The Unwanteds #6: Island of Graves by Lisa McMann

My name is Alex. I am the leader of Artime, and we have survived several attacks by Gondoleery and the citizens of Quill. I'm tired of always preparing to defend ourselves from them, so I've convinced my friends that Gondoleery must be killed. We were able to knock her out, but I couldn't allow anyone to kill her while she was unconscious. I may have made a mistake. Gondoleery got away and is now murdering her own citizens to practice her magic. Her power is greater than all of the combined magic in Artime. Should I leave our island and find my twin brother Aaron.? He murdered my mentor, he's evil, and he can't be trusted! Are we that desperate? Aaron may be able to get the Necessaries in Quill to revolt against Gondoleery, but he might just take her place.


You need to read the previous books in the series to understand what's going on. I enjoyed the first few books, but the next few plots didn't grab me. This book was much more interesting. The author makes Gondoleery a ruthless monster to create a threat, and all the other characters fear her. Alex's character displays self-doubt, and Aaron goes through an amazing metamorphosis. All the other characters can't believe it, which becomes an ongoing problem. A new girl is rescued from an island of saber-toothed gorillas and she says she's from the United States. This girl represents the first time America is mentioned in the series, so it will be interesting to see if that's important in the future. I hope the resolution doesn't mean the author plans to add another book. I like how this book ends, and I don't need to read an additional story about a conflict with pirates. However, the clues seem to indicate a sequel is coming, and I'll probably read it anyhow.