The Island

I’m not sure how I feel about books like this; the ones that are ‘picking characters off one by one’ -ish. The ending was frustrating. Apparently it’s a trademark of Preston’s to end books in this manner, something I was not aware of and am not accustomed to. Naturally, it bothered me. That aside, the writing was simple and the story was easy to follow. Picturing the island, as described, was difficult. I got the picture in my mind, but it changed as they ran around the park and everything. I called the killer from a mile away. Very predictable, IMO. Maybe it’s too many criminal psychology classes and shows. Not bad, a fun read, but very simple.

Jagged island. A brand new private amusement park meant for the rich and famous - or those who are very influential. Six Influencers, Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley have been invited exclusively to experience the park for a weekend. Their goal, to take videos and pictures to spread the word about this amusement park. The only concern is, will they all get off the island alive. Malcolm, the owner of this amazing amusement park is giving these kids the opportunity of a life time by giving them the VIP treatment. Their hotel rooms are huge, the rides are incredible, and the island’s aesthetic is beyond the norm. This of course catches the eye of Paisley, the true crime junkie of the group. She’s enthralled with taking in all that she can, but has she bitten off more than she can chew? Paisley, our main female character, is put to the test when she’s looked at to help figure out why their friend Will is no where to be found after the first night on the island. Everyone wants to hear her theories and who might be involved. I mean no one is safe when you’ve only met a couple days ago. How much does everyone know about each other and how much does that affect how this plays out. I absolutely loved this book. I think it gave off Scream vibes and I am a long time lover of the Scream movie franchise. There’s this idea that there’s no one but everyone to trust cause they’re all here for the same reason right so it couldn’t be any of them. As the novel goes on it really drives home the idea of you have to be careful who you trust cause you never really know someone’s true intentions. Again, I think this book is great for those who are really into the old time slasher films such as Scream or Halloween. I think it takes a modern but still original twist to it

This book was so confusing and not in the good, twisty, mysterious way. The killers reasoning could've been so much better, and the main character kept going in confusing directions that no one else would. Plus, the ending just made no sense. It felt like the author was trying to be edgy and different with their ending, but it just made them look like they straight up stopped writing in the middle of a sentence. Cool plot tho and fun Scream type vibes.

So, once again Natasha Preston has managed to stump me and I enjoyed it. I will admit that this was not my favorite, but it definitely kept my attention none the less. We meet six teenagers who are well known for being influencers, Paisley, the MC, who does videos/podcast about death, Liam who is a gamer, Ava the makeup enthusiast, James who reviews movies, Harper who is a book blogger, (Can I start doing that? ha!) and last, but not least Will who is a rival beauty blogger of Ava’s. They are invited to a "behind the scenes" peak at a park that is on an island for rich people. Sounds like fun, right? The owner wants them to rave about it so people will come see it when it opens. Someone disappears...and the insanity that ensues is wild. The island goes offline completely and leaves them scrambling trying to find a way to stay ahead of whoever is behind the bad things that have started happening. Where are the adults in all this? Quite frankly, they were trying their hardest to save themselves without much thought to the teens they would leave behind. Paisley is my favorite character because she thinks in a way most of the other characters do not thanks to her podcast and video content. The killer is trying to outsmart someone who is fascinated by death...good luck. All this seems pretty tame right? I mean people die yes, but it is almost certain that it'll end with the killer getting caught and everything is exposed right? Wrong! I really need to meet Ms. Preston to ask her about her endings because really?!? WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT? You would think by now I would anticipate Ms. Preston's ability to throw me and in a way I thought I was ready for it, but I was not. Granted, the ending wasn't my favorite of hers out of the ones I've read, but it was still surprising none the less. I would definitely recommend this book and the author to adult and teen readers alike. For teens, the characters are relatable and for adults her endings are interesting to say the least. Enjoy!

I was enjoying a fun, campy ya thriller until the last sentence. That was kind of a cheap ending and not nearly as clever as I'm sure some people thought.