4 out of 4 stars
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I have had my fair share in reviewing books but this is truly one of the best book that I have come across, which was completed for utter perfection. Not only does the book offer a fun and adventurous ride to its readers, it also reflected on the author’s mind-set. The Island Games: Mystery of the four quadrants by Caleb J. Boyer is truly a remarkable book that reflects on valuing friendship, exercising the importance of team work and how to develop a strong character.
The background of the story is set on an island where each part of it brings out its A-game in challenging the protagonist. Designed with 23 chapters; the key audience were teenagers but it would not hurt if adults read it. Actually, the book has more to offer in a very entertaining way. The genre is fictional-adventure.
The story sets in when Matthew and Ryan (teens) found themselves on a stranded, estranged island not knowing how they came to be. With blurred memories of their past, who they were and where they are from; Matthew and Ryan realized that they have only each other and that they have to work together if they were to survive on this island, no matter what!
Plot was a very descriptive and the flow of the plot was maintained well for the reader’s imagination. The writing style was simple, which was made easy for the reader to grasp the message. The detailed picture given about the two main protagonist was very effective; it painted a clear image about the protagonist and the challenges they had to encounter. A good visualization was provided by the plot.
The characteristics of the main protagonist was very interesting! Matthew was a serious, think-before-do type, and who has a positive mind-set while Ryan was a go-to-flow person who was the opposite of Matthew. Throughout the development of the story we can see how these two protagonist work together, how their characteristics got stronger and sharper after every challenge. It has been clearly shown, the influence of Matthew's positive character had a direct impact on Ryan, which resulted in Ryan's change.
I found myself drowning through pages, and I asked what would I do if I had to face that kind of situation? The plot was very engaging and it never reduced my curiosity. I believe the author has achieved what he had worked hard for. His imagination truly gives credit to him. The story provided an insightful detail about the reality of life. Lessons like the life challenges that each of us has to battle fearlessly, importance of having a positive and never-give-up attitude, learn to embrace opportunity and appreciate what you have in life, learn to take risks and use their intuitions, was highlighted throughout.
The story ended on a cliffhanger but the author had provided his reasons. The purpose of writing this book as mentioned by the author was to inspire others to believe in themselves and to realize that any obstacle can be overcome; I couldn't agree more! There was no hindrance what so ever that kept me away from giving a 4 out of 4 stars. The message was admirable and I would like to share a quote from the book, “...it's not really about what life throws your way, because bad things can happen and often times to really good people. It’s really about how you face those challenges.”- Matthew, Page 180.
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Island Games
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