Review: Unbroken by Paula Morris

Unbroken

(Ruined # 2)

By: Paula Morris

Pub. Date: February 1, 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Pages: 304

Source: ARC

Welcome back to New Orleans.
Where the streets swirl with jazz and beauty.
Where the houses breathe with ghosts.

A year ago, Rebecca Brown escaped death in a New Orleans cemetery. Now she has returned to this haunting city. She is looking forward to seeing Anton Grey, the boy who may or may not have her heart.

But she also meets a ghost: a troubled boy who insists only she can help him. Soon Rebecca finds herself embroiled in another murder mystery from more than a century ago. But as she tries to right wrongs, she finds more questions than answers: Is she putting her friends, and herself, in danger? Can she trust this new ghost? And has she stumbled into something much bigger and more serious than she understands?

Two years ago I read Ruined, the first book in the series, and I fell in love with the characters, the writing, and especially the setting. New Orleans is one of my all time favorite places, so to be able to read a YA ghost story set there made me really happy. I didn’t even know Paula Morris wrote a second book, but I was so happy to find out that she did!

Unbroken takes place one year after the events in Ruined. Rebecca is back home in New York City, and still talks to Anton, the boy she met in New Orleans and can’t wait to see again. She also never stopped thinking about Lisette, a ghost who also happens to be a relative that she helped put to rest last year. When her father has some business to attend to in New Orleans, Rebecca and her best friend Ling end up going with him for the week.

Once there, it was like she never left. Toby, one of the boys she met last year is after her because he believes Rebecca ruined his life and the girls are still as gossipy and annoying as ever. On top of that there is a ghost named Frank who needs help. He needs Rebecca to get a locket, or else he will be forced to roam New Orleans for all eternity. But wait that’s not all! The man who murdered our friendly ghost is also a ghost, and will not allow anyone else to get the locket. If he has to be a ghost forever, so does Frank. 

I really love how Morris’ novels always come together. The writing was fast paced and I loved the ghost story. It wasn’t as exciting as the family curse we saw in Ruined, but it was interesting in its own right.

I thought Unbroken was a nice follow up to Ruined. There was a lot more going on in this one besides the ghost story, but I still would have liked more of the ghost element instead of some of the other plots.  I would also have liked to see more of Anton. He played such a huge part in Ruined, and we hardly saw him in Unbroken. I missed him!

I also loved the secondary characters, especially, Ling and Rebecca’s dad. Both brought a lot to the story because they were so supportive of Rebecca.

Overall, I really enjoyed Unbroken. It makes me want to go back to New Orleans so badly!