by Jen Minkman
Paperback, 174 pages
Expected publication: October 4th 2013 by Jen Minkman
ISBN 139781492303787
Series The Island #2
Blurb
The first memory I have of my grandfather is of a moment that we share together.
I’m sitting on his knee looking out over the harbor. Grandpa is smoking a pipe. He points at the horizon. “Look, Walt. Our ships are out there. And one day, another even more beautiful ship will appear at the horizon. A mighty ship to take us all away. And Annabelle will be at the front deck with open arms, inviting us all to join her on board.” “Why don’t we sail to her ourselves?” I inquire wide-eyed. “Because she promised she would come,” granddad replies. “And in that promise we trust. It’s only the Unbelievers who think they can do everything themselves. They have no faith in the Goddess.”
Walt lives in Hope Harbor, an island community that has put its trust in salvation from across the sea. The townspeople wait patiently, build their ships to sail out and welcome the Goddess, and piously visit the temple every week. Horror stories to scare their children are told about the Unbelievers on the other side of Tresco. But not all is what it seems. Walt has questions that no one can answer, and when his best friend and cousin Yorrick is killed in an accident, he digs deeper to find out the truth about the origins of Hope Harbor’s society… and the secrets of the temple.
Return to the world of The Island and discover what Walt’s life was like before and after he met Leia!
The Good
- The backlash. My main issue with the first book was the lack of backlash from the community when their entire belief system is torn down. Not an issue with this installment. Anger, hope, acceptance, rage, denial, suicide—the way Minkman showcases such a wide variety of reactions people have when their faith is tested was really amazing. My only gripe would be that many of these secondary characters aren’t very fleshed out, but at the same time I think it is a good thing they aren’t. These people could be any one of us, their emotions and reactions could easily be our own if we were put into the same situation.
- The corruption. I love a good conspiracy theory, and the corruption that Walt uncovers beneath Hope Harbor is perfectly shocking. I also really appreciated that the unveiling of his findings didn’t take an additional hundred pages as it does in some books. Walt does the logical thing and lets the truth be known as soon as possible.
- The intermingling of faiths. As in the first book, this second novella showcases the intermingling and augmentation of belief systems perfectly. It is anthropological elements like these that really make Minkman’s books shine.
The Bad
- The lack of romantic development. My only true complaint for this book would be the romance. It feels very underdeveloped, and there is little-to-no chemistry between Walt and Leia, in my opinion. I honestly think I would have enjoyed this story more if the romance was left completely out of it. The book is solid enough on its own with its conspiracies, belief systems, riots, etc. without the addition of a romantic element. I wouldn’t say the romance feels out of place, it just doesn’t feel like it is important enough to take center stage the way that it does near the end of the novella.
Overall Rating
When I read the first book in this series, The Island, while I appreciated the anthropological and cultural issues addressed throughout the book, the lack of uprising when religious views were brought into question rang false with me, and left me a little disappointed. This was definitely not a problem in this second installment. I absolutely loved the way Minkman was able to showcase the myriad of reactions people have when their faith is brought into question, when their truth is proved to be a blatant lie. This is a book about faith, loss, hope, growth, love, hatred, deception—but most of all it is a book about the human condition. I really enjoyed this, and I will definitely be picking up any additional novellas that Minkman decides to write in “The Island” series. I would recommend this to fans of dystopian fiction, particularly those with a religious focus like “The Forest of Hands and Teeth.”
Thank you to Netgalley.com and Jen Minkman for allowing me to review this book! Review copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.