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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars. I enjoyed listening to this fairly popular series. Also enjoyed the world McMann created and the philosophy behind Artime and the freedom to choose each child faced.
Welcome to the world of The Unwanteds! A futuristic world created by author Lisa McMann in which all 13-year-olds are separated into three groups – the Wanteds, the Necessaries, and the Unwanteds. The Wanteds are the most brilliant and desirable of the bunch, so they are taken to a university where they can grow into leaders and continue to shine. The Necessaries are just that, necessary. They are the lowly individuals who do the farming. They aren’t good enough to be anything more than laborers. Then finally there are the Unwanteds – they are the failures of the community, the useless individuals who have no place amongst society. Once a 13-year-old is deemed an Unwanted at the Quill ceremony they are immediately shackled and shipped off to be executed. All Unwanteds are killed. Or so it’s believed.
The Good:
- We see male and female leaders, male and female scholars, and male and female warriors. The girls aren’t placed in stereotypical gender roles and neither are the boys. And even though a boy is our protagonist, it was a girl who stopped the villain and saved the day. The Unwanteds is wonderfully free of gender stereotypes. There wasn’t an ounce sexism or traditional gender roles.
- A fun and interesting story with great characters. I really loved the idea behind this book. They story as a whole has loads of potential.
The Bad:
- The story isn't Harry Potter nor is it The Hunger Games as the title claims. It is a great story though. But not as rich as those two. I feel like The Unwanteds could have been executed a little better. It was very simplistic and just... lacking. It could have been more innovative. I mean, the lake of boiling oil is named The Lake of Boiling Oil. Blah.
- Too many point of views. The story is told from the POV of at least 10 different characters. I hate when authors do this. Sure we get to see everyone's side of things, but it makes the story slow and choppy.
- The "romance." Sorry, but a so-called romance between a 12-year-old and 13-year-old is just silly and unnecessary.
All in all, I did enjoy this book as a whole. It's an excellent read for kiddos, it's not a "boy" book or a "girl" book. Here’s hoping more authors write books free of gender roles.
The Good:
- We see male and female leaders, male and female scholars, and male and female warriors. The girls aren’t placed in stereotypical gender roles and neither are the boys. And even though a boy is our protagonist, it was a girl who stopped the villain and saved the day. The Unwanteds is wonderfully free of gender stereotypes. There wasn’t an ounce sexism or traditional gender roles.
- A fun and interesting story with great characters. I really loved the idea behind this book. They story as a whole has loads of potential.
The Bad:
- The story isn't Harry Potter nor is it The Hunger Games as the title claims. It is a great story though. But not as rich as those two. I feel like The Unwanteds could have been executed a little better. It was very simplistic and just... lacking. It could have been more innovative. I mean, the lake of boiling oil is named The Lake of Boiling Oil. Blah.
- Too many point of views. The story is told from the POV of at least 10 different characters. I hate when authors do this. Sure we get to see everyone's side of things, but it makes the story slow and choppy.
- The "romance." Sorry, but a so-called romance between a 12-year-old and 13-year-old is just silly and unnecessary.
All in all, I did enjoy this book as a whole. It's an excellent read for kiddos, it's not a "boy" book or a "girl" book. Here’s hoping more authors write books free of gender roles.
Rereading this--I still love the story and the characters, but it feels way too fast paced. Things happen and are explained quickly. The story jumps ahead months often. Still enjoyed it and want to continue the series.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
This cleverly written book was a fast and interesting read. All right, it's not on par with some of it's contemporaries, but it IS written for a younger audience, so I was willing to overlook a few of it's weaknesses. In my opinion the strengths made up for them. Plus it's the first in the series, so I'm hoping some of the holes will be filled in later...
Likes: Well, I was drawn right in by a society that brands each member of it as either Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. The main character Alex is Unwanted and is being taken from his family and transported to his supposed death. It reminded me of The Giver, only even more cruel and unimaginable. It turns out the Unwanteds are actually taken to a wonderful fantasy land where they are free to indulge in all the behaviors that got them to be unwanted in the first place: creativity and emotions and thinking and being normal. I wish some of the emotional trauma of what it would have been like to be forced to live without love and compassion and friendship would have been better explored, but for the most part the kids seem pretty normal considering their experience. They are taught creative things like art and music and story telling, and taught how to use magic. The magic in this world can weaponize art and words if necessary. There are also numerous awesome magical creatures. There was an interesting plot and the pacing was good... I definitely wanted to know what would happen next. Character wise, I really liked Mr. Today although I didn't always understand all his motivations on not acting to stop the bad guys sooner.
Dislikes: ******Some possible minor SPOILERS below!!!
Some of the horribleness of the bad guys was just completely unbelievable to me. I can't believe that no one rebelled against never thinking, feeling, having emotion, or even dreams. It seems like there would be some sort of underground where parents cared for their children or something. That's a pretty hard emotion to just ignore or stamp out. Especially parents killing their children, that was awful and hard to believe. But ok, it's fine, it's a dystopian society. It was just weird that even the victims of that society did little if anything to protest the horror of it, even when they had nothing to lose. Also, I didn't understand why the leaders of Quill would care if the Unwanteds were killed or left to live in peace. Either way they were out of their society, so why did they want to kill everyone? And why did Justine And how come the Unwanteds have magic but no one in Quill does? Or did they all have magic and no one told them? And what made Justine so evil, controlling, and vile? Her character has no depth, and neither does Aaron. I can't figure out why Aaron And why was Mr. Today content to allow all the other people in Quill live such a horrible life?
Anyway, good book I'll be willing to read the next one.
Likes: Well, I was drawn right in by a society that brands each member of it as either Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. The main character Alex is Unwanted and is being taken from his family and transported to his supposed death. It reminded me of The Giver, only even more cruel and unimaginable. It turns out the Unwanteds are actually taken to a wonderful fantasy land where they are free to indulge in all the behaviors that got them to be unwanted in the first place: creativity and emotions and thinking and being normal. I wish some of the emotional trauma of what it would have been like to be forced to live without love and compassion and friendship would have been better explored, but for the most part the kids seem pretty normal considering their experience. They are taught creative things like art and music and story telling, and taught how to use magic. The magic in this world can weaponize art and words if necessary. There are also numerous awesome magical creatures. There was an interesting plot and the pacing was good... I definitely wanted to know what would happen next. Character wise, I really liked Mr. Today although I didn't always understand all his motivations on not acting to stop the bad guys sooner.
Dislikes: ******Some possible minor SPOILERS below!!!
Some of the horribleness of the bad guys was just completely unbelievable to me. I can't believe that no one rebelled against never thinking, feeling, having emotion, or even dreams. It seems like there would be some sort of underground where parents cared for their children or something. That's a pretty hard emotion to just ignore or stamp out. Especially parents killing their children, that was awful and hard to believe. But ok, it's fine, it's a dystopian society. It was just weird that even the victims of that society did little if anything to protest the horror of it, even when they had nothing to lose. Also, I didn't understand why the leaders of Quill would care if the Unwanteds were killed or left to live in peace. Either way they were out of their society, so why did they want to kill everyone? And why did Justine
Spoiler
stop using her magic?Spoiler
doesn't capitulate and join his brother at the end, after Justine threatens to kill him and after Alex sacrificed everything to save him even knowing he was a tattle-tale and a huge jerk. By his own admission he has nothing left in Quill but instead of changing he's just as malevolent as ever with no apparent motivation.Anyway, good book I'll be willing to read the next one.
Love the concept - art is dangerous, so artistic kids are "eliminated" from society. But then they are rescued and taken to a magical world where artistic talent is cultivated and they learn magic. So that's cool to me, obviously. The execution didn't completely come together though. I was left wanting more about the many characters that were introduced. I'd probably still be curious enough to read a sequel when it comes out though
I don't tend to read fantasy as it isn't my favorite genre but I had students recommend this to me and I really enjoyed it. I would readily recommend this series and it is great for fans for Harry Potter.
My son read this 2 years ago and has been begging me to read it ever since. I put him off as long as I could-I felt like having read the Hunger Games trilogy that I was ready to be done with dystopian societies who wanted to kill children. I'm glad I finally gave in-this was quite a good read. The magic and spells gave a different twist to the plot. My son stopped at the first book because he was satisfied with the ending. I will continue on in the series because that's what I do-read entire series!
"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 Artim 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 Artim that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle."
I loved this book! I read it when I was younger and I forget when I read it but I find it a perfect YA book for anybody who adores percy jackson with a hint of maze runners and harry potter. I loved the series and how the characters interacted
Dystopia where the creative are culled ruthlessly but it turns out they aren't killed after all; they go to a much happier place and also learn magic. The problem with the book is that the villains are completely villainous. They're just flatly, one-dimensionally evil. I like a book where you're forced to empathize with the villains and criticize the heroes. I finished it but I wouldn't read the sequel.