Review: UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.

Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.

Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.


Reading UnWholly was a bit like taking a trip with someone who wants to stop at every historical marker while you are anxious to get to your destination. There was a lot of jumping around as the reader was introduced to new characters. Everything eventually came together, and the pace really picked up and there was quite a bit of action.

While I wished that more had happened, UnWholly built up my anticipation for the resolution. I will definitely get my hands on a copy of the final book in the Unwind Trilogy when it comes out this fall.