Book Review: The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Hi everyone! I hope everyone's school year is starting to wind down a bit! For today I want to review for you a series that I have loved ever since I first picked it up off the shelf.


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 Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle.

From the very start I really enjoyed everything about these books. There are seven books total in the series but we can just focus on the first for now. In the world of Quill creativity is treated as a crime above all else, and our heroes Alex, Lani, Samheed, and Meghan, are a few of many who are sentenced to death from too many creative infractions. Alex was caught drawing pictures in the mud, Samheed was reported for being dramatic and boastful, and Meghan was singing and dancing at the same time. For these things the leaders of Quill felt it was only right to get rid of them for the strength of their people. When the soon to be friends roll into the "death farm" they are greeted by none other than a flying tortoise and a man who tells them they're saved.

It's so brilliant to enter into the magical world of Artimé along with these creativity starved kids. Lisa McMann does a great job transferring us from the stark grey Quill to the dazzling magical world of Artimé and it's flamoyant cheerful leader Mr. Today. Many of us know the love of creativity and the arts. Lisa McMann takes it a step further and introduces that creativity to new magic and a world and characters that feel real and alive. It's so easy to relate to our heroes, as they find themselves in this new environment and find each other, and learn to fight for what they care about.

I'd suggest The Unwanteds to anyone who's a fan of magic, dystopian societies, and adventure.

That's all for now! Happy Reading!

Theresa