Island of Silence

Book 52 of my 2016 Reading Challenge
read from June 8 - 21

Island of Silence by Lisa McMann
Book 2 of the Unwanted series

Summary (via the book jacket)
The battle is over. The magical barrier between the dreary land of Quill and the fantastical world of Artime is gone. Now residents of both places are free to mingle, but tensions are high. The artistic warriors of Artime 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.
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 Artime'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. Spurred by rage, Aaron devises a masterful plan of revenge that will return him to power...if no one gets in his way.

My Opinion
I loved the first book in this series so much because of the creative concept and the author's writing.  Second books are always difficult for me because their sole purpose seems to be to introduce more conflicts and move the story along without getting resolution yet.  That's the case here so even though it's necessary for plot, I didn't like this book as much as the first one and I look forward to moving on to the next book soon.

I will be incredibly sad if one of the characters really is gone and doesn't appear throughout the series.  I'm not ready for him to be done yet.

A Few Quotes from the Book
"Using his well-trained mind and all the effort he had in him, he willed his sorrow to turn into bitterness, knowing that his bitterness would soon grow into a most unhealthy desire for revenge. And revenge was necessary now. After all that had happened in recent weeks, Aaron knew the truth: Revenge was the only thing that would keep him alive."

"These items make up my existence, Alex. Much of my life was spent alone, and these things are witnesses to it. The library tells my story, the mastodon my mistakes, the ship my discoveries and my abilities to make old things new without magic, and the whale...my limitations, I suppose."

"There will always be times we struggle, make bad decisions, even fail. What's important is not that we fail, but that we learn and grow. And that we know that there is always someone out there who believes in us."