The Island Review

The Island

by Jen Minkman (Goodreads Author)

 

‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.’

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?

Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

(Please note: this novella contains a few references to the famous sci-fi movie Star Wars which are pivotal to the plot. None of the characters in The Island are in any way related to the characters in the movie.)



My Review: 6.5/10

I've not read a lot of novellas/short stories, because I often find them incomplete or rushed. And those are the complaints I have with this book.

It was an interesting concept. I agree with other reviewers that the star wars connections initially raised an eyebrow. As it went on and more unravelled, it really turned me off. BUT the conclusion put everything together and made it alright.

The writing was decent, the storyline interesting, the characters mostly likeable. It kind of reminded me of Lord of the Flies, with much less corruption, although that may have been due to limited pages in comparison.

I felt like the romance was WAYTOORUSHED and the plot happened so fast that I really didn't have a chance to -feel- the suspense. If it had been lengthened into a full novel with another hundred and fifty pages or so, I think it could have really been something.

(NetGalley provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.)