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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Another book on the Golden Sower nominee list for middle grades, I was wary about this one. I do judge a book by its cover -- sorry -- and this one said "science-fiction fantasy", of which I am not a fan. My daughter started reading it on her own at first, but she missed reading to me and wanted to share the plot so badly. Fortunately, McMann does a pretty good job of making this genre palatable for even the wariest reader. In the fictional land of Quill, creativity and original thinking is outlawed -- to the point that at age thirteen, children are separated into groups of Wanteds and Unwanteds. The children who show signs of creativity are sent to the Lake of Boiling Oil to die, and a Death Farmer just outside of Quill disposes of their bodies. Everything is not as it seems, and the story follows a set of twins, one who remains in Quill as a Wanted, and the other who is led out of the city as an Unwanted. When the Unwanteds reach their destination, they instead are welcomed into a new and amazing society called Artime, where they learn their innate talents are actually gifts to be further explored and enjoyed. For their own protection, Artime has always been a secret to the people and leaders of Quill, so when they are finally discovered, a battle ensues. Another cautionary tale of societal woes, it is a much better story than the Hunger Games for those 8 to 13 or so.
Wow, my first ever one-star review. You would think with a tagline promising that this book is a cross between Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I would fall in love with this book. But the problem is that the book is not like either of those other books. Yes there are elements of magic and it's set in a dystopian world that separates children in to certain groups, but that's as far as the comparisons go.
The characters were pretty typical and mostly flat. There was nothing about them that made me like them. The main character was reckless and not very smart. His "love interest" was immature and there was no spark between them at all. The other kids just felt like they were around to fill up space.
The one thing that bothered me about the plot was why this hadn't escalated sooner. All these separated children being taught about 3-D doors and such, how was it that none of them thought to try seeing those left behind before? Kids don't always listen to adults, especially once they see that living in this magical world is better. And on top of that, once things did start happening it all went down very quickly.
So in conclusion, the book just wasn't that good. It certainly doesn't deserve having fantastic books like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games tagged onto it.
The characters were pretty typical and mostly flat. There was nothing about them that made me like them. The main character was reckless and not very smart. His "love interest" was immature and there was no spark between them at all. The other kids just felt like they were around to fill up space.
The one thing that bothered me about the plot was why this hadn't escalated sooner. All these separated children being taught about 3-D doors and such, how was it that none of them thought to try seeing those left behind before? Kids don't always listen to adults, especially once they see that living in this magical world is better. And on top of that, once things did start happening it all went down very quickly.
So in conclusion, the book just wasn't that good. It certainly doesn't deserve having fantastic books like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games tagged onto it.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
I normally dread reading juvenile fantasy novels but this one was really fun! A review described it as Harry Potter meets Hunger Games and I would have to agree. It has the fun and whimsical magic of the early Harry Potter series and some of the divided, dystopic political unrest of the Hunger Games novels. If a child were looking for something similar to the Harry Potter novels, I would definitely recommend the Unwanteds series!
I adore the idea behind this one. Mr. Today was an absolutely incredible character. There were so many creative magical elements to this. I didn’t find Alex to be the most interesting main character I’ve ever read, but the story was good and had really meaningful themes. I look forward to continuing the series!
*Spoiler-free* One of my favorite series of all time. And I read a LOT of books in this genre.
I started this series in 6th grade, and didn't finish it until 9th/10th (I read it in the summer between them i think). So this has been a long journey for me, and so I'll probably only review this book and maybe the last one.
My favorite part has to be the world-building. To me, it is one of the best fantasy worlds I've seen in this type of book.
Also, as I am a big defender of this, The Unwanteds is a book aimed at younger audiences. I get that. But as a fifteen-year-old girl, I still love it. This is one of those books that you can read at any age and still enjoy.
I love the worldbuilding, I love the characters, I love the conflicts, I love everything about this book. Sure, maybe sometimes the writing gets a bit annoying (like wherever romance is involved), but I'm willing to overlook some awkward teenage romance because no book is perfect. And that's why this book gets 5 stars from me :)
I started this series in 6th grade, and didn't finish it until 9th/10th (I read it in the summer between them i think). So this has been a long journey for me, and so I'll probably only review this book and maybe the last one.
My favorite part has to be the world-building. To me, it is one of the best fantasy worlds I've seen in this type of book.
Also, as I am a big defender of this, The Unwanteds is a book aimed at younger audiences. I get that. But as a fifteen-year-old girl, I still love it. This is one of those books that you can read at any age and still enjoy.
I love the worldbuilding, I love the characters, I love the conflicts, I love everything about this book. Sure, maybe sometimes the writing gets a bit annoying (like wherever romance is involved), but I'm willing to overlook some awkward teenage romance because no book is perfect. And that's why this book gets 5 stars from me :)
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
This was a creative story about art and smarts. The book really makes you think about creativity and magic and tyrannical rule. Who would have thought art a weapon? True ingenuity on this book.
What a fun book. And so different from any other McMann books I've read. I loved the world that's created here, and the entire book is super exciting. I wish we got more character development of the 5 main kids. I only really felt like I understood one of them, and he was evil. Anyhow, I definitely want to read what comes next, and I really hope that there's more character development in there, because I want to know more!
The first book of a middle-grade series that combines a dystopian world with magic - exciting, fast-paced and unique! Read my full review at:
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2015/11/middle-grade-review-unwanteds.html
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2015/11/middle-grade-review-unwanteds.html