Untethered

Katie Hayoz — 2013

Looking for something new and unique in paranormal YA? Untethered is it! A young adult novel about jealousy, obsession, and astral projection. Sixteen-year-old Sylvie isn't comfortable in her own skin. In fact, there are times she can't even manage to stay inside it. But if there is one thing she's sure of, it's her love for Kevin Phillips. She's willing to stake everything on it -- her family, her friends, and possibly her soul. Junior year is off to a less than stellar start for Sylvie: Her parents are splitting up, her little brother is sitting at her lunch table, and she's the target of the school bully. Plus, she accidentally astral projects, slipping out of her body again and again at all the worst times. Sylvie is cast as the class freak and a medical misfit. She wishes she were somewhere else. Someone else. But it's only when her best friend catches the attention of the boy Sylvie's loved in secret since the fifth grade that Sylvie makes up her mind to do something drastic. Sylvie intends to get Kevin by any means possible -- even if it involves treachery, deceit, and the insidious side of the paranormal. After years of trying to ignore her ability to astral project, Sylvie finally decides to embrace it. But she also decides to embrace the shadows that accompany her on her out-of-body experiences. Opening herself up to the shadows and their evil, Sylvie comes up with a dark plan. She is positive her scheme will give her what she wants, but she doesn't count on it all spiraling out of control. Untethered by Katie Hayoz explores the intoxicating and dangerous world of jealousy and obsession when coupled with paranormal ability. It is a touching, sometimes funny, sometimes heart-breaking novel that speaks to the self-doubt lurking in us all. Runner up in the Mslexia Children's and YA Novel Competition. Scroll up and start reading Untethered today!

Reviews

Courtney Gendreau@literary_chaos

Sep 24, 2022

I was drawn to this book because of the uniqueness of the plot. It seems that most young adult fiction lately is about paranormal creatures, dystopian worlds, or high school drama, so the fact that it was about something as unique as astral projecting made me excited to read the novel. The book itself is an easy read, even at three hundred and fifty pages I never felt that I was forcing myself to continue. The book had an easy reading level that I think preteen and teens can enjoy. That being said, those who do not have the patients to read from a young teen girls point of view may get easily annoyed with the character. Sylvie, as a character, can be self-centered and obnoxious at times. She is often preoccupied and obsessed with things that are very trivial, which some readers could find frustrating. For me, however, I felt that Sylvie was a typical teenaged girl (give or take a few bad choices). I think the author did a great job of portraying teen girls as they really are; dramatic, preoccupied with trivial things, and sometimes short-sighted. Overall, I think that the author did a great job of creating a story that many ages can read and enjoy. The book has such a unique plot that I would definitely recommend giving the book a chance even if it is not your normal genre of book.