Unbound By DJ Baldwin
Book Description
A scorned twin, athlete, and scientist leaves a trail of death and destruction defending her marvel serum. When a rival company threatens Dr. Mia Peers for her human advancement formula, the scientist uses it herself. But when thugs threaten her family, she must overcome inner demons, make a shocking choice, and break a pattern of mistrust to save her life and career.
When a car accident puts Mia’s twin in a coma, the disfavored teenager adopts her sister’s participation in athletics to earn her parents’ praise. Having never won them over, she competes in professional sports and follows in their footsteps by becoming a scientist. After securing funding for a human advancement serum and showcasing its partial success, a competing company threatens to steal it. Afraid of losing her backers, Mia uses the experimental drug and gains ultrahuman strength and healing.
Mia’s battle to rid herself of threats turns deadly when her attackers kill a bystander attempting to help. With stalwart self-reliance and the need to keep her abilities secret, Mia fights alone to protect the formula. While the enemy regroups, Mia discovers her father’s journal, revealing clues about her parents’ dark past.
But danger looms, and perils increase. As Mia’s world crumbles, she must overcome inner demons, make a shocking choice, and break a pattern of mistrust to save her life and career.
Since her earliest memories, science has called Mia like no other force in the universe. It became her life’s ambition and profession. She refers to it as The Reason.
Interwoven in Mia’s DNA is Unity, Mia’s identical twin. As children, they promised to support and protect each other above all others. She refers to it as The Pact.
Mia’s parents had children after years of failed pregnancies. They favored Unity, so Mia developed a coping mechanism. She refers to it as The Wall.
After a horrific car accident at sixteen, injuries put Unity in a coma, where she has remained for twenty years. Mia adjusted to life without her sister and became a scientist. That’s when her soul’s fourth element appeared. She refers to it as The Choice.
As pressure mounts, Mia must make the ultimate decision: remain a heroine or become a villain.
Book Review
What happens when the walls we build to protect ourselves become the very things that threaten to destroy us? DJ Baldwin’s “Unbound” masterfully explores this question through a scientific thriller that delves deep into the psyche of a brilliant but wounded protagonist.
At its core, this story is a fascinating exploration of identity and ambition through the lens of Dr. Mia Peers, a scientist whose life has been shaped by four defining elements: The Reason (her passion for science), The Pact (her bond with her twin), The Wall (her emotional defenses), and The Choice (her moral crossroads). But what sets this book apart is how it weaves together elements of scientific thriller, family drama, and superhero origin story into something entirely fresh.
The scientific elements feel grounded and believable, while the action sequences pulse with adrenaline as Mia discovers her enhanced abilities. But it’s the psychological aspects that truly shine. Baldwin has crafted a protagonist whose trauma and determination feel viscerally real – a woman who has spent her life trying to prove herself while carrying the weight of her sister’s coma and her parents’ rejection.
This book will particularly resonate with readers who enjoy complex female protagonists and morally ambiguous character arcs. If you’re a fan of Blake Crouch’s “Dark Matter” or Sylvain Neuvel’s “Sleeping Giants,” you’ll find similar themes of scientific ambition meeting personal crisis, though Baldwin brings a uniquely intimate family dynamic to the mix.
What I particularly appreciate is how the story challenges our assumptions about heroism and villainy. Is Mia’s descent into violence justified by her circumstances? When does self-defense become something darker? These questions linger long after the last page.
