Unravel definition is - to disengage or separate the threads of: disentangle. How to use unravel in a sentence.
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And then, step by step, things began to unravel for Yeltsin. Nearby words of 'unravel'. Definition of unravel from the Collins English Dictionary. Both these verbs indicate ability in some respect. The use of could is usual in clauses that contain a reference to past time. Morag can speak French quite well now. Impress your friends, family and colleagues with this unusual collection of football lingo. However, there was way too much going on in this story. There were various subplots and the book was too long and drawn out to be credited with having a tight plot.
In addition, I wish that Janelle's mother's bi-polarness had been treated more realistically. It was one aspect of this story that I was really intrigued by and it fell flat. Furthermore, the sci-fi elements in this story were disappointing. Perhaps I've read and watched too much sci-fi for this to come across as being truly authentic, but I wasn't "wowed" by it in the least.
Overall, Unraveling was an utter disappointment. I had built this book up to be something amazing in my mind because of all the spectacular reviews, but I didn't find myself enjoying it. I can see the allure for other readers, but I'm getting tired of the same old story lines, characters, and ideas. Publishers seem to enjoy a story that can fit the mold of classic YA, but as a reader, I'm yearning for something more unique. I almost wish I could have seen what other readers saw while reading and falling in love with this book, but I guess I'll never know.
I won't be reading any more of Elizabeth Norris in the future, no matter how stunning her reviews are. View all 16 comments. Apr 27, Kay rated it liked it Shelves: The premise of this book was what grabbed me. It reads like an X-Files episode with a dash of Veronica Mars, and I do like my plucky heroines spiced with some badass in the face of the unknown. You know, more along the lines of rather than, like, By the way, meme notwithstanding, Janelle is an excellent cook, on top of her dividing up her time as a high schooler and a pseudo FBI sleuth.
For the most part, the book did not disappoint. The characters were strong, and the plot was intriguing. But I found that the further I got along in the book, the tight knitted plot started to unravel and fray, leaving some loose ends and less than well explained plot devices.
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Plot Summary After getting hit by a truck, Janelle is miraculously brought back to life by a boy with, well, unusual abilities. In trying to find out more about her accident, Janelle sneaks peaks at her FBI father's case files, finding instead a countdown But a countdown to what? And how is this mysterious boy involved in what seems to be the impending end of the world? Thoughts There were definitely many positive aspects about this book. To name just a few: As the synopsis suggests, the story is very action and goal driven.
The book checks in at around pages, but it felt more like Bombarded as we are with doormat zeroines and Viagra testosterone hyped bad boys with a little too many shades of grey , I found Janelle and Ben to be genuine and sweet. Janelle is surprisingly mature for her age. Partially, this stems from her living situation. With a mentally unstable parent, she had become the de facto mother of the household.
I liked reading about a girl who is grown up enough to get her priorities straight, especially since, ya know, the world is about to end. Janelle and Ben have chemistry. I did see some instances of Instalove, especially on Janelle's part, but overall, I did enjoy reading about the two well enough. Plus, some dudes could really take a leaf from Ben's book in courting women.
And by turns, I mean sharp, stomach-lurching, tire-screeching turns that confuses more than thrills. Plot-wise, the direction that the story took, especially after what I'd like to call the Big Freaking Revelation view spoiler [when Ben reveals that he's from a parallel world hide spoiler ] really, really forced me to suspend belief. There were a million other ways to resolve the countdown that the book was better equipped to explain. I know fiction is about the impossible, but when the impossible isn't really explained enough, I tend to cry WTF and cock my head suspiciously. Also, I felt there was way too much going on in this book.
It was as if Elizabeth Norris was trying to jam in every single YA trope into a scant pages when the plot was already cruising along at terminal velocity. Also, I didn't feel like I really got to know any of the key characters besides Janelle, and when people started getting hurt, I wasn't sure whether I should feel bad for them or for Janelle, who was affected by the loss.
Overall, 3 to 3. The book started off strong, but gradually lost focus in its character development. I would say my feelings post-read were lukewarm, especially after the end, though more on the warmer side than not. Still, I think this book has enough fun and action that it would appeal to a lot of people, so if you get a chance and enjoy YA, definitely pick this one up! View all 10 comments. Unraveling was a book which had been receiving tons of great reviews in the last couple of weeks.
- Preparémonos AHORA (Spanish Edition).
- Unraveling.
- Example sentences containing 'unravel'!
- Mindpower (Collins Business Secrets)?
Two of my friends Maja and Sam had also rated it 5 stars, so when I got the opportunity to read it, I actually squealed! As she lay there on the ground and felt her life slipping away from her, she knew she was done for, her family would be left behind broken, who would look after her bipolar mother and her mood changes? Who would look after her little brother Jared when her dad had so much to deal with already being an FBI agent and cooped up in his office all the time? But no sooner than she thought she was leaving this world, she woke up alive with the three school stoners; Ben, Elijah and Reid hovering over her.
Janelle knew she had died, with the impact of the truck there was no way she could have survived. She had a feeling it had to do something with Ben and his friends, but it was impossible even to fathom the idea that either one of them could have brought her back from the brink of death. And more importantly what is it counting down to? By the end of this book, I hardly had any nails left from biting them so intensely.
There was so much happening in this book all the time to get your head around and I was so caught up in such a whirlwind of emotion. I had a pent up passion to get to the bottom of it all; discover the truth and who was behind it all. But all these mind blowing obstacles kept getting in the way, they left me flabbergasted, shouting in frustration and some were so raw and cut you deep. I truly admire her for the depth and courage she displayed. Ben; I know he had a lot of my friends swooning, and I give him credit he had that aspect about him which could make your heart flutter faster.
Reid was the complete opposite, never hurt a fly and was genuinely concerned with others around him. To say I was surprised with the development of these characters could be the biggest understatement of the year. Overall Unraveling was an action-packed read, which keeps you utterly captivated. This review and more can also be found on my blog: View all 26 comments. Mar 13, Maggie rated it liked it Recommended to Maggie by: Some buzzwords that will automatically make me read a book are: You get the picture.
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris had Veronica Mars potential. These are just superficial similarities though. Some other similarities include memories of blacking out at a party and waking up with ripped clothes, a popular and handsome boyfrien Some buzzwords that will automatically make me read a book are: Some other similarities include memories of blacking out at a party and waking up with ripped clothes, a popular and handsome boyfriend who bores her, and her own Wallace Fennel in her best friend, Alex.
Janelle, or J or J-baby, is also investigating a mysterious death, except unlike Veronica, the death J is investigating is her own. Don't worry, that's not a spoiler. J's death, and the handsome stoner who mysteriously brings her back to life, occurs within the first few pages. It's also early on that you realize Unraveling is one part Veronica Mars , more parts everything else you see on TV. There's a lot to like about J. She's independent, smart, snarky or at least she tries to be.
There's just one little thing -- she annoyed the shit out of me.
unraveling
She says the words that make me roll my eyes harder than anything else: It's one thing to say that when you're dealing with some guy who, while dragging his knuckles on the ground, grunts, "You're not like most girls I know. A better answer is, "It is dismaying that your expectations are based on the performance of a lesser primate. Norris even gets the other characters in on it. Le sigh of the only girl in the world. J's otherwise likable character was undermined by her constant comparisons to what "most girls" would do, but not her.
When you think Veronica Mars, the next thought is Logan Echols, right? He's also, and I hate to say this, a bit Edward Cullen. No, no vampires see the light of day and sparkle in this story, but there are a few scenes and lines of dialogue that remind me a bit of Twilight. Not only is J investigating the mystery of her death, but dead bodies with inexplicable burns are also turning up around the city and a device is found counting down to X-Files is referenced a lot by the characters and the story itself takes a sci-fi turn.
I have little to no interest in sci-fi and it usually goes way over my head, but I didn't have any problems understanding these elements of the story. I felt about Unraveling the way I felt about Divergent -- not particularly original but enjoyable enough. You should really watch it.
Make sure you have a falafel with hot sauce handy. This review appears on Young Adult Anonymous. View all 4 comments. May 04, Sandra marked it as to-read Shelves: But she get's brought back to life by Ben, a guy from her school that she didn't notice until then. Her dad works as an F. She finds a clock that's ticking down to something, but she doesn't know what it's ticking down to.
She realizes that if she's to save the world, she must uncover Ben's secret, and stop from falling for him in the process. This review might contain swearing. I was so excited to read this book! It sounded great and most people loved it. But now, when i look at all the star rating, i'm like What takes me about days to read on workdays, took me about a week to get even half way through. Now, don't get me wrong. This book had some kind of potential.
The style of writing was really good, even the plot was OK. But the actual book? It might have been more enjoyable if i actually gave a crap about the characters and what the heck was happening. I was literally like zooming out. Reminds me of when i used to be at school and had my science lessons. And the main character - Janelle. She was like a freaking zombie. You know when i mentioned that she got killed by a track then brought to life?
She might have as well as been dead. She wasn't acting like a living person before the accident, nor after. She was also such a freaking bitch it was unbelievable. Janelle had a boyfriend, called Nick. She wasn't going out with him because she liked him, liked him. She was using him. Some of you might disagree, but that's what i think! Nick was such a good, hot and sweet guy. It was obvious he cared about her. He always tried to do all these little things for her. And what did she give him? He would be lucky if he got her majesties 'precious' attention for, like, 10 seconds.
I can't deal with him now. I don't want to listen to him. I don't have the time.
Unravel | Definition of Unravel by Merriam-Webster
The stupid girl stopped leading on the poor guy when she developed a crush on Ben. He was the reason she broke up with Nick. This was me whilst reading this. There was more F. I crap than action or romance, or anything else for that matter. I just didn't and don't give a shit. If you're into stuff like that, i think this would be a great book for you. This book was just overall so boring i just can't finish it.
It actually gave me a few headaches and made me think "No wonder some people hate reading if they read crap like this". View all 14 comments. Nov 16, Mimi Valentine rated it liked it Shelves: Mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, original, exceptional It's been over a week since I finished this book and I still can't stop thinking about it or find the words to describe it! Unraveling kicks off with a running start when Janelle dies — hit and killed by a speeding pickup truck — and is brought back to life by the most unlikely boy possible: As the smart, strong, and kick-ass daughter of an FBI agent, Janelle begins to unravel the strands of his secret all the while figuring out Mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, original, exceptional As the smart, strong, and kick-ass daughter of an FBI agent, Janelle begins to unravel the strands of his secret all the while figuring out that there's something bigger happening, something exponentially more dangerous, and she has to find out what before it's too late.
With shorter chapters that always start with an ominous countdown, saying this book is intense doesn't even begin to describe it! The concept is literally out of this world. Other than loving Janelle completely, I think that Elizabeth Norris created the perfect cast! They're real and anything but typical. And they swear — a lot , which I totally loved. Unraveling isn't a fairytale. Like nothing I've ever read before, it's hardcore and intense and gripping and unique. It's also one of those rare gems that remind us how real life doesn't always close with a happy ending — the huge twist at the end knocked me off my feet!
I wanted to cry and beg for a sequel at the exact same time. In short, Unraveling is one of the most brilliant and gut-wrenching debuts I've ever read! You have to read it — it will blow your mind away! For books like this one, this is such a pointless question! Buy it and love it, then please come tell me what you think after so we can cry together! View all 30 comments. Mar 24, Crystal Starr Light rated it it was ok Shelves: Janelle Tenner has your typical teenaged life: FBI father who overworks, alcoholic, manic depressed mother, little brother a mere 13 that Janelle has to take care of, a nerdy best friend, an evil former friend of course female that may or may not have helped get Janelle sexually assaulted.
But being hit by a truck, dying, and being revived by stoner, Ben Michaels, changes that. What happened to her? And does it have anything to do with this countdown timer her father discovered? I recei Janelle Tenner has your typical teenaged life: I received this through the Amazon Vine program. I love to read. I've been reading pretty steadily since I was in second grade, with a brief time where I didn't that conveniently corresponded to those good 'ol college days.
There is nothing quite as wonderful as getting carried away in a new world, populated with vivid characters, being whisked into a new adventure. Were it not for my love of reading, I would never have gotten addicted to my second love: I try to go into the books I read with a positive attitude.
That I am going to learn something new, go on a new adventure, meet new best friends. I try to keep my expectations manageable--not too high, but not too low either. But every so often I meet up with a book that isn't going to be my friend. As I continue to read, I realize we don't have a lot in common. The characters pretend to be book nerdy, but they are hardly shown reading. Characters act in ways that I cannot relate to or act WAY more stupidly than I think they would given their privileged occupation. The plot disappears as the Love Interest ducks his hand under the Main Character's vintage t-shirt.
And basic science principles, that could be researched on Google in two seconds, aren't even acknowledged.
Unfortunately, "Unraveling" and I aren't going to be best of friends. We just don't have enough in common. You see, I can take a main character I don't like. Scarlett O'Hara, from Gone with the Wind, is a woman I would have liked to slap on several occasions; but never once was I not completely and wholeheartedly involved in her story.
Janelle Tenner is not Scarlett O'Hara. I wouldn't be surprised if Janelle didn't even know who Scarlett O'Hara was or if she did know, she didn't like the movie. Janelle and I weren't that way in the beginning of our relationship. In the beginning, I admired her strength and appreciated her responsibility to her family. But as the book progressed, I began to see that maybe I had read Janelle wrong.
Maybe she wasn't a strong independent woman, but a self-pitying martyr. Maybe she wasn't a bookworm, but someone that likes to name drop big books "Ender's Game", "The Great Gatsby" because, hey, why not? Or they say things like "Travel through wormholes is impossible-it violates every natural law of physics. Maybe she isn't really a brainiac, but someone that takes advanced classes they apparently don't like Physics to show off.
I didn't care for all the trauma in Janelle's life. No grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins to help her out. The senseless sexual assault scene that does nothing but pad out the novel it's VERY insulting how Janelle has coped with her sexual assault. Isn't this novel supposed to be about the mysterious Love Interest, Ben Michaels, and the creepy countdown clock?
What about her near-death? Isn't that enough trauma for the poor girl? Do we have to touch on every other problem that a teenaged girl might have? Let's give Janelle an eating disorder and shoplifting problem as well!! I appreciated Janelle's curiosity--but she breaks the laws. Snooping through her Dad's FBI case files. Stealing his laptop and case files. Copying those files and distributing to her BFF, Alex. Busting onto crime scenes. Handling a gun without a license. Hacking into her father's laptop.
These are serious crimes. This isn't stealing a pack of gum at This is messing with the FBI. I don't care if your father is an agent--you shouldn't be snooping and he shouldn't be letting you. Plus, and this is something that Janelle brings up and then promptly drops several times , you are a teenager; how can you possibly compare to trained FBI agents?
It was a shame to see how few good, female friends and influences Janelle had. Her best friend, Kate, gave her a roofie laced beer, and now the two teens won't talk.
When Kate tries to apologize, it is Janelle who behaves rudely and holier-than-thou--mocking Kate's money which makes it seem that Janelle is nothing more than a jealous little girl. Cecily's role seems to be to giggle over the cute couple, Janelle and Ben. Nick's ex-girlfriend is cast as a stereotypical Mean Girl.
As for adult females, the results are even more dire. Janelle's mother was, as said before, an alcoholic and a manic depressant, a woman so drowned in her own problems, she can't even begin to help Janelle with hers. Deidre, a coworker of Janelle's father, appears very little and isn't a person Janelle confides in. Same with Poblete, Janelle's English teacher. Same with Alex's tyrant mother. Although men were portrayed in a "better" light, that didn't necessarily mean they were better characters.
Janelle's father might not have been portrayed as a jerk, but neglecting his daughter and son is a jerk move. Not doing something about Janelle's mother--another jerk move. It's very hard for me to like a guy that appears, only to act like an idiot using his daughter's birthday as a code on a safe--sure, I'd believe an esteemed FBI agent would do that! And I'm still scratching my head over the incongruity of all the wonderful memories Janelle has of her father and his workaholic tendencies. When did they have time for all the fond memories Janelle has of them? Strutz is a goofy idiot who will let a 16 year old teenager steal a gun and just tell her to "Be safe".
Barclay is a stereotypical baddie though I was impressed at how he changed in the end. Alex is, as I said before, stereotypical Asian nerd. The two characters I was impressed with were Nick and Ben. For once, our female MC has had experience on the dating scene when she meets her Love Interest. In fact, Janelle is psuedo-dating Nick when she meets Ben.
And Nick isn't a bad guy. He is nice and polite when alone with Janelle, but when he is out partying, he becomes reckless and juvenile. And Janelle never decides she "hates" Nick in favor of Ben; she just doesn't think she and Nick mesh. As for Ben, he is pretty darned interesting. I can't tell half of what I find interesting about him, as it occurs in the latter half of the book and is VERY spoilerish, but I will say that he was a good Love Interest and not some abusive dork.
While Janelle and I may not be friends, I can recognize she had good chemistry with Ben. There are quite a few scenes that were very sweet between the two. And while their romance was fairly quick, I did feel like it wasn't exactly insta-love there were aspects, but Janelle and Ben did try to get to know each other a bit. I thought maybe I could like the story better. And, to be honest, I did--the first 50 pages and the last 50, that is.
The first 50 pages is creepy and haunting; the discovery of the countdown sent shivers down my spine. And then the last 50 pages, where questions get answered and stuff starts happening, were pulse-pounding exciting. However, in between, it was boring and dull, and the tone completely changed. In the beginning, there is quite a bit of teen drama--"You mean he is dating her? But this is abruptly abandoned when Janelle starts learning more about Ben and what her father is investigating.
Towards the end, when I want to be on the edge of my seat, the book will break off from the main story and the tension so that Janelle and her brother can go to Disneyland it was a short scene, but it STILL took away from the main plot or Janelle and Ben can wake up in her bed after a chaste snuggle. You know those people whose entire conversation is about what Angelina Jolie was wearing in that movie or the new album they heard? This book was kinda like that person. And it got pretty annoying with all pop culture references.
Just to prove I'm not making it up, here is a brief list: X-Files Mission Impossible 2 Tron: I was wondering when Janelle would start talking about how cheesy Star Trek was, or who her favorite Doctor was, or how upset she was that Tom Bombadil was removed from "The Fellowship of the Ring". Norris really should have gotten paid for these; I don't think I've EVER seen so many pop culture references in a book.
And the nerdy part of me obviously got mad at the book in several places particularly at the end. You see, I am a girl that doesn't like physics; I love physics. So when Janelle made the comment about how impossible traveling through wormholes was, well, I got mad. I did a quick search on Google--and several websites popped up talking about travel through wormholes. This isn't rocket science; I'm not expecting Janelle to know everything.
But Ben, a supposedly smart young man, doesn't even correct her; instead, he agrees with her. Along with radiation viruses really? In the author's defense, I do think that her world was more consistent and believable than I've seen in other books. Places get devastated; people have to run to shelters and desperately look for family and friends. The mechanics of some of the "sciency bits" which aren't REALLY that sciency, but I'll pretend to be polite are much more consistent than the time traveling bits in Tempest , for instance. And, as I mentioned above, there were a few characters I liked, some scenes I thought were well done, and the writing was by no means horrible.
And one of the absolute best parts of the novel was: There is no cliffhanger, no "Tune in next time", no silly cheap shot to get audiences to come back for book 2. Though I'll bet my boots--the pair I don't like, of course--that there will be a book 2. I think I've gone on long enough to prove my point. It was nice to meet "Unraveling", but I think it's time to go our separate ways.
I hope her life is great, that she meets lots of nice people, and gets to experience nice things. I wish her all the best Any longer, and I would have to bring out the lightsaber. F-bomb gets quite a workout in a YA title. There is a bit of slut-shaming that goes on. Janelle and Ben make out and share a chaste snuggle. Janelle's mother is an alcoholic manic depressant. She sometimes hurts herself, requiring Janelle or her father to help her out.
Several bodies are found in a melty, gooey state. Janelle dies but is revived. Janelle is also sexually assaulted at a party. A character dies off screen from 3 bullet wounds; another character is shot and hospitalized; San Diego is destroyed and it is said millions are dead. You need this book. With a largely absent—but painfully wonderful—FBI agent father, a bipolar mo 4. So who is Ben Michaels? But the most important questions is: Given a second chance at life, she refuses to waste it, and it renders Janelle a very interesting character indeed.
Faced with the crushing, the impossible and the heartbreaking , she approaches everything as an opportunity. One girl saving the world would seem inconceivable, if it were not for the people Janelle's surrounded with. How many seventeen year olds do you know with access to top secret FBI case files, guns, and crime scenes? The chemistry Janelle shares with Ben Michaels, the boy who may just have brought her back from the dead, is electric.
From glancing touches to deep, bone-melting kisses, the heat is undeniable. But, as you might expect from a boy with the powers of resurrection, this is not smooth sailing, and Ben may be the key to unlocking some alarming secrets—and saving the world. Slick, sexy, and action-packed, Unravelling is the literary lovechild of a Fringe and Veronica Mars pairing. Its unstoppable smart-mouthed heroine is the perfect match to end-of-the-world high-stakes, and its extraordinary sci-fi-leaning mysteries make for an electrifying debut.
View all 11 comments. Jul 11, Rusty's Ghost Engine also known as Jinky Spring rated it really liked it Shelves: This book was even better second time around! This was a fresh new idea to sci-fi.
There was plenty of mystery and suspense. I also liked how the blurb gave no clues to Ben's origin or what was causing the end of the world When they were there they also drank a strange chemical that isn't discovered in Update: When they were there they also drank a strange chemical that isn't discovered in our world and this chemical alters the body's molecular structure. In the cases of Ben and his friends it altered them by giving them the abilities to withstand radiation in wormholes and manipulate molecular structures around them thus giving them the powers to heal people and open portals.
In the basement they activated a machine that sucked them into Janelle's dimension where they had been stuck for 7 years. Over those 7 years they each learned how to open portals in attempts to get to their home dimension. What they didn't know was those portals they opened did lead to their home world but were also unstable and brought random people and cars through them. Also they were bringing about the end of the world with wave function collapse.
This happens when unstable portals bring two universes so close together that they collide destroying them both. Recent Examples on the Web Fans have been busy unraveling clues for months now: Hidden messages in the file names of photos gave early references to song and album titles, along with things still left to be deciphered. Decoding the Clues They've Left About Their New Album," 12 July But the game could have unraveled for him in the second inning, when errors by first baseman Carlos Santana and shortstop Kingery put runners on second and third with one out.
The game unraveled for the Barons in the bottom of the eighth as Jorge Rondon L, gave up five hits, including a two-out single from former Baron Jose Vinicio that proved to be the game winning hit. Gizunov, the former director of Unit , used military intelligence agents to unravel a F. Kramer, New York Times , "G. First Known Use of unravel , in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a. Learn More about unravel. Resources for unravel Time Traveler!
Explore the year a word first appeared. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Dictionary Entries near unravel unrated unratified unravaged unravel unraveler unravelment unravished. Time Traveler for unravel The first known use of unravel was in See more words from the same year. More Definitions for unravel. English Language Learners Definition of unravel. Kids Definition of unravel.