My Intro to The Unwanteds
Recently, I purchased the complete collection of the franchise that single-handedly changed my pre-pubescent self’s life. The Unwanteds series, by Lisa McMann. To set the scene: It’s 2015/2016. I’m in 5th grade, and my then teacher, Mrs. Geiger, announces our class read, The Unwanteds. As a class, we read books 1 and 2 of the series, The Unwanteds and Island of Silence. However, I took it upon myself to read until the 4th book, Island of Legends. There are 7 books in total in the series and I would’ve finished it had the school year not ended. I was a relentless book thief back in elementary school (in the literal sense), so I’m shocked I hadn’t stolen them.
About The Series: The Unwanteds
Here is a quick rundown of The Unwanteds series, and its background. As mentioned, it consists of 7 books: The Unwanteds, Island of Silence, Island of Fire, Island of Legends, Island of Shipwrecks, Island of Graves, and Island of Dragons. If you include the next 6 books from the follow-up series, The Unwanteds Quests, you’ve got a whopping 13 books. It’s a newer series, released between 2018 and 2021, so I haven’t dived into it much at this point.
The first book of the Unwanteds follows twins Alex and Aaron Stowe, along with the other children of Quill and their dystopian society. In Quill, there are three categories: Wanted, Unwanted, and Necessaries. The children of Quill, once turning 13, are then categorized and sent their separate ways. The Wanteds head off to university, the Necessaries are seemingly safe, and the Unwanteds are whisked away, assumed to meet their deaths.
This post will be spoil-free, only being the prologue to my reviews of the entire series. I plan to turn this into a series of posts, rereading and reviewing each book of the series. I’ll be comparing it to the eyes of 10-year-old me and 18-year-old me. I know I’m bound to enjoy the series as I did then, if not more so, and I’m thoroughly excited for this journey.
The original Unwanteds series was released between 2011 and 2016 (a top-tier time period). Volume one, The Unwanteds (book) would be author Lisa McMann’s 4th publication. It follows her Wake trilogy, released between 2008 and 2010.
“Following the life of Janie Hannagan, a girl with the ability to enter people’s dreams.” Source GoodReads
Source PluggedIn.com
It Was More Than Just a Book To Me…
If you couldn’t tell from the title, this series means a whole lot to me, even though as I’m writing this I haven’t finished it all the way through. I want to make a point to really thank and compliment the author, Lisa McMann, for writing such a great book and series. The Unwanteds meant the world to me at 10 years old, and they still hold so much weight in my heart. The Unwanteds series was my Harry Potter, Artimè was my Hogwarts, and Mr. Today was my Dumbledore. (Keep in mind I haven’t finished the first of the Harry Potter books.) It became something I couldn’t put down, something I thought about, over 10 years after its publishing, and nearly 10 years after discovering it.
So, thank you, Lisa McMann, for writing such a great series that inspired my 10-year-old self and continues to do so now, as I’m nearing the age of 19. And thank you to Ms. Geiger; while she wasn’t the nicest teacher, she put me onto a great f*cking book.
Grateful
I mention my love for writing a few times throughout this blog. If this is your first read of my blog, well now you know, I’ve got a knack for it. It’s freeing in a way, being able to just pour your imagination onto paper, or in modern circumstances, keys. The mere process of getting an idea and building it is one I’d compare to euphoria. There’s a level of giddiness that comes with writing something fresh. This goes for full-blown novels, poems, simple blog posts such as this one, songs, playwrights, whatever it may be. Writing is special. And while I may struggle with finding the courage to do it (a reason I’ve made this blog), I love it.
In recent years, writing has triumphed over my other interests, like drawing and painting. I find myself lost in my own stories, often scrapping them, which is a fault of mine, and planning out a whole series. I do believe that one day I will publish my novel. Maybe it’ll be a romance, a sci-fi, something dramatic, or a classic fantasy tale. Either way, it’ll have been written with purpose and love. This goes out to all of the authors; thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories (like The Unwanteds) and inspiring thousands like myself.
Another shoutout to Lisa McMann, the genius she is. I hope one day she comes across this and reads just how appreciative I am of her work. You are a true talent. I look forward to my reread and deep dive into this series, and I hope whoever is reading this holds the same sentiment. Thank you.
Check out Lisa McMann’s website here: Lisa McMann!
