Review: The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Rate: 3 out of 5 stars

I got this book a few years ago from a friend who gave it to me and told me to tell her if I liked it.  Unfortunately, the book was lost on my bookshelf and my friend moved away, so I didn't read it, until I saw it on my bookshelf and decided to pick it up.  I mean, can we drool over this cover?

Alex and Aaron Stowe are twins living in Quill, a land where creativity is banished.  At 13 years old, the kids are sorted into three categories: the Wanteds, the Necessaries, and the Unwanteds, who are killed.  But a wizard by the name of Mr. Today has been saving them and has created a world where they live called Artime, and creativity is encouraged and used.  But what will happen when there is a risk of the High Priest Justine discovering this magical land?

When I first started to read this book, I actually sat it down and read another book.  It was just so hard to get into!  The first 70 pages, I was bored and confused.  I first became actually interested well into the book.  When it did get interesting, I enjoyed it very much.  I didn't like the third person omniscient, because it felt like at random moments it was bringing in a random character's opinion.

I don't believe that the character development was very good in this book.  Alex was a very developed character, but not many others were.  I felt like too many characters were introduced, and I would be fine with the number of characters if they were more developed.

This book, after the first 70 pages, had me on the edge of my seat most of the time.  I was intrigued by the plot.  I really liked Alex as a character.  He was flawed, as any human is, but the connection with Aaron, and how funny yet sweet he is- he is a really good main character.  I didn't like Aaron, and I feel that everyone didn't like him, but he just really got on my nerves, even though he wasn't in half of the book.

Parts of the book were vary vague, and I felt they shouldn't have been.  Some parts shouldn't have been elaborated on, and McMann didn't, but I wanted more details throughout the book, especially on Artime and Quill.

I don't like Lani.  Lani and Alex didn't appeal to me at all.  I like Alex and Meghan, but I didn't see a big need for romance in such an already complex and twisted plot.

I don't really see a purpose for the second book.  Everything has gone well in the first book, in the end, except for Alex.  this is a no spoiler review, so I'll just say that the only thing I'm curious about is Alex. There is a second book, and I don't know if I'm going to read it or not.

Thanks!!!