Welcome to The Island.
Where your worst fears are about to come true…
It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.
But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare.
Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re becoming a reality.
Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.
Who will make it off the island alive?
Review: I love a CL Taylor novel and I really love a CL Taylor YA novel. I really love the fact that we have a claustrophobic environment in this book a little like her previous young adult novel The Treatment, it really makes for a heart stopping read. You feel the pressure that the characters are under and it rally adds to the thrill. This novel also tackles some mental health issues and how trauma can affect people differently and I thought that was a really great move on this writer's part.
It took me a few moments to work out who everyone in this book was and how they were connected, you're stopped right into the action on a holiday with a group of young people who meet up every year because their Mums were in the same NCT group. I love this concept because I had friends growing up who were in my life for that same reason. You have to work out the dynamic of the group which the friends also have to do each year as they grow and change. Each character is unique but they all have fears which are exposed on this trip.
The structure of this novel is great because it is essentially a dual narrative. We get to hear from Jessie and Danny but Jessie's story is told in the first person whereas Danny's is told in the third person. I loved this distinction and the fact that we had both view points. I felt I was drawn most towards Jefferson because he seems to be the most different from the others in the group. We have 2 characters who are in a relationship and two who are related and so I felt like Jefferson was a kindred spirit in being an outsider. He also came out to the group a few years ago and I liked that this detail was included as part of the storyline.
I aways love the fact that this authors feeds us information in a slow drip drip drip. It means that you have to keep turning the pages to find out more about and event or a character and I think that bonds you to the characters even more. I love that sense of being intrigued and the thrill of new events or new people. Because this is a YA novel it does read a little quicker than CL Taylor's adult novels which are also pacey but a little longer and so I flew through this book in an afternoon/evening. I really enjoyed it even though it got a little scary at times. It was a great break from the real world and I highly recommend reading this sooner rather than later!
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