Book Review – The Unwanted by Z.T. Soyoye (4 stars)

Click to listen! Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Title: The Unwanted

Author: Z.T. Soyoye

Published: 25^th February 2020

Format: Ebook – 260 pages

‘Sometimes, the prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The most hopeful eyes have shed the most tears. And the kindest hearts have felt the most pain.’ – The Unwanted

Hello Hello! How are you?

I have to admit that it’s a bit strange thinking that it’s the weekend when I’ve been stuck indoors all week! How are you coping with isolation? I’m getting really rather bored, but at the same time, I have a tonne of work to get through, I’m just not very motivated!

On the bright side, I was so lucky to be able to finally get to The Unwanted this week, a book sent to me by the author to beta read! I was really happy to read and review this book for Z.T., he was so understanding of my university workload and was very patient with me. Thank you so much for sending this book to me for free to review Z.T. Keep on reading to know what I thought about his book!

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

“Let the Lightning Engulf you”

15-year-old Alexander Charon embarks on his journey at a new school as he struggles to form bonds and relationships with those around him. He begins to unravel his hidden talents, forcing his life to take an unexpected turn as he witnesses the murder and kidnapping of his friends. He must use his newly found skills to solve mysteries and protect those he cares for before it’s too late. Can Alex rise up as he attempts to persevere against adversities? Or will he fall into despair as hope dwindles with each new obstacle?

MY REVIEW

The Unwanted is the first book in what will be a series (I was really glad about this!). It can be described as an Action-Adventure, Mystery, YA Fiction, Fantasy, Crime Thriller, Psychological Suspense book. I asked Z.T. how he would define his book, and this is what he told me: ‘I would define my book as a Fantasy Mystery Novel about a person trying his best to become better in a difficult situation as his morals and character are tested.”

When I first read the blurb, I immediately thought that this could be my type of book, and I have to agree with Z.T., this book is all that he said it is and so much more.

We follow the main character called Alexander Charon, a 15-year-old who was just started at the same school his best friend attends. He is struggling with his academic life and he is trying to make sure that he can keep his scholarship, he just needs to ace his sports trials. We meet Alex in a place where the reader can tell that he is struggling, he seems tired, lost and confused. We soon see that strange things are happening to him, the world around him slows down and he starts seeing strange glowing lights around him!

SETTING

The book is set in our world, but you can’t help but think that things are not exactly the same. We don’t get much information about anything strange happening, but at the end of the book, you get a sense that Alex and his friends are about to learn something new, and potentially step into a situation that will turn their life upside down. One of the things I liked the most about this book is that it didn’t start out with this “theme” so to speak. We meet Alex and his friend Anthony, they are going about their usual life, Alex is trying to succeed, and then everything goes awry. But only when we get to the end of the book do you realise that things are not quite right and that something big is about to occur!

CHARACTERS

Another element that I adored in this book was the characters! Here are a few that really stood out to me!

Alexander Charon: He is the main character in this book and he really surprised me. He is only 15 years old, but he comes across as really mature, he has a very strong sense of duty and of right and wrong, he is always trying to be the best he can and to help/protect his friends. He is a really solid character and I enjoyed reading about him. The majority of books I read figure teenagers but they are mainly 18 or 19, so I really enjoyed having a younger protagonist. He is really strong-willed, determined and I really cannot wait to find out more about him and his friends because I’m so fascinated by their story.

Anthony Halifax: Anthony is such a sweet character and I really fell for him. He is so smart and really looks out for Alex. I don’t often come across characters like him, I read a lot of fantasy, so often where there are two male characters and a female character, that means love triangle, but I really enjoyed the friendship in this book. It was so refreshing and really well handled because there wasn’t any jealousy and they got on so well. Anthony seems really mature as well and just a really great guy!

Emma Todd: Emma was such a sweet character too, and she was the really smart one! I don’t often read books where the main character is male, so I enjoyed having a man’s perspective for once, and I found that I was even able to appreciate Emma’s character even more because of the fact that she wasn’t the “main protagonist” so to speak.

Alexander, Anthony, and Emma feel a bit like the three musketeers to me, they look out for each other, and they never let one another go. Alex may feel like he lets his friends down a few times, but ultimately, he stands up and fights for them, right until the end. Their friendship is endearing and I was rooting for them the whole time, I’m so glad how it ended.

THEMES

Friendship: I would say that this is one of the main themes in this book and it was really a breath of fresh air to read about in a book like this. A lot of the time, in books about teenagers, there is a lot of angst and a lot of complicated love interests, but here those were completely cut out and left room for the friendship to really develop. Alex, Anthony, and Emma have a very solid and heart-warming relationship, they fight to keep one another safe and don’t give up, even in the face of adversity and disaster.

Special abilities: The second important element in The Unwanted is how each character (Alex, Anthony, Emma and David [Anthony’s brother]) has special abilities, each a different specificity. This is the thing that binds them, but it also makes them different and they are able to look out for each other thanks to their abilities. I was really intrigued by their abilities and I’m hoping to see a lot more of them in the next book!

MY THOUGHTS AND RATING

Overall, this was a lovely book to read and it was such a nice reading experience. If there is one word that could describe this book, I think it would have to be either friendship or heart-warming.

One thing that I really liked and appreciated was the detail put into describing what happening when Alex tried to use “Zero Tempo”. It was quite scientific, as were some other elements in this book, but I really liked that I was able to understand what was happening and it gave much more detail. I was able to picture the scene vividly and it gave me some criminal show vibes where the detective sees the crime scene unfolding in front of his eyes. This made the book even more unique and special!

It took me quite a while to make time for this book, but I’m so happy that I was finally able to read it. I’m giving this book 4 stars. I enjoyed everything that this book offered, it was really unique and enjoyable, but I would have either liked it to be a bit longer, or to have some more information about each character, because although I do get the feeling that I know them well, there is still so much that I don’t. I suppose it’s a good suspense strategy for the next book, but I really want to know right now ahah!

I’m really looking forward to the next book and I’m excited to dive back into this world. It was really refreshing and original. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something a bit different, with a really strong friendship, special abilities, teenagers, secrets/mysteries. I also recommend to anyone who likes stories set at school because a lot of this book happens at their school.

Thank you once again to Z.T. for offering to send this book to me, I am so grateful and looking forward to book 2, I’m sure it’s going to be just as good, if not better!

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this review and feel like reading this book, I have to say that you’re missing out, it was so good! Stay safe, see you soon,

Ellie xx

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Z.T. SOYOYE

‘Telling stories has always been a passion of mine, and being able to publish a book has been one of my greatest achievements. My career started picking up in 2016 when I got my first big break on Wattpad. Since then, I’ve been improving my writing techniques and developing a unique writing style.’

You can learn more about Z.T. Soyoye, his writing journey and his books here. You can also find him on Instagram and Twitter.

If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it here: Amazon UK (affiliate link) – Amazon FR (affiliate link) – AbeBooks (affiliate link) –Amazon US – Kobo