Book Review: Island of Silence (The Unwanteds #2)
Island of Silence is the second book in The Unwanteds series, and it largely deals with the aftermath of the battle between Artimé and Quill from the first book. Artimé has survived and is now able to come out into the open, as well as allow travel between Artimé and Quill. As such, many of the Necessaries in Quill choose to leave behind their jobs and move to Artimé to start a new life. Since the Necessaries were the ones doing much of the essential work, Quill begins to struggle.
This creates a need in Quill, one that Alex’s brother Aaron, a Wanted, sees as an opportunity. Aaron has a drive for power and sees the instability in Quill as a chance to rise. Meanwhile, Alex is reluctant to lead.
Mr. Today, the mage of Artimé, is old and cares very much for Artimé. He wants Alex to someday take over leading Artimé. Alex, who does not have the confidence to do so, declines. He gives several reasons why he would not be a good leader, and one of them was actually rather hilarious and yet somewhat spot on: “Almost ruined the world when the governors came last year. Would probably accidentally destroy it all single-handedly.”
I found the book a little slow at times, especially as it worked through the aftermath of the first book, but as the story moves closer to the end, things become more dramatic. We are also introduced to a new mystery when two strange children are found unconscious on a raft and are mysteriously silent. The Quillians begin to fight back, and the mystery surrounding the silent children becomes more important as the story progresses.
Overall, I liked Island of Silence. It was engaging and kept my interest, even though parts of it were slow. I especially liked seeing Alex begin to grow into a leadership role, and the ending left enough mystery that I want to read the next book to see what happens. I would recommend the book, especially to readers who enjoy fantasy stories with mystery, conflict, personal growth, and characters trying to do the right thing.