Unbreakable by Mira Grant Published by Subterranean Press on February 24, 2023
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 111
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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The girls of Unbreakable Starlight were part of an ancient tradition of magical warriors defending the Earth from the forces of the Outside. They knew their powers and their place, and they planned to fight to the very end. They just didn't think the end would come so very soon.
And they never dreamt that when the dust settled, two of their members would be the last magical protectors in the world.
For Piper, her time as a member of Unbreakable Starlight was the best part of her life, the first and only time that she had been truly happy. She'd had friends, she'd had powers, and she'd had her animal companion to make sure that she understood the patterns she saw in all things. Until it all came crashing down.
For Yuina, whose sister died on the night of the assault that killed most of the world's magical protectors, forgetting what she used to be is all that's mattered to her for years. She's been trying her best to toe the line and be the good little symbol of a forbidden calling that her government wants her to be, and she'll keep trying even if it kills her.
But magical protectors existed for a reason, and even if they've all died and the heralds who used to invite replacements to the fight have been forced into hiding. And if the magical protectors aren't holding the line against the Outside, who is?
Lines exist because somebody drew them, and now, with the world left undefended, the lines are getting blurred. Soon enough, something's going to break.
We made a vow, unshakable:
In starlight, we're unbreakable.
We’ll protect the world with all we are,
And when we fall, we’ll fall like stars.
I never know exactly what kind of story I’m going to get when I start a Mira Grant story. I rarely read the blurbs of her books before I read them. I like going in blind, but that means I have no idea what I’m walking into. I just know the story is going to be good. I’ve yet to read a bad Mira Grant story. She writes such amazing characters that I fall in love with them. Then she often kills them off and makes me hate her. The life of a horror reader.
Unbreakable follows two women who were once part of a group of young girls who were given magical powers and were supposed to save the world. They are the only two survivors of not only their team, but all of the magical girls. They are now grown up, but have completely different lives. One lives in a gilded cage where she is trotted out on daytime talk shows to push the government propaganda to teach parents to watch their kids so they don’t accept these powers. The other is kept drunk to keep her mind numb. She kept hidden from the public because she won’t push the propaganda.
While this was a short novella, it does feel like a full length story. It was a very interesting story. I would love to read more in this world, but then I say that about every book she writes. If you like horror and you haven’t tried Mira Grant, you’re really missing out. I think it is also good for people who want suspense with some supernatural thrown in.
About Mira Grant
Mira Grant was born and raised in Northern California, where she has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the “Swamp Cannibals” scenario remains unchallenged.
Currently, Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
In her guise as mild-mannered urban fantasy author Seanan McGuire, Mira was the recipient of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. You can find her works as both Mira and Seanan at her main bibliography page. Seanan’s website is the best place to find information on where both she and Mira will be appearing.
All three Newsflesh novels have been nominated for Hugo Awards, as has “Countdown,” the first novella in the Newsflesh universe, and Parasite, the first novel of the Parasitology series.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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Fantastic review. I have this sitting on my kindle and look forward to it.
That sounds interesting. I might like this one.
That cover is awesome!!
I’ve really got to read something by Mira Grant! Maybe I’ll make a goal for next year of reading authors that I keep saying this about, lol. I even have one of her books sitting on my TBR shelf. Great review, and this is going to be added to my Goodreads.