2 out of 4 stars
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Island Games
Matthew and Ryan, two young men, awake on what seems to be a deserted island with few memories of their past. What memories they do have make them appear to be best friends and high school athletes. Exhausted and confused, the pair pull together to try to assemble some sort of survival plan. Offshore, an aged and abandoned cargo ship floats at anchor. After getting through their first night alone on the island, the boys make their way through the sea to the anchored ship and find some limited supplies and tools that will help them in their struggle. However, there is no way to contact the outside world from the derelict ship. Returning to their island with supplies in tow, the boys then begin to explore the island to support them once their meager supplies are expended. The tone of the story is creepy and somewhat somber as the boys hear unidentified noises in the jungle on the island and see no other appreciable signs of life. They are presented with difficult physical challenges but find just enough help to keep them focused on moving forward and surviving.
As the boys rise to the various challenges, they begin to regain their memories and use what they’ve been taught by their parents to help them overcome their next challenge. Ryan’s hunting skills, learned with his father, are very useful, as are Matthew’s memories of his parents’ teachings about overcoming obstacles. As the story progresses, the boys are moved to different quadrants of the island, each with its own climate and unique set of dangers. At each shift, the boys are given just enough food, water and tools to enable them to survive and move to the next phase of the trial. Throughout, it is unclear how they arrived on the island or what the purpose of their kidnap is.
I found the conversation between the boys a bit stilted and uninformative of their feelings throughout the trials they face. The voices of the boys also seem a bit inconsistent – they are described as high school aged athletes early on in the book, but at times they seem to respond to each other and the events unfolding around them as much younger children. Also, it is unclear how the boys are moved through the different quadrants of the island, whether it is through use of technology or through magical intervention.
However, I feel the positive themes presented in the story are of value. Throughout, strong themes of friendship, teamwork and taking responsibility for one’s own actions are repeated. The boys cannot achieve their goal to overcome an obstacle without working together. Whenever the boys almost fail at a challenge, it is because they forget to pool their knowledge and resources to work together.
I gave this book 2 out of 4 stars, for the strength of the themes and action in the story. I wanted stronger development of the characters to give it a higher rating. I also found a handful of typos and awkward sentences that detracted from the storyline. With the action and rapid pacing of the story as well as the age of the protagonists, I think this story would appeal to pre-teen readers looking for a good adventure read.
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Island Games
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