Review by Sweetp120 -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

Sweetp120 · Post by **Sweetp120** » 09 Nov 2018, 16:29

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Waking up with only one other person on a deserted island you've never seen before isn't your typical week day; matter of fact it's not normal at all. For Matthew and Ryan it's a lot worse than that; stranded with no memories except for whom they are and who they are to each other, they are determined to face every challenge and get off this cursed island. Yet the questions remain, how did they get to this island and why are they playing The Island Games?

The Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer is an interesting novel. Full of twists and turns it keeps you wanting more, as you sit on the edge of your seat turning each page. There was little to no grammatical, punctuation, or spelling errors. There was not much to dislike about the book, and as much as I wanted to take away points for cliffhangers - a huge dislike I had - it was the fact that his details were so clear and vivid that The Island Games earned a full rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

As I just stated, the cliffhangers were something I disliked most about this book. The way the story ended to me just wasn't right. Throughout the book many questions are left unanswered, like whatever happened to the small wooden box from challenge one, or what were the creatures they faced called? What was the significance of the four quadrants and each element they displayed during the challenges? It was the questions of who put them there, why were they there, and what happened next, which were left unanswered that had me seething. To me the story had the feel of The Maze Runner series meets the newest release of Jumanji, with Kevin Hart and the Rock in it; except the only thing that was different was the aspect of the dynamic duo instead of a group. Finally, for me these two teenage boys were way too sarcastic, considering the predicament they found themselves in. Matters of life and death are too important to be sarcastic at every turn.

There was a lot for me to enjoy in this young adult book, so much so, that I could overlook the things I disliked the most about it. The togetherness that was shown to complete each challenge was nice. It showed how it's okay if you need help to overcome things in life, and that sometimes you need help to just push through. In chapter 19, on page 180, the character reflects on his feeling of anger and how you face challenges ahead of you in life. I thought that this was an interesting point in the book. You see normally young adults do not think like this, so it added depth to his character, and in my opinion that was nice. I could also see, after reading the author's note, this was one of his main points to his story. What I also liked about this book was the author's note itself. Normally for new authors their notes introduce themselves and who they are, giving us a background and insight to them; however, Caleb J. Boyer didn't do this. In his note, he explained what he wanted others to gain from his story. He really owed us no explanation about why he wrote his book, but in his humbleness he did.

Although, this quick point I want to take a moment to make isn't related to the book but rather to the author himself, whom made the book more endearing to me. As a mother of a child who was born premature, I came to understand the struggle of having to stay in a hospital longer than what was appreciated. Caleb J. Boyer created a company called Read-Write LLC., with the hopes of reaching children in hospitals who need hope to get through whatever they may be facing in life. I wish I could say, that Mr. Boyer's company was one of the few that helped make the start of my infant son's first book collection, but I can't. All I can state is that it takes a strong and selfless heart to do something like this, and I appreciate his company and companies like it. The worlds of escape they give to so many children is just amazing and astounding.

With a 4 out of 4 star rating, The Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer was worth the read. Even though the book is in certain terms fast paced, the descriptions the young author provided seemed to pull the book back to just the right speed to enjoy. The lessons he wanted those to understand are easily understood, if not throughout the story itself, but completely through the author's note. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something with the themes of adventure and friendship. My hat tips to this young author as he has brought much more than he could ever realize to the literary world.

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Island Games
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Espie · Post by **Espie** » 04 Dec 2018, 00:24

Magnanimity is quite a virtue, indeed. It's quite notable how the author and this book could impart lessons of humanity and helping each other make it through life's trials and tribulations. We all hope for the best for our kids, and it'll be ideal if such goodness could be passed on to the next generations to come. Thank you for your thoughtful review.

Kelyn · Post by **Kelyn** » 05 Dec 2018, 22:47

This sounds like an almost direct take from "The Hunger Games" only with enough twists for them not to get sued. Still, the Hunger Games franchise is one of my absolute favorites to date so anything similar to it is definitely worth giving a try. I do like that they were a couple when everything started. That would have given them added strength and incentive to succeed in facing everything the island threw at them. This is a "probably read" choice for me. Thanks for the review!

Sweetp120 · Post by **Sweetp120** » 05 Dec 2018, 23:52

Kelyn wrote: ↑05 Dec 2018, 22:47 This sounds like an almost direct take from "The Hunger Games" only with enough twists for them not to get sued. Still, the Hunger Games franchise is one of my absolute favorites to date so anything similar to it is definitely worth giving a try. I do like that they were a couple when everything started. That would have given them added strength and incentive to succeed in facing everything the island threw at them. This is a "probably read" choice for me. Thanks for the review!

That's the feel that I got from this book. I do hope you enjoy it if you get the chance to read it. Thanks for taking a moment to stop by and read my review.

Sweetp120 · Post by **Sweetp120** » 05 Dec 2018, 23:54

Espie wrote: ↑04 Dec 2018, 00:24 Magnanimity is quite a virtue, indeed. It's quite notable how the author and this book could impart lessons of humanity and helping each other make it through life's trials and tribulations. We all hope for the best for our kids, and it'll be ideal if such goodness could be passed on to the next generations to come. Thank you for your thoughtful review.

I definitely agree with your words. Thank you for stopping by and reading my review and sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it alot!