Review by Swara Sangeet -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

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Sindhu Srinath
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Review by Swara Sangeet -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

Post by Sindhu Srinath »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Island Games" by Caleb J. Boyer.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants by Caleb J. Boyer is a crazy book. It begins with Ryan and Matthew, two teenage boys, waking up on an unknown island, with no memory of their past. All they remember is that they are best friends. As time progresses, they each remember one separate incident of the past, reconfirming their friendship. They wonder why they are on the island and if they were placed there for a reason. Their adventures begin the next day, as they swim towards a docked ship in search of supplies necessary for survival. They discover a volcano at the place where they woke up and each day survive different ordeals with the hope that in the end, they would be re-united with their past.

This story was a disappointment. I had had high hopes when I heard about it. The beginning was so interesting that I thought it would be similar to something Enid Blyton wrote. As the story progressed, I felt a déjà vu of The Hunger Games. It seems to be a story suitable for preteens only. It would be a good reading exercise or school, with the themes literally spelled out each time. I prefer books with a more mature flow, hinting at underlying themes. This one kept on telling me about friendship, survival, teamwork and instinct so much that it was as if they were written in bold letters.

The only characters in the entire book are Ryan and Matthew. Their character structure is almost the same till the very end, with Matthew being strong and Ryan smart. Ryan is portrayed as dependent on Matthew for most of the time, but near the end, he begins to behave as a very strong person. The plot line is crazy enough, with the boys being transported to regions of the island having extremely varying climates and no logic whatsoever. The constant thing throughout is a rooster (who they call Reggie) crowing each morning to wake them up. At the very beginning, they seem to be in a jungle and Matthew jokes that a knife which they found would be helpful if Ryan’s ‘girlfriend’, a beast attacked. The humor of this bit wears off, as any beast they find is referred to as Ryan’s ‘girlfriend’.

I have to rate this 3 out of 4 stars. I would have rated it 2, but for the fact that it was pretty well edited. To give it a full score, it needs a major uplift. The way of writing needs to be more mature and themes more subtly portrayed. The boys think that reaching the volcano at the end would mean that their ‘game’ or ‘competition’ would end and no explanation is given on this matter at all. The reason for their memory loss, remains unknown as well. Most of the chapters end with a phrase similar to “they couldn’t believe their eyes”, giving an adrenaline rush to the reader. When the next chapter began, it was mundane or expected things most of the time, like a stream, food or rope. Even though the ending is a cliffhanger, I am not even interested to read the next in the sequel. It was hard enough finishing this book. I found only one spelling mistake, but several phrases and idioms were misused, like “they determined they would”, “slamming” and “they boys”. I learnt a few new idioms, which was a plus point.

Taking the age of the author into consideration, this is a good attempt. But it has a long way to go before becoming anywhere near to a best seller. With a few minor editorial changes, it might be alright in an academic perspective. I wish the author the best of luck in future endeavors, and hope the themes given in this book inspire all who read it.

******
Island Games
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AbbyGNelson
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Post by AbbyGNelson »

I almost gave it a 3 out of 4, but the ending was way to vague and left too many questions unanswered. I mention this in my review, but what is with the scenes outside of the island. Why are those never explained? Or what about the wooden box after the first challenge?
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Sindhu Srinath
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Post by Sindhu Srinath »

AbbyGNelson wrote: 19 Feb 2018, 16:33 I almost gave it a 3 out of 4, but the ending was way to vague and left too many questions unanswered. I mention this in my review, but what is with the scenes outside of the island. Why are those never explained? Or what about the wooden box after the first challenge?
Right? I have the same questions and many more! Let's hope they'll be answered in the sequel. Thanks for replying.
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Kinkini
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Post by Kinkini »

AbbyGNelson wrote: 19 Feb 2018, 16:33 I almost gave it a 3 out of 4, but the ending was way to vague and left too many questions unanswered. I mention this in my review, but what is with the scenes outside of the island. Why are those never explained? Or what about the wooden box after the first challenge?
That remained a question since the appearance of the wooden box. Also, the white room and Matthew waking up from his slumber for a few minutes. Was it a hint at someone actually playing a dangerous with the boys?
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Sindhu Srinath
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Post by Sindhu Srinath »

Kinkini wrote: 05 Mar 2018, 01:03
AbbyGNelson wrote: 19 Feb 2018, 16:33 I almost gave it a 3 out of 4, but the ending was way to vague and left too many questions unanswered. I mention this in my review, but what is with the scenes outside of the island. Why are those never explained? Or what about the wooden box after the first challenge?
That remained a question since the appearance of the wooden box. Also, the white room and Matthew waking up from his slumber for a few minutes. Was it a hint at someone actually playing a dangerous with the boys?
That's true. It almost hints to some horrible sci-fi story with a mad scientist involved in criminal experiments.
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briellejee
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Post by briellejee »

have you read the extra page about the secrets of the island? also there's the author's note. I took it into consideration while writing my review. But I agree that it needs more professionalism to be a best-seller but the author has been already dubbed as a best-selling author.
"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost"
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Sindhu Srinath
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Post by Sindhu Srinath »

briellejee wrote: 06 Mar 2018, 00:02 have you read the extra page about the secrets of the island? also there's the author's note. I took it into consideration while writing my review. But I agree that it needs more professionalism to be a best-seller but the author has been already dubbed as a best-selling author.
I did indeed read it all. Yet some questions were left unanswered. It's true that I was attracted to it because of the author's title but I was not as impressed. Thank you for your comments.
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