The Island - A Dystopian Novella | Book Review

The Island
Jen Minkman
Genres: Dystopian, Sci-fi, Young Adult
Publication Date: June 1st 2013
Number of Pages: 138
Source: Bought from Amazon Kindle UK Store

Add to your TBR shelf:

'I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look. 

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers. 

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier - the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that's what everyone says.

I have never seen one.'

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason - they believe in illusions. That's what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors. But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true? 

Or is everyone in their world, in face, a Fool? 

This was a book I badly wanted to put down and leave unfinished but my stubbornness stopped me. I have never not finished a book and I wasn't going to start now. Had this book been more than 138 pages I may have been more likely to put it down but I persevered and finished it.

The constant references to Stars Wars in this book made me loath it. I'm not a big Stars Wars fan on a good day but namedropping a Dark Father and constant talk of a never explained 'Force' made me bored out of my brain. At times when I became intrigued about the truth as to why these people were on these islands and why some wanted to leave and others did not, I was then quickly bored again by constant talk and non-answered questions. Even though this book was free on the Kindle, please don't waste your time or money (if there is a charge in your country), it's about 2-3 hours of reading time you'll never get back!