't know why this book fell flat. Was it the wrong time to read it? Am I in a reading slump? Was it really just not my kind of book? I have no idea. All I know is that I was sort of disappointed in what I anticipated to be one of my favorite reads of the year.