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 twit 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.
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 twit 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.