The great thing about having a book blog is that every so often I will be approached by an author or publishing house to review a book. As in the case with this one.
Jen Minkman is a YA author from the Netherlands and her books are also available in English. She is a well know author in her country and writes paranormal romance, chicklit and fantasy. The novel that I am about to review is dystopian in theme.
The Island – Jen Minkman
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? (taken from Kalahari)
So, what did I think? I enjoyed this book, it was extremely readable and the story line was good. I do think that the characters could of been fleshed out more as well as the story. The book was only 80 pages which is great for a quick and easy read but I think it could have had more depth. I wouldn’t call this a YA book, I think it would be aimed more at late tweens. There are two more in the series, The Waves (Island #2) and The Deep (Island #3) which I haven’t read yet, but I think I could be persuaded to see what happens to the characters after the initial book.
I think this would make a great book for children who are looking for something without too much violence and an easy story line to follow. It is available at Kalahari in both English and Afrikaans, yay! You can find the English version here and the Afrikaans version here for a very nice price too. If you would like to know more about the author, head over to Goodreads and check her out.
So, if you have a child who is needing a ebook, get yourself over to Kalahari and download the book now!
She has a range of other books available too, so if you fall in love with her writing, there are many more books to read:-)
Let me know what you think!
[…] The Waves is the second in The Island books. You can read my first review here. […]