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bethkemp's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this 'how could 'Lord of the Flies' happen now?' extended thought experiment. If I were teaching LotF again, would definitely recommend to interested/higher ability students as a great side-project (only not mid- to lower-ability during GCSE teaching to avoid confusion in answers - would be good to discuss afterwards), but would rec as an engaging read anyway (and - heresy of heresies, expect most contemporary teens would enjoy it more).
I found the protag Link engaging, if not always likable - but definitely easy to understand/relate to. The other kids were exactly as enraging as they were supposed to be and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. I know that some GR reviewers have expressed frustration with the balance between the 'before' of Link's school life and the island experience, feeling that there was too much of the school (since you know they're going to end up on the island), but I felt it was appropriately balanced for pace and tension and gave me the info and character development I needed for everything to work. I also really liked the organising conceit of Desert Island Discs. All in all, a good follow-up to Stags with linked themes of school bullying and how school hierarchies work and definitely recommended.
I found the protag Link engaging, if not always likable - but definitely easy to understand/relate to. The other kids were exactly as enraging as they were supposed to be and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. I know that some GR reviewers have expressed frustration with the balance between the 'before' of Link's school life and the island experience, feeling that there was too much of the school (since you know they're going to end up on the island), but I felt it was appropriately balanced for pace and tension and gave me the info and character development I needed for everything to work. I also really liked the organising conceit of Desert Island Discs. All in all, a good follow-up to Stags with linked themes of school bullying and how school hierarchies work and definitely recommended.
bookish_wiccan_'s review
3.0
To be quite honest, I actually gave this book three – three and a half stars when I had finished it just because of how much I disliked the main character, until I thought about it a lot more and realise I probably wasn’t supposed to like the main character all that much, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers, it was the way the main character started acting throughout the book, so because of this I bumped it up to 4 stars as I realised how well she had written it. I must admit this book has a lot of mixed reviews on Goodreads but if you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S I expect you’ll enjoy this one as well.
This is a story of seven teenagers who are going away for two weeks on a summer school trip but they end up stranded on an island, the main character, Link, who has been bullied the past three years, never made any friends at his school which he attended for three years as he was homeschooled up until that point, the first few chapters are a back story into Link’s life and why he wasn’t upset when he thought all his classmates died when he woke up on the island.
The plot twist of this book didn’t surprise me whatsoever and I did wonder why they didn’t think of certain things that I can’t really mention because, SPOILERS. I wish there was a thing on here like Goodreads where I can hide spoilers what I want to say is vital to my review to be honest.. all I’m going to say is ‘the airplane pilot’ so that when you read it, you might also realise what I’m on about.
This book, I thought was a little bit too long, I think some bits could’ve been taken out as it did drag on a tiny bit but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I actually finished this in a day just like S.T.A.G.S, it intrigued me and even though I managed to guess quite a bit of it there was one thing that I forgot about Link’s parents that would’ve clicked a lot more!
This is a story of seven teenagers who are going away for two weeks on a summer school trip but they end up stranded on an island, the main character, Link, who has been bullied the past three years, never made any friends at his school which he attended for three years as he was homeschooled up until that point, the first few chapters are a back story into Link’s life and why he wasn’t upset when he thought all his classmates died when he woke up on the island.
The plot twist of this book didn’t surprise me whatsoever and I did wonder why they didn’t think of certain things that I can’t really mention because, SPOILERS. I wish there was a thing on here like Goodreads where I can hide spoilers what I want to say is vital to my review to be honest.. all I’m going to say is ‘the airplane pilot’ so that when you read it, you might also realise what I’m on about.
This book, I thought was a little bit too long, I think some bits could’ve been taken out as it did drag on a tiny bit but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I actually finished this in a day just like S.T.A.G.S, it intrigued me and even though I managed to guess quite a bit of it there was one thing that I forgot about Link’s parents that would’ve clicked a lot more!
astralbooks's review
3.0
Also posted on my blog
Link is a victim of bullying, and desperately wants to leave school to get away from it. His parents say that he can, so long as he goes on a school summer trip that's already been paid for. However, he and his classmates wake up alone on a desert island, their plane apparently having crashed there. Not only do they now need to try and survive, but Link is determined not to be at the bottom of the pecking order anymore.
I was rolling my eyes at Link from first few pages. Liking pop culture, such as Star Wars, isn't unusual. It never has been. And it's certainly not what gets people bullied. He might've had a case if he'd tried to talk to people about it, and his enthusiasm got him ostracised (something I have personal experience with) but that's not what happened. The bullying stemmed from something else entirely. The protagonist being wrong about something like this isn't necessarily an issue, but I couldn't not point it out.
Throughout most of the book, Link is deeply unlikable. This isn't a criticism. He makes choices that hurt other people, for no reason other than that he wants to be the one in power, and it was interesting to read. I liked the point that this makes, and that another character points out, that being a victim doesn't mean you're a good person. Similarly, I liked that it made the (still clear, but not as explicitly stated) point that nobody deserves to be bullied, for any reason. My one issue with Link's character in this regard is thathis realisation that he'd been acting terribly happened far too quickly. It's not an exaggeration to say that he woke up one day knowing he'd done wrong and had to change. I'd have hoped for this to be more drawn out.
Homophobic slurs are used on multiple occasions in this book. They're condemned, but they're there, and they aren't used in a reclaiming context. I wasn't particularly happy to read them, so be aware if that's something that would bother you as well.
I'd figured out the twist pretty much from the start, but that kind of thing doesn't bother me at all. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story in any way.
That epilogue has to go. I'm sorry, but I really didn't like it. If it hadn't been there (and if the main bulk of the novel had ended slightly differently) I would've rated this 4 stars, rather than 3. Hopefully it'll be removed from the published version.
I love Bennett's writing style! It's really engaging, and it kept me interested throughout. Most of my rating comes from her writing style, as it made sure that I enjoyed reading this book. I also really liked how the characters had grown by the end. They'd all stopped pretending, and were working together, and understanding each other, and I really appreciated that.
This was an enjoyable read. Based on its exploration of bullying alone, I'd recommend it.
I received an e-arc through Netgalley in return for an honest review. Quotes may differ in the published version.
Link is a victim of bullying, and desperately wants to leave school to get away from it. His parents say that he can, so long as he goes on a school summer trip that's already been paid for. However, he and his classmates wake up alone on a desert island, their plane apparently having crashed there. Not only do they now need to try and survive, but Link is determined not to be at the bottom of the pecking order anymore.
I was rolling my eyes at Link from first few pages. Liking pop culture, such as Star Wars, isn't unusual. It never has been. And it's certainly not what gets people bullied. He might've had a case if he'd tried to talk to people about it, and his enthusiasm got him ostracised (something I have personal experience with) but that's not what happened. The bullying stemmed from something else entirely. The protagonist being wrong about something like this isn't necessarily an issue, but I couldn't not point it out.
Throughout most of the book, Link is deeply unlikable. This isn't a criticism. He makes choices that hurt other people, for no reason other than that he wants to be the one in power, and it was interesting to read. I liked the point that this makes, and that another character points out, that being a victim doesn't mean you're a good person. Similarly, I liked that it made the (still clear, but not as explicitly stated) point that nobody deserves to be bullied, for any reason. My one issue with Link's character in this regard is that
Homophobic slurs are used on multiple occasions in this book. They're condemned, but they're there, and they aren't used in a reclaiming context. I wasn't particularly happy to read them, so be aware if that's something that would bother you as well.
I'd figured out the twist pretty much from the start, but that kind of thing doesn't bother me at all. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story in any way.
That epilogue has to go. I'm sorry, but I really didn't like it. If it hadn't been there (and if the main bulk of the novel had ended slightly differently) I would've rated this 4 stars, rather than 3. Hopefully it'll be removed from the published version.
I love Bennett's writing style! It's really engaging, and it kept me interested throughout. Most of my rating comes from her writing style, as it made sure that I enjoyed reading this book. I also really liked how the characters had grown by the end. They'd all stopped pretending, and were working together, and understanding each other, and I really appreciated that.
This was an enjoyable read. Based on its exploration of bullying alone, I'd recommend it.
I received an e-arc through Netgalley in return for an honest review. Quotes may differ in the published version.
aoife26935's review
4.0
This is a very difficult book to review. The idea of it is brilliant; posh private school kids are stranded on an island, and the only one with any survival knowledge is the oppressed bully victim, leading to a reversal of the 'natural' order of things. (Even at that, though, there's never any mention that they should be boiling their drinking water, not even a "I curse the lack of equipment, as boiled water would be much safer" or anything like that. Minor complaint, I know, but still.)
It's an interesting read, and I was never tempted to put it down. Parts of it are difficult to read, though. Link, our 'hero', goes through some ugly phases, and though they're understandable they're still not easy to read. His parents also put me right off near the end. The rest of the characters are mostly ciphers, which is of course the whole point. And the ending of this one wasn't nearly as upsetting as the ending of [b:S.T.A.G.S|35154365|S.T.A.G.S|M.A. Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494944813s/35154365.jpg|56480955].
I'll definitely continue reading MA Bennett, and I hope to read many more.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
It's an interesting read, and I was never tempted to put it down. Parts of it are difficult to read, though. Link, our 'hero', goes through some ugly phases, and though they're understandable they're still not easy to read. His parents also put me right off near the end. The rest of the characters are mostly ciphers, which is of course the whole point. And the ending of this one wasn't nearly as upsetting as the ending of [b:S.T.A.G.S|35154365|S.T.A.G.S|M.A. Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494944813s/35154365.jpg|56480955].
I'll definitely continue reading MA Bennett, and I hope to read many more.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
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