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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Such an original story that almost reads like a horror fantasy, so I obviously enjoyed it!! Might not be for everyone, but the Fyre + Hunger games for the modern “influencer” driven world is spot on. I think everyone should read this just to encourage Kyle to write more stories like this!!
Thank you author & publisher for the e-arc.
Thank you author & publisher for the e-arc.
Such an original story that almost reads like a horror fantasy, so I obviously enjoyed it!! Might not be for everyone, but the Fyre + Hunger games for the modern “influencer” driven world is spot on. I think everyone should read this just to encourage Kyle to write more stories like this!!
Thank you author & publisher for the e-arc.
Thank you author & publisher for the e-arc.
3.5 stars.
‘Influencer Island’ tackles to what extent people are willing to push the boundaries of social media and influencer culture. A horror take on Fyre Fest, it follows an anonymous artist hosting an online competition which promises one lucky individual the coveted title of influencer - but tones quickly change as the world is forced to watch as, one by one, contestants are killed on Instagram live…
~
The premise of this book is unreal - takes on social media / influencer culture can often seem very cringe and a desperate attempt to be seen as modern; but this was so out there that it worked very well.
Every scene set on the island was written phenomenally as was the mystery surrounding the characters and what the true end goal was - I was hooked the entire time. Superbly executed, you are placed in the shoes of the audience - reading about the most horrific events, but you cannot help but turn the page.
-
However, it attempts to follow a dual POV - with a perspective of the outside, of two people running a podcast to solve the mystery.
I could not care less about this storyline. It took away from the main premise completely and offered very little purpose other than to flick to for cliffhangers, it removed my focus and honestly I ended up skipping a lot of the chapters which involved the characters.
Furthermore, a lot of the final reveals / motivations really fell flat for me. I understand it was an attempt to highlight the shallowness of each character but it felt like a half-assed and rushed ending, disappointing given that it ruined what was truly a great book.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.
‘Influencer Island’ tackles to what extent people are willing to push the boundaries of social media and influencer culture. A horror take on Fyre Fest, it follows an anonymous artist hosting an online competition which promises one lucky individual the coveted title of influencer - but tones quickly change as the world is forced to watch as, one by one, contestants are killed on Instagram live…
~
The premise of this book is unreal - takes on social media / influencer culture can often seem very cringe and a desperate attempt to be seen as modern; but this was so out there that it worked very well.
Every scene set on the island was written phenomenally as was the mystery surrounding the characters and what the true end goal was - I was hooked the entire time. Superbly executed, you are placed in the shoes of the audience - reading about the most horrific events, but you cannot help but turn the page.
-
However, it attempts to follow a dual POV - with a perspective of the outside, of two people running a podcast to solve the mystery.
I could not care less about this storyline. It took away from the main premise completely and offered very little purpose other than to flick to for cliffhangers, it removed my focus and honestly I ended up skipping a lot of the chapters which involved the characters.
Furthermore, a lot of the final reveals / motivations really fell flat for me. I understand it was an attempt to highlight the shallowness of each character but it felt like a half-assed and rushed ending, disappointing given that it ruined what was truly a great book.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.
Influencer Island explores our dark obsession with social media and the role it plays in our lives.
The focus is on renowned artist, Wyatt James, (think Banksy) and their involvement event in a competition known as Influencer Island. Eleven of the most popular influencers are encouraging people to sign up to compete…the key rules, do what you need to in order to survive.
Some well-known YA fiction is alluded to here, and the characters were very obviously based on people we might recognise. However, the podcast format was an interesting idea.
From the outset this was clearly going to have a purpose we would need to uncover. The character of Cal was our lifeline here, though he had his own reasons for getting involved.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication.
The focus is on renowned artist, Wyatt James, (think Banksy) and their involvement event in a competition known as Influencer Island. Eleven of the most popular influencers are encouraging people to sign up to compete…the key rules, do what you need to in order to survive.
Some well-known YA fiction is alluded to here, and the characters were very obviously based on people we might recognise. However, the podcast format was an interesting idea.
From the outset this was clearly going to have a purpose we would need to uncover. The character of Cal was our lifeline here, though he had his own reasons for getting involved.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication.
I was absolutely drawn in by the premise of the story. Hunger Games meets Fyre Festival sounds like the recipe for an amazing gore-filled horror. I loved the dark side of the technology aspect and how that ties in with social media popularity. The story is fairly fast-paced and although it was written in a format that I'm not too fond of (interview transcript) I still found it very easy to read and enjoy. The book is laid out like you're reading the podcast episodes detailing everything surrounding the actual events that go down on Infunancer Island, the making of the podcast, and how it's all somewhat connected.
Aside from the format and the lack of gore I loved this book. I will without a doubt recommend this book to everyone remotely interested in this genre of books.
*thank you to Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Aside from the format and the lack of gore I loved this book. I will without a doubt recommend this book to everyone remotely interested in this genre of books.
*thank you to Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I loved the plot in this story however more details needed to be added to the story, however he plot of the story was amazing it just needed more.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
This was a fun, you know exactly what you are getting from the description, read. With some mystery, everything was on the surface, with no greater depth - which was fine for me. You could say the satire leads to some commentary about today's society, but this was purely a horror 'popcorn' read.
Also, I loved the format of the writing -- told as a podcast transcript.
3.5 starts, rounded to 4
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
Also, I loved the format of the writing -- told as a podcast transcript.
3.5 starts, rounded to 4
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
I'll skip the summary on this because you can look it up, but basically we have Squid Games meets Hunger Games at the Fyre Festival. Oh, plus culty stuff. And a mysterious artist who paints dead people.
This book is so fun. It's told as a podcast transcript, which keeps things really fast-paced and allows for quick POV shifts that aren't confusing. The format also reminds me a bit of the show Yellowjackets - we come into the story knowing something insane happened, and then it's slowly uncovered.
The only negative I have was that the timeline can get a bit confusing in parts; there would be a "meanwhile" to transition to something I thought happened beforehand. Also, this is a personal thing, but I think there were references to real life influencers I missed out on.
I had a blast reading this. It is a fast read full of twists and turns, and a few gruesome shocks. I would love for it to be made into a show!
Influencer Island comes out on July 30th! Thank you to Netgalley and Kyle Rutkin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is so fun. It's told as a podcast transcript, which keeps things really fast-paced and allows for quick POV shifts that aren't confusing. The format also reminds me a bit of the show Yellowjackets - we come into the story knowing something insane happened, and then it's slowly uncovered.
The only negative I have was that the timeline can get a bit confusing in parts; there would be a "meanwhile" to transition to something I thought happened beforehand. Also, this is a personal thing, but I think there were references to real life influencers I missed out on.
I had a blast reading this. It is a fast read full of twists and turns, and a few gruesome shocks. I would love for it to be made into a show!
Influencer Island comes out on July 30th! Thank you to Netgalley and Kyle Rutkin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.