Review by MTReader91 -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

[Alyssa Nugent Washburn]

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

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

As the reader, we meet Matthew and Ryan in a state of confusion due to waking up on a deserted island with no recollection of how they got to the island. Once the boys are alert enough, their survival instincts become prominent. The boys are not serious about their predicament until it dawns on them that they are stuck on the island with very little supplies. Matthew and Ryan want to search the island differently, but find out fast that they need to work together to survive. The island seems odd to the boys as the story progresses. Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants is the first book in a series by Caleb J. Boyer.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The story is written well and is easy to follow. The author makes the book come alive with vivid descriptions. The author does a wonderful job of using the island to create different environments to test the boys in various conditions. The book is a work of fiction for young adults or those seeking an adventure. Matthew and Ryan bring the adventure out with their antics or self-talk.

I like how the characters are tested almost to their breaking points. The characters are fun to follow with the boys bringing their strengths and weaknesses to work on throughout the book. The boys find out several times that their friendship is one of the things saving their lives while stuck on the island. The boys knew they were still on the island every morning by using the volcano as a landmark.

The adventure of the boys feels like a coming-of-age/rite-of-passage story with a different way of portraying how the boys “grow up” to solve the challenges before them. As the reader, I got to see how the boys matured with each challenge and how they worked together at the end to solve the “final” challenge to get off the island.

The differing conditions the boys suffer through is another likable trait of the book. The boys, as individuals, bring different strengths to the table such as Ryan knowing what to do while in the desert and Matthew knowing what to do with a wildfire. Working together, the boys beat the challenges and seem to strengthen their friendship. Also, Matthew and Ryan attempt to figure out what the next challenge might entail and coming up with a game plan to survive the challenge.

It’s hard not to like this book, but there are some boring details. The boys are forced to eat food packets and drink water. I think with each challenge beat, the boys could “upgrade” their food to something more likable or edible.

Some of the challenges also seemed to repeat, but with a different intensity. The author needs to make the monsters more fierce because when we met the monsters during the first few challenges, the boys figured out how to kill them. The monsters should change in difficulty to kill as the boys finish the challenges.

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

Like MTReader91's review? Post a comment saying so!