The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ccpprrjj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was much better than the previous one. Mostly because I cared more about the storylines that we followed. I'll start with the Thisbe one, and then move into the devastating Fifer/Alex one.
Thisbe Storyline
I find Thisbe to be a really compelling character. She's both brave, angry, scared, and compassionate all at the same time, and this book really shows it. She just wants to prove to herself (and Alex) that she's not evil. That just because she has these destructive powers and killed someone when she was two doesn't mean that she's a bad person. Her inner conflict in this book was so enjoyable to read about. And Eagala was totally manipulating her. The parts where Eagala was telling her that she's more evil than good were total lies. There's no way. I refuse to believe that Thisbe is more evil than good. She got upset over seeing the bones of a baby dragon. Would an evil person even care? Yes, maybe she's morally grey (I'd call it a light grey-the worst things she does are lie and occasionally shoot fireballs at attackers). But anyways. And I love her relationship with Rohan. His gentleness balances out Thisbe's more rash moments and they make a great team. Any content with the two of them is just so wholesome.
Fifer/Alex Storyline
And now to the depressing storyline. I'll start by saying that I still don't like Fifer. She's just so. . .arrogant. And not aware of it. She thinks she's the most powerful and important person in the room, especially around people her age, that she just drives me crazy. I get where Alex is coming from with his annoyance with her. That's not to say he's completely in the right either. He was definitely over sheltering her and doing his whole 'pushing people away' thing. But then Fifer would come along and (whether internally or out loud) make some comment about a super traumatizing part of his life like it's nothing. Like. Child. These things you've read about aren't just stories to Alex. He lived through them. And he doesn't want you to have to go through anything similar. On a different note, I loved Alex's growth in this book. I felt like his recovery process was well-written and in character. I feel like all the characters from the original series still feel like themselves here, but this book really focused on Alex and his mental space. However, this being a reread. I couldn't help but be sad while reading the happier parts where he reconciled with Fifer. Because I knew it wouldn't last. Which brings me to the part of this book that destroys me emotionally. Alex's death. Seeing him die just when he was getting better is so devastating. When I first read it, it felt like my childhood had died with him. Even now it's hard to read. Harder than any of the deaths in the original series, that's for sure. And I really appreciated the scene afterwards with Crow and the 'I am with you' bit. Absolutely devastating. Now, emotions aside, I do appreciate Alex's death from a narrative standpoint. It opens such an interesting avenue for the rest of the books to explore: what do you do when the main character dies. And that allows for so much growth and interesting situations to put our characters in. I'm saddened by Alex's death, but not angered by it. It was a bold and effective choice on McMann's part to move the story forward and shift its focus to the other Stowe siblings.
Overall, this was a good book. Not as good as the original series, but an enjoyable and emotional read nonetheless. Onto the next book!
Thisbe Storyline
I find Thisbe to be a really compelling character. She's both brave, angry, scared, and compassionate all at the same time, and this book really shows it. She just wants to prove to herself (and Alex) that she's not evil. That just because she has these destructive powers and killed someone when she was two doesn't mean that she's a bad person. Her inner conflict in this book was so enjoyable to read about. And Eagala was totally manipulating her.
Fifer/Alex Storyline
Overall, this was a good book. Not as good as the original series, but an enjoyable and emotional read nonetheless. Onto the next book!
flonadiose's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars only because I’m so sad. Why did that had to happen??!!
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
The second book in the second Unwanteds series following the adventures of Fifer and Thisbe Stowe, Alex and Aaron's younger twin sisters. It picks up were the first left off, with Thisbe a prisoner on the Island of Dragons and Fifer arriving back at Aritme near death. Fans of the original Unwanteds will want read this series as well. Recommended for grades 4 & up.
shoelessgirl's review
2.0
I really liked aspects of this, but then it sort of started to mirror the first series, which was a bit disappointing. I’ll still check out the next book.
marcel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
connon's review against another edition
4.0
GAAAAHH, Lisa är ingen snäll människa och lämnar massa massiva cliffhangers efter sig hela tiden! OCH HON DÖDADE ALEX! Han var aldrig min favoritkaraktär och jag förstår kanske varför hon valde att göra så, men han hade ju precis fått tillbaka sitt gamla jag!
Det är inte heller några problem längre att skilja på tvillingarna och de verkar ha potential att bli mer intressanta än Alex/Aaron (men Aaron är fortfarande min Babe och jag gillar honom väldigt mycket!)
Det är inte heller några problem längre att skilja på tvillingarna och de verkar ha potential att bli mer intressanta än Alex/Aaron (men Aaron är fortfarande min Babe och jag gillar honom väldigt mycket!)
krfanthony's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
Date Reviewed: 17 March 2018
This Review was first posted on Keep Reading Forward. If you want to see more, check out our other locations as well as here.
In Dragon Bones, Thisbe and Fifer are now separated for the first time after the evil Revinir has captured Thisbe, and left Fifer gravely injured. Alex is now worried about everything after hearing the devastating news but gathers a rescue team in an effort to retrieve Thisbe. While Alex and the Unwanteds train for their rescue mission, Thisbe must transfer dragon bones for the Revinir due to its magical capabilities. As time goes by, Thisbe fears that it’ll be up to her to free herself.
It is good to back to world that is always enjoyable to read. Sometimes I forget that the series only started back in 2011. The series felt like new to me every time a new book comes out. It is probably why I usually forget that the series has been around for 7 years now and continuing.
Even when there are many books in the series to continue, it never feels old or feels like ideas are being reused. Overtime, there is something new to learn in the world of Artimé and the Seven Islands. We were introduced to Dragonsmarche in Dragon Captives, but we really didn’t learn much about it. As the rescue mission commences, we are reintroduced to the land while more explanations are given on how things are run, including how the Revinir came to be and her history with the King. We also learn of the shocking possible connection to the land of dragons to the land of Artimé. There are even new things as well like Fifer’s mysterious new army of birds and a new kind of magic. There is nothing that can make this world feel old.
When a world is expanded into 9 different books and continuing, some may think character development on certain characters would be low or non-existent. How could one further a character when they have gone through so much already? Can the character even develop anymore? McMann has the ability to keep having characters go through development no matter how long they have been the in the series for.
The best thing about the character development in the series is when a character trains and but doesn’t learn anything instantly. It takes time. Fifer trains for a period over a few months as the Unwanteds train for the rescue mission. The progress is shown over time. The same goes for Thisbe as well. Thisbe has to train by herself in secret to learn about her abilities for only a couple of hours per day. It’s not one and done. Thisbe takes about the same time as Fifer to gain control of her abilities. (It must be a twin thing…)
However, there is one thing I feel that I need to explain. When I finished the reading and went through all of the emotions , I wanted to see what other readers thought of the ending as well. I was pretty shocked to see people were not happy. I can understand where this was coming from, but I also understood how it came to be. A few even suggested they would stop reading the series because of what happened and this what I need to explain. The Unwanted Quests series is the sequel series where Fifer and Thisbe are now the lead roles. The original Unwanteds casts are now in the supporting roles. The series is all about the twins now and their adventures. As I am trying to explain, the original Unwanteds casts no longer have a certain “immunity” from being in the load roles. If you haven’t learned by now, anything is a possibility from McMann (and she certainly loves being unpredictable). Needlessly to say, do I need to remind everyone of Sky in the first book? At the end, please continue to read the series. Perhaps the unpredictability will be in our favor now.
I really can’t say anything bad about the series. It is certainly an excellent middle grade read and there are records that shows it. Also, I believe the series can be fun for the entire family or for the child at heart. The magic and creativity is there, and that is all I’m looking for in books these days. Originality needs to shine, and it definitely shines here. I can’t wait to continue the adventure in Book 3.
Date Reviewed: 17 March 2018
This Review was first posted on Keep Reading Forward. If you want to see more, check out our other locations as well as here.
In Dragon Bones, Thisbe and Fifer are now separated for the first time after the evil Revinir has captured Thisbe, and left Fifer gravely injured. Alex is now worried about everything after hearing the devastating news but gathers a rescue team in an effort to retrieve Thisbe. While Alex and the Unwanteds train for their rescue mission, Thisbe must transfer dragon bones for the Revinir due to its magical capabilities. As time goes by, Thisbe fears that it’ll be up to her to free herself.
It is good to back to world that is always enjoyable to read. Sometimes I forget that the series only started back in 2011. The series felt like new to me every time a new book comes out. It is probably why I usually forget that the series has been around for 7 years now and continuing.
Even when there are many books in the series to continue, it never feels old or feels like ideas are being reused. Overtime, there is something new to learn in the world of Artimé and the Seven Islands. We were introduced to Dragonsmarche in Dragon Captives, but we really didn’t learn much about it. As the rescue mission commences, we are reintroduced to the land while more explanations are given on how things are run, including how the Revinir came to be and her history with the King. We also learn of the shocking possible connection to the land of dragons to the land of Artimé. There are even new things as well like Fifer’s mysterious new army of birds and a new kind of magic. There is nothing that can make this world feel old.
When a world is expanded into 9 different books and continuing, some may think character development on certain characters would be low or non-existent. How could one further a character when they have gone through so much already? Can the character even develop anymore? McMann has the ability to keep having characters go through development no matter how long they have been the in the series for.
The best thing about the character development in the series is when a character trains and but doesn’t learn anything instantly. It takes time. Fifer trains for a period over a few months as the Unwanteds train for the rescue mission. The progress is shown over time. The same goes for Thisbe as well. Thisbe has to train by herself in secret to learn about her abilities for only a couple of hours per day. It’s not one and done. Thisbe takes about the same time as Fifer to gain control of her abilities. (It must be a twin thing…)
However, there is one thing I feel that I need to explain. When I finished the reading and went through all of the emotions , I wanted to see what other readers thought of the ending as well. I was pretty shocked to see people were not happy. I can understand where this was coming from, but I also understood how it came to be. A few even suggested they would stop reading the series because of what happened and this what I need to explain. The Unwanted Quests series is the sequel series where Fifer and Thisbe are now the lead roles. The original Unwanteds casts are now in the supporting roles. The series is all about the twins now and their adventures. As I am trying to explain, the original Unwanteds casts no longer have a certain “immunity” from being in the load roles. If you haven’t learned by now, anything is a possibility from McMann (and she certainly loves being unpredictable). Needlessly to say, do I need to remind everyone of Sky in the first book? At the end, please continue to read the series. Perhaps the unpredictability will be in our favor now.
I really can’t say anything bad about the series. It is certainly an excellent middle grade read and there are records that shows it. Also, I believe the series can be fun for the entire family or for the child at heart. The magic and creativity is there, and that is all I’m looking for in books these days. Originality needs to shine, and it definitely shines here. I can’t wait to continue the adventure in Book 3.
ryansweet1's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75