(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.)

This was a YA fantasy story featuring a girl with a distinguishing birthmark.

El was an okay character, although she was really self-conscious of her birthmark.

The storyline in this was about El finding out that more worlds existed other than the one she lived in, and finding out that he birthmark marked her out as special and that people were out to find her. I found this story really slow, and got quite confused with it also, there were so many different names for things floating about that I felt like I needed someone to explain everything to me.
There was some romance, but it came in the form of a love triangle between El, Joshua and Ky, and while at first I wanted her to be with Joshua, he turned out to be not all that nice to her at times, and Ky started to look like the better option.

The ending to this was okay, but I had lost interest by that point really. I don’t think I’d want to read the sequel.
6 out of 10

Unblemished is a YA, urban fantasy novel written by Sara Ella. In this debut, we follow a girl named Eliyana. Eliyana's birthmark covers half her face. She's never been fond of said birthmark. She's always tried to cover it up but later comes to realize that this birthmark is much more than it seems.

When I picked up this book, I hadn't been enjoying most of the books I was reading. Little did I know that this book would pull me out of my reading slump. It didn't reach 5 stars but still managed to exceed my expectations.

It's hard to pinpoint what prevented this book from reaching 5 stars. My main complaint was that it took a while to get into. But once I got into the story, that was no longer a problem. There were some confusing parts, especially near the end.

There was a part at the beginning where some information was revealed. And I thought Sara Ella revealed too much, but as the story went o I realized there was still more to the story and the world that we don't know. Throughout the story, we figure things out at the same pace as the main character. This made Eliyana relatable. The other characters were great but I want to specifically mention Eliyana because she's a great female protagonist. She's not one of those female leads who are physically strong and have no inner struggle. She had her struggles and her weaknesses. This made her more realistic and all the more inspiring.

I gave Unblemished a solid 4/5 stars. I would recommend it to fairytale lovers because, although it's not a retelling, it has major fairytale vibes.

Special thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book.

Unblemished by Sara Ella

Eliyana is used to the shadows. With a birthmark covering half her face, she just hopes to graduate high school unscathed. That is, until Joshua hops a fence and changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her like he does: normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved.

But one night her mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets weird. Now Joshua is her new, and rather reluctant, legal Guardian. Add a hooded stalker and a Central Park battle to the mix and you’ve gone from weird to otherworldly.

Eliyana soon finds herself in a world much larger and more complicated than she’s ever known. A world enslaved by a powerful and vile man. And Eliyana holds the answer to defeating him. How can an ordinary girl, a blemished girl, become a savior when she can’t even save herself? (from publisher)

The story starts slow but those willing to stick through the first few chapters will be rewarded. Eliyana is a strong character, who although does not view herself in this light, allows the reader to see beauty goes beyond the physical. The reader learns though Eliyana's journey that  even though you see yourself as not beautiful or capable of accomplishing much, it is what is what is on the inside and who you truly are that makes you able to accomplish things you never thought you could.  

For those readers who like fantasy and a little romance, this novel will feel comfortable. As stated previously, the novel started slow and was confusing when it went into an alternative world, but as the story progressed it became clearer to the reader. The author slowly built the characterizations and the plot had several twists that this reader did not anticipate. Hand this read to any teen reader who likes fantasy or who devoured Cassandra Cass's Selection series. Readers will anticipate the next in the series .



Note: I was given an electronic copy via Net Galley and the publisher, Thomas Nelson for an honest review.

This book hit me in all the right places. Fantasy mixed with real drama, I was set out to like this book and ended up loving it! It was such a fun read, quick, didn't drag on or have boring lengthy fill in chapters, and really kept me reading until the very last page. I didn't want to set this down for a second. It was honestly that great.

I am not going to review this book as I normally do. In fact, I am not even going to give it a star rating. I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me access to this book. It was a book that I "wished for" on Netgalley, but didn't realize that I would automatically be approved and expected to write a review.

I don't feel like any rating I would give would be fair to this book, because I just could not get into it. It is a young adult book, and while I do enjoy some YA books, this one didn't seem to be for me.

Long story short, after reading a few chapters, I believe this would be a good series for some young adult readers, but it just wasn't for me.

3.5 stars. The premise was good--I liked the multiple worlds (reflections) that exist simultaneously. I also liked some of the characters and felt that the pacing was good. However, some of the book seems needlessly complicated and contradictory: is she/isn't she, does he/doesn't he and flip-flopping back and forth (sorry for the lack of specifics, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers). And the whole birthmark thing--again, contradictory to the point that it doesn't make sense any more. Also, Eliyana and Joshua, two of the main characters, were somewhat annoying. I think with some good editing to resolve the issues I mentioned, it would be a really good book--the basics are there. It's sort of a cross between (or maybe moving from one to the other) urban fantasy and straight-up fantasy, so give it a try if you like either of those genres. The things that kind of bugged me may not bother others at all.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

Wonderful book -- can see why this was nominated for award.

Unblemished is the author Sara Ella's first novel, and it has an excellent premise. It really, really does. However, Unblemished did not wow me as much as I hoped. Today I'm going to be doing my review a little bit different; I'm going to be sectioning off this review under concept, characters, and writing. I hope you like it! Without further ado, here we go!

CONCEPT

The concept! The idea behind Unblemished is pretty great, and unique. In Unblemished, there are "mirror worlds". They're not necessarily alternate worlds, but rather different Earths that are their own individual world. Eliyanah, the main character, gets literally thrown into the deep end very early on. She goes to a reflection of our world. Essentially, the structure of the world is the same (as goes for mountains and continents) but the infrastructure, politics, and beings of the world are different! In the reflection El goes to, there are shapeshifters and magic. I loved how imaginative the different worlds were!
However, this concept was also the books downfall. While the idea behind Unblemished was unique, the book itself was bland. I couldn't connect with the characters, and the worldbuilding wasn't intricate enough. There was always an underlying layer of confusion when I was reading Unblemished, and it heightened in the last 10 percent of the book. Some huge things were revealed, but it took me much too long to actually grasp what was happening and what it meant. It seemed to me that Sara Ella bit off more than she could chew.

CHARACTERS

The characters were the main reason why I didn't enjoy the book. I need a good plot to hook me in to a book, but the characters are what make me care and continue to read. To be honest, I didn't like any of these characters. There was only one that stuck out from the crowd, and that was Kyaphus, an ally and sometimes enemy of El in the mirror world. He was a pretty gray character, and I liked that he just wasn't solidly good or completely bad. The whole story has themes of light vs. dark, and Kyaphus was the only character who fit in the haze of not being a hero and not being a villain either. The others were all sanctioned into being good and bad, and it just made all the interactions among characters boring and predictable.

WRITING

I also think that the writing needs more improvement as well. Now don't get me wrong, an author has skill if they are published, and that itself is a feat I can't begin to imagine reaching. On a critical standpoint though, this just didn't shape up to the other debut works I have read in the past. I didn't empathize for the characters. I didn't think about this book when I wasn't reading it. I wasn't looking forward to reading this. Sara Ella's writing was just lacking that "oomph" that made me fall in love with reading. Unfortunately, the writing was descriptive in the wrong places, and lacking in the right for me. Most of the writing was telling, and not showing as well. Instead of saying "When El thought her mother was dead, it was the worst time of her life," make it less obvious. Mention little tidbits throughout the book, like having the character's laugh fade off at the end with a forced chuckle because they realize they don't remember the last time they laughed. That shows the despair the character went through without saying "Billy bob was really sad." It wasn't as bad as that, and Sara Ella did have her moments of beautiful writing, but I wish it wasn't moments. I wish it was consistent.

I think that's all I have for today. Unblemished isn't horrible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Five years ago, I would have thought this book was the best thing ever. If you are not going to look at this book with a critical eye, than there is a good chance that you will enjoy this more than I. Like I mentioned above, Sara Ella does have some great "once in a blue moon" moments where her skills as a writer truly shine. Because of this, and the wonderful imagination Ella has, I wouldn't be against reading more from her. However, I won't be reading more of this series.

With that, I give this book
1.5 out of 5 Stars!

This new series from Sara Ella is awesome. For fans of Harry Potter, Divergent and maybe Twilight this might be the next great read for you! This is a book filled with multiple layers, both in characters and in the worlds they live in. One could write research papers on all the different angles that are skimmed over.

I really wanted the main character to be a little stronger, but the book really works because you get to witness the struggle El goes through and the character development that happens.

And although El is in love with Joshua, I feel like he is a jerk... Team Ky!


I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson--Fiction for the opportunity to read and review Unblemished by Sara Ella. There's a mystery surrounding El, her recently deceased mother and their pasts. El has a crimson birthmark on one side of her face and this has made her insecure, along with all the taunts and rudeness she has received from others throughout her lifetime. Her mother passed guardian responsibilities to Joshua, a young man El has known about three years. She's almost eighteen and Joshua is only a few years older, so she finds this arrangement ridiculous. The world she knows is only a small part of the world she learns about and is thrown into. Alternate worlds or Reflections surround El and her true history. I enjoyed the book and movie references throughout the story and the humor brought with them. The worlds consist of many intertwined characters and their relationships as well as their skills. The author keeps the reader on top of everything and keeps it organized by having the main character, El, review as she learns, smart and helpful. Deep characters and a fantastic world rates 5 stars. The story continues in the sequel, Unraveling.

Oh, where do I begin? No, really, I have no idea how to review this overcomplicated, way too many storylines to keep tract of, way too many relationships between the characters to keep track of (he's her lover, no, brother, no, half brother, no step brother, no, cousin once removed!) novel. There is no way to tell you much without giving away some of the ("gasp! did NOT see THAT coming!" but, yeah, I really did.) plot twists.

Here is a brief recap: 17 year old girl has birthmark on her face, only one girlfriend (who is snarky and mean to her) and a luscious tutor (male, about 22) that she has a crush on. Her Mom dies. Tutor shows her that she's really special (because of the birthmark, natch) and takes her to the Second Reflection to find her Mom (they are currently in the Third Reflection, aka New York, New York. There are Four Reflections altogether.) There they meet a bunch of other people, some good, some bad, who all have 'callings' that give them a special power, like invisibility, turning into an animal, or paralyzing someone with a look. None of them have a birthmark. Their callings seem to be random and don't lock in until they turn 18. Oh wait, yeah they DO actually have some callings attributes before that, but they are 'muted'. There is a Verity, that lives in a Vessel. It is Good. There is a Void, somewhere. Not sure where. It used to be imprisoned but was set free. It is Evil. Girl might be an Amulet. Whole 'nother story. Also might be the Vessel for Verity. Not sure. May be the prison for the Void. Possible, don't know yet. Could be someone else. Girl finds sinister man following her. Might be her Father. Might be her Uncle. Finds another sinister man, might be her Grandfather, might be her Father. Finds another grouchy old man, might be her Grandfather, might just be a friend of the family. Do you see where I'm going here?

There wasn't so much a plot line, as a bunch of Surprise! Another plot twist!'s strung together. And, and of course the usual teen angst: does he love me? Do I love him? Oooo, that guy is kinda cute, does HE love me? Do I love HIM? Gah. A little confusion is fine and lends credibility, a LOT is just annoying.

I finished the book, but it was a mighty struggle. And the cliff-hangar ending just wasn't enough to entice me to slog through a sequel, 'cause as far as these characters and this storyline are concerned, frankly my dear, I don't give a...

I was drawn to this enchanting story by the beautifully illustrated book cover. The author, Sara Ella, obviously took her time creating the various realms in this book and filling them with fascinating characters. The plot kept me guessing because some of the characters had the ability to make things appear to be quite different than what they were, and it wasn’t always easy to understand at first whose side they were on; only as more information was forthcoming could I know if they were part of the shadows or the light. The author added all the extra touches that led me to get to know the people in this book through their actions and words.

Moreover, Sara Ella does such a good job of describing the scenery that I can picture it in my mind. The differences between the evil characters and the good ones, is even shown through the lands they live in and how different everything looks including things like trees. changes.

I loved this book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

This book was pretty solid. It had all of the right elements to it, but I felt like I was just a little bit behind the whole time. Which is probably because it's just the first book. 4 stars

This book was brilliant! I loved every second. The writing was absolutely delightful, and the story amazing.

Unblemished, by Sara Ella, is the first in a series by the same name. Now first off I want to say that this cover is so gorgeous. I had to read this book because of the cover. Let me repeat myself here. THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS!

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book. I was rather surprised because I’d read such glowing reviews and I was so hyped up and thinking this book was going to be awesome-sauce. In fact, once I started struggling to finish—I had to go back to GoodReads to see if anyone else felt the same. I just didn’t anticipate not liking this book. I did find a few that seemed to have the same issues that I had so I guess I feel validated in my reasoning. I guess I mention this because I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this book. It seems you’ll either love or hate it and there is no in between.

I want to give just a few examples of the problems that I had with this book.

“Click. Creak.”
“We’re moving again. Whine. Snap.”
“Fizz. A match strikes. Hiss.”

These are all included within just a few paragraphs. The whole book reads this way!

“Click-clack, click-clack.”
“Chip. Crack. Shatter.”
“Thud,rattle,bang! Bellow,yell,holler!”
“Splash,slosh,splash.
“Drip,drip,drip.”
“Flip. Flap. Flit.
“Flip. Scan. Turn.”
“Shuffle. Creak.”

I do mean THE WHOLE BOOK is like this. First off, I’ve never read a book that needed to include sound effects. And can you even call some of these sound effects?

Then, I’ll be honest, the enumeration is a personal pet peeve of mine. Stating that a character counted under her breath is perfectly fine. I don’t need to hear the character count out the numbers. This book saw the character counting on numerous occasions and I felt a bit like I was in preschool and getting math lessons.

Sound effects and enumeration aside, El wasn’t likable—well, I mean some people might like her but I didn’t. She was so entitled, spoiled, childish and reckless. I mean, you know, I’ve absolutely nothing against vegetarians but this chick finds herself in an alterate universe with people trying to kill her. There’s a small group of people trying to save her behind and not even a simple, “thank you.” Nope, she just wants to go on and on about not being able to eat their food because it’d been alive. I can tell you right now, if I had rescued this girl I’d have given her a bowl and told her to go gather some berries. Alone. In the woods full of people trying to kill her. I mean, she was bent on doing the most reckless things anyway anyway. And grateful she was not.

Everything was all about Eliyana and whatever she was feeling in the moment. One minute she was completely obsessed and in love with Joshua and the next minute she’s all googly feeling for Kai even though she’d only known him for less than three weeks. Oh yeah, and he kidnapped her. Sorry, I don’t care the whys. If some man abducts me—he’s going to lose boyfriend/husband status forever.

Then as some other reviewers mentioned—El was in the new alternate universe for less than three weeks and she’s already using words and phrases like, “Thank the verity” which seems a little soon.

Last but not least—the whole “tattoos to signify your gifts thing” has been done already—Divergent. Which speaking of—is basically what a “mirror” is. A gift that is all the gifts in one. El is practically Divergent.

I could go on and on. Plot holes, weird effects, odd behavior from El—like talking to her mom in her head. I don’t even mean telepathically. I mean more like— this girl is just straight up cray-cray. And the never-ending pop culture references drove me crazy.

This book just wasn’t for me and I don’t think that I’ll finish the series.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.

*I received a complimentary copy by NetGalley*

I'm going to start by saying that the plot was interesting, full of adventures and surprises. Had it been well written, it would've been a solid 4.5 stars. But the sentences went like this: She want shopping. She went out. She returned home. Basically,it reminded me of those mandatory class essays, which no one was inspired to do. I do have to say that thankfully, this writing was not present in the whole book. :)

Aside from that, it's an entertaining YA that I would have enjoyed immensely if had I gotten my hands on it when I was 13.

I found the main character, Eliyana, to be too helpless and annoying. She made the dumbest decisions that made me just roll my eyes. I couldn't even finish this book.

Unblemished is the first book that I've read by Sara Ella. It was very well thought out and written, from start to finish. The characters had depth and backstories that you hear as the book unfolds. I felt like you ended up learning so much about so many of the characters that it gave so much more meaning to the storyline.

I liked Eliyana as the leading lady. Her heart being torn in so many directions between her mom, Joshua, Ky and the others she wants to protect is admirable. It was fun to see everyone's different gifts unfold and Eliyana learn about the mirror gift. I look forward to seeing how she can use that in the future books too.

It's so hard to write reviews without giving away too much of the plot or ending. So I'll just say that this story has so many elements to love that I don't know how you wouldn't enjoy it. Suspense, romance, family/friend connections, magical elements, it's got a little bit of everything. I admit this isn't necessarily in my wheelhouse either, as I tend to gravitate towards dystopian novels if they are sci-if-ish, as opposed to "magical" elements, but this one was awesome! I can't wait to read book two!

It was ok. I couldnt really relate to any of the characters and didnt like any of the heros (wimps) but, it wasnt bad

I don't know if it's the formatting that made it a bit confusing. Or if it was the story itself. I see something really great within. It's just a little lost in translation.