Review by Florence Nalianya -- Island Games

[Florence Nalianya]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Island Games" by Caleb J. Boyer.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Writing and compiling a story is a challenging and demanding task. As an aspiring writer, am humbled that Caleb J. Boyer the author of Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants was able to come up with this thrilling book at the age of twelve. It’s a fast paced read filled with intriguing actions that kept me terrified to the last page. What would it be like if you woke up in the jungle without memory? The answer is the story of what two young boys woke up to on the shore of an island.

Two friends Mathew and Ryan wake up on the shore of an island. They have no memory of their past and can't remember what happened to them. They wake up each from a dream that helps them connect to the world. They realize that they have parents and wish to find away to communicate to them. The boys keep asking themselves hard questions. They fail to understand who stage managed such a horrific game and why they are being targeted. At some point, they feel like they are being watched by someone. This fear is so intense that they scream at any slight noise or movement. With all these to deal, the need to survive catches up with them. They need supplies of food and water. It’s extremely cold that they need to find a way of keeping warm. The two discover an old rusty boat filled with crates in the ocean. The boys embark on a mission to get to the boat. An encounter with a shark in the water rips off Ryan’s pants. It’s at this point that they become aware of the survival challenge that awaits them. As they carry on, the challenges become more complicated. To survive and avoid death, their friendship and team work are put to test.

As I read this book, I felt so encouraged. Where on earth would boys as young as this get the nerve to crack jokes given their situation? What kept them together all this time? In actual situations, it would be normal for Mathew to take off and leave Ryan to be devoured by the shark. Come to think of it, would adults have the same audacity and selflessness? Only God knows.

I have many reasons to like this book. The author outlines lessons of togetherness, love, friendship and teamwork that are important for success. Amidst the trials, the boys displayed how the above lessons put them through. In this book, the author prepares the reader to always be calm, think and plan well before execution whenever faced by a challenge. The author’s descriptive nature of situations and language simplicity kept me glued to this book without much struggle.

There is nothing I disliked about this book. The book ended in suspense and that’s quite normal given the explanation by the author. The repetitive nature of the conversation between the boys seemed okay for me given their age. Nothing in the entire book deterred my understanding of the message that the author wanted to put across. Congratulations to Caleb J. Boyer for this fascinating production. I delightfully rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I couldn’t rate the book lower than this because given the author’s age, he did a great job. I recommend this book to all young adults to read it and learn the simple but important lessons that would put them through different situations. I also recommend the book to all readers including adults who like interesting reads with gainful lessons.

******
Island Games
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Wanjugush]

I've been planning to read this book and your review has given me the push I needed. This sounds like a thrilling book. Great review.

[Wanja Hannah]

I can imagine the thrill that comes with this wonderful book. Suffering from amnesia, upon finding yourself in a strange island and getting strange feelings. Wonderful review and this is definitely a must read.