lrmsreads 's review for:

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

3.0

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The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann is dystopian fiction for middle graders. The unwanteds are sent by the Quill society to what the Quillans assume is their death, but what they don't know is that the keeper of the lake of boiling oil they are sent to has created a secret society called Artime. These kids are allowed to explore their artistic talents and their as yet undiscovered magical abilities. And of course, they are taught to use these abilities to protect Artime when they are inevitably discovered by the Quill society. I enjoyed this story and I especially appreciated the embracing of the artistic skills of the kids as I was reading it with my son who is very artistic. On the cover, the book is compared to Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. I would say it's more Divergent for a younger crowd with a tiny splash of Harry Potter. And it certainly doesn't hold a candle to Harry Potter or Hunger Games for me. It also didn't leave my dying to read the rest, so if my son wants to continue with the series, he's on his own.