[Emily’s Review]: Unraveling Eleven by Jerri Chisholm

Unraveling Eleven
by Jerri Chisholm
Series: Eleven Trilogy #2
Pages: 384
Published by Entangled Teen
Release Date: November 16 2021
Genres: Dystopian, YA
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC, eBook
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In Compound Eleven, freedom from tyranny is impossible.

My name is Eve Hamilton, and I’ve managed the impossible.

I am free.

Until just like that, it is wrenched from my grasp. And this time, the corridors of the dark underground city are even more dangerous than ever before. But my brief taste of freedom has left me with something useful, something powerful, something that terrifies the leaders of Compound Eleven.

And now I have a monster inside.

One I’ll need to learn to control, and fast, or I’ll lose everything and everyone I hold dear. Starting with Wren Edelman. The one boy who has taught me that anything is possible if we stick together.

But will that matter if I become the very thing he fears the most?

The Eleven trilogy is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Escaping Eleven
Book #2 Unraveling Eleven

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

So I’m struggling with my star rating for this particular book. 

On one hand I loved so much about this book.
I really liked reading the inner turmoil Eve struggled with and how she handled everything. Her character grew a lot in Unraveling Eleven. So too did her relationships with the people around her grew and changed and that was interesting to watch unfold. 

Thankfully, the plot has averted off if the horrible, painful path that Divergent took me on. (I’ve still never forgiven Veronica Roth). 

But on the other hand I felt like this was your typical bridge book between books one and three. 

So frustrating? yes.
Enjoyable? Yes.
A little boring? Also yes. 

Eve struggled a lot in this book with herself. I can not fathom having to pick between myself and an entire society, between what I want and what others so sorely need. 
I guess I just answered the question of wether I would be the hero or the villain in a series, eh?

It seems so impossible for a 16 year old to manage all their emotions gracefully, especially in such high stakes, high stress situations. And she doesn’t. She breaks down, loses herself, pushes people away, the internal struggle for Eve was done so sowell. Her ARC was flawless. I liked who she chose to be. 
There are so many books and movies too, where the heroine or the hero are young and they just gracefully step into these rolls of saving the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love those books and movies… but it is NOT realistic… like… at all.
Teenagers, are CHILDREN (OH GOD IM OLD NOW). I mean honestly, their brains aren’t even fully developed at sixteen.
So basically what I am getting at, is that I liked how Chisholm wrote Eve’s character.

I also enjoyed Wren.. I liked that wren has this innate sense of goodness in him. I still haven’t gotten a glimpse of this “darkness” he swears he has. But what 18 year old guy doesn’t think he’s got a “bad boy” side to him ? (again, children **eye rolls**) He brought out the best parts of Eve and I liked him just for that alone. It’s good to be pushed, and Wren pushed Eve in a way that let her learn things on her own time. I swear to god though- if these two idiots break up and get back together one more time…. I’ll lose it. 

You know what was also super great?! The revenge that Eve finally got on her enemies. Super satisfying man. SUPER. SATISFYING.
Unfortunately, her new enemies are well crafted though. However, it was nice to have smart bad guys and now just brawny ones. 

Side note: I think her mother’s character is absolutely fascinating and I just KNOW she’s going to be the one to take down Katz in the end. 
jus’ sayin’.

My big problem lies in the plots over all arc. 
I’m mad that Eve and Wren go back down into Compound Eleven!
Oh, but Emily… they made that choice so they could survive and save the rest of the compound. Sure guys. But Eve is always just going up and out to visit, and LITERALLY NO ONE seems to catch on- so why not just start taking her friends up slowly? Like what was the point of going back if you just keep leaving! ARRGH

Wren is fake dating his ex girlfriend for purposes that are still not wholly clear to me. (I think that story line could have just not happened and I would have been fine)… I DONT NEED THAT HE SAID SHE SAID DRAMA! I NEED THE PLOT TO MOVE FORWARD!

Wren and Eve make SO MANY sacrifices and they go through so much unnecessary turmoil, just to go right back topside at the end. But this time everyone is injured. Tell me what was the point!?

Basically, everything is just one giant cluster fuck by the time the reach the surface at the end of the novel.
It felt like I read a whole book about nothing important. 
All the work that was done, all the secrets they kept and information they gathered felt like it was done for absolutely no reason at all. 

Unraveling Eleven just felt like a filler to me. 

A bridge book. 

Something to span between the events of book one to book three. It was lack luster. Cut it in half and make this trilogy a duet and I would have been thrilled.

Escaping Eleven sparked my interest and I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen next. I was SO excited to start reading the second installment. 
But- Unraveling Eleven held my interest. And yes I’m definitely going to keep reading this trilogy because I just HAVE to know who those *~familiar eyes~* belongs to. So I guess my complaints about it being a fluff book are moot since it did it’s job, huh?

I’m very eager for Book three now that I’m done reading. 
But I wish Unraveling Eleven gave me a little bit **more**. 
Because it didn’t feel like they unraveled very much