The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

390 pages

"QUILL PREVAILS WHEN THE STRONG SURVIVE

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their graves.

On the day of the Purge, identical twins Alex and Aaron Stowe await their fate. While Aaron is hopeful of becoming a Wanted, Alex knows his chances are slim. He's been caught drawing with a stick in the dirt--and in the stark gray land of Quill, being creative is a death sentence.

But when Alex and the other Unwanteds face the Eliminators, they discover an eccentric magician named Mr. Today and his hidden world that exists to save the condemned children. Artime is a colorful place of talking statues, uncommon creatures, and artistic magic, where creativity is considered a gift...and a weapon." -Back Cover

So, on the front cover of this book there's this statement by Kirkus Reviews: "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter." Having finished this book, I feel like that review set up some unfair expectations for this book from the very beginning, because when you compare a new series to two of the greatest series of all time, you give that new book some huge, nearly impossible shoes to fill. About halfway through this book I felt like this one wasn't living up to that at all. Artime is the main land in this book as Alex goes there early on. It is an interesting place. Mr. Today is not Dumbledore by any stretch of the imagination, but he has created a unique land, with a mansion that can grow to accommodate the numbers living there, tubes that can take you anywhere within that mansion, magical creatures that guard its gates and its forests, and professors who teach various magical arts classes. Some of those teachers are magical creations of Mr. Today's, like Ms. Octavia who has the mouth of an alligator and the body of an octopus. Simber is a stone cheetah with wings. Most animals in Artime are a combination of two or more animals.

The children arrive there thinking they're going to be killed. To the outsider, all they see is a large iron gate, a small, dark building, and a bubbling lake of oil. Then they walk through a mirage of sorts to see what Artime really is--a safe haven for them where they can develop their creativity and also learn to use it as a weapon. There's a beautiful mansion, lake and forest. Alex's new and old friends quickly graduate to their Magical Warrior Training while Alex continues to be held back and work on art. That delay causes Alex to withdraw from his friends and spend as much time alone as possible working on his pictures, trying to impress Ms. Octavia enough to let him start his training. Alex's magical training is delayed due to concerns over his connection with his twin Aaron and the fact that he sneaks into Mr. Today's office to watch Aaron on the blackboards that show the viewer live feeds of Quill.

I liked that magical weapons are developed according to creative ability. Those with theater strengths learn soliloquies and poems that can freeze or otherwise harm their enemies. Those with art skills make stuff like paper dragons that can attack an enemy and use paint brushes for blinding and invisibility spells. Eventually after Alex starts his training he learns to create 3-dimensional doors that take him to other places and he visits his brother. Mr. Today watches Alex as he works to visit and warn his brother but despite the advice of the teachers refuses to intervene because he doesn't want to take away free will. He refuses to punish someone for something he thinks they will do but hasn't actually done yet. The residents of Artime know that eventually their secret will be discovered and they will be forced to fight Quill, but Mr. Today refuses to make the first move. Instead, he has the residents of Artime train and prepare themselves for war.

What I didn't like is that Quill is supposed to be the Hunger Games part of the story. Justine is evil but you don't really get to see what makes her that way or what she does to maintain her power. The reader doesn't get to spend enough time in Quill or with the characters there to really abhor it. The Unwanteds families immediately forget them and life goes on as normal. I would have liked to have had more time in the beginning of the story where Alex helps the reader know just how bad things are there especially considering this is a series.

This is a good middle grade book. Once the battle started there were some interesting plot points revealed that helped the story pick up a little more suspense and interest for me as an adult. I'll read the next book. The third doesn't come out until this fall. I really think I would have liked it more, however, if it hadn't had that pressure put on it of living up to the other two series. On the other hand, it's also sort of what made me want to read it in the first place.





{SPOILER ALERT}
Just so I remember for the next book...
Mr. Today and Justine are twins. Mr. Today supported Justine's plan in the beginning until he realized what was really happening and then he spent the next 30 years secretly working against her. Justine knew magic which she kept secret. It was Lani's spell that killed her but only she and maybe her father know that it was her because she was invisible when she cast it. Lani's dad, General Haluki, second in command to Justine, was actually working with Mr. Today for all those years because they were friends. He let Mr. Today cast a wolf spell on him so he's the huge wolf that Alex sees in the forest. He traveled back and forth between Quill and Artime.

Samheed and Will Blair are bitter about being Unwanteds in the beginning. Will knows that it was Aaron that reported him and got him sent to Artime. He spends the whole book plotting revenge against Aaron and he and Samheed study Alex to learn everything they can about him. Towards the end of the book Will, an acting talent, transforms himself into Alex and sneaks into Quill. The Quillitary bring his body back at the start of the war. He has obviously failed in his attempt to kill Aaron. Samheed was also reported by Aaron but he realizes he's made a mistake consorting with Will and helps Artime win the war. His father is also a general and they have a confrontation on the battlefield where Samheed realizes that his father is willing to kill him and almost does until a teacher throws an enchanted spear from a tree.

After Alex visits Aaron in his dormitory room, Alex realizes just how committed Aaron is to Justine and to Quill. Alex can't convince him to come to Artime where he'll be safe from Will's attempt to kill him. Aaron follows Alex back through the 3-D door and he, Alex and Mr. Today have a conversation in Mr. Today's office. Mr. Today and Alex fear that he will expose them. Aaron has had a few brilliant ideas that have promoted him to Justine's Assistant Secretary. While trying to solve the problem of Quill's rundown vehicles, he thinks about the lake of bubbling oil and suggests its use to Justine but wants to visit it first so he, Justine, and a few generals head out. Because Justine has always given 6-month's notice before making a visit, Mr. Today is unaware of her arrival and is talking to all of Artime out on the lawn when they open the gate. He doesn't have time to hide Artime with magic so their secret is revealed but it makes Aaron look complicit because Mr. Today acknowledges him by name. That ruins his position with Justine and makes Aaron willing to do anything to get back in her good graces.

Mr. Today, Alex and Simber leave the battle to use the secret passage to Justine's palace and seal it off so she has nowhere to escape to. Aaron is there and throws a killing spell at Alex that would have killed him if not for his enchanted vest that all of Artime's residents are wearing. Simber takes both of them back to Artime but drops Aaron in the ocean. It's revealed about halfway through that Quill is actually an island, surrounded by other islands inhabited by good people. Quill has walled itself off from all outsiders. Aaron makes it back to short and then puts on a vest and pretends to be Alex since they are identical twins. He's determined to kill Mr. Today. Ms. Octavia senses something is off as she talks to him as Alex but it's not until Samheed realizes that he's holding his throwing star in the wrong hand that they figure out he's Aaron instead of Alex. They stop him in time.

The book ends with the wall being torn down between Quill and Artime with people free to come and go but knowing that most won't. General Haluki is now in charge of Quill but Alex doubts that will last after Aaron is freed and returns to Quill, bitter and angry. The Purge still continues because that's what the people want (?)  but Artime always has room for every Unwanted. You know that there will be other showdowns between Alex and Aaron in the future.