Island of Silence Review

416 pages

The battle is over. The magical barrier between the dreary land of Quill and the fantastical world of Artimé is gone. Now residents of both places are free to mingle, but tensions are high. The artistic warriors of Artimé struggle to forgive those in Quill who condemned them to death, while the Quillens attempt to recover from the shock of Artime’s existence, the loss of their leader, and the total collapse of their safe, orderly world. 14-year-old Alex Stowe has recovered from his physical wounds since his death-defying role in Artime’s victory, but his confidence is shattered. He battles self-doubt after Artimé’s beloved mage, Mr. Today, makes a stunning request, which is further complicated by the mysterious arrival of two silent, orange-eyed teenagers. Meanwhile in Quill, Aaron is devastated by his fall from grace and seething with anger toward his twin brother Alex. Spurred by rage, Aaron recruits a team of Restorers and devises a masterful plan of revenge that will return him to power…if no one gets in his way.

Review:
If you thought the first novel was good, this one completely blows that one out of the water! I admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the first novel but I absolutely loved this one! Even though the barrier is down between Quill and Artimé, there is still a lot of dissension with most Quillens. Alex doesn't believe in himself as much as he should especially after what happened with his twin brother Aaron at the end of the first novel. Aaron's mind has become extremely warped and its interesting to see the way he influences the Quillens to come around to his way of thinking. Besides all of the drama and battles going on between the Quillens and those in Artimé, there are other problems and mysteries to uncover on the other islands. Be forewarned, there are some dark moments in this novel that make you wonder what else can possibly go wrong. There is more action and adventure in this book than the previous one and it makes for an exciting read. Although this novel ended on a bit of a cliffhanger I wasn't disappointed with it at all. I can't wait to get my hands on the next novel in this series. I definitely recommend reading this if you love fantasy novels but make sure you read The Unwanteds first.