Unbent

by Courtney Shepard

Mere is water, and she’s drowning.
She survived the Order… but not unscathed. Her memories are fractured, her body marked, and something within her has shifted. Her water no longer flows as it once did. Dark currents stir beneath the surface.

Aron is air, and he’s unraveling.
After risking everything to fight for her, his power is rising, wild, volatile, and strong. He senses a change in Mere and fears its echo inside himself.

Love may bind them. But so might something darker.
Haunted by dreams and hunted by the Order, Mere is pulled toward a truth she may not survive.

Can their love withstand the storm inside them? Or will they drown with it beneath the tide?

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2025

About the author

Courtney Shepard was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Unbalanced is her first work of fiction and the first installment of the Unbalanced Series.

Reviews

[Ibukun Adebayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad to say that I had high hopes reading Unbent by Courtney Shepard, and all my expectations were appropriately met. Is it romance, tension, or magic? The book has it all. It is part of the Unbalanced series, and frankly, it was so good as a standalone that I did not feel confused or lost for a second.

The plot had me gripping the edge of my seat, and the emotional intensity in the book was just perfect. The story follows Mere’s journey from captivity to strength, which was dark, raw, and deeply moving. Her story was filled with trauma, darkness, and so much raw emotion that you might even shed a tear or two like I did.

And let’s not forget the romance—it was perfect. It had the right amount of lore to keep you hooked and just enough mystery to leave you wondering. Their connection was a slow burn and messy, filled with layered emotions that made it feel real and meaningful.

The sisterhood in this book is another highlight, along with the growth and development that run throughout the story—something you truly have to experience for yourself.

This book is a must-read, especially if you're into dark fantasy, romance, and stories that prioritize character development. It’s emotional, engaging, and nearly impossible to put down. I honestly can't wait to see what Courtney Shepard comes up with next!

[ash ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I have no words. I have never read any fantasy books with elemental magic/ powers before so this was the first time for that. This book me out of a reading slump I’d been in for a few months. I already bought physical copies of both books. I am so excited to read Unbalanced.

The found family-ness of it all, I absolutely adore books with that trope in it. I will be peeping for the next book because the way it ended, there definitely needs to be another. I assume there would be four books since there are four sisters?

[starsliterarychronicles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨ I think this is a good book for an adult audience starting their Romantasy journey or it’s fairly new to fantasy with elemental magic as a main plot.

**Note #1:** This is the second book in the series and it’s currently unfinished- which took me by surprise 😀-but it’s totally on me as I didn’t do proper research beforehand. 

Overall, I liked how the storyline is developing. The writing has improve from book 1, but the characters stayed the same. Which shouldn’t be a problem and it’s most likely a good thing, however, the characters were testing my willingness to read about them.

For that reason I couldn’t connect or 100% root for any of them. I truly don’t think is beneficial for me to type out my thoughts on them as individuals or as couples, I will rant on my book journal 😅

**Note #2**: This series has descriptive intimate scenes (open door), you can mostly skim through them and not miss any pivotal information about the plot, but maybe a little of the emotional connection between them.

I wouldn’t say the following are spoilers, but if you haven’t read unbalanced it could be.

As individuals I like the brothers more, but as a group the sisters. And this doesn’t really make sense, because we know the girls as individuals, but the brothers as a group.

It’s probably the instant connection and love the girls have for each other that feels unrealistic, but I have no personal experience for that- and I do get that a theme is that they need to accept who they are. As for the boys, we don’t know much from them, other than shared experiences- helps with understanding their trauma- the thing is, we don’t have many moments on their POVs.

The Order still is an enigma to me. We’ve been told and shown the overall purpose and some of their inner workings, a little confusing at times but nothing too detailed.

Which is a good segue to the plot twist or the parental lineage that’s been said twice, and so far, it’s just for shock factor- I need more information and not as foreshadow 🙃

This is filled with action, romance and tense scenes, making it a medium pace story. Against what you may think with the rating (and with what I’ve said), I do want to know what happens and how it’ll get resolved (cliffhanger), meaning, I’ll most likely be reading book 3 when it comes out.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a page turner from the beginning. The protagonist was Mere, and I wanted to know more about her and her story. She and Aron shared a connection and chemistry that couldn't be explained, but I was eager for more of them. I also felt that in general, the author did a great job of creating and building suspense; I turned the pages with a constant feeling of anticipation. In addition to that, I felt there was some lovely imagery in the writing.

I believe this is the second book in a series. I enjoyed reading it by itself, and didn't really feel as though I'd missed anything, but I may be interested in the first book as well.

[Ashlee Tharman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mere, whose power controls water, has broken memories of what happened while trapped with the Order. When reunited with Aron, who controls air, she once again feels the stir of emotions she did with him previously. When darkness threatens to severe that bond, will their love for each other be enough to fight back?

This book was such a page turner, I could NOT put it down. I definitely regret not reading Unbalanced first to get a sense of the lore going in, but Shepherd does an amazing job catching readers up as you follow along with Mere's story. I loved the chemistry built between all the characters, and the plot was unique and attention grabbing. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Natacha Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

English is not my first language

Let me start by saying that I loved that this book had more than the usual two protagonists and that we can follow the pov of each pair, I have to say that I loved the chemistry between Mere and Aron but also between Ivy and Cole, not undoing Avia and Rio

I liked the plot, I think it's well structured, I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of 3rd pov but I really liked this book, it has a fluid reading and as something is always happening it's easy to read

It's the second book in this series and I think I'll really read the first one

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mere and Aron just my new favorite.
I loved their chemistry and how they connected to each other . Mere and Aron are scarred, not just physically but emotionally, and that vulnerability makes their growth all the more compelling.
Courtney really makes you fall in love with the characters. She talks about the characters trauma, how to trust each other and surviving. I think this was overall a really good read.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbent is a great story!
The author managed to write a book that is action-packed and also addicting, leaving us hungry for more until we finished the story.
The characters were very likeable and their connection and development was amazing to follow.
Overall I highly recommend this book because even though the plot is great and complex, also following deeper issues, it is still such a fun and easy read!

[Oloruntosin Sofolahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating piece of work!
Courtney took us on an amazing journey of sisterhood, friendship, love and trust- The beautiful bond between Mere and her sisters despite their recent reunion, the intense power bond, chemistry and romance between the sisters and the brothers, despite the circumstances of their meeting.

The cliffhanger ending, with an optimistic tone, speaks to the hope we always find, despite the situation, and to the strength to fight, not give up, and keep moving.

[Saloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Unbent” is a fast-moving fantasy story about powerful sisters, dark secrets, and a lot of emotional moments. Mere’s journey is intense and full of pain, but it’s also about strength and healing. Some parts feel a bit heavy, but the story keeps you curious. A decent read for anyone who likes magic, drama, and strong characters.

[Sehemi Akhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book! I have never been into fantasy book this way. This story just has blown my mind. The first chapter itself attracted my attention and then I just started going with the flow.
I am very bad at writing reviews but I must say that I really enjoyed this one. The climax of the story is too good.
I really would suggest everyone to try this romantasy-fantasy book.

[J.P. Erwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbent doesn’t break new ground, but walks familiar ground with confidence, skill, and heart. Worth a read for genre fans who want something serious but still magical. I look forward to seeing what this author does in the future.

[Sanya Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read here, and I’m glad I picked it. Unbent has a dark, emotional pull, and I really connected with Mere’s struggles and strength. Some parts felt a bit heavy with inner thoughts, but overall it kept me hooked and curious to see what happens next.

[Jenchat Avezan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of the e-book. All opinions are mine.

Unbent by Courtney Shepard is the second book in a fantasy series, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. I hadn’t read the first one and didn’t feel lost at all.

At the heart of the story are four elemental sisters who are sacrificed every generation for their power by a group called the Order. The book is intense and intriguing, but what really drew me in was the pacing; it’s adventurous, emotional, and full of action. It was such a refreshing reintroduction to the fantasy genre for me.

The descriptions were vivid enough to paint the scenes without overwhelming me, and the story was just easy to follow. Dialogue was tight and always insightful. But my favorite part? The monologues. They felt honest, deep, and specific to each character’s personality and upbringing. They helped me understand their motivations without overexplaining.

It’s written in third-person limited, and Courtney explored multiple POVs in a way that gave me all the essential context I needed, and I honestly didn’t feel like I missed anything.

Now let’s talk about Aron and Mere, the strong-but-don't-realize-it-yet mmc and fmc. I really liked their relationship dynamic; the way they handled conflict, the space Aron gave her, and how they gradually learned to trust each other. It felt organic and emotionally grounded. You could tell they both knew they’d eventually have to rely on one another, and watching that unfold was very satisfying.

The climax was layered. In fact, with several points in the book that felt like mini climaxes, which made the main one feel more like a natural peak than a sudden twist. The anticlimax hints that the story will continue following another sister.

I’m curious about the next story, which will follow Cole and Ivy. Their connection was explored more deeply than some of the other pairs, and seeing as Cole was pitted against Ivy, I’m really interested in how they’ll work through their trust issues. Clay and Asha already had their connection established, and Avia and Rio were a bit more in the background — so it makes sense that we’re following Cole and Ivy next.

All in all, Unbent was immersive, emotionally rich, and well-paced. A great read.