Unbound

by Ryan Johnson, Jared Branahl

Max Devereux isn’t ready to be the man of the house, but his older brother is dying on a mountain a half a world away. With his dad gone, and now Val, there’s nothing Max can do but watch it unfold on the evening news. Then his little brother stumbles upon a discovery that changes everything.Setting off a global chain of events, Max and JB turn a mysterious key that halts time and plunges them into the hidden world of the Unbound. While the rest of the cosmos is locked in a standstill, these rare few wander the streets of living statues. Some use it for good, others for greed, while many have a mission that’s far more sinister. For Max and JB, it’s a chance to snatch Val from the frozen jaws of death. But with countless miles, towering mountains, and the Atlantic Ocean standing in their way, the greatest danger is one they’d never imagine.When fire doesn’t burn, the wind won’t blow, but falling off a mountain will still very much kill you, the boys have nothing to rely on but each other. If any of the Devereux brothers are going to make it back to the world of ticking clocks, Max and JB must truly make this moment count.

319 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2023

Reviews

[Judy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading this book, I found it hard to put down. It is a well written mystery with beautiful imagery and authentic dialogue. It is truly a story you can see with your mind’s eye as you read it. And although the premise of stopping time may seem unrealistic, the story unfolds so plausibly and with such detail, you completely forget that time stopping is not a pragmatic reality.

[Jan Hungerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me be honest and say that this book is written by my cousin and that’s the only reason I read it. It is not a genre that I am interested in. However, I was very pleasantly surprised that I found the book entertaining, clever ,exciting, and with a good few life lessons in there! I sure hope that I would be a helper in the Unbound world. Congratulations to the authors. You are amazing!

[Katie Krietemeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I originally started reading it to see if it was appropriate for my elementary library (it is). I couldn't put it down! Thank goodness I'm on spring break so I could devote more time to reading. The story is fast paced enough without sacrificing character development. I hope that there is a sequel.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and I like that so many different ages can read it and appreciate it. The authors do an incredible job of weaving creativity, suspense, and sentiment into this novel. I am excited to read their next novel!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this. It reminded me so much of the experiences I had when I read MG/YA stories as a kid, when you get so immersed in the world that you can’t help but make up your own little stories that exist in it. I just got swept up in the adventure. I normally take my time getting through books, both because I’m an English teacher that can’t help but analyze and because I fall asleep five minutes after laying in bed with a book. I really flew through this one, though.