Summary: 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 Artim that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle.
Thoughts: This was a nice, easy read for me and a good mix of fantasy and dystopian. I honestly found it a little boring during the beginning, I mean, so much middle-grade fiction follows the same sort of plot. A child who is bullied/unwanted/dissatisfied with their life ends up in/meets someone who takes them too/discovers a magical land where they're special.
But this book was different. Beneath the surface there was a beating heart to this story that, by the eend, had taken me completely by surprise.
The plot was good, while following some cliqued routes it was still unique and the world building was really well done.
The writing style was good, easy to read and understand for most readers.
The characters were what caught me off guard. They start off bland, regular, and boring. Then they grow, slowly but surely, into something more. I really feel that the first book was only a taste of what's to come, a prologue of sorts, to the bigger picture. And I'm really hoping to see some gret development there.
Content: Violence. Blood. A bit of death. Lots of magic. All in all though, a clean read for any age.
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