2 out of 4 stars
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Writing a full-length book is no easy feat and is an accomplishment that few achieve. Caleb J. Boyer, with the help and encouragement of his parents, has started very early by finishing and publishing a book at the age of 12. This is an amazing and applaudable triumph regardless of how the book turned out.
Boyer’s book Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants is a story of two boys, Matthew and Ryan, who wake up abandoned on a beach with no memory of where they are or why they are there. What these two do know is that they are friends and they need to work together to find a way off the island. The book takes the reader on an adventure with these two boys as they discover the mysteries and challenges of this island that help them learn about themselves and what they are capable of as well as learn how to rely on each other.
Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants is described on Amazon as a ‘Young Adult adventure’, but I would contend that it reads much more like a middle grade fiction book. The prose are very simple in terms of vocabulary and structure, the story is more about plot than character growth, and the characters act and seem quite young themselves.
About three quarters through the book, I was leaning towards giving this book 3 stars. While simple, the story is fun and keeps you engaged. I enjoyed the characters, and their sarcastic banter helped me to both get to know them better and help their friendship in the story blossom. I enjoyed the general message the story described - of the importance of friendship and how two people working together is always better than 2 individuals working apart.
At this point, the simplicity of the story is what kept if from a full 4 stars for me. The challenges that Matthew and Ryan have to face throughout the story all seem very similar and don’t change or develop as much as I would have liked to see. Even younger audiences appreciate an entertaining and unexpected twist that they weren’t expecting.
But in all honesty the ending is what really let me down, and for that reason I must rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Throughout the book there are a few scenes that hint at a world outside of the island, and they were honesting the most exciting and captivating moments in the entire story.
A common trope to storytelling is ‘Chekov’s Gun’ which states that every element of a story should contribute to the whole. It comes from Anton Chekhov's writing advice: 'If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.’ When the book ended without explaining or returning to this world outside of the island, I felt disillusioned with the story. My hopes for an interesting plot twist to end the tale of Matthew and Ryan were dashed.
If he wanted to, Boyer could write a sequel to this story as the ending is open enough to allow him to do so. If he does write another book to keep this story going, I would expect to learn more about the world outside the island that was only hinted at in Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants.
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Island Games
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