The Unwanteds #3: Island of Fire
by Lisa McCann
Where we last left our heroes. . . In the Unwanteds series, the young pre-teens are left to fend for themselves without their fearless leader. Young Alex is in charge of all the magical kids, but he has no idea what he’s doing. Some lose faith in him and leave, but the enemy camp isn’t doing much better under the inexperienced leadership of Alex’s twin Aaron. Aaron is such an unlikable character (as he’s supposed to be) with his immaturity, stubbornness, and cruelty. He’s a good foil for Alex, who has a good heart even though sometimes he’s young and clueless.
Introduced in this volume of the series is a little romance. After all, these are middle-school aged kids, and at that age, boys start noticing girls – and they often follow the old adage of, “If I’m not near the one I love…” Alex had a little crush on Lani, but since she’s still stuck on the creepy Island of Silence, he starts to appreciate the appearance and courage of a new girl who was rescued from the same island. Lani and Sami developed a very close bond while being held captive; if the planned rescue mission is successful and all the friends are reunited, will jealousy get in the way?
Just as in the Harry Potter series, I preferred reading about the magical school and the teachers over the kids’ independent adventures after tragedy strikes. The plot in this book was inventive and fast-paced, but since the original structure of the school has been dismantled, it didn’t hold my interest as much as it might to other readers. All in all, it was my least favorite in the series so far, but I’m already invested, so I’ll continue to follow the pre-teen characters in their journey.
Introduced in this volume of the series is a little romance. After all, these are middle-school aged kids, and at that age, boys start noticing girls – and they often follow the old adage of, “If I’m not near the one I love…” Alex had a little crush on Lani, but since she’s still stuck on the creepy Island of Silence, he starts to appreciate the appearance and courage of a new girl who was rescued from the same island. Lani and Sami developed a very close bond while being held captive; if the planned rescue mission is successful and all the friends are reunited, will jealousy get in the way?
Just as in the Harry Potter series, I preferred reading about the magical school and the teachers over the kids’ independent adventures after tragedy strikes. The plot in this book was inventive and fast-paced, but since the original structure of the school has been dismantled, it didn’t hold my interest as much as it might to other readers. All in all, it was my least favorite in the series so far, but I’m already invested, so I’ll continue to follow the pre-teen characters in their journey.