Shelli R. Johannes is the author of 18 books (out and forthcoming). She is the coauthor (with Kimberly Derting) of the popular CECE LOVES SCIENCE series and PENNY (An Engineering Tale of the Fourth Pig). In addition to her tween and teen novels, she is also the author of the THEO THESAURUS series and SHINE LIKE A UNICORN. Her new chapter book in Chelsea Clinton’s “She Persisted” series on FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE comes out in March 2023.
Shelli can often be found on highways and country roads saving strays and other jaywalking critters or volunteering with animal conservation groups. After earning a master’s to follow her passion of writing.
She lives in Atlanta with her own pack of unicorns: a British husband, two teens, two Goldendoodles, one sassy bird, and the many loud characters that “live” in her head. Shelli is addicted to exclamation points, puns, unicorns, and anything sciencey. You can always count on her to laugh at her own jokes, at least once.
A vignette of a boy and a girl playing cat and mouse in the deep woods trying to figure out what the other is doing there until real danger comes.
This was quick and well developed for all that it is so short. It was thrilling and pulled me in so that I sighed with impatience when the cliff hanger came. This is most definitely a teaser-set up short story that left me thirsty for more.
As you can see by the 1.5 in the title, Unspeakable is a companion story to S.R. Johannes' first book, Untraceable. This a short story, but I still formatted my review the way I usually do (in a way that's quite extensive :p), because it's just easier for me to do it this way!
The Plot and General Story Untraceable tells the story of 16-year-old Grace, a girl who has a knack for the wilderness and hiking. When her father, a forest ranger who taught her everything she knows about wildlife, goes missing during a patrol, Grace refuses to believe he's dead and vows to find out what really happened to him. While seeking the truth about her father's disappearance, Grace comes across Mo, a fellow wilderness-junkie who aids her on her journey. While Untraceable was told from Grace's point of view, Unspeakable takes a few scenes from Untraceable, and is told from Mo's point of view. Most of the books I read are told from a female's point of view, so I always love reading books that are told from a guy's.
Mo Once again, I loved being able to see things from Mo's point of view. From what I remember from the first book, Mo was a great character, and it was nice to have somewhat of an "origins" story about him.
The Writing This short story is 5,000 words, which is obviously very short. Due to the length constraits, this short story gets straight to the point, which is something that I greatly appreciated. I'm glad that all the passages were informative and useful, because with a short story, that is necessary. Johannes dived right into pivotal and familiar scenes from the first book, and they were are described in the same captivating, suspenseful way. I also liked the fact that Mo was completely confused about Grace and the things that were going on with her, because he of course doesn't have a clue! It was interesting to take that into account.
Overall I read Untraceable during January of this year, and unfortunately, I didn't know that the second book was released was in September! Lucky me, I also came across Unspeakable, and decided to read it to refresh my memory before I read the second book of the series. Although, once again, this is a very short 5,000 word read, I feel that I'm more familiar with the story again. As you can see, I gave this short story a 3/5 rating, and that's mainly because I feel that it was to short. I know it was supposed to be short, but I think it could have been better if it was a bit longer. It would have been nice to have even more insight from Mo!
This is a super short, short story from the point of Mo. It takes a few scenes (around 3) and reworks them for Mo and how he viewed them. While it was a nice little read that I finished a few minutes before I went to bed, it was almost too short for me...or maybe it was the lack of pivotal scenes. It is a good addition though, and you could read this first without it spoiling the first book as it remains rather vague on certain aspects.
Just based off the little bit in the short story, I reallllllly want to continue reading. The characters are witty and mysterious. (What ARE they doing in the woods!?) And it ends on a cliffhanger that has me hooked. Find the rest of my thoughts on this short story on my blog: http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/201....
Unspeakable is a short story accompanying the author’s Nature of Grace series. Told from the point of view of the mysterious Mo, English and Australian overtones combine in a fascinating voice. “What the bloody hell was that?” wonders Mo as he wanders the isolated paths of the forest, where there should be no “blokes” but him. But “that” turns out to be a deer in need of help, which he expertly gives.
Soon an expert hiker is intrudes on Mo’s isolation and finds him more at home chatting to deer than making friends with a girl. Still, Mo tries to find out what’s going on and ends up watching…
Well, as the author says at the end of this free short story, “If you want to find out what happens, you can purchase Untraceable.” The voice is fun, and the story’s a great introduction to the characters and location of the longer series—a sort of “try it and see if you like it” offer—and it’s free.
Disclosure: It was free and I already enjoy the series.
This is very short, approximately 16 pages in length, but it's so worth the read. I LOVE getting the perspectives of other characters, and that's what Johannes provides as we learn what two scenes in the novel look like through Mo's eyes. It's very well written and leaves the reader hanging in a way that makes them want to read those scenes in Untraceable all over again. I actually think that this novellete should/could be read PRIOR to reading Untraceable, even though it's labeled as 1.5, because it really piqued my interest and I think it might generate even more interest in Untraceable should it be read prior. It's currently free on Amazon and 99 cents on Barnes and Noble, so if you're interested in reading Untraceable, but aren't completely sure yet, then definitely pick up this short novellete. It's awesome.
Probably the shortest novella I've ever read but that's OK. It did what it should do, tie one over until the next full length book is available. Plus, it gave the reader more of Mo so who really is going to complain? Certainly not me.
What S.R. Johannes did was take a few scenes from Untraceable and rework in to Mo's point of view. I really enjoyed seeing these scenes but through his eyes. The scene with the deer before his first time meeting Grace (though, he didn't know this was her name at the current time) was absolutely precious.
If you enjoyed Untraceable and haven't read Uncontrollable yet, I abso-bloody-lutely recommend you give this a quick read. It won't take you long to finish it and then you'll wanna dive right in to the next book! Which is exactly what I'm about to do!!
I've had this book a long time in my to-read pile. I wasn't even sure what it was. I guess it is a short, different POV from a different character in Untraceable. I have not read Untraceable. But if it is anything like what this book is like, I think I would like it. In this story, I never learn any of the character's names, the the girl is spunky and full of life, and I think I would really like reading and knowing more about her. It is a very quick, enjoyable read. It ends as a cliffhanger, and that almost makes me what to track down Untraceable and read it. Maybe I will in the future.
After reading Untraceable, I really needed something to tide me over until Uncontrollable. This extremely short story did just that. I love Mo and Grace so much and reading this scene from Mo's perspective was great. You would probably want to read Untraceable before you read this short story, but for fans of The Nature of Grace series this is a must read.
As the narrator goes about daily life in the woods, he stumbles across a trapped baby deer. After freeing the deer, he finds and follows an unusual woman. These chance encounters cause his normal patterns to skew out of a normal cycle.
A crisp, vivid narrative quickly yet descriptively guide the reader through the actions of the forest adventures.
Characters are not fully developed, but this is a short story, so perhaps additional development is awaiting future adventures.
Immediately after reading "Untraceable" I downloaded this book. I was craving more Mo. I just wish there was more of him here! Although this was a very short interlude, it still gave me what I wanted. It's definitely worth the short amount of time it would take to read it once you've finished reading "Untraceable"
Wonderful short story that takes several scenes from Untraceable and reworks them from Mo's point of view, reminding me just why I love that boy. Loved hearing his side of things and seeing Grace through his eyes.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I had just recently read the first book....but in the end it was just kind of confusing. So yeah. Not as good as many of the male POV scenes from books I've read.
This was a short glimpse into Mo's head from just before he meets Grace up until she is caught by Al and Billy during Untraceable. Some of it is the same as the other book but from his eyes. I didn't feel like it added a lot of insight into his character, but it was kind of fun anyway.
This short story in the POV of Mo could have had a bit more to it but it was quite interesting to get to learn his POV of his and Grace's first encounter.
This book was a short story told in Mo's point of view which was great because I love Mo and I hope him and grace come together in the end of this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.