Review: Unbreakable

Title: Unbreakable
Author: Kami Garcia
Series: The Legion
Volume: 1
Genre: Supernatural, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Why I Read It: It is a part of my continuing quest to find books in the paranormal/supernatural genre that I enjoy (I remain convinced that they are out there, and I just have to find them). I figure maybe people who hunt the supernatural creatures might appeal to me more that people angsting about being in love with them/ being them.

A Quick Introduction: Four weeks after Kennedy comes home to find her mother's dead body, she herself is almost killed, only to be saved in the nick of time by a pair of ghost hunters. They tell her that her mother didn't die of a heart attack- a vengeful spirit killed her, and there's more where it came from. Her mother was part of a secret society, and now all of the members are dead, killed in one night by murderous spirits sent by a demon. Now it is up to the teenagers left behind to protect the world, and maybe find a way to destroy the demon for good.

What I Thought: I read Beautiful Creatures a while a go (a really long while ago) but never carried on with the series, so I have only limited experience with Kami Garcia's writing. Overall, this was one of the better paranormal books that I have read (I'm picky). The plot was a little predictable, and sometimes it seemed a little bit convenient (finding the blueprint, for example) if felt almost as if it was written to a formula/design. Aside from that, the story was enjoyable enough. The characters didn't bother me, but I didn't feel all that much attachment to them either. Kennedy was rightfully confused and lost when exposed to the supernatural world, and she wasn't randomly super-good at everything, though she does have some skills (her eidetic memory, and her courage). I feel like we haven't quite gotten to know some of the other characters, and it might be nice to see more of how they see the world, and the constant fight that they've inherited. They all have a skill that they were raised with, but she hasn't been- she didn't have any idea about the supernatural world before it tried to kill her. I feel like there was a little insta-love, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Her father left her mother when she was a child, and she can remember all of it, thanks to her eidetic (photographic) memory. She remembers the letter that he left her mother about how he wanted Kennedy to have a "normal childhood", though we never get a sense of how her childhood was abnormal, though there are hints that her mother may have kept something from her. Was her mother a part of the Legion? Or was she something else?

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, though it I wasn't crazy about this one. There are aspects that I liked, and some that I think could have been better. I probably will read the second one, because I am curious kind of about what will happen next.