2 out of 4 stars
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Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants by Caleb J. Boyer tells the story of Matthew and Ryan, two best friends who wake up on the sandy shores of a deserted island. Upon waking up, they have nothing but the clothes on their backs and some vague memories of a previous life in which they played video games together. It does not take them long to realize that they don't have time to sit around and figure out what is going on; the island is full of dangers that must be navigated if they are to survive. In a strikingly gamelike world full of terrifying beasts, mysterious food packets, and inexplicable instances of warping from one section of the island to another, Matthew and Ryan must work together to overcome unique hurdles and discover their purpose on this island. How did they get here? Will they be able to recover their memories along the way?
The plot of this book is exciting and full of adventurous events. After waking up on the beach, Matthew and Ryan brave a vast expanse of ocean as they swim out to an abandoned cargo ship in search of a radio and supplies. En route, they are attacked by a shark that narrowly misses biting Matthew's leg. Although they do not find any channels to the outside world, they do find food, blankets, water, and a place to spend the night before attempting to swim back the following day. Without spoiling anything, other features of Matthew and Ryan's adventure include whirlpools, quicksand, and volcanos! Boyer withholds nothing in creating stimulating and imaginative scenarios. In terms of plot events, this book is definitely a page-turner. The only concern I had about the plot was the ending. I did not care for the ending (which I will not disclose in order to avoid revealing spoilers) because it did not feel like the story was properly wrapped-up; instead, the story abruptly cut off in the middle of an important plot event.
Although the plot of Island Games is packed with thrilling adventures, the characters are flat and their dialogue is largely redundant and juvenile. The reader learns that Matthew and Ryan are about 16-years-old. They are often grim in the face of the obstacles they encounter. At other times, however, they lapse into over-used jokes and banter that do not develop organically within the story. For example, as Matthew and Ryan are wandering through the prairie, Ryan begins to wonder how the weather will be at their next location. He says, “Hopefully, it’s a colder climate because I’m starting to get hot. Oh wait. I already was!” At this point, Ryan begins "strutting like he [is] modeling clothes on a runway." Matthew exclaims, “Okay, Mr. Creepy! You can stop walking like that now or I might puke!” At this point, Matthew begins to pretend to puke (117). The humor in this book is both odd and out-of-place. Furthermore, of these painful-to-read pieces of dialogue become running jokes throughout the book; for example, Matthew begins an extended joke about the mysterious "beast" of the island being Ryan's "ugly girlfriend" (34). These exchanges are awkwardly written and generally do not fit well into their respective scenes.
Another aspect of Island Games that I did not care for was the indistinguishable distance between the narrator and the characters. The unclear narrative distance often contributed to the occurrence of redundancies between the narrative and dialogue. The book is narrated in the omniscient third-person point-of-view. Frequently, the narrator describes events objectively but then states both characters' feelings in the same paragraph. On several occasions, this narration style occurs directly before the characters reiterate those same ideas verbatim. One example begins on page 185 when the narrator describes the island as "some kind of indoor bubble... [with] gamekeepers adjusting the temperature." This concept recurs in the narrative on the following page (186) and then is immediately repeated word-for-word in the dialogue between Matthew and Ryan.
Although I did enjoy the plot of the book and I found only a few editing errors, I am giving Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants 2 out of 4 stars. The character development is not very strong, the dialogue is awkward, and the ending does not make much sense. I do not recommend this book to mature YA readers because of the juvenile humor and flat characters. This book is probably best for younger YA readers.
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Island Games
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