Before I started reading The Island I was warned that it could seem like Star Wars fan fiction and I want to set one thing straight from the very beginning: This is NOT fan fiction! If you think it is, you have either not read the entire story or you have no idea what fan fiction is. But yes, Star Wars is mentioned and actually plays a rather important part of the story, but never in a fan fiction kind of way (I’m not saying there is something wrong with fan fiction – I’m just trying to separate things!) All right, how many times did I just write ‘fan fiction?’ Let’s get on with the real review:

I have to admit that the first couple of times either Star Wars or The Force was mentioned, I found it rather weird and the fact that the main character is called Leia certainly doesn’t help. But as the story unfolds everything started to make sense and it ended up being so much more than I could ever have thought.

Leia is a classic dystopian main character; she discovers that something is wrong and decides to change it and along the way she figures out that everything is worse than she thought. Leia is smart and determined, but it’s her actions more than her thoughts that carries the book and as a reader, you never really get to know her 100 %. There are a lot of quiet important secondary characters who are easily separated despite the fact that the reader never gets to know them very well.

My main problem with the story is the length – is just too short! A lot has to be explained and solved in very few pages and it shows in quick solutions and easy conflicts. It also makes the story a bit shallow since there is an overload of action and very little character development.

The story is filled with interesting subject which I could talk about for hours (or write about for hours maybe?) but it’s difficult to do so without spoiling. Believing, humanity and will power are all very important matter in the story and it makes the reader think afterwards. Jen Minkman is a great author and rumors of a sequel make me very happy.
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What an eerie read!
This book was interesting and a pretty good read. I thought that the Island was a great idea. The characters were awesome and I liked the book. I just wished for more in this short book and I did not like the play on characters from Star Wars. That actually took from the book and Really why I did not rate it higher. I like originality and while the story was original the references to Star Wars made me think I was reading a FanFic. ( )

Free novella from kindle. For being so short, the setup and characters were interesting. Some of it was a little wild, but nicely explained in the end and a good segway to the next book which I'm curious about reading... ( )

The Island by Jen Minkman
"The Island" series #1

setting: Two small towns on a little island in the middle of the ocean; "Newexter" (pop. 250) and "Hope Harbor" (pop. 1000). Approx. 150 years in the future.

Dystopian novella centering around 16yo Leia and her twin brother, Colin, who were forced out of their parents' home at age 10 (the age of adulthood) to go live a distance away in the "manor" with around 50 other children. There they are taught the necessary skills to survive--hunting, fishing, building, sewing, gardening, etc.--without the assistance of any parents.

"I go my own way. I stand on my own two feet. No one takes care of me but me."

They do have a leader, Saul, who is one of the older boys. He follows "the Book" which was passed down from their ancestors, Luke and Leia. In the book are stories about Dark Father, who chose to do evil and betrayed his children. The cover of the Book has a picture of them with strange weapons which light up from the Force. Although he never allows anyone else to read the Book, he reads portions of it to the children on occasion. The rules state he can be removed from his leadership position but it can only be done by a test of strength, and none of the other children are big enough to cross him. Everyone is required to serve him in order to keep up the "Force" within themselves and to help him in also keeping the Force.

There is a dividing point of their land called "the Wall" which no one is to cross. There is another civilization on the other side where the "Fools" live. The Fools believe there will come a time when salvation will reach them from across the ocean. They do not believe in the Force within themselves.

Saul begins to show signs of instability and violence, making everyone fear him. There is some question that he has passed the age of living at the manor and serving as their leader. They just need proof, so Leia sets out to provide it, and finds not only evidence of what caused the rift between the two villages but salvation for her people.

This was fairly riveting for a novella. I found the Star Wars references funny at first; although the way the ending tied in to explain it all, it actually made sense. It's actually thought-provoking what could possibly survive, either in physical artifacts or in stories, after an apocalyptic event, and how the surviving information could affect future generations. ( )

I read this book for review last year. I have been asked to read book 2 for review, this year. As a general M.O., unless successive books are already published and I can pick up the next book immediately, I reread the first book(s) in a series before continuing on. Rather than reread the ebook, I've opted to listen to the audio version in preparation of reading The Wave for review.

After this second reading, I hold firm to my original 3-star rating of this story -- still finding the story line capturing my attention well enough to make me want to know what happens next!

The actual recording has the tell-tale "hollow" sound of being taped in a large-ish empty room. If I were listening to a 300-500 page book (8-15 discs or 10 plus hours), this would be a turn-off. As it is, this is a novella-length story that has the feel of fan-fiction. (I've listened to the early minutes of the second book and the hollow-room sound in that recording is absent!!!) ( )