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ruthparker16's review
1.0
Oh my goodness. I think this is the worst book I read this year. This is not good. This is awful. Dude should never talk to his parents again.
faerieontheshelf's review
3.0
↠ 3 stars
I received a copy in exchange for a honest review.
Having quite enjoyed S.T.A.G.S., Bennett’s debut novel, I was interested to see what she would pull out of the hat next. The Island contains some similarities to her first novel (the posh school trope, essentially), but it focuses on a very different main character, setting, and themes.
The Island is a bit like Lord of the Flies – a group of teens get stranded on a desert island and have to learn to survive. The seven teens are all character archetypes on the surface – the jock, the nerd, the emo etc etc – but in all fairness, it doesn’t actually add much to the novel because the only important one is the geek.
The geek (whose name is Link, short for Lincoln) is the main character, and after years of bullying at his posh sports school, he can finally reign supreme on an island where his knowledge allows him to thrive.
To be entirely honest, he is not the most likeable protagonist. I do feel he has been deliberately crafted this way, and having been bullied for so many years it is not unsurprising he chooses to turn the tables on those who victimised him, but I felt his character redemption came a little too late. Being the one who is undoubtedly the leader on the island, the power gets to his head and he ends up being a general sexist twat at some points. Also I’m not overly fond of his narrative voice – I cannot get around the use of ‘ya’ in places, like ‘ya know’.
In addition, I feel the book was slow to start (there was an introductory bit before they actually got to the desert island) and then the twist at the end came a little late. The twist itself wasn’t overly surprising, as I clued in about halfway through, but I did enjoy it (even if I thought it was a bit unbelievable and ethically questionable.) Additionally, the epilogue was interesting, for lack of better words, because it was in a very different tone compared to the rest of the novel, to the point where I wondered if it was just a daydream. However, the book was gripping and I was invested throughout, reading it in a relatively short time.
What I did like about the novel was what I picked up from it. I liked the references to other texts like The Breakfast Club and The Count of Monte Cristo, and I did like the actual idea of the novel, with the ‘power corrupts’ theme and how different people take to leadership. So whilst I enjoyed S.T.A.G.S. more, The Island was still a good novel. At the end of the day though, it isn’t the most memorable novel, and likely won’t stick with me for very long.
TL;DR: A tense, easily-read castaway novel about a group of teens on a desert island, and what people will do when given a role of power.
this review is also available on my blog! <3
whatlouisreading's review
3.0
'People that are bullied aren't necessarily nice people, just because they're victims.'
When you finish this book, you will realise how much of a ridiculous plot this is, a little (a lot) unbelievable. However, I still found it an enjoyable read.
First of a few reviews have mentioned, that the book reveals what happens at the very beginning. It does not. It has a prologue, which opens up what happens in the book, but it is no more information than what you get from the synopsis or the information on the cover. Other books follow a similar style. It creates intrigue for the reader and makes them want to read the story and find out what happens to lead to the events described in the prologue.
There are themes of intense bullying particularly in the first half of the book. Link our main character has started at a prestigious English school in Oxford, previously being home schooled and living in America, he struggles to fit in. The school focuses on fitness and sports rather than academia, Lincoln is a self-confessed geek and not sporty in the slightest.
His peers are not likable, the school is divided by how fit and athletic you are and Lincoln is the lowest of the order. This all changes on the island, Lincoln is able to showcase his strengths that come from knowledge. However, through the developments on the island whatever sympathy you felt for Lincoln in the beginning vanishes. His character changes, he becomes controlling a bit of a bully himself. In England, we’d call him an ‘arse’ (excuse my English)
I figured out the plot twist way too early, it was around page 105, the book is 366 pages long. While Lincoln’s character develops backwards, you get to see more to some of the supporting characters (the bullies). The slight development does not excuse them from bullying. The book does lack in character development, while we see more and see a slight change in characters they revert to their old ways and their stereotypes. I thought this was disappointing.
One thing I did love is that the book was set in England, and a modern England. The language and terminology used was familiar and recognisable. I think I appreciated this a little more than, if the book was set elsewhere or in a different time.
I know I’ve said the plot is ridiculous and unbelievable but it is and easy read and enjoyable in places. It provided an escape and is that not one of the reasons we like to read.
When you finish this book, you will realise how much of a ridiculous plot this is, a little (a lot) unbelievable. However, I still found it an enjoyable read.
First of a few reviews have mentioned, that the book reveals what happens at the very beginning. It does not. It has a prologue, which opens up what happens in the book, but it is no more information than what you get from the synopsis or the information on the cover. Other books follow a similar style. It creates intrigue for the reader and makes them want to read the story and find out what happens to lead to the events described in the prologue.
There are themes of intense bullying particularly in the first half of the book. Link our main character has started at a prestigious English school in Oxford, previously being home schooled and living in America, he struggles to fit in. The school focuses on fitness and sports rather than academia, Lincoln is a self-confessed geek and not sporty in the slightest.
His peers are not likable, the school is divided by how fit and athletic you are and Lincoln is the lowest of the order. This all changes on the island, Lincoln is able to showcase his strengths that come from knowledge. However, through the developments on the island whatever sympathy you felt for Lincoln in the beginning vanishes. His character changes, he becomes controlling a bit of a bully himself. In England, we’d call him an ‘arse’ (excuse my English)
I figured out the plot twist way too early, it was around page 105, the book is 366 pages long. While Lincoln’s character develops backwards, you get to see more to some of the supporting characters (the bullies). The slight development does not excuse them from bullying. The book does lack in character development, while we see more and see a slight change in characters they revert to their old ways and their stereotypes. I thought this was disappointing.
One thing I did love is that the book was set in England, and a modern England. The language and terminology used was familiar and recognisable. I think I appreciated this a little more than, if the book was set elsewhere or in a different time.
I know I’ve said the plot is ridiculous and unbelievable but it is and easy read and enjoyable in places. It provided an escape and is that not one of the reasons we like to read.
emmalouisepip's review
2.0
I went into this pretty blind. At first I was interested but once I stopped at around 25% to go eat I found I struggled to get back into it.
Majority of the book felt slow and the only thing we really saw was Link become more unlikable.
The ending sadly didn't make up for the rest of the book. The epilogue is ridiculous. I would worry if he actually ran a country.
Link, the main character is so unlikable. The type of person I would avoid in real life. The fact he made the girls dress in the skirt for him, starved them if they didn't do what he wanted and mocked them disgusted me. He felt so entitled and like he can treat them this way because he was bullied for years. Wrong type of message to send.
The other characters felt very stereotypical as well.
Majority of the book felt slow and the only thing we really saw was Link become more unlikable.
The ending sadly didn't make up for the rest of the book. The epilogue is ridiculous. I would worry if he actually ran a country.
Link, the main character is so unlikable. The type of person I would avoid in real life. The fact he made the girls dress in the skirt for him, starved them if they didn't do what he wanted and mocked them disgusted me. He felt so entitled and like he can treat them this way because he was bullied for years. Wrong type of message to send.
The other characters felt very stereotypical as well.
sarabook's review
2.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Island follows Link, a newcomer to a prestigious American school, as he’s thrown into a world of traditions, bullies and rankings. Forced on a summer school trip with the worst of his tormentors, his life is thrown into turmoil as rivalries and alliances come to a head on a deserted island, where only the fittest and smartest survive.
I was drawn to this as it looked like a good summer novel, and overall I found it was easy to read, written well, and kept me interested enough to want to know how it ended. It’s like a YA version of Survivor and Lord of the Flies which made for an interesting world that’s a little bit different from the average contemporary YA. However, aside from the descriptive settings I found this isn’t really developed well. It’s character driven - which I found to be at the detriment of the plot and pace as it spends too much time setting up backstories rather than telling the actual story.
I also found the plot ‘twists’ rather obvious, and I worked them out quite early on - meaning nothing came as a surprise or shocked me during the course of the story. If there had been some kind of mystery or set up that I wasn’t expecting I think this would have propelled my enjoyment of this a bit more. I felt I was constantly anticipating a twist that I knew was coming rather than having the carpet swept out from under me - which is what I wanted.
I also found all of the main characters deeply unlikeable with no redeeming features. Link in particular is misogynistic with little emotional depth. Despite being bullied himself, he shows little sympathy for others and seems to take an almost pride in being horrible to his peers. There’s no emotional connection, and with this lack of sympathy, this made me not care about what happened to any of the characters.
The biggest let down for me was the far fetched epilogue that didn’t fit with the rest of the novel. It completely changed the outlook and tone of the whole novel, and ruined whatever redeeming features I might have felt towards it. I found it essentially unnecessary and unrealistic in terms of character development.
This had the promise of an easy summer read with a hint of mystery, but fell a little flat in character development and pace.
The Island follows Link, a newcomer to a prestigious American school, as he’s thrown into a world of traditions, bullies and rankings. Forced on a summer school trip with the worst of his tormentors, his life is thrown into turmoil as rivalries and alliances come to a head on a deserted island, where only the fittest and smartest survive.
I was drawn to this as it looked like a good summer novel, and overall I found it was easy to read, written well, and kept me interested enough to want to know how it ended. It’s like a YA version of Survivor and Lord of the Flies which made for an interesting world that’s a little bit different from the average contemporary YA. However, aside from the descriptive settings I found this isn’t really developed well. It’s character driven - which I found to be at the detriment of the plot and pace as it spends too much time setting up backstories rather than telling the actual story.
I also found the plot ‘twists’ rather obvious, and I worked them out quite early on - meaning nothing came as a surprise or shocked me during the course of the story. If there had been some kind of mystery or set up that I wasn’t expecting I think this would have propelled my enjoyment of this a bit more. I felt I was constantly anticipating a twist that I knew was coming rather than having the carpet swept out from under me - which is what I wanted.
I also found all of the main characters deeply unlikeable with no redeeming features. Link in particular is misogynistic with little emotional depth. Despite being bullied himself, he shows little sympathy for others and seems to take an almost pride in being horrible to his peers. There’s no emotional connection, and with this lack of sympathy, this made me not care about what happened to any of the characters.
The biggest let down for me was the far fetched epilogue that didn’t fit with the rest of the novel. It completely changed the outlook and tone of the whole novel, and ruined whatever redeeming features I might have felt towards it. I found it essentially unnecessary and unrealistic in terms of character development.
This had the promise of an easy summer read with a hint of mystery, but fell a little flat in character development and pace.
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
Having been gripped by M. A. Bennett's debut offering 'S.T.A.G.S.' I was excited about getting to read a copy of 'The Island', Both books are from the Teens & Young Adult market, feature prestigious private schools for those with more money than sense, and have thrilling elements and a deceptive darkness to them.
Link is a 16-year old American boy who has relocated to the UK with his parents after they're offered lecturing posts at the University of Oxford. Back in the U.S. he received home schooling so when his parents enrol him at the prestigious local private school Osney, he is more than a little anxious. When he turns out to be the slowest runner in an activity designed to determine school order, one of the strange traditions at the school, he immediately attracts the attention of the bullies. So when he is offered the chance to go on a summer school trip, voluntarily spending extra time with people who either mistreat or ignore him is certainly not something Link wants to subject himself to. But his parents only agree to let him leave Osney if he goes on the trip and he decides it is worth enduring to be able to leave them all behind for good later. Of course, the plane crashes and they find themselves stranded on an island (à la 'Lost') and somewhat predictably the dynamic shifts considerably. Link may not be an athlete but one thing he is is well read and is the only one who knows the things needed to survive on a desert island such as how to build a fire, how to find food and how to create shelter. What actually is sporting prowess going to achieve in your fight for survival on a desert island with noone but your peers?
This book took me back to my school days and a time when I endured a lot. Not only was I diagnosed with two debilitating illnesses at age fifteen, I was going through some pretty horrible bullying too. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of other people who endured far worse but I wanted to highlight that I understand the narrative and the harrowing outcomes this behaviour causes at such a young age. I recognise the home schooling too, having also had the same. All of this meant I had an enormous amount of empathy for Link and his situation. The fact that he ends up becoming bigheaded from the power in the end is sad but not really much of a surprise given the lack of control he's had over his life and happiness in the majority of this novel. We learn a lot of important messages from the story with the statement 'treat others as you would like to be treat' being a moral message to take away from it. I hope that many young people pick up this book for that very reason, the messages it sends out are certainly crucial ones for a well-rounded, happy and upstanding individual to uphold. Other issues the book explores include misogyny, responsibility, abuse of power, revenge/retribution and desperation - the author does this with tact and in a way that is suitable for a teenage audience.
All in all, Bennett's characterisation was exquisite, she did a great job of making most of the characters detestable and the twist during the concluding pages of the book was satisfying - I certainly hadn't predicted it. If you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S. then this will also strike a chord with you.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Link is a 16-year old American boy who has relocated to the UK with his parents after they're offered lecturing posts at the University of Oxford. Back in the U.S. he received home schooling so when his parents enrol him at the prestigious local private school Osney, he is more than a little anxious. When he turns out to be the slowest runner in an activity designed to determine school order, one of the strange traditions at the school, he immediately attracts the attention of the bullies. So when he is offered the chance to go on a summer school trip, voluntarily spending extra time with people who either mistreat or ignore him is certainly not something Link wants to subject himself to. But his parents only agree to let him leave Osney if he goes on the trip and he decides it is worth enduring to be able to leave them all behind for good later. Of course, the plane crashes and they find themselves stranded on an island (à la 'Lost') and somewhat predictably the dynamic shifts considerably. Link may not be an athlete but one thing he is is well read and is the only one who knows the things needed to survive on a desert island such as how to build a fire, how to find food and how to create shelter. What actually is sporting prowess going to achieve in your fight for survival on a desert island with noone but your peers?
This book took me back to my school days and a time when I endured a lot. Not only was I diagnosed with two debilitating illnesses at age fifteen, I was going through some pretty horrible bullying too. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of other people who endured far worse but I wanted to highlight that I understand the narrative and the harrowing outcomes this behaviour causes at such a young age. I recognise the home schooling too, having also had the same. All of this meant I had an enormous amount of empathy for Link and his situation. The fact that he ends up becoming bigheaded from the power in the end is sad but not really much of a surprise given the lack of control he's had over his life and happiness in the majority of this novel. We learn a lot of important messages from the story with the statement 'treat others as you would like to be treat' being a moral message to take away from it. I hope that many young people pick up this book for that very reason, the messages it sends out are certainly crucial ones for a well-rounded, happy and upstanding individual to uphold. Other issues the book explores include misogyny, responsibility, abuse of power, revenge/retribution and desperation - the author does this with tact and in a way that is suitable for a teenage audience.
All in all, Bennett's characterisation was exquisite, she did a great job of making most of the characters detestable and the twist during the concluding pages of the book was satisfying - I certainly hadn't predicted it. If you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S. then this will also strike a chord with you.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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irongator's review
I couldn't finish this book, in fact I only got 68 pages in before I took it to a charity shop and parted ways with it forever.
The author doesn't seem like she knows enough about the hobbies and interests of her main character to make him believable. I also had issues with the continued idea that intelligence and 'geekiness' can not be paired with athleticism, I don't have words for how much I loathe this trope. I was sick of how 'white' he was, how 'skinny' he was. How he wore glasses because it fit with the authors geeky narrative. Speaking as a person who is into video games and comic books, I also was on the sports teams at school and went hiking and cycling. I feel this weighed heavily on my quick and perhaps a little harsh judgement of the book.
As I said, I didn't finish it so he may become more interesting as the book progresses, and as I turned each page I really did want to like it and hoped it would improve - the premise sounded really interesting.
What finally made me put the book down though was the fact that Link (our narrator) had claimed to be a fan of both DC and Marvel, then in a later chapter had called the Hulk 'David Banner'. David Banner was the name given to the Hulk's alter ego in the 1978 TV series, I just can't imagine a Marvel fan - particularly one born post 2000 - referencing the TV series narrative instead of the comic's Bruce Banner.
My only hope now is that someone else will pick it up and give my donated copy the love I couldn't.
The author doesn't seem like she knows enough about the hobbies and interests of her main character to make him believable. I also had issues with the continued idea that intelligence and 'geekiness' can not be paired with athleticism, I don't have words for how much I loathe this trope. I was sick of how 'white' he was, how 'skinny' he was. How he wore glasses because it fit with the authors geeky narrative. Speaking as a person who is into video games and comic books, I also was on the sports teams at school and went hiking and cycling. I feel this weighed heavily on my quick and perhaps a little harsh judgement of the book.
As I said, I didn't finish it so he may become more interesting as the book progresses, and as I turned each page I really did want to like it and hoped it would improve - the premise sounded really interesting.
What finally made me put the book down though was the fact that Link (our narrator) had claimed to be a fan of both DC and Marvel, then in a later chapter had called the Hulk 'David Banner'. David Banner was the name given to the Hulk's alter ego in the 1978 TV series, I just can't imagine a Marvel fan - particularly one born post 2000 - referencing the TV series narrative instead of the comic's Bruce Banner.
My only hope now is that someone else will pick it up and give my donated copy the love I couldn't.
kukkanaattori's review
2.0
(This review is full of spoilers. I am angry)
I can’t believe M. A. Bennett wrote this book. Bennett, whose book STAGS delivered such a killer plot twist in the final chapter that I flung the book across the room and stormed angrily to yell at a parent. STAGS, a book that I wrote about in such length in a university paper that the marker was ‘concerned’.
The Island is a misogynistic, slow paced, tiring book that disappointed me. It took me about three weeks to read it, and I only ended up finishing it because I was waiting at a bus stop after work for an hour. The plot is so drawn out that I started to skip pages, and the characters are so disgusting.
Link, the main character, is an awful greedy boy, who thinks that being a nerd makes him oppressed. Oh no, girls don’t fancy him! He reads books! He plays video games! He is every entitled male fan that you hide from at a comic convention. His actions are so gross, making women dress in a slutty skirt for him, starving them, mocking people for their beliefs.
The other characters are stereotypes. While STAGS was so clever with its clichés, The Island is basic and tries to play it off as unique. There is the Asian forced to play an instrument, the closeted gay kid in love with the jock (who never comes out at the end), the drug dealer, the pretty sporty girl who dates the jock, and the jock himself, who is a vile bully. There is also Flora, the emo girl, who is a boring manic pixie dream girl.
This book goes on FOREVER. 40% through the story and we’re still going through the backstory of Link. Just tell the story in chronological order! That’s what made STAGS fun! Stop switching back and forth between the interesting past and the incredibly mundane present. I don’t want to read about Link going for a wander when I could read about disgusting private schools!
Also, the ending. Oh god, the ending. Everything is literally spelt out to us in minute detail, right down to names. I know what just happened Bennett. I read the fucking book. I KNOW WHAT I READ GOD DAMMIT.
And then. And then. AN EPILOGUE WHERE LINK IS PRESIDENT OF THE FUCKING UNITED STATES WHO MARRIED FLORA. FLORA WHO IS THE FIRST TATTOOED FIRST LADY. HOLY SHIT. I’M GOING TO SHOVE MY KINDLE DOWN MY THROAT AND CHOKE ON IT.
Also, desert island disks isn’t even that good. Suck it bitches.
(Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.)
I can’t believe M. A. Bennett wrote this book. Bennett, whose book STAGS delivered such a killer plot twist in the final chapter that I flung the book across the room and stormed angrily to yell at a parent. STAGS, a book that I wrote about in such length in a university paper that the marker was ‘concerned’.
The Island is a misogynistic, slow paced, tiring book that disappointed me. It took me about three weeks to read it, and I only ended up finishing it because I was waiting at a bus stop after work for an hour. The plot is so drawn out that I started to skip pages, and the characters are so disgusting.
Link, the main character, is an awful greedy boy, who thinks that being a nerd makes him oppressed. Oh no, girls don’t fancy him! He reads books! He plays video games! He is every entitled male fan that you hide from at a comic convention. His actions are so gross, making women dress in a slutty skirt for him, starving them, mocking people for their beliefs.
The other characters are stereotypes. While STAGS was so clever with its clichés, The Island is basic and tries to play it off as unique. There is the Asian forced to play an instrument, the closeted gay kid in love with the jock (who never comes out at the end), the drug dealer, the pretty sporty girl who dates the jock, and the jock himself, who is a vile bully. There is also Flora, the emo girl, who is a boring manic pixie dream girl.
This book goes on FOREVER. 40% through the story and we’re still going through the backstory of Link. Just tell the story in chronological order! That’s what made STAGS fun! Stop switching back and forth between the interesting past and the incredibly mundane present. I don’t want to read about Link going for a wander when I could read about disgusting private schools!
Also, the ending. Oh god, the ending. Everything is literally spelt out to us in minute detail, right down to names. I know what just happened Bennett. I read the fucking book. I KNOW WHAT I READ GOD DAMMIT.
And then. And then. AN EPILOGUE WHERE LINK IS PRESIDENT OF THE FUCKING UNITED STATES WHO MARRIED FLORA. FLORA WHO IS THE FIRST TATTOOED FIRST LADY. HOLY SHIT. I’M GOING TO SHOVE MY KINDLE DOWN MY THROAT AND CHOKE ON IT.
Also, desert island disks isn’t even that good. Suck it bitches.
(Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.)
alison0ba80's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Compared to her other books, I found this plot very predictable and the twists weren't as shocking.
bibliophilebookclub's review
2.0
Started off promising, but I got bored about a quarter of the way through. It’s a bit Breakfast Club/Lord of the Flies but it just didn’t do anything for me!