Today along with Girls Heart BooksTours I am giving you a new book by Jen Minkman.
Title-The Island
By- Jen Minkman
Expected Publication Date-June 1, 2013
*Novella* (80 pages)
Genre- YA Dystopian
I have also included my review of the book and the book trailer for you to watch. As well as links to make it easy for you to go grab your own copy of this short book.
‘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 fact, a Fool?
Barnes & Noble Paperback- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-island-jen-minkman/1115469783?ean=9781483959818
~Review~
After reading the summary I thought oh this sounds like an interesting story. 80 pages is very short and was definitely a quick read for me. I must say that I was a bit disappointed in the story. I will explain why.
This is supposed to be a dystopian novel, but I can't really say that it was one. Yes it has some of the key factors, a defunct society, a ruthless leader, a disease that wiped out the world before, but I read the prologue and the names Luc and Leia immediately jumped out at me. I thought the clothing fit the characters from Star Wars, and immediately I went um, no.
That being said, I did read the entire book in about an hour. It is a very quick read. And Leia actually grows from this child of 10 who is forced from her home by society rules, into a young woman who questions. Unfortunately, she seemed rather boring. There just wasn't enough character development for me, yes I know it was a short book but even in those I like to know my characters a bit.
I did like the way the author explained the link to star wars. That was a fun part of the book for me. Other than that, the entire society was just... ah you'll have to read it to determine for yourself.
What I will say is that if the writer decides to rewrite this book as a much larger story it may actually pull all the aspects together. It has a great deal of potential for a larger novel. I just think that for this genre a novella just won't work because it feels far too rushed.
If you are a Geek like me, you will easily see the entire Star Wars aspect of the society. So you may enjoy it or not. Hard to tell. Sadly for me, it just didn't do it. But don't just go by my opinion many other people loved the book. So go grab your own copy. In the mean time... Let the Force Be With YOU!
Details/Disclaimer: I received this book for free for my honest review. This free book held no determination on my final review.
After reading the summary I thought oh this sounds like an interesting story. 80 pages is very short and was definitely a quick read for me. I must say that I was a bit disappointed in the story. I will explain why.
This is supposed to be a dystopian novel, but I can't really say that it was one. Yes it has some of the key factors, a defunct society, a ruthless leader, a disease that wiped out the world before, but I read the prologue and the names Luc and Leia immediately jumped out at me. I thought the clothing fit the characters from Star Wars, and immediately I went um, no.
That being said, I did read the entire book in about an hour. It is a very quick read. And Leia actually grows from this child of 10 who is forced from her home by society rules, into a young woman who questions. Unfortunately, she seemed rather boring. There just wasn't enough character development for me, yes I know it was a short book but even in those I like to know my characters a bit.
I did like the way the author explained the link to star wars. That was a fun part of the book for me. Other than that, the entire society was just... ah you'll have to read it to determine for yourself.
What I will say is that if the writer decides to rewrite this book as a much larger story it may actually pull all the aspects together. It has a great deal of potential for a larger novel. I just think that for this genre a novella just won't work because it feels far too rushed.
If you are a Geek like me, you will easily see the entire Star Wars aspect of the society. So you may enjoy it or not. Hard to tell. Sadly for me, it just didn't do it. But don't just go by my opinion many other people loved the book. So go grab your own copy. In the mean time... Let the Force Be With YOU!
Details/Disclaimer: I received this book for free for my honest review. This free book held no determination on my final review.
About the Author-
Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.
In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the
violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.
'I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a sci-fi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to re-write and translate the books myself, this will take some time!).
Links-
Twitter- https://twitter.com/JenMinkman
Giveaway Info-
Author is giving away 3 ebook copies of ‘The Island’
No comments:
Post a Comment