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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.
2 stars!
Ooof I really liked the idea behind this and how it was described, but sadly how it was formatted, just fully in podcast style, not even switching it up from podcast to story really didn't work well for me with this story.
It would have been better to actually witness and go through that the influencers had to go through on the island. And then recap on the aftermath in a podcast style then switch as it would have made me more interested in the story and want to know what was going to happen.
And to be honest they weren't really fleshed out as characters enough to even get deep into the story, which is a shame.
2 stars!
Ooof I really liked the idea behind this and how it was described, but sadly how it was formatted, just fully in podcast style, not even switching it up from podcast to story really didn't work well for me with this story.
It would have been better to actually witness and go through that the influencers had to go through on the island. And then recap on the aftermath in a podcast style then switch as it would have made me more interested in the story and want to know what was going to happen.
And to be honest they weren't really fleshed out as characters enough to even get deep into the story, which is a shame.
I received an ARC of Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin. The plot intrigued me. 10 influencers invited to an island for a Fyre Festival meets Hunger Games experience. The 3 main characters Wyatt James a mysterious and “Bansky” type artist. Cal a journalist who is haunted by the death of his artist father he never knew. Carrie a former surfer girl also haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her beloved brother. I love how the story was told in podcast format. I flew through it in a day. The suspense level was high and seeing how everyone’s stories intertwined made it almost impossible to stop turning pages. If you’re looking for a suspenseful intriguing and entertaining read with the backdrop of the vanity of the internet and influencer culture this is a perfect read
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
I recieved this as an arc a while back and finally decided to read it, since I felt like the title and description gave me more autumn vibes. Anyway, the concept of this story is so good but the execution is lacking a lot, at least for me. The storyline felt rushed on some important stuff and completely dragged on stuff that felt quite unimportant to the storyline. Also I wish there was more depth to the characters as well as more depth to the actual plot on the island…since that whole thing seemed to be over in a blink of an eye, at least it felt like it. Personally I thought the idea of the story being told on a podcast format was genius but the execution again was too confusing with the time jumps from the story within the podcast. This had so much potential but sadly it wasn‘t as good as it could‘ve been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin is a book told in interviews regarding a deadly contest on a remote island where the more fame you have, the better your odds are. When a reclusive artist decides to make the greatest art installation the world has seen by bringing a group of influencers to an island and live-streaming their experience, millions of people send in videos with the dream of being picked. What ends up happening is a deadly game no one could have prepared for
The author says in the author note that this book was influenced by the infamous Fyre Festival and I feel like being familiar with that event will really help your enjoyment of this book. This book being told in interview format will be very hit or miss with some readers. While I did enjoy this book for the most part, I do think that it suffers from the same thing written transcripts of podcasts suffer from-you don’t feel as much of a connection with the characters because of the writing style. You only get to know about what the characters are saying they feel as opposed to being in their heads and going through everything with them.
The interviews also jump between characters that aren’t together so if you aren’t paying close attention, you will easily get confused. Sometimes it will bounce around between several characters that are all doing different things in different locations within a few pages and you just have to keep everything straight.
I do think that the discussion of internet fame and the lengths in which people will go to become famous is really good in this book. The artist who is bringing everyone to the island reminded me a lot of Banksey but more on the wild side. Wyatt James is known for painting celebrities but the paintings become more and more morbid over his career thus garnering a lot of attention to the message behind the art. There were several lines in this book that felt like very relevant social commentary.
I think this book would make an amazing audiobook as far as the experience goes. Much like Daisy Jones and the Six, some books are just better and more immersive via audio. This book also has the same feel of the Fyre Festival in which each chapter has reveals that seem more crazy than the last. I would recommend this to anyone who is just looking for something kind of crazy to read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The author says in the author note that this book was influenced by the infamous Fyre Festival and I feel like being familiar with that event will really help your enjoyment of this book. This book being told in interview format will be very hit or miss with some readers. While I did enjoy this book for the most part, I do think that it suffers from the same thing written transcripts of podcasts suffer from-you don’t feel as much of a connection with the characters because of the writing style. You only get to know about what the characters are saying they feel as opposed to being in their heads and going through everything with them.
The interviews also jump between characters that aren’t together so if you aren’t paying close attention, you will easily get confused. Sometimes it will bounce around between several characters that are all doing different things in different locations within a few pages and you just have to keep everything straight.
I do think that the discussion of internet fame and the lengths in which people will go to become famous is really good in this book. The artist who is bringing everyone to the island reminded me a lot of Banksey but more on the wild side. Wyatt James is known for painting celebrities but the paintings become more and more morbid over his career thus garnering a lot of attention to the message behind the art. There were several lines in this book that felt like very relevant social commentary.
I think this book would make an amazing audiobook as far as the experience goes. Much like Daisy Jones and the Six, some books are just better and more immersive via audio. This book also has the same feel of the Fyre Festival in which each chapter has reveals that seem more crazy than the last. I would recommend this to anyone who is just looking for something kind of crazy to read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wyatt James is legendary in the art world and beyond. Their art installations are incendiary and infamous…and then along comes Influencer Island. There will be ten contestants and they will be given the opportunity to party with the world’s most established influencers and celebrities. The number of likes and followers on their socials will soar. The contest is streamed on social media and soon it’s clear not all is as it seems on the island. Some contestants go live to warn people the island is a trap. The streaming shuts down and in the aftermath many of the contestants have disappeared and others are found dead. Grisly portraits appear. What on earth happened on Influencer Island? Can the transcript of an unaired podcast provide the truth?
Okay, I will totally hold my hands up and say I requested the book because a loathe the term “influencer” and all the nonsense that goes with it. So, the blurb was right up my street. I really enjoyed the book, particularly the epistolary style with the transcripts of the podcast. It was a gripping read and I raced through it to get answers. For me, the ending was perhaps the weakest part of the book as I didn’t really buy in to the explanation or motivation behind Influencer Island. Having said that, I really enjoyed going along for the ride and trying to work out what happened. I would definitely read this author’s work again.
Thank you to Kyle Rutkin, Greater Path and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, I will totally hold my hands up and say I requested the book because a loathe the term “influencer” and all the nonsense that goes with it. So, the blurb was right up my street. I really enjoyed the book, particularly the epistolary style with the transcripts of the podcast. It was a gripping read and I raced through it to get answers. For me, the ending was perhaps the weakest part of the book as I didn’t really buy in to the explanation or motivation behind Influencer Island. Having said that, I really enjoyed going along for the ride and trying to work out what happened. I would definitely read this author’s work again.
Thank you to Kyle Rutkin, Greater Path and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
A dark psychological thriller about a social media completion that turns deadly. Feyre Festival meets Hunger Games and Squid Games. Although the winner gains all the fame and followers on social media.
The format of this book is in podcast transcript, which I enjoyed.
This book had me hooked from the beginning and just keeps picking up as the story unfolds. I didn’t guess anything which I loved! I love when the twists surprises me
The format of this book is in podcast transcript, which I enjoyed.
This book had me hooked from the beginning and just keeps picking up as the story unfolds. I didn’t guess anything which I loved! I love when the twists surprises me
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Great commentary on the masks we chose to play on the world. Well some brutality. Didn’t like how much the story jumped around with the podcast format.
challenging
dark
tense
Thanks so much to Greater Path LLC for access to this ARC.
As much as the concept of this is strong, this would be so much better being produced as solely an audiobook, as opposed to a physical text.
It's wild, as a story, but I could not get past how difficult it is to follow. With the nature of the text being a podcast transcript, it is all too easy to mix up characters, to get lost in the timelines and setting, which are never clearly defined to the reader, despite the context being important. There are entire "episodes" in which there are parallel conversations occurring in two or more locations, but in the text, it appears as if it is all in one room— which is misleading and grossly changes what you can understand.
Also, as much as I admired the boldness and insanity, the ending simply wasn't believable, and felt random and silly, frankly.
I really think this could be an awesome audiobook, but my reading experience was subpar.
As much as the concept of this is strong, this would be so much better being produced as solely an audiobook, as opposed to a physical text.
It's wild, as a story, but I could not get past how difficult it is to follow. With the nature of the text being a podcast transcript, it is all too easy to mix up characters, to get lost in the timelines and setting, which are never clearly defined to the reader, despite the context being important. There are entire "episodes" in which there are parallel conversations occurring in two or more locations, but in the text, it appears as if it is all in one room— which is misleading and grossly changes what you can understand.
Also, as much as I admired the boldness and insanity, the ending simply wasn't believable, and felt random and silly, frankly.
I really think this could be an awesome audiobook, but my reading experience was subpar.
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I'm extremely confused as to why this book has received such low reviews. A lot said there was not a lot of character development.... It's written as the transcript of a podcast of a horror story, how much depth do you want? I loved the documentary style of it and I loved the theme of the real you vs the social media image.