A Raw Romance Read ~ The Unfortunates by Skyla Madi Review

First off I want to extend a big thank you to the beautiful Skyla Madi for providing me with a copy of this book.

However, despite being provided with this book by the author, all opinions expressed in the following review are purely my own. To find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.

My review

Rating: 4.8

**Note: This book is NA and therefore contains mature themes**

This is dystopia like you've never seen it before.

Most dystopian novels can be read with ease as you're spoon-fed all the components you've come to expect from that genre. 

Some grit. 

Conflicted characters. 

A futuristic setting, with shiny technology and underlying tensions. 

Some kind of rebellion. 

Some romance - normally a love triangle - to spice up things. 

The death of someone close to the main protagonist. 

A message of right vs wrong to take away at the end. 

The Unfortunates is dystopia taken to the next level. It feels all the more real because it doesn't smooth over the gritty details, or try and pass off fantasy as reality. Skyla Madi focuses on the realities of her dystopian world and is not afraid to bring the shocking details to light and talk about them.

A book that is hard mentally and emotionally to read is a worthy book.

There are books that are hard to read because they aren't well-written. And then there are books that are hard to read because of how raw they are. 

They bring you a perspective you've never considered, they shock you, and they draw you so far into their world that you have a sort of literary sensory overload. They're a challenge for you, personally, to read because you're expanding your literary experience.

These are books worth reading.

It's like lifting weights for your brain. The Unfortunates is one such book. Very reminiscent of author Nenia Campbell's raw style of writing (love her books!), The Unfortunates is a trailblazer, unique to the core. It lights the way for dystopian books with characters you don't necessarily like - complicated characters who aren't labelled as either good/bad but simply are. 

Some parts of the book are hard to read because they hurt. They hurt because somewhere, deep down, we know that humans are more than capable of doing the horrible things we're reading about. The line between fiction and reality is blurred. 

We read books like The Unfortunates and we see that this future presented to us by the author isn't as far-fetched as we believe it to be. 

There are deep-rooted issues in our society that we need to face - rape, slavery, treatment of women, human rights, freedom of speech, autonomy, and more. Books like The Unfortunates are integral in bringing these issues to the attention of readers.

Combined with Skyla's irresistible writing style, The Unfortunates is a book you're not going to want to miss out on.

About the book

He wants his father dead. 

He wants power. 

He wants control...  

....And he'll use me to get it.   

Kade Sario was supposed to vicious and cruel. He was supposed to be a monster, to hurt and chastise me for the smallest things... but he didn't. I didn't understand it... until I found out what he really wanted from me.  

He wants to use me. He wants to hold me high above the lion's den and wait for the strongest lion to offer him something he can use...  

He won't hurt me and he won't take from me, but he keeps me close... So close I can smell him on my skin even when I'm alone. Growing up it was ingrained in me that I do whatever I can to please my Fortunate. It was ingrained in me that I be loyal and faithful, and that I love my Fortunate more than I love myself. I expected that I'd want to please him. I expected that I would be loyal and faithful, just like I was taught...  

But I didn't expect to fall in love with him.  

Time is running out. Things are changing, the balance of power is shifting and if I'm going to survive in this world, I need Master Kade on my side…

Add it to your bookshelf!