Many Thanks To Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review Unmarked & Unbonded: Bonds of Silence Book 1.
I loved the cover.
I definitely wanted to explore that as soon as I saw it. When I saw it was a Why Choose SCI FI, I thought that this was a read for me.
With no spoilers- let me attempt a summary.
Our main character Rienna Vale, has grown up in a society that seems controlled by rhythms and frequencies. Upon coming of age, folks attend a temple ceremony and hope to find their one bonded love. Marks appear on wrists and people are sure and secure in these connections. Rienna, of course, must go against this and become one who is unmarked and unbonded. She's not against love, but she wants to choose it for herself. She gets by doing various jobs, and continues her life as a misfit until a strange occurrence in the desert allows not one, but three bond marks to appear on her skin. Rienna isn't ready for that, and seeks answers. As she seeks, she gathers her three soulmates (a rebel, a scientist and a solider) and together they work to find a place and situation that will work for all four.
I loved the concept. I did not totally love the book. This story has good bones, dare I say - excellent bones. It unfortunately lacks the detail that I crave in this type of a novel. The world building is sparse so readers are left to fill in the blanks, which might be alright, but I found that I needed just a few more details about this world that we're drawn into. Is this a future earth? Another planet? Is it all a glass desert? Why is the Sanctum chasing after this one human woman, is she a threat to their way of life, or is the Sanctum just sort of cruel? What kind of end goal is there? What about the frequencies and rhythms? Are they set up by the gods or coding or? Is it all some fancy math?
This could be an excellent Sci-Fi Why Choose with a bit more world building and back story, as it was, I didn't feel a strong pull to any characters in general and in the end, didn't care that much about their future. In general, the tale was told as if we had some background information that readers definitely do not have.
I didn't dislike it though, I just felt like I was missing some key element. Frankly, i read this one with my own eyeballs, and that should say a lot as I'm more prone to choose an audiobook these days.
I liked the writing very much, Sinclair has a way of making analogies that really grab a reader and avoid being trite. I also liked that the author brings in math and physics with frequencies and harmonics, I just wish I had a teeny bit more understanding of those pieces! I will likely read book two as it ended with very little resolution and I want some resolution!
So in conclusion, this is an interesting Why Choose, with lots of room left to imagine and dream. If you like why choose, science-magic systems and are comfortable with filling in your own details, this could be a winner!
STATS
First Published : December 2, 2025
Pages: 210
Available as an Audio Book : not currently
Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, religion, bullying, Non-traditional relationships, on page sex, alcohol use.
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