Reviews- Rachel's Reading Club 2023/2024

1st Entry for October - The Island by Natasha Preston

The Island, by Natasha Preston

ISBN # 978-0-593-48149-3

Publication date: February 28, 2023 - This is a newer release.

The grade level is supposed to be 5-7 grade, and maybe the writing is meant for younger readers, but the topic is NOT, in my opinion.

This is a story about a group of high-school "influencers" that are invited to check out an amusement park before opening day. It is thought that their platforms would draw people to the island - of course it is for the ridiculously rich -
(nothing suspicious at all, right?) There are a few employees and the owner of the park there as well.
They get to the island, and the next day, there is no WiFi, no boat to get off the island, and one by one the influencers are discovered - dead.

This story had me guessing all the way to the end of the book, and the ending was nothing like I expected it to be. I would definitely categorize this as Horror; I still shudder at the ending, and I am shocked that it is marketed to Jr. High kids. I would think this would be more High School to young adult because of the violence.

Overall - I would give this a 4 rating, because it genuinely creeped me out.