The Unwanteds #2: Island of Silence by Lisa McMann

This book is the second in The Unwanteds series, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. After the final battle in book one, Mr. Today tries his best to bring peace between Quill and Atrime. However, Alex Stowe's brother, Aaron, is very bitter about the turn of events, and he puts his efforts into getting revenge against Alex and Mr. Today. He starts to recruit followers in order to form an army, and he prepares them to attack Artime when the opportunity arises. Meanwhile, Mr. Today offers to train Alex to become his successor when he's away or when he eventually dies. Alex doesn't want the position, but he continues to learn new spells and work with Mr. Today. Some strangers wash ashore, and the leaders of Artime assume they are escapees from one of the nearby islands. A few of the characters take an interest in the islands with disastrous results. Another battle between Artime and Quill seems unavoidable, but will the paradise of Artime survive this time?

There were many different things going on in this plot. Mr. Today was preparing for a time when he would be gone, Aaron was planning to overthrow Artime, the silent strangers with thorns on their necks created more questions, and Alex had mixed feelings and questions about everything. Every chapter held action and interest, so I wanted to keep reading. In addition, I knew there were spies around, but I didn't know which characters to believe or doubt. Even at the end of book, I wasn't sure whom to trust, and I'm anxious to read the next book when it comes out in September of 2013.