-Unwritten
Wow, I loved the concept of it! People from an unpublished fairytale escape the book and come into the real world to avoid it's tragic ending. The character Gracie is a preteen determined to find out what happens to her in the book, but in doing so it leads Queen Cassandra, the villain they're hiding from, to where they're hiding. It's up to Gracie to fix her mess. Entering the book for the first time, she is amazed at how much different the world she came from is to the world she was raised in. She even finds she's not acting her normal self but acting the character she was supposed to be in there. I believe this is a must read for preteens, teenagers, and young-spirited adults. You're gonna love it.

Unwritten was a very interesting story concept and a quick read. Tara Gilboy took the often done concept of a child going into a story and made it much more interesting by having someone first leave the story dimension and then wind up going back. However, I found that it took quite a while to understand why they had fled Bandoff in the first place.

The meat of the story is that young Gracie wants to meet Gertrude Winters, the author of the story that she and her family fled. She wants to better understand who her character is and why her mom had her leave. Her mother wants all of the past to stay in the past, or rather, in the story. Unfortunately, a simple mistake forces them back to Bandoff.

There were also a lot of interesting concepts of good vs evil, the idea that we all have a bit of villain inside of us, and the power and danger of knowing your story before you actually live it. While initially Gertrude Winters doesn't remember the story that Gracie came from, once taken into the story herself, she remembers that this story was written during a hard part of her life where she herself felt like the bad guy and that many around her had hurt her as well.

“Because what does it mean, really, to be labeled a villain? Nobody really thinks of herself as a villain. We are all the heroes in our own stories.”

It was a fun read at times, but on the younger spectrum of middle grade (if you remember that middle grade doesn't always mean middle school).

I went into this book expecting a light-hearted, more fluffy fantasy experience. However, it went above that. It was complex enough for a middle-grade read, without leaving the reader behind. The concept of the story was interesting and well written. The characters, I found, were well written as well. Their actions made sense for what we knew about them and the world Tara Gilboy designed. There were cute moments and serious moments throughout the story. There were moments where you weren't exactly sure where Tara was going with it, but it all paid off in the end. The story was written so there was no cliffhanger, which is always nice, but Tara clearly left it open for another story to be written (which of course I would be fully on board for). The only fault I have with this book is that it almost seemed a little rushed at the end and I wanted to learn more about the "flashbacks" Gracie was having. Really, I wanted to actually read the original story Gracie and her family had come from (novella idea?).

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I believe this would be great for anyone who is looking for a fairytale story that isn't simply just another retelling. It would be great to read in the fall, even closer to Halloween (which is perfect for the release date).

**An e-copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review**

Oh man. I don't know if words can accurately describe how much I loved this book. I managed to read 78% of it in one sitting, and would have read it all had I not fallen asleep in the middle of reading it xD

I am so happy I took a chance at asking for a copy of this book to review. Once I read the description, I knew I had to give this book a chance. I really loved Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult which is a similar premise to this. I wasn't disappointed at all.

I do wish the book had been longer, but I can tell due to the ending that this book will have a sequel if this book does well. EVERYONE GO BUY THIS BOOK!!! I need a sequel.

I loved the element that people aren't always who you think they are, the characters had more depth to them than you originally see. Good and Evil isn't always so cut and dry, and sometimes, the villains are the most interesting characters.

What a great middle grade book! I really enjoyed the premise of the story. This is a perfect book for a parent and child to read together. I do not know if the author plans on making this a series, but the characters are so great that I would definitely read book 2.

My name is Gracie, and I should have trusted my mother. I now know I shouldn't have gone to the author's book-signing, and I shouldn't have let her sign the parchment. How was I to know she’d disappear? My mom wouldn't have been captured by Queen Cassandra, and I wouldn't have had to enter a portal into the storybook land of Bondoff. My mom told me the author had me killed by the queen in the original story, but I’ve now learned that I was the actual evil character. My behavior is being pulled by the story, but there’s some way for it to be rewritten. If not, my friend Walter will die a fiery death.

This book had a creative premise with Gracie and her mother escaping from inside a story by traveling to the "real world". She had disturbing dreams about Cassandra but didn't know much about her previous life. The author added a unique twist to the plot once the setting returned to Bondoff. The characters were controlled by the words previously written in the story, except for Cassandra and Gracie. This complicated things for Gracie, since her mom didn't remember anything about events outside the story. If I could change the book, I would have given examples of the queen’s evilness to build suspense. All of the characters said she was bad, but the worst example ended up not being true. I typically like to learn about characters by their own actions and words, so I wanted to see more about the queen. The plot was easy to read and moved along swiftly. Younger middle grade readers should love it!

So many of us bookworms dreamt to be in a different world, a book world. May it be as a student of Hogwarts, or finding the gateway to Narnia. What if we got to be a part of it only to discover that we are the villain of the story? What if you lead your life only to discover you are the VOLDEMORT, not Harry or Hermione like you hoped to be? What would you do if you find out you can not be anything else, you are supposed to act like the writer made you to be?

Gracie Freeman is a twelve-year-old teenager who lives with her mother. The only not so normal thing in her normal life is when she gets the glimmers of her formal life. Her formal life as in her life as a unpublished fairy tale books character, which she never got to read. Only thing she knew about her book life is that, her parents somehow learnt that she will die in that story, so they fled with her when she was just a baby. With the help of a magic book they took her out of the story to keep her safe. 

In the search of her true identity she seeks out the author and finds herself back in the story. Now that she has got to know who she really is, is that really who she is? Or its the way the author/the story wants her to be? Is there more to her that what the author seemed to portrait? Is she the villain? Or a Hero? Isn't every villain is a hero on her own story?? 

“Because what does it mean, really, to be labeled a villain? No one actually thinks of herself as a villain. We are all the heroes in our own stories.”

I loved the story. It got me thinking so many things! You will feel sad for Gracie, you will get frustrated, you will even hate her.. Than you will see her struggling with who she really is and who she is meant to be, and you will feel lost for her. 

Its a great middle-grade book. Throughly enjoyable, fast pacing and very thought-provoking.. I will definitely purchase a copy for my younger cousins <3 

Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Stars!!!

**I got this book from NetGalley and North Star Editions in exchange of an honest review. THANK YOU GUYS!!!

This STORY is SIMPLY SWEET!!!

Totally fun. This is such an entertaining read for various reasons:

The Premise:

This book follows Gracie, who is a fictional character from a book, but her parents succeeded in bringing her out into the real world after finding out about the ending. Look, I don’t know about you, but if that doesn’t sound interesting to you, then I’m not sure what does. I really like the idea behind this book, like, REALLY. That’s what actually caught my eye and made me wanna read this book as soon as possible, and I wasn’t disappointed AT ALL.

The Writing Style and the Story Pacing:

Not only is the writing style of this book pleasantly simple, but also the story is very fast-paced which maintains your interest throughout the whole book. There really wasn’t a time when I ever felt bored while reading this book. Whenever I sat down to read for a few minutes, I ended up reading 40+ pages, so I’m sure you can definitely fly through this book.

Overall, this is a very fun, quick and easy read, so if you’re looking for something to finish in one sitting, you’ll surely have to check this out. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this book even if it feels like it was too little (I think I expected way more from a 200 pages book). But the story was captivating, it wasn't really surprising overall and I just couldn't care about the characters, but I liked the fact it was a story within a story. That's a concept I like very much.

12 year old Gracie Freeman lives a normal life except for being a character in an unpublished fairy tale that she's never read. Upon learning that Gracie would die in the story her parents fled with her as a baby. Since then her mom has tried to protect her from Bondoff, the world in which the story took place. But Gracie wants to know her story so she seeks the author out. This puts into motion some crazy events that drag everyone back to Bondoff. Can Gracie figure out who she really is and how to make her story her own again?
This book is really cute and a great concept although it did seem predictable at times. The queen is evil, which most queens in books tend to be. I did wish we were told more about how the magic book in the story worked to transport the characters between the two worlds. They seemed to do it slightly differently each time and I was confused whether the person had to write their own name or just touch the page or book. It was a fairly quick read and I'm sure the targeted middle grade audience will love the adventure. While I found the cover interesting and the concept intriguing I do not see myself buying a finished copy of this book when it is released in September.
I received an advanced ebook version of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. While my review may seem a little harsh it is my honest opinion while reading this book. But I encourage readers to make their own opinions on reading this book and not solely go on my review in whether you read this book or not.

This was a super fast and fun middle grade. The story line was really unique. It was a simple read but nonetheless very entertaining.

I have been given a free copy of this e-book by NetGalley. Thank you!

Unwritten is a charming middle-grade story about a twelve-year old girl and her family, who are all actually story characters. This is, at least to me, since I've not read a story like this yet, a unique premise that plays with the concept of reality and storytelling, and how they intertwine. It's character-building and gets its message across without being overly obtrusive. The characters were imperfect and it's what makes them feel like real people.

On top of all, I also did enjoy the secondary (or primary, depending on your point of view) world - the fairy-tale universe that they enter seems just as intriguing as the actual plot and I would have even liked to read the story that Gertrude Winters had originally written.

(Unlike a couple of middle-grade novels I've read recently, Unwritten doesn't get minus points for having its fairy-tale characters drink coffee in an obviously medieval European setting. It <b>is</b> a fairy tale, after all.)

I absolutely loved this childrens story with its unique take on storybook characters. Gracie and her mom are characters from a book that have escaped the harsh realities of their story and come to the real world. However, the real world is all Gracie has ever known. When she goes looking for answers, she get more than she bargained for and her world is turned upside down.

Tara Gilboy has something pretty unique here. While the story has a slow beginning, once the action picked up, I wanted to find out how the story would unfold. The more I read, the more I was pleasantly surprised with something different from classic story tales. I am always looking for books with twists that take me by surprise which is hard after all the books I have read, and this book had exactly what I was looking for. The characters were interesting and relatable. The overall theme of choosing your own path no matter what anybody else tells you made this a worthwhile read. I will be looking to purchase multiple copies of this book, one for my classroom library and one for my personal library.

Twelve-year-old Gracie Freeman knows that she is a storybook character, she sees flashes of that life in her dreams, of the fire and the gorgeous Queen Cassandra. When her mother found out that her daughter was destined to die in the story, she fled to a new world with one of the pages of the magical book. When the author comes to Gracie’s small town she is overwhelmed with curiosity for her world and her story. Little does Gracie know when the author disappears before her eyes, that she has alerted the Queen to their position and she will have to enter her story and face who she was suppose to be, questioning who she wants to be in the process.

This was a fun, very short read. I really enjoyed the fresh, unique concept of a fairy-tale character walking around our world and was not disappointed. What made this book for me was that Gracie struggled with how her past was going to affect her future and who she was as a person and in doing so she came to realize that our choices define us, nothing else. I think this is a great message for readers, all packaged up in a quick and fun read for middle-grade readers. The writing and setting made this an even more fun and interesting read, whimsy running through every page.

It was not a very long read and I think it could have used a little bit more detail as I was not entirely sure of the Queen’s motivations or much of the side-story that Gracie was from, but I think it was a great read with a great message.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

UNWRITTEN by Tara Gilboy had me hooked from the premise. The interplay between story world and "reality" is always a fun and intricate idea, with so many ways it can be taken and explored. I loved that in this book, from the start, the main character Gracie is aware of where she came from and experiences "story glimmers" of what would have happened if her parents had not escaped with her from the story.

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful story that should hook our middle grade readers, especially those who like to give up after the first chapter very quickly. We dive straight into Gracie's world, waiting eagerly to be caught up with what all she knows and what she wants to find out. The book is action from beginning to end, an intricately written. You can feel what the characters feel, whether it be bursts of anger or desperate fogs of confusion.

As an adult, I did have a little trouble with how stubborn Gracie is in the face of her mother's reasonable requests (especially since she is open about the dangers), but I feel that it was in her character as written (by Gertrude Winters, the story-within-the-book's author, not our actual author) and it was necessary to move the plot along. Also, that stubbornness could also be seen as the key to Gracie's ability to fight her fate as she rewrites her story. This character trait could also be a starting point for some excellent discussions in the classroom.

I can't wait to order this one for my classroom! I think it's sure to be a hit with its age group.

Received an E-Arc from netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

The reason I picked this book in the first was because the synopsis gave me 'The Hazel wood' vibes. And believe me when I say it's better than the hazel wood.

The story was really gripping and it kept me guessing throughout. I loved Gracie's character and all the rest equally. They were unique and important in the story in their own special way.

Knowing that this is a middle-grade book I'll still highly recommend it to every book lover. The plot is really captivating and will keep you hooked in your seat until you finish this book and then you'll want more of it like I did.

I would love this book to become a series!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Because what does it mean, really, to be labeled a villain? Nobody really thinks of herself as a villain. We are all the heroes in our own stories.”

Have you ever wondered about the characters in a book? And the possibility that somewhere, maybe in another dimension, they are real?

In this beautifully written novel, Unwritten will literally take you to an adventure within the pages of a book.

The story is about twelve-year-old Gracie, who is actually a character from an unpublished story. She knows that her parents took out of the story into the real world to avoid her tragic ending. However, she can’t help wondering about what really happened to her story, but her mother refuses to tell her more details. As curious as a cat, she meets the author of her story, and that event leads to a series of unlucky events.

First of all, the book cover was really gorgeous and the synopsis got me hooked. I always have a soft spot in my heart for Middle Grade Books. I like the idea of how the main character is actually a fictional character from a story and somehow she is able to leave the story and now lives in the real world.

The plot is interesting and darkly twisted. It is exquisitely written, the pacing is consistently fast, and it is very easy to understand. I really like the conflict. It has been a long time since I read a book which the conflict is within oneself. The greatest villain in the story is not another person, but rather the main character herself. It was truly riveting how Gracie had to fight her fear of becoming the way her character was written while distinguishing her real memories from her story “glimmers.”

Gracie’s character is so real. It depicts how a 12-year-old child acts and thinks. Although she’s quite annoying and self-centered in the beginning, her character developed well throughout the story. Plus, the book gave a very interesting backstory of her.

The only problem that I had is the other characters should have been fleshed out, especially Walter and Cassandra.

Lastly, I like how the book gives a message that you are the author of your life — you are the only one who chooses whoever you want to be.

Overall, Unwritten is a surprisingly engrossing book. It is perfect for fans of fairy tales and magic regardless of age.

I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Fun story for young readers. The characters were great and the storyline unpredictable. Definitely would read another of her books.

This was absolutely adorable! I loved the fact that it's based on fairytales and the characters are actually real life people from the story. It was fast paced and it kept me interested.

I would probably recommend this book to children, but I still have to give it 2 stars. The premise was intriguring enough. Gracie is a a storybook character who finds is trying to figure out her story. It's hard to tell the truth from the lies and she struggles to find her identity with her family. I wanted to like the book and some parts were deep and had a "life lesson" feel to it, but the writing it self was just too choppy for me. I can see it being ok for a younger reader and many will likely enjoy it but I felt that there was just something missing.

When I started the book, I honestly thought that I was missing a couple of chapters. It just dove right into the story which I suppose is a good thing, but I was more confused than intrigued. The story moved really quickly which is fine for the level of reader it is intended for, but the ending was completely unsatisfactory. None of the characters were interesting to me except for Gertrude Winters maybe, the writer of Gracie's story. Gracie, herself, was annoying, and everyone else was flat and archetypical. That being said, I still feel like people will enjoy it simply for the plot and thats probably good enough.