Island of Fire

The fate of Artimé is at stake—and an unlikely alliance could redeem it—in book three in the New York Times bestselling Unwanteds series.

The magical world of Artimé is gone. The Unwanteds have no food, no water, and no hope. And everyone is looking to Alex Stowe for answers.

Overwhelmed and feeling totally helpless, Alex knows it’s up to him to find a way to restore Artimé, rescue his captive friends, and free Megan from her voice-stealing necklace of thorns—three impossible tasks. But could help lie with the silent, orange-eyed newcomers?

Meanwhile, in the stark land of Quill, Alex’s twin brother Aaron continues to build his army, preparing for the ultimate showdown with the Unwanteds. But a shocking twist reveals that Alex and Aaron share a common enemy more dangerous than either could have imagined...

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Gr 4–7—This third book in the series begins in the ruins of what was once the world of Artimé, where the residents are now suffering greatly. When their beloved leader, Mr. Today, was killed at the end of the previous book, all of his magic that created Artimé died with him. There is very little food or fresh water and things are growing desperate. Two Artiméans are held captive in neighboring Quill while two more are prisoners on Warbler, the next island in the chain. Mr. Today left young Alex Stowe in charge and gave him a clue to a spell that could restore Artimé to its former magical state. Alex needs the help of his best friend, Meghan, and Sky, a refugee from Warbler, to decipher the riddle, but both of them have been silenced with a horrible spell that has embedded metal thorns into their throats. Meanwhilie on Warbler, Lani and Samheed literally cling to each other while they are confined in total darkness, developing their own language of spelling by hand and growing closer to each other. Alex and his friends must re-create Artimé and rescue those held captive. The book closes with a period of recuperation and a celebration which is marred by troubling new developments, leaving plenty of clues for a fourth book. The pacing is slow for most of the narrative, interspersed with angst that seems unnecessary. Still, there is a lot here to delight middle-grade readers and fans of the series will certainly be glad to get their hands on this installment.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib. Wisconsin Rapids

Picking up where Island of Silence (2012) ended, this installment finds the world of Artimé decimated and Alex Stowe with a growing list of problems. With no food or water, he is helpless to prevent the exodus of Unwanteds who are choosing a life of servitude in Quill rather than wasting away in a lost world. Furthermore, his friends are still trapped on Warbler, and Meghan, the only Unwanted who managed to escape the ill-fated expedition to Warbler, has been rendered mute by a necklace of thorns. But Mr. Today’s faith in Alex was well-appointed. The development of Alex as a leader is one of the most satisfying aspects of the novel; it is in stark contrast to the regression of his twin, Aaron, still whining away in Quill and becoming increasingly paranoid. The series appears to have left its dystopian roots behind and developed into a full-blown fantasy saga. Another cliff-hanger ending will keep fans wanting more. New readers will need to start at the beginning in order to catch up. Grades 4-7. --Kara Dean