Part Lost, part Lord of the Flies, The Island is a ludicrously fun tale of a boy and his bullying classmates marooned on a desert island.

The author’s last book, S.T.A.G.S, explored some of the awful things that teenagers can do to each other and this is explored more in The Island - our protagonist Lincoln is the victim of some truly horrific bullying at his fancy private school. He agrees to a school trip on the condition that he doesn’t have to go back to school after the summer - but their plane crashes en route and they never make it. He’s a very flawed protagonist and although he’s a victim you aren’t necessarily always sympathetic towards him, but reading the escapades he gets up to on this desert island is highly entertaining. And of course, things are never quite what they seem at first.

The one major criticism I have is the epilogue - that was just a step too far in the suspension of disbelief. I don’t think it added anything to the plot and served very little purpose other than to make me roll my eyes!

(Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

Link is a victim of bullying, and desperately wants to leave school to get away from it. His parents say that he can, so long as he goes on a school summer trip that’s already been paid for. However, he and his classmates wake up alone on a desert island, their plane apparently having crashed there. Not only do they now need to try and survive, but Link is determined not to be at the bottom of the pecking order anymore.

I was rolling my eyes at Link from first few pages. Liking pop culture, such as Star Wars, isn’t unusual. It never has been. And it’s certainly not what gets people bullied. He might’ve had a case if he’d tried to talk to people about it, and his enthusiasm got him ostracised (something I have personal experience with) but that’s not what happened. The bullying stemmed from something else entirely. The protagonist being wrong about something like this isn’t necessarily an issue, but I couldn’t not point it out.

Throughout most of the book, Link is deeply unlikable. This isn’t a criticism. He makes choices that hurt other people, for no reason other than that he wants to be the one in power, and it was interesting to read. I liked the point that this makes, and that another character points out, that being a victim doesn’t mean you’re a good person. Similarly, I liked that it made the (still clear, but not as explicitly stated) point that nobody deserves to be bullied, for any reason. My one issue with Link’s character in this regard is that his realisation that he’d been acting terribly happened far too quickly. It’s not an exaggeration to say that he woke up one day knowing he’d done wrong and had to change. I’d have hoped for this to be more drawn out.

Homophobic slurs are used on multiple occasions in this book. They’re condemned, but they’re there, and they aren’t used in a reclaiming context. I wasn’t particularly happy to read them, so be aware if that’s something that would bother you as well.

I’d figured out the twist pretty much from the start, but that kind of thing doesn’t bother me at all. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story in any way.

That epilogue has to go. I’m sorry, but I really didn’t like it. If it hadn’t been there (and if the main bulk of the novel had ended slightlydifferently) I would’ve rated this 4 stars, rather than 3. Hopefully it’ll be removed from the published version.

I love Bennett’s writing style! It’s really engaging, and it kept me interested throughout. Most of my rating comes from her writing style, as it made sure that I enjoyed reading this book. I also really liked how the characters had grown by the end. They’d all stopped pretending, and were working together, and understanding each other, and I really appreciated that.

This was an enjoyable read. Based on its exploration of bullying alone, I’d recommend it.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Bonnier Zaffre / Hot Key Books, for giving me a copy of The Island by M.A. Bennett.

This is the second book I have read by M.A. Bennett, after loving S.T.A.G.S, I was really looking forward to The Island especially after reading the summary.

For the book as I whole, I awarded it 4 stars but for me, the first 30% I was planning to give it only 3 stars. I just found the school flashbacks slightly slow, partly because of the major info-dump. I also just didn't connect with Link as much as I should have.

However, on the subject of Link, I do wonder if he is written to be liked. But the further into the book I got, this was actually quite refreshing because Link was bullied by his peers at Osney School, so his character development was great to read. Not only Link's but also the other teenagers on the Island - they go through so many changes over the time of the book.

There were plot twists that I wasn't expecting for this book, at one point I will admit I had no idea where the book was going - nor not necessarily a bad thing because I was then running through

Overall, I did enjoy this book especially the second half, plus the epilogue was one (of only a few) that I found to be actually satisfying and tell me what I wanted to know about the main characters. So if you liked S.T.A.G.S then you will like this one too, it's a good book for Summer as well!

I hadn’t read STAGS but I was excited to read this! I thought it was great and very very gripping! Lincoln wasn't always likeable, but it added that bit more to the story!
The ending seemed a bit...premature, but I did still enjoy the book! :)

I quite enjoyed M.A. Bennett’s YA debut S.T.A.G.S. so decided to request this on NetGalley – don’t be fooled by the cover though (I was, briefly), as although the author has said she’s working on a sequel, this isn’t it. This is a standalone novel that doesn’t share any characters or plot with S.T.A.G.S.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t let the problems I had with S.T.A.G.S. slide with THE ISLAND, as I’d brushed them off as YA debut teething issues (and as THE ISLAND is a sophomore effort, I hoped it would be an improvement). First off, the main issue I had was a massive backstory info-dump at the beginning. The book is supposed to be about kids on an island – and this is apparent on the first page – but almost the entire first quarter of the story is Link’s backstory. It’s fairly interesting but I felt like it could have been done differently – perhaps sprinkled in rather than dumped all at the beginning? I was wondering when the island was actually going to be featured. This is really similar to how S.T.A.G.S. is structured as we also get a massive backstory info-dump at the beginning of it. It’s irritating because it’s drilled into aspiring authors that too much exposition slows down the pace – I want to get to the actual plot!

Secondly (and this is another issue I had with S.T.A.G.S.) was that the teenagers didn’t feel like teenagers. I don’t know if this is because I didn’t go to a private school (both books are about students at very posh, old-fashioned schools) and so feels alien to me, but I did have an issue with the “cliques” that the characters seemed to fall into (does anyone really identify as “emo” any more? I did, but that was in 2008…). Link makes a big deal about how he’s a “nerd” and apparently this is a negative thing in the eyes of his schoolmates, which would be fine if this was set in the 90s or early 00s. Now, it just feels bizarre and dated.

Link isn’t written to be likeable – he’s kind of a dick, and gets worse before he gets better – this was actually quite a refreshing take, as Link is the one who is bullied initially. One of the best parts of the book is the character development he goes through – his experience on the island ends up being a massive learning curve for him, and he’s regularly called out by the others for his dickish behaviour. The other characters are fairly interesting too, and Link especially ends up becoming a subversion of his archetype – he becomes the “alpha male” on the island, treating the girls like crap, and pushing the others around to serve him. It’s not a character arc I’ve seen much in YA, and it was interesting to see it play out.

I was relieved that this wasn’t a straight-up Lord of the Flies adaptation – it takes the idea of kids stranded on an island when their plane goes down, but that’s about it. There’s a huge amount of high school drama and a mystery involving two “gonads” that the kids find on the island – these aren’t normal fruits. I was glad to see that the story was unpredictable in this sense – the fact that the group was about half female also changed the dynamics a bit, and helped make the plot a little more surprising and tense. It’s a fairly fast read (once you’re over the hurdle of the backstory dump) and the dialogue is snappy and flows well.

But then, there was another problem that was identical to S.T.A.G.S. – the ending that went on FOREVER. A great long-winded explanation of everything that had happened and extra stuff added in that felt tacked-on like an afterthought. I just wanted the book to finish. I found the epilogue scene to be a bit too neat and tidy and kind of silly to the point I laughed, and I don’t think that was the intention…

If you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S., then you’ll like this too – if you had the same problems with it that I did, then you’ll probably feel the same way about THE ISLAND. It’s a quick, easy read with a lot of drama, and a good choice for a summer read.

I liked this, I liked the setup and I liked the characters even though Lincoln wasn't always very likeable. I would have liked a little more explanation at the end, but I do recommend the book. Please see my blog for my in depth review

The book is an epic rollercoaster from the first page. There are layers and twists within the plot and narration that will ensure you’ll want to read it again.
Such a refreshing change having a male main character within a first person narrative. You’ll feel a little like a helpless Jiminey Cricket as Link’s story develops and he faces challenges on the Island. I found myself shouting as the pages one or twice.

Full review to be posted on www.queensofgeekdom.com

I loved this book, having already read STAGS, by the same author I was concerned I wouldn’t enjoy this. But I read it in 24 hours and didn’t want to put it down.
I did guess the story early on but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment