Dates Read: July 2012
I can't believe it has been so long since I last finished a book! The reason is that I've been busy with life and I'm struggling to get through Emma. On July 3rd, I read a book review on a blog and was instantly intrigued. The book? The Unwanteds. The review said it was a mid-teen age fantasy book and it sounded like just the quick, light-hearted read I need for the holiday while taking a break from Emma. I picked it up from the library on the way home and finished it approximately 24 hours later!
It was a great book! The cover says it's a mix between Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I think that it's like HG in that it's a quick read meant for pre-teens, but, like HP, this book has more than one plotline - meaning clues are introduced in one chapter and you have to ponder and wonder for a few chapters before the answers are discovered. Definitely better than the singular plotline of HG!
This book will be the first in a series (Book 2 is due out in September - can't wait!). It left the door open for a sequel, but it also came to a nice conclusion so I'm not mad that I have to wait until September to read the next one - but I am excited to read it (and hopefully Emma will be done by that time).
Summary: (from the author's website)
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. Artimé is a colorful place of talking statues, uncommon creatures, and artistic magic, where creativity is considered a gift... and a weapon.
