See this review and more on my blog, Lilybloombooks 
 4.5 stars 
 There have many books that I have marked DNF (did not finish). And yet, there are many books that I wanted to not finish - but continued reading because I wanted something to be at the end of that long, dark tunnel. I wanted my gut to be right and not fail me so I held on tightly, almost suffocating, in hopes it would turn out truly amazing. 
 Luckily, The Unquiet is one of those books. 
 I hate to say that I almost quit reading - several times, in fact - but tis true. The beginning is very, very slow and very, very detailed. Looking back, it's one of those necessary things that we just don't SEE at the time while it's happening, ya know? It's a build up into the characters lives and what Lirael went through to get to the point where she was when we meet her. To understand her choices, her hesitations and to see the bigger picture. 
 The Unquiet turned out to be a pretty dark novel - and I am a sucker for dark stories. There are also many messages throughout the book; some subtle while some NOT so subtle. It's slow pace really brings out the beauty of it all - yet again, one of those things you just might not SEE right away. 
 Given that the book takes place over the course of 3 years, we get to see Lirael grow, question herself, her leaders and if what she was trained to do her whole life is right. We see her fall in love, lose loved ones she wasn't suppose to love and she questions it ALL. WHAT is right and wrong and what defines it. What makes you Human? What makes the decisions YOU make right, and others wrong? It's message(s) have put a lasting impression on me, and I am still thinking about this book. 
 The world is quite fascinating - but confusing. There are two Earth's that mirror each other - but one planet has the advantage of the knowledge that both cannot exist at the same time. Thus, the need to take over Earth 1 to save themselves. What was confusing is that we were never told WHY they cannot both exist. If we were - I completely missed the explanation. It's not wholly important but something I want to know. 
 I also thought it was interesting that in the beginning, there was contact with your duplicate. How WEIRD would that be to talk to YOU, on another Earth, and hear about the life that they live? TO hear about their struggles, their achievements, basically, to see yourself live another life? It just boggles my mind to think about. 
 Keeping trend with the dark undertone of the book - what happens to the sleepers, the world and the one small detail that explodes at the end just left me speechless. The ending was bittersweet and added to my inability to speak. 
 Dark, heartbreaking yet uplifting all in one swoop, The Unquiet turned out to be one of my favorites reads this year. I highly recommend it! 
 I received this book for free from The Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.