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Unwanteds #1
The Unwanteds
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Middle Grade & Children's (2011)The New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy makes her middle-grade dystopian fantasy debut!
When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill: Each year all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination.
It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate--until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation.
But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.
When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill: Each year all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination.
It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate--until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation.
But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.
8 pages, Audiobook
First published August 30, 2011
2330 people are currently reading
35447 people want to read
About the author
Lisa McMann
59 books6,984 followersLisa McMann lives and writes in the Phoenix area. Her newest middle grade fantasy series is called The Forgotten Five. Book one, Map of Flames, was an instant NYT bestseller. It's about five supernatural kids, raised in a deserted hideout, who enter civilization for the first time to search for a hidden stash left behind by their missing, criminal parents.
Book two, The Invisible Spy, is on sale now! Book three, Rebel Undercover, is coming summer 2023, and book 4 will be out in spring of 2024.
Also out now: CLARICE THE BRAVE. It's a story of hope against all odds, about sibling mice who get separated in a mutiny and vow to find one another again.
Lisa's other books include the NYT bestselling THE UNWANTEDS and UNWANTEDS QUESTS series, the GOING WILD trilogy, the YA paranormal WAKE trilogy, the VISIONS trilogy, CRYER'S CROSS, DEAD TO YOU, and INFINITY RING: The Trap Door.
See what's new and where Lisa will be at her
LinkTree.
You can find more info at Lisa'a website, lisamcmann.com, interact with her on Facebook or Twitter, or ask questions on her Instagram.
Book two, The Invisible Spy, is on sale now! Book three, Rebel Undercover, is coming summer 2023, and book 4 will be out in spring of 2024.
Also out now: CLARICE THE BRAVE. It's a story of hope against all odds, about sibling mice who get separated in a mutiny and vow to find one another again.
Lisa's other books include the NYT bestselling THE UNWANTEDS and UNWANTEDS QUESTS series, the GOING WILD trilogy, the YA paranormal WAKE trilogy, the VISIONS trilogy, CRYER'S CROSS, DEAD TO YOU, and INFINITY RING: The Trap Door.
See what's new and where Lisa will be at her
LinkTree.
You can find more info at Lisa'a website, lisamcmann.com, interact with her on Facebook or Twitter, or ask questions on her Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,026 reviews
January 11, 2012
Has anyone else seen that recent episode of The Simpsons in which Lisa wants to be a writer, and Bart and Homer come up with a scheme to group-write a YA novel by throwing in every element that all YA novels seem to have these days? That's what The Unwanteds felt like to me. It had a dystopian future, some magic, a kindly all-knowing mentor (Dumbledore-esque), not just one but two sets of twins (each complete with one good twin and one evil twin), a war between good and evil, even a hint of a love story--but the whole was definitely less than the sum of the parts. This book was a struggle to get through. I didn't find myself invested in the story or caring about any of the characters. The book had a fascinating premise but it was so poorly executed that I can't recommend it.
February 3, 2019
So my 8-year-old nephew LOVED this book. He loved it so much that he graciously loaned me his copy of both this and the next-in-series (yay!?). He moved to this series after blowing through all of the Harry Potter books and several Rick Riordan series. So this book is definitely a good match for any kids who are into the action and magic of those sorts of books.
My thoughts, though? Maybe not so generous.
I struggled a LOT to get into this book. In fact, it has taken me nearly 10 months to finish this one, and it was only in the last quarter of the book or so that things got interesting enough that I actually looked forward to picking this up. I do have to say that the world-building here is pretty cool (a lot of the magic is really awesome), and when things finally got going, the action near the end is phenomenal!
I think part of my problem with this book is that I couldn't figure out which reading level this targets. Although the main cast of characters are said to be around 13, most of the time they act more like kids who are 9 or 10, doing the stupid and naive things that kids of that age tend to do. But every now and then, there's a hint of awkward first love stuff. I don't really understand why there needed to be any romance (even just hints of it) in this book.
The characters and writing style all seem much more suited to a slightly younger reader, but the book length, some darker material, and the addition of romance (ugh) seem to target an upper middle grade or pre-YA reader.
I dunno. I think I would have liked this a lot better if it weren't so long, and I think some of the length could have been trimmed just by getting rid of puppy love scenes and some of the repetitive sulking scenes.
By the end I liked the book enough that I am not dreading reading the second book. Had this not been recommended by my nephew, I likely would have DNF'd this, and I don't regret having stuck with it. But overall I didn't like this enough to give it more than 3 stars.
My thoughts, though? Maybe not so generous.
I struggled a LOT to get into this book. In fact, it has taken me nearly 10 months to finish this one, and it was only in the last quarter of the book or so that things got interesting enough that I actually looked forward to picking this up. I do have to say that the world-building here is pretty cool (a lot of the magic is really awesome), and when things finally got going, the action near the end is phenomenal!
I think part of my problem with this book is that I couldn't figure out which reading level this targets. Although the main cast of characters are said to be around 13, most of the time they act more like kids who are 9 or 10, doing the stupid and naive things that kids of that age tend to do. But every now and then, there's a hint of awkward first love stuff. I don't really understand why there needed to be any romance (even just hints of it) in this book.
The characters and writing style all seem much more suited to a slightly younger reader, but the book length, some darker material, and the addition of romance (ugh) seem to target an upper middle grade or pre-YA reader.
I dunno. I think I would have liked this a lot better if it weren't so long, and I think some of the length could have been trimmed just by getting rid of puppy love scenes and some of the repetitive sulking scenes.
By the end I liked the book enough that I am not dreading reading the second book. Had this not been recommended by my nephew, I likely would have DNF'd this, and I don't regret having stuck with it. But overall I didn't like this enough to give it more than 3 stars.
February 17, 2020
I bought The Unwanteds last year after having loved Lisa McMann's other books, Cryer's Cross and Dead To You. The cover was beautiful, the synopsis was interesting and there were even critics raving on how the book was like Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games. I figured that with all those credentials, The Unwanteds ought to be a pretty awesome read, but it seems I was horribly, dreadfully wrong.
Narration
The omniscient and omnipresent third person narration is awful. That kind of narration has to be done properly if it's not to fall in one or more of the various writing potholes that come with it, and Lisa McMann didn't achieve that. Instead, she forsakes dialogue and uses the narrator to tell you how all of the characters feel, what they're thinking and what their plans for the future are. This generates a complete lack of suspense and also makes the characters uninteresting, since you get to know them through information that is blatantly hurled at you by the narrator.
Characters
The characters in The Unwanteds are a complete mess. They're rough carbon copies of characters in other series, except the ones in this book are dense, uninteresting, or both. They're all extremely childish and dumb, and before someone argues that it's a children's book, go read a Series of Unfortunate Events, or Harry Potter, or The Golden Compass. Those are children's books, and people in them aren't idiotic.
On Writing For Children
The Unwanteds is, painfully, the kind of middle grade book that treats the reader as if he or she were daft. There are no plot twists that can't be seen kilometres away and that aren't manhandled into the story so they can hit you right in the face. If character's intentions aren't clear enough, they either explain themselves verbally, or have the narrator give their reasons - or both. Predicate nominatives are barely used, which results in the kind of sentence that goes like: "Alex tried his best to climb the mountain, but the mountain was too steep." Normally, that should be phrased "Alex tried his best to climb the mountain, but it was too steep", but Lisa McMann wants you to be sure of what she means, lest you get confused and somehow arrive on the conclusion that she's describing Alex as steep, whatever that means.
I actually ended up skimming the latter half of the book (I don't know how other people skim, but I just read dialogue and enough description to understand what's going on, barely), and I loathe skimming because it's a drastic last resort, but it was either that or DNF this book, and that beautiful cover deserved better.
Main point is, The Unwanteds is a terrible book that wastes some actually good ideas and then always acts on the assumption that its reader is dumb as a box of rocks. It's neither charming and magical like Harry Potter nor interesting as The Hunger Games, and I wouldn't recommend it for children,teenagers or adults.
Narration
The omniscient and omnipresent third person narration is awful. That kind of narration has to be done properly if it's not to fall in one or more of the various writing potholes that come with it, and Lisa McMann didn't achieve that. Instead, she forsakes dialogue and uses the narrator to tell you how all of the characters feel, what they're thinking and what their plans for the future are. This generates a complete lack of suspense and also makes the characters uninteresting, since you get to know them through information that is blatantly hurled at you by the narrator.
Characters
The characters in The Unwanteds are a complete mess. They're rough carbon copies of characters in other series, except the ones in this book are dense, uninteresting, or both. They're all extremely childish and dumb, and before someone argues that it's a children's book, go read a Series of Unfortunate Events, or Harry Potter, or The Golden Compass. Those are children's books, and people in them aren't idiotic.
On Writing For Children
The Unwanteds is, painfully, the kind of middle grade book that treats the reader as if he or she were daft. There are no plot twists that can't be seen kilometres away and that aren't manhandled into the story so they can hit you right in the face. If character's intentions aren't clear enough, they either explain themselves verbally, or have the narrator give their reasons - or both. Predicate nominatives are barely used, which results in the kind of sentence that goes like: "Alex tried his best to climb the mountain, but the mountain was too steep." Normally, that should be phrased "Alex tried his best to climb the mountain, but it was too steep", but Lisa McMann wants you to be sure of what she means, lest you get confused and somehow arrive on the conclusion that she's describing Alex as steep, whatever that means.
I actually ended up skimming the latter half of the book (I don't know how other people skim, but I just read dialogue and enough description to understand what's going on, barely), and I loathe skimming because it's a drastic last resort, but it was either that or DNF this book, and that beautiful cover deserved better.
Main point is, The Unwanteds is a terrible book that wastes some actually good ideas and then always acts on the assumption that its reader is dumb as a box of rocks. It's neither charming and magical like Harry Potter nor interesting as The Hunger Games, and I wouldn't recommend it for children,teenagers or adults.
February 10, 2012
". . . Without knowledge that life can be different, there can be no desire to change it."
In the land of Quill, all thirteen-year-olds are sent to the annual Purge where they will be divided into Wanted and Unwanted. For twin brothers Alex and Aaron, this day is especially daunting as they are both now thirteen and reluctant to separate. Or at least Alex is and would like to believe his brother reciprocates this sentiment.
On the day of the Purge Alex is unsurprisingly categorized as Unwanted and his brother Aaron is chosen as a Wanted. Feeling scared and helpless, Alex goes off to meet his death along with his fellow Unwanteds. But when he arrives at the Death Farmer's doorstep, he is surprised to find a land where magic and creativity thrive. Animated origami dragons; giant talking tortoises; and a montrous, winged cheetah named Simber are just a few of the many astonishing creatures that can be found in Artime.
Still, when the Unwanteds arrive in Artime they expect to be executed momentarily. But instead all of the children are quickly assured by Mr. Today that this shall not be their fate.
Known to the people of Quill as the "Death Farmer," Mr. Today has spent many years perfecting Artime and making it a safe haven for the Unwanteds. As you can imagine, this revelation is as surprising as it is a saving grace for the kids.
But if any members of the Quilitary found out of their rebellion, it would mean a sure death for all involved. This, of course, means that neither Alex nor any of the other Unwanteds are allowed to contact anyone — friends, relatives, authorities — in Quill.
Although sad at the prospect of never seeing his brother again, with his friends supporting him, Alex moves into Artime and begins a whole new life.
Kirkus Reviews hails The Unwanteds as "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." After having read it myself, I must agree. This is not to say that I believe McMann is attempting to subtly copy the two bestselling series as a means to gain more attention for her fledgling series. No, I believe that she has — whether knowingly or not, I won't speculate — taken some of the very best aspects of each series and used them as the underpinning for a new middle-grade dystopian fantasy series that will surely gain many fans.
The Unwanteds turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise for me. Despite my having enjoyed some of McMann's earlier works, I somehow felt that her voyage into the dystopian genre wouldn't turn out to my liking, thus making my expectations low going in. Luckily for me, I was wrong.
Albeit lacking a little in the personality department, the characters are fresh and full of potential. I can see them growing and coming into themselves as the series progresses.
For being so young, Lani — Alex's new friend/potential love interest — hasn't had an easy life. Having her father, Quill's mayor, pull strings to get her into the Purge at the premature age of twelve in order to be rid of her has left her with only feelings of resentment and hatred for her father. But when she begins learning the art of magic — and the magic of art — she soon excels and finds new friends and a sense of belonging in Artime.
With the head of an alligator and the appendages of an octopus, Alex's art teacher, Ms. Octavia, is rather startling at first. But soon she teaches him all the tricks of the artist's trade. In Artime's school, Alex learns everything from how to use paper clips as a potentially lethal weapon to turning flowers into music boxes.
I'll freely admit that, had The Unwanteds been more dystopian than fantasy, I'd probably not have enjoyed it nearly as much. The majority of the story is set in the beautiful and magical world of Artime, and so it doesn't have the bleak and depressing atmosphere of some dystopias. It is for these reasons that I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of its sequel due out next September, Island of Silence. 3.5 stars
P.S. If you're interested in The Unwanteds, may I suggest the audio verison? I believe Simon Jones's narrative adds an extra-special something to the story.
In the land of Quill, all thirteen-year-olds are sent to the annual Purge where they will be divided into Wanted and Unwanted. For twin brothers Alex and Aaron, this day is especially daunting as they are both now thirteen and reluctant to separate. Or at least Alex is and would like to believe his brother reciprocates this sentiment.
On the day of the Purge Alex is unsurprisingly categorized as Unwanted and his brother Aaron is chosen as a Wanted. Feeling scared and helpless, Alex goes off to meet his death along with his fellow Unwanteds. But when he arrives at the Death Farmer's doorstep, he is surprised to find a land where magic and creativity thrive. Animated origami dragons; giant talking tortoises; and a montrous, winged cheetah named Simber are just a few of the many astonishing creatures that can be found in Artime.
Still, when the Unwanteds arrive in Artime they expect to be executed momentarily. But instead all of the children are quickly assured by Mr. Today that this shall not be their fate.
Known to the people of Quill as the "Death Farmer," Mr. Today has spent many years perfecting Artime and making it a safe haven for the Unwanteds. As you can imagine, this revelation is as surprising as it is a saving grace for the kids.
But if any members of the Quilitary found out of their rebellion, it would mean a sure death for all involved. This, of course, means that neither Alex nor any of the other Unwanteds are allowed to contact anyone — friends, relatives, authorities — in Quill.
Although sad at the prospect of never seeing his brother again, with his friends supporting him, Alex moves into Artime and begins a whole new life.
Kirkus Reviews hails The Unwanteds as "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." After having read it myself, I must agree. This is not to say that I believe McMann is attempting to subtly copy the two bestselling series as a means to gain more attention for her fledgling series. No, I believe that she has — whether knowingly or not, I won't speculate — taken some of the very best aspects of each series and used them as the underpinning for a new middle-grade dystopian fantasy series that will surely gain many fans.
The Unwanteds turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise for me. Despite my having enjoyed some of McMann's earlier works, I somehow felt that her voyage into the dystopian genre wouldn't turn out to my liking, thus making my expectations low going in. Luckily for me, I was wrong.
Albeit lacking a little in the personality department, the characters are fresh and full of potential. I can see them growing and coming into themselves as the series progresses.
For being so young, Lani — Alex's new friend/potential love interest — hasn't had an easy life. Having her father, Quill's mayor, pull strings to get her into the Purge at the premature age of twelve in order to be rid of her has left her with only feelings of resentment and hatred for her father. But when she begins learning the art of magic — and the magic of art — she soon excels and finds new friends and a sense of belonging in Artime.
With the head of an alligator and the appendages of an octopus, Alex's art teacher, Ms. Octavia, is rather startling at first. But soon she teaches him all the tricks of the artist's trade. In Artime's school, Alex learns everything from how to use paper clips as a potentially lethal weapon to turning flowers into music boxes.
I'll freely admit that, had The Unwanteds been more dystopian than fantasy, I'd probably not have enjoyed it nearly as much. The majority of the story is set in the beautiful and magical world of Artime, and so it doesn't have the bleak and depressing atmosphere of some dystopias. It is for these reasons that I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of its sequel due out next September, Island of Silence. 3.5 stars
P.S. If you're interested in The Unwanteds, may I suggest the audio verison? I believe Simon Jones's narrative adds an extra-special something to the story.
Read
September 3, 2015Picked this up for my tween grad school project because I am asked for this series all the time at my job at the library. But this turned out like The Lightning Thief for me and meh.
This is just one of those books that ain't for me. I gave it until 200 pages in and I'm DNFing with no rating because I just don't care.
Full review below:
In the land of Quill there is a ceremony when its children turn thirteen; they are placed as Wanted, Necessary and Unwanted. The Wanteds go on to higher level, important positions. The Necessaries become the laborers. And the Unwanteds are sent to be terminated. Alex and Aaron are twins, and on the day they are sorted, Aaron is chosen as a Wanted and Alex an Unwanted. Alex leaves his twin behind and accepts his fate, that is until he and the other Unwanteds discover that they are not to be terminated, but to live and thrive in a magical new land with all of the other Unwanteds. Here they are expected to be creative, pursue their art and learn battle training. But as time goes by, the Unwanteds discover their safe haven is under threat, and they have to fight to save it.
This book started off extremely morbid and did not strike me as tween at first. Thirteen year olds being sent off to die because they built a stick house or sang a tune? It felt pretty extreme. Once the plot developed into Artime, the magical land, it made sense in a way. There had to be a force brought in for all of the creative children to improve. Quill itself reminded me of a mix of Pleasantville combined with the world in The Giver, with a dictator like President Snow from the Hunger Games series.
I can see how tweens would love this book because the attributes that make them unique are celebrated in this book in the world of Artime, where they can sing and dance and act all day long with the added element of magic being involved. The land of Quill to me somewhat represented the oppression of the strict classroom where one is punished for being created. Artime is a dream world that every tween would daydream about if it really existed. The twin bond was an interesting addition making the story a bit more unique than the typical fantasy jaunt.
Even though Alex and Aaron are obviously very different from each other, they still love each other and feel that special bond that twins seem to have, and it made for a good conflict in the plot. Lisa McMann is a great writer, and she seems to have a knack for sucking tweens into her books.
This is just one of those books that ain't for me. I gave it until 200 pages in and I'm DNFing with no rating because I just don't care.
Full review below:
In the land of Quill there is a ceremony when its children turn thirteen; they are placed as Wanted, Necessary and Unwanted. The Wanteds go on to higher level, important positions. The Necessaries become the laborers. And the Unwanteds are sent to be terminated. Alex and Aaron are twins, and on the day they are sorted, Aaron is chosen as a Wanted and Alex an Unwanted. Alex leaves his twin behind and accepts his fate, that is until he and the other Unwanteds discover that they are not to be terminated, but to live and thrive in a magical new land with all of the other Unwanteds. Here they are expected to be creative, pursue their art and learn battle training. But as time goes by, the Unwanteds discover their safe haven is under threat, and they have to fight to save it.
This book started off extremely morbid and did not strike me as tween at first. Thirteen year olds being sent off to die because they built a stick house or sang a tune? It felt pretty extreme. Once the plot developed into Artime, the magical land, it made sense in a way. There had to be a force brought in for all of the creative children to improve. Quill itself reminded me of a mix of Pleasantville combined with the world in The Giver, with a dictator like President Snow from the Hunger Games series.
I can see how tweens would love this book because the attributes that make them unique are celebrated in this book in the world of Artime, where they can sing and dance and act all day long with the added element of magic being involved. The land of Quill to me somewhat represented the oppression of the strict classroom where one is punished for being created. Artime is a dream world that every tween would daydream about if it really existed. The twin bond was an interesting addition making the story a bit more unique than the typical fantasy jaunt.
Even though Alex and Aaron are obviously very different from each other, they still love each other and feel that special bond that twins seem to have, and it made for a good conflict in the plot. Lisa McMann is a great writer, and she seems to have a knack for sucking tweens into her books.
February 27, 2017
AAHHH OH MY GOD I LOVED IT!!! I CAN NOT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK!!! AND YES, I AM GOING TO CONTINUE WRITING THIS REVIEW LIKE A CRAZED FANPERSONTHING!!! Actually, I'm not. I read this book because it was on the list for the middle grade Oregon Battle Of the Books (OBOB, pronounced oh-bob as declared by Howard Street Charter School OBOB team Amber Pugsterminds... If you have questions about that, just ask).
And I loved it. I have to admit that I really did LOVE IT. Lisa McMann wrote the story in such a way that it was simple, almost a summary of what was happening, yet so detailed. The idea of Artime is just... Wow. It makes everyone want to think they would be an Unwanted. And they would. We would all be Unwanteds.
I am really glad that OBOB put this on the list for 2017, because it just opened up my awareness to a whole other series I know I'm going to LOVE, that I had previously not known existed.
Read this book. Now. I mean it, go to your nearest library and start reading it. What are you doing just sitting there? I said go! Go, and read that book! Okay, fine. Whatever. Be that way. Just sit there, doing nothing and not reading a WONDERFUL series *coughcough The Unwanteds coughcough*. Okay, are you just going to sit there forever?! GO AND READ THAT BOOK ALREADY! You know what, I'm just going to leave now.
And I loved it. I have to admit that I really did LOVE IT. Lisa McMann wrote the story in such a way that it was simple, almost a summary of what was happening, yet so detailed. The idea of Artime is just... Wow. It makes everyone want to think they would be an Unwanted. And they would. We would all be Unwanteds.
I am really glad that OBOB put this on the list for 2017, because it just opened up my awareness to a whole other series I know I'm going to LOVE, that I had previously not known existed.
Read this book. Now. I mean it, go to your nearest library and start reading it. What are you doing just sitting there? I said go! Go, and read that book! Okay, fine. Whatever. Be that way. Just sit there, doing nothing and not reading a WONDERFUL series *coughcough The Unwanteds coughcough*. Okay, are you just going to sit there forever?! GO AND READ THAT BOOK ALREADY! You know what, I'm just going to leave now.
October 1, 2013
I cannot explain how good this book was
September 13, 2011
On the cover of this book, it says "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter" & OK, the plot is a bit like that. In fact, the base plot in this book has potential. Unfortunately,the author never ever meets that potential.
The writing is bland, the characters are flat. There is no emotional engagement with the characters & as such there is no suspense because ultimately, who cares what happens to any of them. Not to mention that there is a complete and utter lack of world building.
Sorry, but my verdict: somewhere between underwhelming & not worth the paper it was printed on.
The writing is bland, the characters are flat. There is no emotional engagement with the characters & as such there is no suspense because ultimately, who cares what happens to any of them. Not to mention that there is a complete and utter lack of world building.
Sorry, but my verdict: somewhere between underwhelming & not worth the paper it was printed on.
August 3, 2011
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/08/j...
REVIEW
First Impressions:
Thea: When I first laid eyes on The Unwanteds and read the novel's intriguing summary, I was hooked and knew it was one of my MUST GET OR DIE! titles at BEA this year. As a long-time lover of both dystopias and fantasy, the blend of these two seemingly incongruous components always wins me over. I'm a little chagrined to say, however, that while The Unwanteds is an undeniably fun book featuring some wonderful characters and an imaginative magical system, I had huge problems with the central premise of the story and plot aspects. I liked the book well enough and am certain that both children and older readers will enjoy it, too - but I cannot shake my irritation (even horror) at the central dichotomy for the book. Maybe I'm taking things too seriously. But more on that below.
Ana: I don't think that Thea is taking things too seriously and I totally understand where she is coming from. Although I think I liked the book a bit more than she did, I do think that there are considerable problems with the very premise of the novel. However, I made a conscious decision half way through to just accept it because I liked the characters and the writing and was able to enjoy the ride because of that. You can call it self-preservation (and usually I would drive myself crazy over this).
On the Plot:
Quill prevails when the strong survive - so the motto of the isolated nation-state that is Quill reverberates in each of its citizens. From birth, children are indoctrinated to this lifestyle wherein anything artistic and creative is seen as anathema, and only those that follow instructions and excel at the practical, hard sciences and related subjects (math, economics, etc) are allowed to survive and succeed. In the year of their thirteenth birthdays, all the children of Quill participate in The Purge and are sorted into three groups - Wanteds (who will go on to study at Quill's university and become vital members of government and social planning), Necessaries (those who will do the menial labor for the good of the nation), and Unwanteds. The Unwanteds are immediately loaded on a transport and sent to the Great Lake of Boiling Oil to be killed, so they will no longer a blight on Quill's perfect society of intelligence and strength. Alex has long known that he will be deemed an Unwanted, but he is still shocked and terrified when he hears his name called on the list for execution during the year of his Purge. Meanwhile, his twin brother, Aaron, has surpassed their Necessary parents and has become a full-fledged Wanted. Alex steels himself for his fate and with the rest of the Unwanteds leaves Quill forever and faces imminent death...
Except Alex doesn't die. When they reach the Great Lake of Boiling Oil, the devastated and terrifying landscape melts away to reveal a luscious paradise where emotions and artistic abilities are honored, and magic is commonplace. Alex and his new friends discover that Unwanteds have not been killed as eveyrone in Quill believes, but have taken refuge in Artimé under the protective wing of Mr. Marcus Today. As it turns out, Today is an immensely powerful mage that has been duping High Priest Justine, the iron-willed leader of Quill, for years. As Alex grows in his skills as an artist in Artimé, becoming a powerful mage in his own right, he cannot shake the feeling of longing he has for his beloved twin brother Aaron, and he vows to find a way to save him and bring him to the magical realm beyond the coldness of Quill. But to do so puts all the Unwanteds and Artimé itself at terrible risk - because if Aaron refuses to come with his twin, Quill and its mighty Quillitary will come to destroy the safe haven that Mr. Today has built.
Thea: Let's start out with the good. I loved the brutality of Quill, how instead of simply imprisoning or segregating Unwanteds they chose to have their children murdered - it's terribly bleak but also incredibly believable in this type of black and white society. On the other side of the spectrum, I loved the idea of magic derived from art - there are very unique and wonderful spells that these children learn and create together, from origami paper dragons that attack, paintbrushes with invisibility spells, magic three dimensional doors, and rhyming couplets that can kill. I also loved the menagerie that is Artimé, rife with marvelous creatures like flying stone panthers, art teachers with alligator heads and octopus appendages, as well as artifacts like talking slates/blackboards and tubes that can transport people instantly from one room to another. The writing and the story itself are executed well enough and the pages will fly by, even if there is an annoying degree of repetition to certain plot elements (let's put it this way - every scene in Quill had at least one chant of "Quill prevails when the strong survive!" Now that I think about it, this would be a great drinking game...well, you know, for adults).
BUT.
I have two huge, un-overlookable problems with The Unwanteds that seriously put a damper on my enjoyment of the story. The biggest problem is the central premise of the novel, and Ms. McMann's portrayal of "creativity." In this world, "creativity" ONLY comes from the arts. ONLY those who are artistic (in terms of painting, acting, musical instruments or dancing) are considered "creative" and only they are singled out as Unwanteds and only they are the ones that can wield magic. Let me use a few quotes to illustrate:
and then there's this quote:
This drives me absolutely insane. Some of humanity's most brilliant and creative minds have been mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and yes, even economists (as an economics graduate, I resent these implications so very much). The central premise of the novel precludes the possibility - nay, the reality - that it takes creativity to be in the sciences or related subjects. You're trying to tell me that Einstein's theorems are the product of a non-creative mind? That brilliant economists like John Nash or Adam Smith, or that Watson, Crick and Franklin in their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA have not an iota of creativity in their being? What of Euler, Da Vinci, Tesla, Curie, Newton, Darwin, or Galileo?
I'm sorry, but I call BULLPUCKY.
The dichotomous environment that Ms. McMann paints in her vision of Artimé versus Quill shows Artimé as a land of plenty; a veritable paradise where technology is unneeded (because, yo, they got MAGIC), people are loved, can express emotion, and play around all day doing magical artsy things. On the other side of the spectrum, Quill is a dilapidated, rusty wasteland with brainwashed zombie-like inhabitants, crumbling infrastructure and a shortage of both food and water. Those Unwanteds who are taken to Artimé are passionate, intelligent young people capable of experiencing the whole spectrum of human emotion...and those people in Quill are the cruel, small-minded people that are good at math and keep their heads down and follow rules.
Is this really the type of comparison that we want to see, especially in a time when math and the hard and applied social sciences (including the dreaded, "selfish" economics) are seeing a decline in enrollment and interest from students at all ages? So many children already think of these subjects as icky, terrible burdens, and books like The Unwanteds sure ain't helping much. By the way, can you imagine the magic that someone could do with math!? PHYSICS?! CHEMISTRY!? How badass would those magical tools and spells be? Alas, in Ms. McMann's skewed world of The Unwanteds, we shall never know.
The other main problem I had with the story was in the bizarre lack of power structure for magic - it becomes clear at the end of the novel that Mr. Today could vanquish the entire Quill army with a single phrase. Really? If that's the case, then why have a "war" at all? Why wouldn't he have stopped Justine years and years ago and liberated the people of Quill, rather than let it fall into ruin and then live in (supposed) fear? It doesn't make any sort of logical sense. Beyond that, I didn't really buy that Quill was so dilapidated after some fifty (less?) years, and that people were so shut down and unemotional. What exactly happened to this society? Was there a devastating war, or something of that nature? There's never really any explanation given, so as things stand, Quill seems to be such a terrible place just because it has to be in order for this to be a real dystopia. And I'm not buying it.
Ana: It is the strangest thing. I completely, 100% agree with what Thea is saying and usually something like that would drive me completely insane. If I had to compare this book with another recent Dystopian novel, I would compare it with Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I was not able to finish that book, because I found it really hard to accept the premise that the society in that book chose to eradicate LOVE because it was such a negative emotion. Not only because the premise itself is ridiculous (why love and not hate for example? Surely hate is a more negative emotion) but also because it is hard to understand how "love" can be defined as one single, straight forward emotion when there are so many things that come attached to it (lust, compassion, friendship, jealousy, etc., etc.). I think it is the same principle with creativity - how can you single out what makes one person creative or not? As Thea so aptly says, creativity does not solely exists when connected to arts.
Having said that, I was able to accept the premise here much more easily that I was able to accept when reading Delirium and I will put it down to Lisa McMann's writing: it is not perfect, far from it, but it is engaging as hell because I think she gets writing characters just right. And even though I had this niggling feeling at the back of my mind telling me that things did not make a lot of sense (the ending and how easy it was to win the war, was particularly well, senseless), I have to say that I was able to let go and enjoy.
On the Characters:
Thea: While the central premise of the society and the plausibility of the plot are highly suspect, I did, in fact, enjoy the characters (this is what saved the book from meeting the wall for me). The protagonist of the story is young Alex, who earnestly loves his twin brother and is willing to risk everything to be reunited with Aaron once again. The bond between twins is a unique thing, and the relationship between the Wanted and Unwanted brothers is a complicated bond, steeped in both love and hate. I appreciated that Alex is not a flawless character and makes frequent missteps, especially in the treatment of his friends - it's all part of the growing process, right?
Beyond Alex, my favorite characters had to be Lani and Sam - Lani, is brilliant as the feisty, smaller girl who tries to get Alex's attention and bring him back to reality when he's being a jerk. Sam is curmudgeonly but for good cause, and the friendship that develops between him and Alex is a tentative but wonderful thing. Both of these characters also go through the ringer in the book's final climactic act, with both confronting their parents and playing dramatic roles in the future of Artimé and Quill. It's awesome stuff.
Ana: This is what completely made the book for me. I just LOVED the characters and how very flawed they were. Alex was the main hero and he made loads of mistakes and some of them had real terrible repercussions. He shared the spotlight with many other kids and out of all of them, I loved Lani the most - because she was totally and completely merciless when necessary.
I also really enjoyed how the author explored the connection between twins and whether it truly exist or not. And I appreciated how the author actually never shied away from having her characters making terrible, horrible decisions and acting on them. In that sense, even though the ending seemed a bit too easy overall, each character went through the ringer before the final pages. Granted, those could have been better developed especially with regards to the aftermath of those decisions and how the character dealt with what they did.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Thea: I'm torn - I loved the characters and the story zipped by quickly enough, but I despise the disingenuous central premise of the novel. I'm certain that many people will love this book and not have a problem with the dichotomous nature of "creativity" as defined in The Unwanteds, but I am not one of them.
Ana: As with any Dystopian novel, I believe that a reader's level of enjoyment when reading The Unwanteds will be directly connected to how much they are willing to buy into the premise of the novel. I liked the book well enough but did question my way through it.
Rating:
Thea: 5 - Good, but I can't bring myself to truly recommend it
Ana: 6 - Good, Recommended with Reservations
REVIEW
First Impressions:
Thea: When I first laid eyes on The Unwanteds and read the novel's intriguing summary, I was hooked and knew it was one of my MUST GET OR DIE! titles at BEA this year. As a long-time lover of both dystopias and fantasy, the blend of these two seemingly incongruous components always wins me over. I'm a little chagrined to say, however, that while The Unwanteds is an undeniably fun book featuring some wonderful characters and an imaginative magical system, I had huge problems with the central premise of the story and plot aspects. I liked the book well enough and am certain that both children and older readers will enjoy it, too - but I cannot shake my irritation (even horror) at the central dichotomy for the book. Maybe I'm taking things too seriously. But more on that below.
Ana: I don't think that Thea is taking things too seriously and I totally understand where she is coming from. Although I think I liked the book a bit more than she did, I do think that there are considerable problems with the very premise of the novel. However, I made a conscious decision half way through to just accept it because I liked the characters and the writing and was able to enjoy the ride because of that. You can call it self-preservation (and usually I would drive myself crazy over this).
On the Plot:
Quill prevails when the strong survive - so the motto of the isolated nation-state that is Quill reverberates in each of its citizens. From birth, children are indoctrinated to this lifestyle wherein anything artistic and creative is seen as anathema, and only those that follow instructions and excel at the practical, hard sciences and related subjects (math, economics, etc) are allowed to survive and succeed. In the year of their thirteenth birthdays, all the children of Quill participate in The Purge and are sorted into three groups - Wanteds (who will go on to study at Quill's university and become vital members of government and social planning), Necessaries (those who will do the menial labor for the good of the nation), and Unwanteds. The Unwanteds are immediately loaded on a transport and sent to the Great Lake of Boiling Oil to be killed, so they will no longer a blight on Quill's perfect society of intelligence and strength. Alex has long known that he will be deemed an Unwanted, but he is still shocked and terrified when he hears his name called on the list for execution during the year of his Purge. Meanwhile, his twin brother, Aaron, has surpassed their Necessary parents and has become a full-fledged Wanted. Alex steels himself for his fate and with the rest of the Unwanteds leaves Quill forever and faces imminent death...
Except Alex doesn't die. When they reach the Great Lake of Boiling Oil, the devastated and terrifying landscape melts away to reveal a luscious paradise where emotions and artistic abilities are honored, and magic is commonplace. Alex and his new friends discover that Unwanteds have not been killed as eveyrone in Quill believes, but have taken refuge in Artimé under the protective wing of Mr. Marcus Today. As it turns out, Today is an immensely powerful mage that has been duping High Priest Justine, the iron-willed leader of Quill, for years. As Alex grows in his skills as an artist in Artimé, becoming a powerful mage in his own right, he cannot shake the feeling of longing he has for his beloved twin brother Aaron, and he vows to find a way to save him and bring him to the magical realm beyond the coldness of Quill. But to do so puts all the Unwanteds and Artimé itself at terrible risk - because if Aaron refuses to come with his twin, Quill and its mighty Quillitary will come to destroy the safe haven that Mr. Today has built.
Thea: Let's start out with the good. I loved the brutality of Quill, how instead of simply imprisoning or segregating Unwanteds they chose to have their children murdered - it's terribly bleak but also incredibly believable in this type of black and white society. On the other side of the spectrum, I loved the idea of magic derived from art - there are very unique and wonderful spells that these children learn and create together, from origami paper dragons that attack, paintbrushes with invisibility spells, magic three dimensional doors, and rhyming couplets that can kill. I also loved the menagerie that is Artimé, rife with marvelous creatures like flying stone panthers, art teachers with alligator heads and octopus appendages, as well as artifacts like talking slates/blackboards and tubes that can transport people instantly from one room to another. The writing and the story itself are executed well enough and the pages will fly by, even if there is an annoying degree of repetition to certain plot elements (let's put it this way - every scene in Quill had at least one chant of "Quill prevails when the strong survive!" Now that I think about it, this would be a great drinking game...well, you know, for adults).
BUT.
I have two huge, un-overlookable problems with The Unwanteds that seriously put a damper on my enjoyment of the story. The biggest problem is the central premise of the novel, and Ms. McMann's portrayal of "creativity." In this world, "creativity" ONLY comes from the arts. ONLY those who are artistic (in terms of painting, acting, musical instruments or dancing) are considered "creative" and only they are singled out as Unwanteds and only they are the ones that can wield magic. Let me use a few quotes to illustrate:
"You already know that your parents and the government of Quill believe you to be eliminated by now. You know they are not mourning for you. They're doing what they do every day, which is to work to build Quill into a place of extreme power and super intelligence. You, dear children, are what they call creative. Imaginative. The government, and especially High Priest Justine, wants to eliminate creative thinkers like you - they see creativity as a weakness. After all, it could lead to something horrible...like magic."
and then there's this quote:
[...]Aaron was being rewarded. First for his excellent work in solving the beef problem for the high priest, second for his insight into the matter of the Favored Farm at large, and third for his program, which outlined precisely how to run the farm most efficiently. It had been his last assignment in math class, and since all of the university students' work was checked by the governors, it did not take long for Governor Strang to notice Aaron's penchant for economics. And economics was something that the High Priest Justine was very fond of. Especially because it always benefited her.
This drives me absolutely insane. Some of humanity's most brilliant and creative minds have been mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and yes, even economists (as an economics graduate, I resent these implications so very much). The central premise of the novel precludes the possibility - nay, the reality - that it takes creativity to be in the sciences or related subjects. You're trying to tell me that Einstein's theorems are the product of a non-creative mind? That brilliant economists like John Nash or Adam Smith, or that Watson, Crick and Franklin in their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA have not an iota of creativity in their being? What of Euler, Da Vinci, Tesla, Curie, Newton, Darwin, or Galileo?
I'm sorry, but I call BULLPUCKY.
The dichotomous environment that Ms. McMann paints in her vision of Artimé versus Quill shows Artimé as a land of plenty; a veritable paradise where technology is unneeded (because, yo, they got MAGIC), people are loved, can express emotion, and play around all day doing magical artsy things. On the other side of the spectrum, Quill is a dilapidated, rusty wasteland with brainwashed zombie-like inhabitants, crumbling infrastructure and a shortage of both food and water. Those Unwanteds who are taken to Artimé are passionate, intelligent young people capable of experiencing the whole spectrum of human emotion...and those people in Quill are the cruel, small-minded people that are good at math and keep their heads down and follow rules.
Is this really the type of comparison that we want to see, especially in a time when math and the hard and applied social sciences (including the dreaded, "selfish" economics) are seeing a decline in enrollment and interest from students at all ages? So many children already think of these subjects as icky, terrible burdens, and books like The Unwanteds sure ain't helping much. By the way, can you imagine the magic that someone could do with math!? PHYSICS?! CHEMISTRY!? How badass would those magical tools and spells be? Alas, in Ms. McMann's skewed world of The Unwanteds, we shall never know.
The other main problem I had with the story was in the bizarre lack of power structure for magic - it becomes clear at the end of the novel that Mr. Today could vanquish the entire Quill army with a single phrase. Really? If that's the case, then why have a "war" at all? Why wouldn't he have stopped Justine years and years ago and liberated the people of Quill, rather than let it fall into ruin and then live in (supposed) fear? It doesn't make any sort of logical sense. Beyond that, I didn't really buy that Quill was so dilapidated after some fifty (less?) years, and that people were so shut down and unemotional. What exactly happened to this society? Was there a devastating war, or something of that nature? There's never really any explanation given, so as things stand, Quill seems to be such a terrible place just because it has to be in order for this to be a real dystopia. And I'm not buying it.
Ana: It is the strangest thing. I completely, 100% agree with what Thea is saying and usually something like that would drive me completely insane. If I had to compare this book with another recent Dystopian novel, I would compare it with Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I was not able to finish that book, because I found it really hard to accept the premise that the society in that book chose to eradicate LOVE because it was such a negative emotion. Not only because the premise itself is ridiculous (why love and not hate for example? Surely hate is a more negative emotion) but also because it is hard to understand how "love" can be defined as one single, straight forward emotion when there are so many things that come attached to it (lust, compassion, friendship, jealousy, etc., etc.). I think it is the same principle with creativity - how can you single out what makes one person creative or not? As Thea so aptly says, creativity does not solely exists when connected to arts.
Having said that, I was able to accept the premise here much more easily that I was able to accept when reading Delirium and I will put it down to Lisa McMann's writing: it is not perfect, far from it, but it is engaging as hell because I think she gets writing characters just right. And even though I had this niggling feeling at the back of my mind telling me that things did not make a lot of sense (the ending and how easy it was to win the war, was particularly well, senseless), I have to say that I was able to let go and enjoy.
On the Characters:
Thea: While the central premise of the society and the plausibility of the plot are highly suspect, I did, in fact, enjoy the characters (this is what saved the book from meeting the wall for me). The protagonist of the story is young Alex, who earnestly loves his twin brother and is willing to risk everything to be reunited with Aaron once again. The bond between twins is a unique thing, and the relationship between the Wanted and Unwanted brothers is a complicated bond, steeped in both love and hate. I appreciated that Alex is not a flawless character and makes frequent missteps, especially in the treatment of his friends - it's all part of the growing process, right?
Beyond Alex, my favorite characters had to be Lani and Sam - Lani, is brilliant as the feisty, smaller girl who tries to get Alex's attention and bring him back to reality when he's being a jerk. Sam is curmudgeonly but for good cause, and the friendship that develops between him and Alex is a tentative but wonderful thing. Both of these characters also go through the ringer in the book's final climactic act, with both confronting their parents and playing dramatic roles in the future of Artimé and Quill. It's awesome stuff.
Ana: This is what completely made the book for me. I just LOVED the characters and how very flawed they were. Alex was the main hero and he made loads of mistakes and some of them had real terrible repercussions. He shared the spotlight with many other kids and out of all of them, I loved Lani the most - because she was totally and completely merciless when necessary.
I also really enjoyed how the author explored the connection between twins and whether it truly exist or not. And I appreciated how the author actually never shied away from having her characters making terrible, horrible decisions and acting on them. In that sense, even though the ending seemed a bit too easy overall, each character went through the ringer before the final pages. Granted, those could have been better developed especially with regards to the aftermath of those decisions and how the character dealt with what they did.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Thea: I'm torn - I loved the characters and the story zipped by quickly enough, but I despise the disingenuous central premise of the novel. I'm certain that many people will love this book and not have a problem with the dichotomous nature of "creativity" as defined in The Unwanteds, but I am not one of them.
Ana: As with any Dystopian novel, I believe that a reader's level of enjoyment when reading The Unwanteds will be directly connected to how much they are willing to buy into the premise of the novel. I liked the book well enough but did question my way through it.
Rating:
Thea: 5 - Good, but I can't bring myself to truly recommend it
Ana: 6 - Good, Recommended with Reservations
March 8, 2024
Before I begin my review I will start by saying that this book is not for everyone. If you don't like middle grade books then don't read this book, because while it might have some more mature elements later on in the book, it's very magical and apparently too cliche for some people so just don't read it and we'll all be great. However that being said if you love magic, creativity and art, fighting against oppression and following younger characters as they grow (the characters start out as 13 year olds, the book spans over a year) then this book is definitely for you, and I'm surprised nobody talks about this book because it's just kind of amazing.
So basically since I don't think anyone knows what this is about, it takes place in a dull world called Quill where there are three categories of people: Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds. Your category gets determined on your 13th year on the day of the "Purge." The Wanteds go to the academy and train for the Quilliatary, which is basically the army. The Necessaries do the jobs the Wanteds don't, that are necessary to survival. And the Unwanteds get set out of Quill to the Great Lake of Boiling Oil where they are presently executed. Or at least that's what everyone thinks, until they get there and realize it's a hidden magical world full of art and creativity, all things that aren't allowed in Quill and which in fact led to each of them being purged as Unwanteds. And the story follows these characters as they navigate this world and learn about creativity and different art forms and in particular magic, all while hiding from the residents of Quill on the otherside of the wall.
Each of the characters brings something different to the table. Right now they are only 13/14 so they have a long road of growth ahead of them, and I'm interested to see how each of their personalities will really come alive.
I'm also extremely interested in where the rest of the books go. I never made it past this book in the series when I was younger, but it's much longer now and I am genuinely excited to see where it goes and how the stakes get raised considering they were already pretty high at the end of this book (at least for a middle grade book).
Also the magic in the book is literally the kind of magic that I dreamed of and wanted when I was younger. Almost exactly. So much so that when I first read this I was really shook because it felt like this book had been written exactly me for me.
All in all, 4/5 stars. It was a solid read.
So basically since I don't think anyone knows what this is about, it takes place in a dull world called Quill where there are three categories of people: Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds. Your category gets determined on your 13th year on the day of the "Purge." The Wanteds go to the academy and train for the Quilliatary, which is basically the army. The Necessaries do the jobs the Wanteds don't, that are necessary to survival. And the Unwanteds get set out of Quill to the Great Lake of Boiling Oil where they are presently executed. Or at least that's what everyone thinks, until they get there and realize it's a hidden magical world full of art and creativity, all things that aren't allowed in Quill and which in fact led to each of them being purged as Unwanteds. And the story follows these characters as they navigate this world and learn about creativity and different art forms and in particular magic, all while hiding from the residents of Quill on the otherside of the wall.
Each of the characters brings something different to the table. Right now they are only 13/14 so they have a long road of growth ahead of them, and I'm interested to see how each of their personalities will really come alive.
I'm also extremely interested in where the rest of the books go. I never made it past this book in the series when I was younger, but it's much longer now and I am genuinely excited to see where it goes and how the stakes get raised considering they were already pretty high at the end of this book (at least for a middle grade book).
Also the magic in the book is literally the kind of magic that I dreamed of and wanted when I was younger. Almost exactly. So much so that when I first read this I was really shook because it felt like this book had been written exactly me for me.
All in all, 4/5 stars. It was a solid read.
April 2, 2018
This is a fun start to a dystopian fantasy series. I loved how creativity was power in this world, and I liked most of the characters. I got a little confused on why one of the characters got away with bullying Alex, and it was somehow Alex’s fault and had to apologize. I also felt like there could have been an easy solution to the whole problem of this book. But it was a fun reading experience overall, so I didn’t mind too much.
September 11, 2011
I'm just really not interested in finishing this book not because there's something heinously wrong or that the writing is crappy but it's because I'm just not vested in the characters, the plot, or even the world building.
The characters of this book are pretty much indistinguishable from one another or are very flat and shallow without much meaningful depth in their so called flaws. The whole themes of creativity versus academic and so on seems heavy handed and almost didactic. The whole brainwashing aspect of it concerning this whole method of trying to control their citizens into believing their supremacy just is not working for me. Granted I only got a little farther than 100 pages and this very well could have been expanded on but I'm not patient enough to find out.
I've read in a lot of places that this is compared to Harry Potter and maybe it is for the amount of imagination it took to create the magical school set up in this book but none of it felt organic. I was never immersed or captivated by the new things that popped up because they were almost slapped in without much dexterity or subtlety. Everything is too much, too soon and not enough time to let us become acclimated to the world that I'm supposed to be experiencing.
Of course you may not feel the same way as I do but this book really isn't working out for me.
The characters of this book are pretty much indistinguishable from one another or are very flat and shallow without much meaningful depth in their so called flaws. The whole themes of creativity versus academic and so on seems heavy handed and almost didactic. The whole brainwashing aspect of it concerning this whole method of trying to control their citizens into believing their supremacy just is not working for me. Granted I only got a little farther than 100 pages and this very well could have been expanded on but I'm not patient enough to find out.
I've read in a lot of places that this is compared to Harry Potter and maybe it is for the amount of imagination it took to create the magical school set up in this book but none of it felt organic. I was never immersed or captivated by the new things that popped up because they were almost slapped in without much dexterity or subtlety. Everything is too much, too soon and not enough time to let us become acclimated to the world that I'm supposed to be experiencing.
Of course you may not feel the same way as I do but this book really isn't working out for me.
June 25, 2013
I kind of snuck this one in under the radar. I read it, but never put it up in my status box. I didn't mean to, I just never got around to updating my status box before I finished it. Anyway, enough about my laziness.
Unwanteds is a YA fantasy/scifi novel set partially in a "3 years from now" future dystopia. The main cast of characters are four 13 year olds, and out of them, the main character is a boy named Alex. They grew up in Quill, a nation that values pure intelligence and physical strength, and fears emotions and the creative mind. Any child possessing a creative mind or unwilling to control their emotions is considered Unwanted, and is purged from society at the age of thirteen. As far as the nation of Quill knows, these children are dead and forgotten. Instead, they are whisked away to a world where their rampant emotions and creativity translate into magic. But, trouble is brewing, as they are always on the verge of being discovered by the militaristic society they have left behind.
Okay. From the synopsis, this sounds pretty AWESOME. Kind of a Harry Potter meets Hunger Games, and that's why I picked it up. And it does deliver on elements of both, it just delivers them without the pacing or the charm of the two better-known series.
The language used throughout is juvenile, even when the adults are giving dialogue. And, when you're told that art can be used as magic, you expect a bit more than paperclip shuriken and magic paintbrushes (you're given more, in teeny tiny fragments, a living origami dragon, a painted door that acts as a real one, but that's about it beyond the paperclips). The final battle starts out as intense, and dissolves into boring within four pages. The author sets up a great, final Mexican standoff, and then quickly disassembles all the true danger to any main characters which removes all tension and interest in the scene.
I suppose I'm being hard on the book. I know that I am WELL ABOVE the age that this author is aiming for in an audience. However, I've been reading quite a bit of YA fiction lately, and this is the first time in a long time where I REALLY noticed the difference and felt talked down to. I thought that YA authors has moved on from that point.
Final point: It's an okay book all-around. Don't pick it apart, and you'll be happy.
Unwanteds is a YA fantasy/scifi novel set partially in a "3 years from now" future dystopia. The main cast of characters are four 13 year olds, and out of them, the main character is a boy named Alex. They grew up in Quill, a nation that values pure intelligence and physical strength, and fears emotions and the creative mind. Any child possessing a creative mind or unwilling to control their emotions is considered Unwanted, and is purged from society at the age of thirteen. As far as the nation of Quill knows, these children are dead and forgotten. Instead, they are whisked away to a world where their rampant emotions and creativity translate into magic. But, trouble is brewing, as they are always on the verge of being discovered by the militaristic society they have left behind.
Okay. From the synopsis, this sounds pretty AWESOME. Kind of a Harry Potter meets Hunger Games, and that's why I picked it up. And it does deliver on elements of both, it just delivers them without the pacing or the charm of the two better-known series.
The language used throughout is juvenile, even when the adults are giving dialogue. And, when you're told that art can be used as magic, you expect a bit more than paperclip shuriken and magic paintbrushes (you're given more, in teeny tiny fragments, a living origami dragon, a painted door that acts as a real one, but that's about it beyond the paperclips). The final battle starts out as intense, and dissolves into boring within four pages. The author sets up a great, final Mexican standoff, and then quickly disassembles all the true danger to any main characters which removes all tension and interest in the scene.
I suppose I'm being hard on the book. I know that I am WELL ABOVE the age that this author is aiming for in an audience. However, I've been reading quite a bit of YA fiction lately, and this is the first time in a long time where I REALLY noticed the difference and felt talked down to. I thought that YA authors has moved on from that point.
Final point: It's an okay book all-around. Don't pick it apart, and you'll be happy.
June 16, 2020
I want to start by saying I hold middle grade to a lower standard, because the target audience clearly isn't an 18 year old that will go, "ah yes, this is riddled with tropes and plot conveniences." Even with trying to give this book grace, it. was. not. good. The moral of the book was kind of lost between all of the random scenes that were tossed in, with no actual bearing on the story itself. The characters were all either ridiculous or carbon copies of characters from another book.
Beyond even this, I feel like some of it was not thought out properly. There's a part where the aging, all-powerful-yet-never-does-much mentor says he's not going to stop students from alerting the people that tried to kill them of their existence because "We don't stop free thoughts here. If we did, where would we stop?" Hey, dude? Yeah, stopping a kid from giving a sadistic government access to the children they didn't successfully kill is not the same as banning jokes. Oy vey.
Another beef I have with this story is that the tone seemed off. For most of the book it read as a younger middle grade, complete with talking chalkboards, and then at the end, the kids have to witness the lifeless body of their classmate tossed at them. (They're wrapped in a sheet. But still. C'mon.)
And I'll keep from talking about how this book was one of the most plagiarizing pieces of literature I've ever read. However, I will say, if you've read any of these books- Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, Narnia, etc. -you've read this book already.
I know there are people that love this story, and more power to them, truly. I just straight up was not having a good time and I'm extremely glad it's over lol.
Beyond even this, I feel like some of it was not thought out properly. There's a part where the aging, all-powerful-yet-never-does-much mentor says he's not going to stop students from alerting the people that tried to kill them of their existence because "We don't stop free thoughts here. If we did, where would we stop?" Hey, dude? Yeah, stopping a kid from giving a sadistic government access to the children they didn't successfully kill is not the same as banning jokes. Oy vey.
Another beef I have with this story is that the tone seemed off. For most of the book it read as a younger middle grade, complete with talking chalkboards, and then at the end, the kids have to witness the lifeless body of their classmate tossed at them. (They're wrapped in a sheet. But still. C'mon.)
And I'll keep from talking about how this book was one of the most plagiarizing pieces of literature I've ever read. However, I will say, if you've read any of these books- Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, Narnia, etc. -you've read this book already.
I know there are people that love this story, and more power to them, truly. I just straight up was not having a good time and I'm extremely glad it's over lol.
February 6, 2012
**just finished reading this as a read aloud to my 4th graders, and they absolutely LOVED it!**
I was keeping my fingers crossed for this one. When I first heard Lisa McMann was writing MG, I couldn't be more excited, and the premise was exactly what I'd been looking for in a read aloud for my 4th graders.
I picked up the book yesterday at Barnes and Noble, and was surprised at the length, since her YA books are usually much shorter. I plowed through this book just like I have with all her others, but this one was much different than her YA books. Her writing style is entirely different with this book, and I LOVED it. I will definitely be using this as a read aloud, and I can't wait to see my students' reactions.
Honestly, this isn't quite what I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that Lisa sticks with MG. I've had the pleasure of meeting her, and more than just being an amazing writer, she's a genuinely nice person. I would recommend this book to anyone!
I was keeping my fingers crossed for this one. When I first heard Lisa McMann was writing MG, I couldn't be more excited, and the premise was exactly what I'd been looking for in a read aloud for my 4th graders.
I picked up the book yesterday at Barnes and Noble, and was surprised at the length, since her YA books are usually much shorter. I plowed through this book just like I have with all her others, but this one was much different than her YA books. Her writing style is entirely different with this book, and I LOVED it. I will definitely be using this as a read aloud, and I can't wait to see my students' reactions.
Honestly, this isn't quite what I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that Lisa sticks with MG. I've had the pleasure of meeting her, and more than just being an amazing writer, she's a genuinely nice person. I would recommend this book to anyone!
January 17, 2014
I'm between three or four stars on this one. As I'm not really the intended audience, it could be a four, but for me, it just didn't quite make the cut.
I liked McMann's world-building. She creates both places here with imagery that brings them to life.
The characters are a bit more difficult for me. I didn't feel any real connection to any of them, wasn't moved by their stories. I think for me to really enjoy this I needed to care more and I found lots of their behavior a little bit irritating.
Alex does many things he isn't supposed to do, is told directly not to do them, but does them anyway. Yes, he is young and lonely for his twin, but he's also old enough to know better when his actions could or would endanger every person and creature in his world. I didn't like him for his selfishness and inability to see beyond his own wants. So, for me, that was a problem.
The other characters weren't really developed enough for me to have much concern for them. Even Aaron, Alex's twin brother, didn't really feel fleshed out. He seemed to be power hungry and almost evil and why, exactly? Did he have dreams of making Quill a better place? Did he just want to have power? These two boys were raised the same in the same household so why such different perspectives? Oh, maybe it's the evil twin and the good twin, as has been presented too many times to count. Again, maybe to middle grade readers this would be something new, but for me, same, same, same.
This doesn't mean I didn't like the book. I did. I don't know if I liked it enough to read more of the series, though.
I liked McMann's world-building. She creates both places here with imagery that brings them to life.
The characters are a bit more difficult for me. I didn't feel any real connection to any of them, wasn't moved by their stories. I think for me to really enjoy this I needed to care more and I found lots of their behavior a little bit irritating.
Alex does many things he isn't supposed to do, is told directly not to do them, but does them anyway. Yes, he is young and lonely for his twin, but he's also old enough to know better when his actions could or would endanger every person and creature in his world. I didn't like him for his selfishness and inability to see beyond his own wants. So, for me, that was a problem.
The other characters weren't really developed enough for me to have much concern for them. Even Aaron, Alex's twin brother, didn't really feel fleshed out. He seemed to be power hungry and almost evil and why, exactly? Did he have dreams of making Quill a better place? Did he just want to have power? These two boys were raised the same in the same household so why such different perspectives? Oh, maybe it's the evil twin and the good twin, as has been presented too many times to count. Again, maybe to middle grade readers this would be something new, but for me, same, same, same.
This doesn't mean I didn't like the book. I did. I don't know if I liked it enough to read more of the series, though.
December 22, 2016
Love this series...
"There was a hint of wind coming over the top of the stone walls and through the barbed-wire sky on the day Alexander Stowe was to be Purged."
- First sentence
"Fear and a suspicion of strangers is, I'm afraid, a characteristic of many humans."
- Mr. Today
"Fighting against Quill's bigotry, which says brains and brawn are better, or more important, than creativity."
- Mr. Today
"Survival depended on shrewdness and good judgment as well as skill."
- Alex
This is a stupendous fantasy, dystopian story that young people will love. Lisa McMann does a first-class job of world building and character development. Alex and his twin brother (Aaron) live in Quill. Every year Quill goes through a "Purge" where all 13-year olds are divided into three categories: Wanted, Necessary, and UnWanted. Any kids that show creative tendencies are labeled UnWanted and destined to be put to death. The Wanteds go to the military academy and the Necessaries move on to menial jobs that keep the city going. But, the UnWanteds are traveling towards a different destination....
I was captivated by this story and as soon as I finished book one, I immediately ordered book two and started reading. The cover claims this is, "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." I believe this story is amazing in its own right and deserves a chance to fascinate you...
Highly recommended!
"There was a hint of wind coming over the top of the stone walls and through the barbed-wire sky on the day Alexander Stowe was to be Purged."
- First sentence
"Fear and a suspicion of strangers is, I'm afraid, a characteristic of many humans."
- Mr. Today
"Fighting against Quill's bigotry, which says brains and brawn are better, or more important, than creativity."
- Mr. Today
"Survival depended on shrewdness and good judgment as well as skill."
- Alex
This is a stupendous fantasy, dystopian story that young people will love. Lisa McMann does a first-class job of world building and character development. Alex and his twin brother (Aaron) live in Quill. Every year Quill goes through a "Purge" where all 13-year olds are divided into three categories: Wanted, Necessary, and UnWanted. Any kids that show creative tendencies are labeled UnWanted and destined to be put to death. The Wanteds go to the military academy and the Necessaries move on to menial jobs that keep the city going. But, the UnWanteds are traveling towards a different destination....
I was captivated by this story and as soon as I finished book one, I immediately ordered book two and started reading. The cover claims this is, "the Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." I believe this story is amazing in its own right and deserves a chance to fascinate you...
Highly recommended!
May 30, 2016
This was a good book. It has combined elements of dystopian and fantasy mixed into it to create a very fun and light read. I did find the story to be a just a little to predictable but nonetheless I had a fun time reading it and am ready to continue on with the series!
December 30, 2022
I got to meet Lisa McMann :))
October 29, 2017
The Unwanteds is an amazing book where I was on the edge of my chair for the turn of every page. I enjoyed the fact that there was never a dull moment, and it was so hard to put down. The characters were amazing and very well-built. I will remember every memorable saying from, “Quill prevails when the strong survive.” To some of the deadly spells like, “Die one thousand deaths.” I would recommend this book for people who like action, adventure, and far away magical lands with winged cheetahs. I also loved how the author always managed to keep me on edge and made me want to keep flipping the pages. Overall, this was a wonderful book, and I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.
September 14, 2017
I read this book last year and I LOVED IT! It is so creative and fun!
April 28, 2017
3.75 This was.......a good book kinda slow but loved the dialogue!!!
December 5, 2018
(2.5 Stars) If you take all the boring parts of Harry Potter and compile it into a book it would be the Unwanteds.
I'm sorry that's so mean but it's true. The book wasn't bad by any sorts but it just lacked a lot.
Granted this book is too kiddy for me but still.
Also it reminded me too much of the Divergent series with it's politics on the higher up creative people or smart people and then you have the rejects/Unwanted's. It had a very similar political plot to it that I never enjoyed even in the Divergent series.
I don't like how they put creative people on a pedestal and the smart rational people as lesser beings. They're both good and needed in a society but one's no better than the other.
The writing also lacked a lot, I barely even knew what characters looked like.
I won't be continuing this series.
sort of spoiler, but not really because it's at the very beginning:
I'm sorry that's so mean but it's true. The book wasn't bad by any sorts but it just lacked a lot.
Granted this book is too kiddy for me but still.
Also it reminded me too much of the Divergent series with it's politics on the higher up creative people or smart people and then you have the rejects/Unwanted's. It had a very similar political plot to it that I never enjoyed even in the Divergent series.
I don't like how they put creative people on a pedestal and the smart rational people as lesser beings. They're both good and needed in a society but one's no better than the other.
The writing also lacked a lot, I barely even knew what characters looked like.
I won't be continuing this series.
sort of spoiler, but not really because it's at the very beginning:
September 15, 2021
DNF 47%
For being compared to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games this was sorely disappointing.
The characters were flat. The plot lonesome and longgg. And the dialogue was rough.
I did enjoy the description and the chapter titles. ✨ 👀 can we bring those back?
For being compared to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games this was sorely disappointing.
The characters were flat. The plot lonesome and longgg. And the dialogue was rough.
I did enjoy the description and the chapter titles. ✨ 👀 can we bring those back?
February 22, 2014
AMAZING!!! Perfect mix of being an outcast who can do nothing, to defending a magical place in which all outcasts live. I love the magic in it. And by far my favorite character is Lani.
March 20, 2018
This book is about how thirteen year olds in Quill are sorted out to the intelligent Wanteds who go to the university, and the artistic Unwanteds. Two twins Alex and Aaron hope to both be Wanteds, but Alex ends up being an unwanted and Aaron becomes a wanted.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2011
This book was my first EVER middle grade book.
Yes yes I AM that girl who has never read Harry Potter. While I watched all the movies I just never had a real desire to read the books, but I'll tell this book just grabbed me. From the title, to the synopsis, to the cover...I just needed to see what was behind the cover. And what I found was amazing!
This book takes you the into a sad, gray, bleak world or Quill. From the first pages you can't help but feel sorry for these people. For these kids who get punished for any form of expression. There is absolutely no free will here. And, as if that isn't bad enough, if you get caught breaking these rules the punishment is DEATH....or so everyone thinks.
It's the day of the Purge. The day when all the 13 year old kids are lined up and labeled. You are either Wanted and thus go on to Wanted University. Or your Necessary which means your not really smart enough to be wanted, but you would make a good work horse so they decide to keep you around. Or your Unwanted, and if this is the case it is a hot bus ride to the death farm where you will meet your fate in the lake of boiling oil. Twin brothers Aaron and Alex are the sons of 2 Necessary parents, but Aaron is Wanted and Alex...? UNWANTED!
Alex and the rest of the Unwanteds go to meet the fate, but little do they realize their fate isn't death. Not even close. In fact they got the better end of the deal. Living in a secret magic world where they are not only free to be themselves but it is ENCOURAGED! As Alex and his friends build their magical talents Alex can't seem to let his brother go. That's the thing with twins...it's a bond that just can't be broken. Or so they thought. It's not until the two worlds collide that Alex realizes his brother's true nature. Will the secret land of Artime be able to survive the wrath of Quill? Of will the magical world crumble and the Unwanteds finally meet their fate....DEATH?!?!
Well of course I'm not going to tell you. Your going to have to pick up this book and see for yourself! I will say that I was shocked at how easy I found myself being pulled into the story. I never thought "middle school" level books could reel me in, but I was so wrong. I would love to see this as a movie one day. I kept picturing the Red queen from Alice an Wonderland meets Harry Potter. This is definitely a series to look out for!
Yes yes I AM that girl who has never read Harry Potter. While I watched all the movies I just never had a real desire to read the books, but I'll tell this book just grabbed me. From the title, to the synopsis, to the cover...I just needed to see what was behind the cover. And what I found was amazing!
This book takes you the into a sad, gray, bleak world or Quill. From the first pages you can't help but feel sorry for these people. For these kids who get punished for any form of expression. There is absolutely no free will here. And, as if that isn't bad enough, if you get caught breaking these rules the punishment is DEATH....or so everyone thinks.
It's the day of the Purge. The day when all the 13 year old kids are lined up and labeled. You are either Wanted and thus go on to Wanted University. Or your Necessary which means your not really smart enough to be wanted, but you would make a good work horse so they decide to keep you around. Or your Unwanted, and if this is the case it is a hot bus ride to the death farm where you will meet your fate in the lake of boiling oil. Twin brothers Aaron and Alex are the sons of 2 Necessary parents, but Aaron is Wanted and Alex...? UNWANTED!
Alex and the rest of the Unwanteds go to meet the fate, but little do they realize their fate isn't death. Not even close. In fact they got the better end of the deal. Living in a secret magic world where they are not only free to be themselves but it is ENCOURAGED! As Alex and his friends build their magical talents Alex can't seem to let his brother go. That's the thing with twins...it's a bond that just can't be broken. Or so they thought. It's not until the two worlds collide that Alex realizes his brother's true nature. Will the secret land of Artime be able to survive the wrath of Quill? Of will the magical world crumble and the Unwanteds finally meet their fate....DEATH?!?!
Well of course I'm not going to tell you. Your going to have to pick up this book and see for yourself! I will say that I was shocked at how easy I found myself being pulled into the story. I never thought "middle school" level books could reel me in, but I was so wrong. I would love to see this as a movie one day. I kept picturing the Red queen from Alice an Wonderland meets Harry Potter. This is definitely a series to look out for!
March 2, 2017
In order to truly rate this book, you need to separate yourself and put yourself into the shoes of the target audience. An adult looking at this novel will probably think it is just a Harry Potter knock-off with a bit of Hunger Games thrown in. And in many ways that is true, but it is much more than that.
I see the Unwanteds as a a stepping stone for children readers into more complex worlds and other genres. It has a dystopian theme that isn't found in Harry Potter, but it has a flow to it that makes it a quick read and one that is easily understandable.
There are (from an adult standpoint) a few plot points that seem to be unexplained or overlooked for their extreme nature, but overall this is a really good book. The characters are a bit three dimensional, the magic system is fun, and there are complex-ish 'bad guys'. There is also a whole grey area on right/wrong and good/bad.
Some of the things that knocked this down from a 5 star to a 4 star are:
Time movement - the book spans an entire year in 390 pages. It just seemed like it moved so fast and things could have slowed down just a little bit. I didn't even realize it had been a whole year until characters would say stuff like "You have been here a year. Do you feel different".
The Mage - I got a bit frustrated with his hands-off approach when he knew that people's lives were at stake. He wanted to save people, but a character's free-will and ability to make mistakes was more important than saving other people's lives and preventing a huge disaster.
Romance - Alex is starting to develop feelings for a character in the story. It happened suddenly and out of nowhere. I would have liked to see more character building and save the romance for later books.
Even with this issues. I enjoyed the book. It isn't something I would read right after Harry Potter, as to me HP is extremely good. But if you let some time pass and are willing to go in with an open mind, it is a really good book.
I see the Unwanteds as a a stepping stone for children readers into more complex worlds and other genres. It has a dystopian theme that isn't found in Harry Potter, but it has a flow to it that makes it a quick read and one that is easily understandable.
There are (from an adult standpoint) a few plot points that seem to be unexplained or overlooked for their extreme nature, but overall this is a really good book. The characters are a bit three dimensional, the magic system is fun, and there are complex-ish 'bad guys'. There is also a whole grey area on right/wrong and good/bad.
Some of the things that knocked this down from a 5 star to a 4 star are:
Time movement - the book spans an entire year in 390 pages. It just seemed like it moved so fast and things could have slowed down just a little bit. I didn't even realize it had been a whole year until characters would say stuff like "You have been here a year. Do you feel different".
The Mage - I got a bit frustrated with his hands-off approach when he knew that people's lives were at stake. He wanted to save people, but a character's free-will and ability to make mistakes was more important than saving other people's lives and preventing a huge disaster.
Romance - Alex is starting to develop feelings for a character in the story. It happened suddenly and out of nowhere. I would have liked to see more character building and save the romance for later books.
Even with this issues. I enjoyed the book. It isn't something I would read right after Harry Potter, as to me HP is extremely good. But if you let some time pass and are willing to go in with an open mind, it is a really good book.
May 18, 2017
This book is great. I thought this book would have a lot of action but it does not. It has a lot of questions that will make you question. This book is about this 4 kids name Alex, Samheed, Lani, and Meghan who are unwanteds. Which means that they will have to go to the Death Farm. What they didn't know about death farm is that it is a magical place. This is when it is all gets confusing and you start to question. The end will surprise you. So if you like getting surprised then this book is for you.
July 5, 2022
my 9 year old self is screaming right now
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