The Unwanteds Books 1-3 by Lisa McMann

Last year, I read The Unwanteds (book 1), and I really liked it. I did not know that there would be other books. While browsing online for a good read, I happened to stumble upon the second book. I was so excited to read them!

In the land of Quill, you are expected to be very smart and strong. The leader, High Priestess Justine is afraid of emotions and creativity. When you turn 13, you are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. All the strong, intelligent people advance in society with a higher education, and are called Wanteds. The Necessities are in charge of labor and work, and help, while the creative ones are sent to their deaths.

What Quill does not know is that instead of dying, the Unwanteds are actually going to Artimé, a magical place where they are encouraged to use their creative abilities for magic, with spells using paint brushes and musical instruments. It is the complete opposite from Quill. Alex and Aaron are twins. Alex becomes an Unwanted and lives happily, while Aaron is a Wanted, and is lucky. Twins are very rarely split up, and it forever becomes a brother vs brother in the ultimate battle.

In book 1, Alex and Aaron each adjust to their new lives, and Alex attempts to rescue his brother, putting everyone in danger from being exposed. In book 2, Island of Silence, the magical barrier separating the two worlds is gone, and everyone is free to come and go as they please, leaving Quill as a disaster with no organization. In book 3, Island of Fire, Artimé is gone, and it is up to Alex to find a way to restore everything, as well as save his captured friends, while Aaron prepares for an attack to end them.

I really liked the idea of this series. The magic was very creative and enjoyable, and I found it a little hard to put down. It is a great series for younger fantasy fans. The middle of each book kind of dragged on a little bit, but it was not a huge problem. I was a little disappointed with the second and third books. I was expecting them to be better than they were. They were still really great reads, and I am glad that I read them.  I felt that the characters kind of blended a little bit, and I would have liked more variety of their personalities.

The author, Lisa McMann, generally writes drama novels and romance novels that are for way more advanced readers and contain content that is best to stay away from for middle grade readers. The Unwanteds is an exception and is completely different.

I am looking forward to reading the next books. There are currently 5 books out, with Book 6 coming out September 2015, and book 7 is expected the spring of 2016.



Title: The Unwanteds
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 390 pages
Series: Yes, book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
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