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The Forgotten Five #1
Map of Flames
Fifteen years ago, eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout. Over time, seven of them disappeared without a trace, presumed captured or killed. And now, the remaining one has died.
Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their Birdie can communicate with animals. Brix has athletic abilities and can heal quickly. Tenner can swim like a fish and can see in the dark and hear from a distance. Seven’s skin camouflages to match whatever is around him. Cabot hasn’t shown signs of any unusual power—yet.
Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash. There is also a
Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map.
The five have lived their entire lives in isolation. What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world full of things they’ve only heard about, like cell phones, cars, and electricity? A world where, thanks to their parents, being supernatural is a crime?
Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their Birdie can communicate with animals. Brix has athletic abilities and can heal quickly. Tenner can swim like a fish and can see in the dark and hear from a distance. Seven’s skin camouflages to match whatever is around him. Cabot hasn’t shown signs of any unusual power—yet.
Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash. There is also a
Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map.
The five have lived their entire lives in isolation. What would it mean to follow the map to a strange world full of things they’ve only heard about, like cell phones, cars, and electricity? A world where, thanks to their parents, being supernatural is a crime?
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2022
321 people are currently reading
5970 people want to read
About the author
Lisa McMann
59 books6,982 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 219 reviews
March 15, 2022
This is solid. Honestly, any book aimed at teenagers and devoid of woke garbage is going to be a good read. This never gets into the children's sex lives, never has them confused over their sex, never has them bemoan whatever popular political movement is going on at the time of writing, and is a better story for it. Definitely worth giving to kids, and worth a spot on a library shelf.
Of course, it is not without its flaws. The kids take way too long to get out of their hideout. Almost a quarter of the book is them getting to what we know must obviously occur. The scenes within the city are fun and interesting and carry the second act, that section was a joy to read. The third act and the climax are okay . . . it seems like Seven instantly betrays himself, the "twist" with the parents falls incredibly short compared to what we had set up (she was trying to balance them being "bad guys" with them still being people we need to root for), and it makes their powers seem incredibly too-powerful or everyone else incredibly incompetent.
I'm also not sure how the world as a whole works/deals with super powered beings. Just outlawing them doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If there are foster homes and schools especially for them then there must be a good amount, but it never really becomes an issue. The world seems flat and lifeless; on one hand our characters are unique, on the other hand there are whole schools filled with super-people. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
It ended with more of a fizzle, mostly because it was clearly going to set up for a sequel. I have mixed emotions about that . . . but it is what it is.
A good read that a kid can get lost in, enjoy themselves, and still be a kid.
Of course, it is not without its flaws. The kids take way too long to get out of their hideout. Almost a quarter of the book is them getting to what we know must obviously occur. The scenes within the city are fun and interesting and carry the second act, that section was a joy to read. The third act and the climax are okay . . . it seems like Seven instantly betrays himself, the "twist" with the parents falls incredibly short compared to what we had set up (she was trying to balance them being "bad guys" with them still being people we need to root for), and it makes their powers seem incredibly too-powerful or everyone else incredibly incompetent.
I'm also not sure how the world as a whole works/deals with super powered beings. Just outlawing them doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If there are foster homes and schools especially for them then there must be a good amount, but it never really becomes an issue. The world seems flat and lifeless; on one hand our characters are unique, on the other hand there are whole schools filled with super-people. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
It ended with more of a fizzle, mostly because it was clearly going to set up for a sequel. I have mixed emotions about that . . . but it is what it is.
A good read that a kid can get lost in, enjoy themselves, and still be a kid.
November 26, 2022
I really really enjoyed this! What a great middle grade full of adventure, humor and a wonderful friend group. It was creative and I loved the storyline. Will definitely read the next book!
*Huge thanks to the publisher for a galley to read!
*Huge thanks to the publisher for a galley to read!
February 12, 2023
It’s giving Maximum Ride in the best way
March 25, 2022
Great short read
March 2, 2023
2.5 stars rounded down to 2
This review hurts to write. I'll start with the positives and my more measured criticisms, and then we're going to get into a bit of ranting.
Content warnings for the book: death of a parent, some bodily harm (non-life-theatening) to a kid
Positives:
1. Easy to read (appropriate reading level for middle grade)
2. Well-defined supernatural abilities
3. A few funny moments in regards to the kids not knowing how things work in the "strange world" mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book
4. Animal companion!
5. Sets up the sequel
Negatives:
1. First half is slow-paced when it doesn't need to be
2. We get a few different personality traits for the 5 kids, but not enough to justify how much time we spend just getting to know them
3. The dialogue is clunky. These 5 kids have spent their whole lives not knowing other people besides their parents, but they should be able to have fluid/natural conversations with each other at the very least. The author didn't lean in hard enough on "they don't know how to communicate with the outside world" for me to think the clunky dialogue is purposeful.
4. The POV is a head-hopping 3rd person, which can work (I enjoy this POV in REDWALL), but is distracting in this book. We're never fully in any one character's head (so we don't delve into their thoughts besides some surface anxieties or questions), but there also is no (or very little) narrative voice, so the jump from one character's POV to another's (often multiple times on a page) is jarring.
5. Too much telling instead of showing. This is something I struggle with in my own writing. Often, there will be conversations, actions, or emotional reactions that I want to see, but instead will be told to us in a short sentence. Perhaps the author thinks this helps keep the pace going, but I find that if your story is not engaging, the pace will drag no matter the word count.
6. Villains/antagonists too simplistic. Yes, this is a kids' book, but the stakes make little sense to me (more on this and my other points in the spoiler section).
Now, I'm well past the age for the target audience for this book, and other reviews seem to love this book (and mention kids loving this book), so this is worth checking out if you've got a kid who likes low-magic fantasy with multiple characters, a pet pig, and a simple premise/goal.
.
.
.
.
.
SPOILERY RANT TIME
.
.
.
.
.
God, I hated reading this. The premise is exactly the kind of thing that is RIGHT up my alley:
1. Kids having to fend for themselves
2. Ensemble cast
3. Kids with superpowers
4. Kids are children of supernatural criminals
5. One of the kids (Cabot) doesn't have any super powers.....YET.....
There are so many possibilities with those things. Lots of opportunity for tension, self-discovery, kids overcoming self-esteem issues, kids coming into their power, lots of interesting action scene opportunities with the kids' supernatural abilities.
I definitely think this book is not well-written, but my expectations for it to be a book it never meant to be also colored my reading. This might be more of a 3 star book, but my gripes are too much to rate it higher than a 2. I was expecting something akin to Descendants, and that is very much not what this is.
We immediately start with this line: "Birdie Golden's fingers were still stained with dirt from digging her father's grave". You wouldn't think that this would be the start of a boring book, but it is. This book is SO FREAKING SLOW. I love slow books that do so for a purpose (character-building, creating an atmosphere, delving deep into one topic, building to a satisfying climax, etc) but this book does not do this.
The established goal right from the getgo in this book is that Birdie needs to find her mom so that she can give her a map to find the stash that the supernatural parents left in Estero. This book's climax is them breaking Birdie's mom out of prison, and they only found out she was in this particular prison because a new character told them just before the climax. Everything else is just wasted potential, characters checking out leads that go nowhere, sometimes THINKING of checking out a lead but then deciding not to.
Let me try to explain the character arcs for the main 5. I find this important because, if you don't have much in the way of plot, you NEED some character arcs (or atmosphere or deep philosophical explorations, but those are more for adult literary works, and this book definitely doesn't have either of these things anyway).
Birdie: needs to find her mom, still grieving her dad. Tenner is the one who seems to remind her that they're looking for her mom, and Birdie's grief over her dad's death isn't present throughout, just in a few key moments when it feels like the author remembered to include it.
Brix: same as Birdie I guess, but with more of an emphasis on grieving his dad? We see his grief a lot more in the first few chapters and then it all but vanishes. This is not a character arc.
Tenner: has feelings for Birdie (platonic or romantic, or purely because he's jealous of Seven, it's unclear) and also struggles with being the son of Troy, a bad dad and a bad guy. Both of these are continuously explored throughout, and he gets multiple emotional moments where he faces his complicated emotions about his dad. I was personally holding out hope that his dad is alive and he has to go toe-to-toe with him, stand up to his crappy dad and gain his own autonomy, but he does have to struggle with grieving a dad he hated, and that's an important character moment as well. This is good.
Seven: hates his invisibility power because he feels like he's disappearing, not just physically, and he's the only one who for sure can't pretend to be "normal" in Estero. Some good set-up here, but it doesn't pay off (in this book at least) because he ends up going to Estero anyway and it works out fine.
Cabot: Mad at Birdie for lying about the real reason for going to Estero. Works it out with Birdie in a conversation WE DON'T GET TO SEE. Reminder, this is the character who doesn't have a supernatural ability. One of my favorite tropes is the powerless character who either 1. Gains their power later, or 2. Learns to love themselves and realizes they don't need a superpower to be a whole person. Cabot doesn't deal with any of this, which is fine I guess (I hate it, but that's just my personal preference speaking), but she does have a photographic memory, which utility-wise is on par with the kids' supernatural ability. Waste of a character. I'm mad.
I can't really talk about the antagonists/worldbuilding because my brain is mush about it, but to summarize my feelings on that:
President Fuerte makes no sense to me. He just wants money? Is that it? Money and/or power (maybe he's purposefully collapsing the economies of the other nations so that Estero rises about)? Why does he want this? At the moment, he's just a faceless baddie because we needed to be mad at someone. I think if the author had leaned more into worldbuilding and consistency with how this society treats supernatural people, that would have worked a lot better to create tension and stakes. As it is, Birdie and Tenner are about to bumble around town, give their real names in a prison, be recognized as the kids of the 8 most notorious supernatural criminals, and they're still able to just chill out on the beach every night. The president's "goons" are following them apparently, but they never do anything. If Tenner really did have to hide his pupils behind sunglasses or else they would be hunted, or if they saw posters like "see something, say something" about cracking down on supernatural people, this would have actually made me care about the stakes of this book.
Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'm not gonna check out the other books in this series.
I have more thoughts, but my brain is a mess this week. Let me know if you agree, disagree, or want more of me rambling about this book.
This review hurts to write. I'll start with the positives and my more measured criticisms, and then we're going to get into a bit of ranting.
Content warnings for the book: death of a parent, some bodily harm (non-life-theatening) to a kid
Positives:
1. Easy to read (appropriate reading level for middle grade)
2. Well-defined supernatural abilities
3. A few funny moments in regards to the kids not knowing how things work in the "strange world" mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book
4. Animal companion!
5. Sets up the sequel
Negatives:
1. First half is slow-paced when it doesn't need to be
2. We get a few different personality traits for the 5 kids, but not enough to justify how much time we spend just getting to know them
3. The dialogue is clunky. These 5 kids have spent their whole lives not knowing other people besides their parents, but they should be able to have fluid/natural conversations with each other at the very least. The author didn't lean in hard enough on "they don't know how to communicate with the outside world" for me to think the clunky dialogue is purposeful.
4. The POV is a head-hopping 3rd person, which can work (I enjoy this POV in REDWALL), but is distracting in this book. We're never fully in any one character's head (so we don't delve into their thoughts besides some surface anxieties or questions), but there also is no (or very little) narrative voice, so the jump from one character's POV to another's (often multiple times on a page) is jarring.
5. Too much telling instead of showing. This is something I struggle with in my own writing. Often, there will be conversations, actions, or emotional reactions that I want to see, but instead will be told to us in a short sentence. Perhaps the author thinks this helps keep the pace going, but I find that if your story is not engaging, the pace will drag no matter the word count.
6. Villains/antagonists too simplistic. Yes, this is a kids' book, but the stakes make little sense to me (more on this and my other points in the spoiler section).
Now, I'm well past the age for the target audience for this book, and other reviews seem to love this book (and mention kids loving this book), so this is worth checking out if you've got a kid who likes low-magic fantasy with multiple characters, a pet pig, and a simple premise/goal.
.
.
.
.
.
SPOILERY RANT TIME
.
.
.
.
.
God, I hated reading this. The premise is exactly the kind of thing that is RIGHT up my alley:
1. Kids having to fend for themselves
2. Ensemble cast
3. Kids with superpowers
4. Kids are children of supernatural criminals
5. One of the kids (Cabot) doesn't have any super powers.....YET.....
There are so many possibilities with those things. Lots of opportunity for tension, self-discovery, kids overcoming self-esteem issues, kids coming into their power, lots of interesting action scene opportunities with the kids' supernatural abilities.
I definitely think this book is not well-written, but my expectations for it to be a book it never meant to be also colored my reading. This might be more of a 3 star book, but my gripes are too much to rate it higher than a 2. I was expecting something akin to Descendants, and that is very much not what this is.
We immediately start with this line: "Birdie Golden's fingers were still stained with dirt from digging her father's grave". You wouldn't think that this would be the start of a boring book, but it is. This book is SO FREAKING SLOW. I love slow books that do so for a purpose (character-building, creating an atmosphere, delving deep into one topic, building to a satisfying climax, etc) but this book does not do this.
The established goal right from the getgo in this book is that Birdie needs to find her mom so that she can give her a map to find the stash that the supernatural parents left in Estero. This book's climax is them breaking Birdie's mom out of prison, and they only found out she was in this particular prison because a new character told them just before the climax. Everything else is just wasted potential, characters checking out leads that go nowhere, sometimes THINKING of checking out a lead but then deciding not to.
Let me try to explain the character arcs for the main 5. I find this important because, if you don't have much in the way of plot, you NEED some character arcs (or atmosphere or deep philosophical explorations, but those are more for adult literary works, and this book definitely doesn't have either of these things anyway).
Birdie: needs to find her mom, still grieving her dad. Tenner is the one who seems to remind her that they're looking for her mom, and Birdie's grief over her dad's death isn't present throughout, just in a few key moments when it feels like the author remembered to include it.
Brix: same as Birdie I guess, but with more of an emphasis on grieving his dad? We see his grief a lot more in the first few chapters and then it all but vanishes. This is not a character arc.
Tenner: has feelings for Birdie (platonic or romantic, or purely because he's jealous of Seven, it's unclear) and also struggles with being the son of Troy, a bad dad and a bad guy. Both of these are continuously explored throughout, and he gets multiple emotional moments where he faces his complicated emotions about his dad. I was personally holding out hope that his dad is alive and he has to go toe-to-toe with him, stand up to his crappy dad and gain his own autonomy, but he does have to struggle with grieving a dad he hated, and that's an important character moment as well. This is good.
Seven: hates his invisibility power because he feels like he's disappearing, not just physically, and he's the only one who for sure can't pretend to be "normal" in Estero. Some good set-up here, but it doesn't pay off (in this book at least) because he ends up going to Estero anyway and it works out fine.
Cabot: Mad at Birdie for lying about the real reason for going to Estero. Works it out with Birdie in a conversation WE DON'T GET TO SEE. Reminder, this is the character who doesn't have a supernatural ability. One of my favorite tropes is the powerless character who either 1. Gains their power later, or 2. Learns to love themselves and realizes they don't need a superpower to be a whole person. Cabot doesn't deal with any of this, which is fine I guess (I hate it, but that's just my personal preference speaking), but she does have a photographic memory, which utility-wise is on par with the kids' supernatural ability. Waste of a character. I'm mad.
I can't really talk about the antagonists/worldbuilding because my brain is mush about it, but to summarize my feelings on that:
President Fuerte makes no sense to me. He just wants money? Is that it? Money and/or power (maybe he's purposefully collapsing the economies of the other nations so that Estero rises about)? Why does he want this? At the moment, he's just a faceless baddie because we needed to be mad at someone. I think if the author had leaned more into worldbuilding and consistency with how this society treats supernatural people, that would have worked a lot better to create tension and stakes. As it is, Birdie and Tenner are about to bumble around town, give their real names in a prison, be recognized as the kids of the 8 most notorious supernatural criminals, and they're still able to just chill out on the beach every night. The president's "goons" are following them apparently, but they never do anything. If Tenner really did have to hide his pupils behind sunglasses or else they would be hunted, or if they saw posters like "see something, say something" about cracking down on supernatural people, this would have actually made me care about the stakes of this book.
Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I'm not gonna check out the other books in this series.
I have more thoughts, but my brain is a mess this week. Let me know if you agree, disagree, or want more of me rambling about this book.
April 29, 2023
*Read for Middle Grade Madness Adventure April*
*I've decided I won't write long book reviews for books under two stars unless it's a rant or I have a lot to say!*
<< *Every single person in this world can view a work of literature and have completely different thoughts and opinions. My opinion is not meant to offend you. If you do not want to see a review criticising your favourite book (or a book you enjoyed), then I recommend not proceeding with reading this review.>>
The Forgotten Five will certainly be forgotten by me! I seriously did not need to know about how Tenner peed on the orca, Birdie's temper tantrum, Cabot with her "twinges of jealousy" and Brix with the most unnoticeable personality ever. Oops I forgot about Seven, not much to say there. Reading this was a waste of time. So many scenes dwindled aimlessly. There was not a lot of action, terrible world-building, and flat whiny protagonists to lead the story. In conclusion: great concept terrible execution.
*I've decided I won't write long book reviews for books under two stars unless it's a rant or I have a lot to say!*
<< *Every single person in this world can view a work of literature and have completely different thoughts and opinions. My opinion is not meant to offend you. If you do not want to see a review criticising your favourite book (or a book you enjoyed), then I recommend not proceeding with reading this review.>>
The Forgotten Five will certainly be forgotten by me! I seriously did not need to know about how Tenner peed on the orca, Birdie's temper tantrum, Cabot with her "twinges of jealousy" and Brix with the most unnoticeable personality ever. Oops I forgot about Seven, not much to say there. Reading this was a waste of time. So many scenes dwindled aimlessly. There was not a lot of action, terrible world-building, and flat whiny protagonists to lead the story. In conclusion: great concept terrible execution.
May 8, 2022
Everyone out there if you like keepers of the lost cities you. Have. To. Read. THIS!!!!!!!!
April 29, 2024
soo good!!! I fell in love the moment I began it. I ordered the second book from the library and I CAN NOT WAIT to read it! :)
July 14, 2025
I am aware that this was a book for children. Nevertheless I didn’t really liked the writing style of the book. There were a lot of loose sentences, and everything written very directly. The story wasn’t very cool neither. A typical adventure story, a little boring to be honest. Will not read the second book.
October 3, 2022
Lisa McMann really knows how to tell an exciting, intriguing story. The fantasy concepts behind this one feel fresh and new and very appealing. Birdie, Brix, Cabot, Seven, and Tenner make great characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. And being left alone in the only home they've every known throws them for a loop. But at least they know how to take care of themselves. But when Birdie finds a note from her father asking her to go the city of Estero to find her mother and give her a map to the 'stash' they stole years earlier, it throws everything out of whack. None of the children have every been to the city, they only know what Louis Golden taught them. Not to mention the fact that the other parents left in two groups years earlier and never returned. After convincing Tenner to go with her, Birdie sets off to attempt to fulfill her father's wishes, but things turn out to be more difficult and confusing then she could have imagined. And Cabot, Seven, and Brix find some information that could be useful for Birdie and Tenner, but how to get it to them?
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of the five children. It was interesting the way the 'narrator' slipped in and out of the thoughts and feelings of each character. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but once I got used to it, it helped to understand where each character was coming from during various events. The different 'supernatural' abilities each child has make for an interesting conglomeration of skills and abilities, especially combined with the other things they've been taught by Birdie and Brix's father, Louis Golden. These skills give them a chance to survive in the city. One of the most interesting parts though is seeing Birdie and Tenner make there way in the city. While Louis Golden taught them a few things, it quickly becomes apparent that he didn't teach them enough, and the children must adapt quickly in order to avoid being noticed in a world where supernaturals are rejected and mistreated.
As a librarian, I quickly grew to like The Librarian who steps forward to help the children when they need it. She's a rather mysterious character, and I'm intrigued by her. And Lada, the young supernatural, who's grown up in the city without knowing any other supernaturals. I look forward to getting to know all the different characters in future volumes. There is much to be pondered and enjoyed here regarding both the story itself and the circumstances in which the children find themselves.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of the five children. It was interesting the way the 'narrator' slipped in and out of the thoughts and feelings of each character. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but once I got used to it, it helped to understand where each character was coming from during various events. The different 'supernatural' abilities each child has make for an interesting conglomeration of skills and abilities, especially combined with the other things they've been taught by Birdie and Brix's father, Louis Golden. These skills give them a chance to survive in the city. One of the most interesting parts though is seeing Birdie and Tenner make there way in the city. While Louis Golden taught them a few things, it quickly becomes apparent that he didn't teach them enough, and the children must adapt quickly in order to avoid being noticed in a world where supernaturals are rejected and mistreated.
As a librarian, I quickly grew to like The Librarian who steps forward to help the children when they need it. She's a rather mysterious character, and I'm intrigued by her. And Lada, the young supernatural, who's grown up in the city without knowing any other supernaturals. I look forward to getting to know all the different characters in future volumes. There is much to be pondered and enjoyed here regarding both the story itself and the circumstances in which the children find themselves.
June 1, 2022
Five children and 4 sets of supernatural parents, living on a secluded beach for 13 years after the parents flee from their life of crime and discrimination in Estero City. Now Birdie, Tenner, Seven, Cabot and Brix are alone, but before the last remaining adult died, he left his daughter with a map and instructions to return to Estero, find her mother, and retrieve a stash of cash. Author Lisa McMann (The Unwanteds, Unwanteds: Quests, and Going Wild) starts a new action/adventure-fantasy series that will intrigue middle grade readers. The five main characters are distinct and unique in abilities and personalities and each one must learn to depend on the others’ skills in order to successfully get back to the city and, once there, navigate the technology and tools of a world that is completely foreign to them in order to locate and rescue Birdie and Brix’s mother plus learn who among the other parents might also be alive. Less mature readers may have a bit of trouble sticking with this series opener as much background information must be laid out before the quest for Birdie and Brix’s mom begins but the time is well worth it. Recommended for lovers of Riordan and Riordan Presents books as well as series such as Story Thieves and those by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and any significant violence. Characters have a variety of skin tones but race is not a factor in the plot, however discrimination towards a group of people, in this case, supernaturals, is critical.
Thanks for sending me a print arc to share with #BookAllies, Lisa McMann!
Thanks for sending me a print arc to share with #BookAllies, Lisa McMann!
March 27, 2023
I finally finished this book. It felt like such a journey because honestly, I thought that it was a bit too long. There was about 100 pages the author could've cut, and everything would still make sense, including the cliffhanger for book 2. Since the book was rather long, the pacing was slow. I had to put the book down several times and read something else for a bit because it seemed like they were getting nowhere. And for me personally, I hated the shift of perspectives. One chapter would be focused on Birdie and Tenner running around Estero, trying to figure things out while trying to find Birdie's mother. Then the next chapter would be of Brix, Seven, and Cabot trying to get to Estero after saying they wouldn't. Trying to keep up with both journeys constantly was a lot, and I wished the chapter were spread out a bit more between when the perspectives would change. Overall, the story itself is intriguing (I mean, a book about the children of supernatural criminals? That's genius), and I'm going to continue the series to see how everything plays out, but this book isn't a favorite.
Read
July 11, 2022I'm afraid this book was a did not finish for me. While the summary sounded interesting enough I didn't think the story pulled through. I found it slow going and the children trying to make choices tedious as it seemed to take forever. The author used the word 'processing' quite a few times which pulled me out of the story.
I wish I would have liked it better but after reading half the story then thumbing through most the rest I finally decided I didn't care about what happens next. Perhaps the age group who this book is targeted for may appreciate it more.
I wish I would have liked it better but after reading half the story then thumbing through most the rest I finally decided I didn't care about what happens next. Perhaps the age group who this book is targeted for may appreciate it more.
March 12, 2022
Lisa McMann never disappoints. I love this new group of children she’s created!
August 27, 2023
I was genuinely surprised by this book!
It was very well written I expect to read more good books by this author.
THANKS FOR WRITING- Link
It was very well written I expect to read more good books by this author.
THANKS FOR WRITING- Link
July 15, 2023
This sets up the characters and story arc. The 5 kids had been left behind as the 7 parents disappeared in groups. Birdie’s and Brix’s Dad, Louis, had taken care of them till he got sick and died. At that point, Birdie came across a letter from her Dad telling her to look for her mother and give her the enclosed map. 4 of the kids had supernatural powers like their parents, although each had different powers. The last, didn’t seem to but was very intelligent with a photographic memory. By the end they have met up with Louis’s wife, Elena, and met another kid with supernatural powers and The Librarian. There clearly will be one, maybe two-plus more titles.
I’m finding this basically ok. You end up taking a lot for granted that 5 kids, who never have been anywhere but their remote primitive peninsula, can take on a modern capital city without getting permanently captured. I suppose I’ll read more but I’m not that impressed with it.
I’m finding this basically ok. You end up taking a lot for granted that 5 kids, who never have been anywhere but their remote primitive peninsula, can take on a modern capital city without getting permanently captured. I suppose I’ll read more but I’m not that impressed with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2022
Thanks to Edelweiss and @penguinrandomhouse for the advance Kindle copy of this book. It’s out TODAY! All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this high-stakes adventure, perfect for middle school readers. Years ago, supernatural thieves made one last heist and fled Estero. They settled on a remote peninsula and set up their own little community and had kids. With supernaturals now outlawed, the kids have no plans to leave their lifestyle until the last adult with them passes away (the others left for various reasons, never to return). A letter that is left for them reveals something they didn’t know, and may lead to a stash of money and treasure. Do they leave, braving a world they don’t know, or stay safe? Highly recommended for grades 5+, with mote to come in the series.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this high-stakes adventure, perfect for middle school readers. Years ago, supernatural thieves made one last heist and fled Estero. They settled on a remote peninsula and set up their own little community and had kids. With supernaturals now outlawed, the kids have no plans to leave their lifestyle until the last adult with them passes away (the others left for various reasons, never to return). A letter that is left for them reveals something they didn’t know, and may lead to a stash of money and treasure. Do they leave, braving a world they don’t know, or stay safe? Highly recommended for grades 5+, with mote to come in the series.
February 25, 2025
As a Reading Interventionist, I am always looking for great books that my students can read. The premise of this story is extremely interesting and I think many students would enjoy this.
I found a lot of things that I didn’t really like though. I don’t know if this changes as the series goes on but 75% of the parents are portrayed as not nice people who value wealth over their own children. I didn’t really feel comfortable with that portrayal. I also didn’t connect with most of the characters; maybe Tenner. I did like the series but I think it ended a bit abruptly even in light of there being a sequel. I think I would have liked to have seen more pages delving into the characters and end story then with the set up and journey.
I found a lot of things that I didn’t really like though. I don’t know if this changes as the series goes on but 75% of the parents are portrayed as not nice people who value wealth over their own children. I didn’t really feel comfortable with that portrayal. I also didn’t connect with most of the characters; maybe Tenner. I did like the series but I think it ended a bit abruptly even in light of there being a sequel. I think I would have liked to have seen more pages delving into the characters and end story then with the set up and journey.
August 8, 2024
This book almost didn't make it to four stars. Honestly, I'm a little bit disappointed since this book's author is the same one as The Unwanteds, which is one of my favourite series. The beginning of the book was a little too boring, and the dialogue between the characters was sometimes a bit too awkward. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading the different perspectives of the characters and their special abilities.
August 11, 2022
My kids really loved this book and are already clamouring to know what happens in the second one. I was less enamored just because I was expecting more whimsy like the last 10 or so books we had read this year and this book had a more serious tone to it for its entirety. This book deals with death of adults.
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August 16, 202317% and I can't take it anymore. Head hopping is a huge turn off for me, and the kids were not going anywhere. They were just arguing.
I skipped ahead a few chapters, and it sounded like they were still adding about leaving, and there was more head hopping. I'm done.
And I REALLY like super powered character stories! Oh, well.
I skipped ahead a few chapters, and it sounded like they were still adding about leaving, and there was more head hopping. I'm done.
And I REALLY like super powered character stories! Oh, well.
November 1, 2024
This was an adventurous book! Quite entertaining! Silly at times and serious when it needed to be. Great introduction to a series! The ending definitely left me wanting to pick up the next book. I gave it 4 stars because it was a bit juvenile for my taste. I also think it could have been a bit shorter, but other than that, it was enjoyable!
November 23, 2025
I stumbled upon this book while looking for a different title. I was not the least bit disappointed! I’m not typically a fantasy book girl, but this one had so much mystery to keep you wanting more. Five kids are orphans with special powers. They decide to go look for their missing parents in a local city. They have always been told by their parents that the locals want to hurt them, so they never went there. This is a great start to a series I plan to continue reading.
April 23, 2023
It was super fast paced and I flew through it really quick, I think not four stars but probably 3.5 I think the heist was a little to fast and the fight scenes didn’t last long. Also when she met her mom it just ended and I hated that but you know what? It’s ok
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2022
I am delighted to start a new series by Lisa McMann. I love the characters!
May 26, 2022
3,5 stars
March 28, 2023
This book was just ok in my opinion. I read this to my daughter at bed time and it didn’t really hold her attention too much.
September 11, 2023
I don’t know about this one honestly. I went in super excited as we have supernatural teens, a quest , a map I mean it was so intriguing but I came out disappointed.
I’m not sure what didn’t click. I think I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and the plot was too telling and not showing too.
I’m not sure what didn’t click. I think I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and the plot was too telling and not showing too.
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