I have been wanting to read UNTETHERED since it was first released and I saw the blog tour happening on several blogs I follow. It sounded great and was receiving really good reviews from the bloggers I trusted, so it immediately went on my wish list. Then, this October, I lucked out and saw that the book was available for free, so I gleefully downloaded it and started reading. And I am SO GLAD that I did! The story of Sylvie, who is traumatized by the fact that her soul slips outside of her body without her control but who later gains control (of a sort) over her astral projection, is not only exciting but also subtly presents the reader with such a beautiful and uplifting message. I went through just about every emotion possible over the course of the book, but at the end I was left with such a sense of...well, there's no better way to say it than just, a feeling of PEACE.
I absolutely love this book, and I had such a good time reading it. I say that even though there were definitely times when my heart broke for Sylvie (and sometimes one or more of the other characters -- even certain ones I thought I hated), there were times I cried (it's true, I'm a baby when it comes to books!), there were times I was spooked out big time, and there were times I thought I would go crazy with the tension and suspense. So, it may sound weird to say I "had a good time" and enjoyed reading it -- BUT having my heart broken, being brought to tears, having goosebumps or finding my heart in my throat from the spookiness is EXACTLY what I WANT from a book! Not every person who writes a book can achieve these results with their writing, and to be frank I think it is even harder for an indie author because they do not have the benefit of a whole team of professional editors, proofreaders, and other publishing folks to help them refine and polish their book. HOWEVER, Katie is one indie author who has absolutely succeeded without the big publisher behind her; the support she received from family and friends, fellow writers, and beta readers, combined with her own immeasurable talent, has resulted in a 5-star book!
I truly feel that Katie put her heart and soul into this book -- into creating believable and relatable characters (even those we might wish we didn't relate to), a stellar and unique plot, a full and complete story, and all the things readers want to find in the books they read. The way she wrote in first person was brilliant; the reader couldn't possibly have been any closer to Sylvie without BEING Sylvie! On top of that, I honestly think that if you didn't go into this book knowing it was by an indie author, you would believe it was professionally published (and professionally edited). There were only a few errors here and there, and those that I did see were very minor (pretty much the same as you would find in most professionally-produced books from a big publisher! I regularly find at least 3-5 errors in most books I read). I emphasize this because (1) I don't want anyone to forego reading this book just because it's indie, because this is top-notch writing, and (2) I read a lot of indie books and cringe when I see loads of errors, including rambling writing; unfocused plots; poor grammar, sentence structure, and spelling; stilted dialogue; story threads left unanswered and hanging; etc ad nauseum. So I just want to stress that I have no doubt a publisher could pick up UNTETHERED and turn around and put it on the market almost immediately, with very little editing -- it is that high in quality!
I firmly believe that just about anyone could pick up this book to read and find themselves at the end having felt all the feels I mentioned above and having fallen in love with the book as much as I have. I would absolutely, without a doubt, put Katie Hayoz on my list of auto-buy authors, and I can't wait until she has written something else I can read!! (Seriously, Katie, be it works-in-progress, emails, shopping lists...I'll read anything!!) I strongly recommend this book to those who love to read YA books, paranormal books, books with strong characters you can love (or hate!)....honestly, there aren't many readers I can think of to whom I *wouldn't* recommend this book! Please pick it up, give it a try, and then let Katie (and the rest of us) know just how much you loved it!!
One final thing before I go: I just wanted to give Katie props for the decision to change the cover. I actually liked the old cover and thought it was pretty, but oh my gosh THIS COVER... it's designed by Nathalia Suellen, who also did my two favorite covers ever ever ever (and I've been around for a long time, people!) -- for SPLINTERED and UNHINGED by A.G. Howard. I think she is truly an artistic genius, and her design here just perfectly captures Sylvie's story. I'm thrilled that Katie was able to work with someone so talented and that the outside of the book now truly matches the quality - and the beauty, and the genius! - of what's inside.
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