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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
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.
adventurous
medium-paced
I enjoyed it - but the 4 stars came from how intensely my 5th grade son loved this book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
I liked this!!
I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 bcuz the writing was off sometimes and I was confused.
I HATED ARON (or whatever his name is) FROM THE 1ST PAGE
I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 bcuz the writing was off sometimes and I was confused.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Children in the land of Quill are raised in a perpetual state of fear. They are expected to live by very rigid rules and too many instances of rule breaking could get them labeled as an Unwanted. Being told that you are "unwanted" may sound cruel in and of itself, but it's actually much worse than that. There is an annual Purge, and the 13-year-olds are separated into Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds. All of the Unwanteds are then rounded up and sent to the Death Farm. So, what are these infractions that are worthy of getting a child sentenced to death? Anything creative, for starters -- drawing and singing are absolutely not allowed. It is also particularly bad if a child displays any curiosity or, worse yet, questions authority and/or the status quo. After all, "Quill prevails when the strong survive."
Alex has known for a long time that he was an Unwanted and that his twin brother, Aaron, was a Wanted. Though he knew that Aaron could have been labeled Unwanted right along with him, he accepted the blame for his brother's drawing to keep him safe. Imagine Alex's surprise, then, when he got to the Death Farm and discovered that it was actually a ruse. Mr. Today pretended to be the executioner of the Unwanteds, but he was actually a wizard who created a hidden land, Artime, in which the Unwanteds were encouraged to find their happiness and express their creativity. Had he only known the truth, he would have turned his brother in and actually saved him! Sadly, he is now forbidden to have any contact with his brother. They are ALL forbidden from returning to [or even contacting anyone in] Quill because it would surely endanger the entire land of Artime and all the people living there if the leaders of Quill learned that they had been fooled. But, how can he simply leave his brother in that terrible place? Especially knowing that another boy in Artime is looking for a way to sneak back into Quill to get revenge on Aaron. Surely there must be a way to save him...
Happy Reading!
Alex has known for a long time that he was an Unwanted and that his twin brother, Aaron, was a Wanted. Though he knew that Aaron could have been labeled Unwanted right along with him, he accepted the blame for his brother's drawing to keep him safe. Imagine Alex's surprise, then, when he got to the Death Farm and discovered that it was actually a ruse. Mr. Today pretended to be the executioner of the Unwanteds, but he was actually a wizard who created a hidden land, Artime, in which the Unwanteds were encouraged to find their happiness and express their creativity. Had he only known the truth, he would have turned his brother in and actually saved him! Sadly, he is now forbidden to have any contact with his brother. They are ALL forbidden from returning to [or even contacting anyone in] Quill because it would surely endanger the entire land of Artime and all the people living there if the leaders of Quill learned that they had been fooled. But, how can he simply leave his brother in that terrible place? Especially knowing that another boy in Artime is looking for a way to sneak back into Quill to get revenge on Aaron. Surely there must be a way to save him...
Happy Reading!
I absolutely loved this book. As soon as I read the first chapter I was completely entrapped. Even the title pulls you in. You can't help but love Alex and his personality. When he gets kinda sad you can understand so don't stop reading just cause you think he's being mopey. This is a completely original story that I have not read anywhere else and if you think that's it's a copy off something else you a sadly wrong. This is in my top books and I love this. I just love it so much. I hope you enjoy thins as much as I did because, I don't know but just love the characters. Just love them so much. Okay? Okay.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I only have two complaints.
The first being that the review on the front of the book says “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter”. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are two of my favorite series so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately I didn’t really get the same feeling I had reading this book as I did either of those series. It just wasn’t as tense and action-packed as I would have liked it to be, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a good book, it just didn’t give me everything I wanted.
Second is that the flow and pace of the book was kind of slow. I usually finish a book in 3-4 days but this book took me 10 days to finish mostly cause I was forcing myself to finish it. There were parts where it was a little boring but then it would be really interesting. Anyway I liked this book but I don’t know if I will read the second one.
The first being that the review on the front of the book says “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter”. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are two of my favorite series so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately I didn’t really get the same feeling I had reading this book as I did either of those series. It just wasn’t as tense and action-packed as I would have liked it to be, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a good book, it just didn’t give me everything I wanted.
Second is that the flow and pace of the book was kind of slow. I usually finish a book in 3-4 days but this book took me 10 days to finish mostly cause I was forcing myself to finish it. There were parts where it was a little boring but then it would be really interesting. Anyway I liked this book but I don’t know if I will read the second one.
Wow, this book was SO much better than I was expecting (and I expected it to be good). Clever, fast-paced, and just an all-around fun read. Full review here: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2012/07/unwanteds-by-lisa-mcmann.html