A review by krfanthony
Dragon Bones, Volume 2 by Lisa McMann
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.