"Our Chemical Hearts"

 "Our Chemical Hearts"

Written by Krystal Sutherland

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Our Chemical Hearts stands out as being the most problematic book that I have read in a very, very long time. In anticipation of the release of its Amazon Studios adaptation, Our Chemical Hearts was recently re-printed to create buzz and attract new readers to the original source. However, I believe that author Krystal Sutherland created an extremely offensive and hurtful story, one to which teens should not be exposed.

The plot begins with the first person narrator, Henry, meeting the new girl, Grace, for the first time. Grace is extremely shy and is perceived as odd, because she smells, dresses in male clothing, doesn't appear to bathe, and she walks with a cane. Henry and Grace are tossed together to co-edit their high school's newspaper. Henry and his two best friends begin a Nancy Drew-like investigation to understand why Grace acts differently.

Very early on in the story, I began to believe that this is a harmful portrayal of teen relationships, sex, love, and grief, one that should not have been re-printed as it is. I absolutely believe that the publishing house is at fault for not editing the book and taking out matter that wasn't as problematic in 2016 when it was released, but it is now far more unhealthy. We readers and reviewers need to hold publishing houses accountable when they choose to release a book that portrays unhealthy depictions.

Feel free to click away in fear of spoilers, but I am about to list problems I had with this novel.

• Henry treats Grace like a manic pixie dream girl. There are repeated references to this issue in the story. Just because an author points out the flaws, it doesn't mean we can forgive them.
• There are far too many parenthetical asides. This writing style choice took me right out of the story by the end of the first chapter.
• Henry's two best friends are Murray (Muz) and Lola. Murray is portrayed as the annoying drunken foreign character, in this case Australian, who cannot take any situation seriously and uses far too much slang.
• Lola is a gay character, who never stops talking about being gay. I am in full support of having an LGBT character, but it seems like she was just used to be inclusive, not to be meaningful and shed important light on her experience. It feels as if the author watched two episodes of The L Word and thought it to be sufficient research.
• An Indian character named Seeta Ganguly is called Sugar Ghandi by all characters in every instance of her being spoken about.
• Henry's insistence on treating Grace like an experiment or a puzzle to be decoded. Her grief over her dead boyfriend isn't a light silly mystery for him to investigate. He also treats her terribly in nearly every conversation, because he is jealous of Dom.
• Yes, this was published four years ago. No, there still shouldn't have been a sexual encounter, in which Henry felt depressed that he couldn't have sex with her, because they were drunk. Not even a question of consent; he worried he would not be good at sex.
• In another instance, after he loses his virginity to Grace, he listens as she cries while falling asleep, crying that she misses Dom. And Henry is livid, not caring or understanding. He's livid that after he pressured her into sex, and frankly their entire relationship, that she doesn't feel elated after intercourse.
• There's another scene where he feels unhappy that they cannot have sex, because she is too drunk. The conversation should be surrounding that she may have an alcohol problem, not that he has blue balls.
• Henry, his sister, and his best friends stalk Grace as she walks to the cemetery, when they first realize Grace might be unhappy.
• A "Why You Should Date Me" powerpoint presentation, which Henry uses to manipulate Grace and bully her. In which he mentions how her ex abandoned her, not possibly considering who she could have been visiting at the cemetery.
• We even have a moment where Grace tells Henry that she will stop going to visit Dom, because of Henry, because doesn't want her to "|lie| on the grass above his decomposing corpse, crying tears that seeped into the earth to rest upon his coffin".
• Tasteless jokes about her injury and accident. Dom is dead, was killed in an accident that Grace was involved in, and Henry just feels mad that Grace's every thought isn't consumed by Henry. Imagine if something similar happened to your cousin, sister, boyfriend, best friend in real life. Is this how you'd like the story to be told?
• I don't feel the characters or the readers learn any lesson from this story. Teens will not read this and take any positive wisdom away from it.
• There are far too many jokes and negative comments about addicts, especially those who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. I feel I could count on my hands and toes how many times I read the word 'junkie'.

Let us now examine some direct quotes from this novel:

"Because apparently you still have to chase girls who can't run."

"...Trying to decide if I wanted to vomit because I was drunk or because the girl I'd lost my virginity to had probably been thinking about her dead boyfriend the whole time."

"I wanted so badly to stick to my guns, to make her feel bad for the weeks of hell she'd put me through when she chose her dead boyfriend over me."

In defense of the novel, I enjoyed some aspects of Our Chemical Hearts. I personally enjoyed Henry and Grace's characters at first, as well as the best friends and Henry's family. However, Henry's character was soured very quickly. I loved Grace's character. She is portrayed in her grief very accurately and carefully, which made me wish the whole story was through her eyes, rather than Henry's rose-tinted glasses. Grace was flawed and interesting, and I wish we could have seen more of that, instead of Henry moping about her. Additionally, I enjoyed the format types: text messages, letters, and other social media messages.

Still, this novel is one of the worst cases of toxic romanticization and poor misrepresentation I have ever read. Every John Green book combined with Rainbow Rowell, as the publisher advertises, would be less problematic and hurtful than this novel. I cannot believe that Bonnier Books / their young adult imprint, Hot Key Books, would allow this book to be reprinted, without major edits. This book is horrible and sets terrible examples for teens and young adults. Impressionable readers could misconstrue this novel, but the worst offender is the publishing house for not caring enough about the readers to fix these issues. In an era where political correctness and stories of the Me Too movement are so important and relevant, it feels that Bonnier Books spits in the face of these important topics and completely ignores them, like Henry ignores Grace's true feelings. There is no excuse for this publishing company to have acted this way, other than a greedy gimmick to bring in readers and money. In no way do I recommend this author or novel.

Thank God, they did not end up together. I truly would have burned this book.

I was sent a complimentary edition of this novel by Bonnier Books and Hot Keys YA.

"Eden"

 "Eden"

Written by Tim Lebbon

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Eden bursts out onto the scene of a newer sub-genre: eco-horror. Eco-horror is categorized as a horror work, that has the true villain be a secondary cause of the conflict. The main conflict instead is the human influence on the world, on the ecological environment. Additionally, Eden can fall into the sub-genre of natural horror, as the world attacks back. The author, Tim Lebbon, might be familiar to some from his books and the recent Netflix adaptation of his novel, The Silence, starring Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, and Stanley Tucci.

In Eden, a group of adventure explorers decide to illegally enter Eden, one of the safe, beautiful thirteen zones off limits, in a world that is on the brink of falling apart. With oceans rising to unsafe degrees and the depletion of the rainforest, Earth looks how scientists predict it will. The crew consists of Lucy, Aaron, Selina, Dylan, Cove, Gee, and Jenn. Jenn is our leading female protagonist and 'final girl'. Her father, Dylan, has been exploring with her for years.

Notoriously, Eden is a beautiful, lush zone that has been reclaimed by nature but many know it to be dangerous. Each crew member has a reason for entering. Many people have been searching each zone for the fabled ghost orchid, which may have properties that can save the planet. Jenn has an underlying motive for joining the expedition. She believes that her mother, Kat, was on an earlier expedition through Eden.

The horror style of the story comes into play early on. The beginning of the novel feels a tad slow, but author Lebbon takes his time to develop each character and introduce exposition in a realistic way. I do love an action / adventure / horror that begins while the characters are in transportation, en route to their dangerous mission. When the characters land, they start to discover some sinister plays in motion. They find many dead bodies, not necessarily decomposing but placed in a way that nature reacts to them. Water flows through a body. Flowers grow from a body. Additionally, we have a perspective that follows Kat, as she descends into a monstrous animal. 

Personally, I felt the story fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the action and adventure moments, but many scenes felt a little too long. I also wish that the relationship between Dylan and Jenn. Their father-daughter dynamic is interesting, but I felt that Lebbon focused heavily on Dylan's relationship with his ex-wife. However, I still genuinely liked the story. I found the bloodthirsty animals and strange plant biology to be very unique, and it proved to be an effective horror novel, even though I felt like most of the novel was a combination of Jurassic Park and Predator, possibly due to the author's work for the Alien vs. Predator novels and on other sci-fi novelizations. I think that some readers might have hoped for more of a post-apocalyptic story, but I found that Eden succeeded in not living up to that expectation. I just wished that the novel was a bit more insightful than fun.

Finally, I rated this story at four out of 5 stars. I'll be keeping it in my collection and continuing to read more works from Tim Lebbon in the future!

Thank you to the lovely Titan Books for sending a finished copy in early 2020 for my reviewing purposes. I think we can all understand why us reviewers are a little delayed this year!

"Heartless" - Book Review -

“Heartless”

Written by Marissa Meyer

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

As a retelling of a famous literary work, especially one for children that was made into a Disney film, Heartless, had my significantly high expectations to overcome. For all my life, I have loved Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and many different retellings. Remakes and reimagining of Alice’s story have been pervasive in media since Lewis Carroll’s first publishing. This work, Heartless, comes from a writer who has made most of her career adapting and reimagining fairy tales and folklore, so I expected greatness. This recreation is spear-headed by Catherine, ‘Cath’, who lives in the Kingdom of Hearts in what will be known as the dimension of Wonderland.

Cath is a teenager, of noble blood, whose main ambition is to open her own bakery in the small cozy village nearest her. Her parents believe that Alice should be married off, to the King of Hearts, who has begun courting Cath. However, Cath does not want to be married to him, for she meets a new boy to capture her heart, Jest, a joker at the castle. Jest is charming and clever, while the King is boring and oafish. The premise of the story is that we meet a young Queen of Hearts, before her rise to power and her descent into madness. Can we reconcile that Cath will be later this demonic and horrific villain? Will we see why? Cath’s journey introduces us to many familiar characters from the Alice lore, including some interesting new characters. We see the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, many cards turned guards, a cobbler named Caterpillar, Magpies, Cuckoo birds, Duke Warthog, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, the Jabberwock, and more.

My thoughts on this novel are all positive. This is a fantastic work of young adult fantasy, with gorgeous figurative language, incredibly visual scenes, witty yet intelligent dialogue, and a true author’s ability to adapt a classic. Mayer’s wisdom shines through, as she acutely can adapt these characters and story into a fresh and unique work of fiction that honors the original and praises her innovation. Heartless is a stark novelty, almost a new fairy tale all on its own. Additionally, I was impressed by the character development of Catherine, her positive changes and the unraveling of her mental state. I was surprised by the causes of her descent into madness, but I found some clues that alluded to it.

After completing the story, I found that the plot was so incredibly intricate, with clues for every reveal embedded in details. The author’s ability to create nuance, providing appealing and effective context for most memorable scenes and moments from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: painting the roses red, ‘off with her head’, the Mad Hatter’s craziness, etc. I was completely invested in all plot aspects: her bakery dreams, her marriage woes, her romance with Jest, the fear of the dangerous Jabberwock, and the secrets surrounding certain characters. I loved the inclusion of fates, puzzles, riddles, Time, the Looking Glass, and a thorough world build of each kingdom, Hearts and Chess. The final act of the book includes a fascinating climax with many interesting reveals, important deaths, heartbreaking decisions, and a great final line. Cath’s descent into madness was unexpected and crushing, yet unbeatable.

Personally, I think this may be the best Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland reimagining that I have yet to read. Heartless was absolutely perfect, without any glaring flaws or poor aging aspects. I truly wish this could have been extended into a series, but maybe if we beg Mayer enough, Catherine’s story would continue. I would love to spend more time in Mayer’s version of Wonderland. Truly, I recommend this novel to anyone interested in fantasy, young adult, Disney, and fairy tales. As an adult, I have grown skeptical of teen fiction, for fear of cheesy dialogue, poor character choices, and unhealthy romantic depictions. None of these fears came true, leaving me blown away. If you find yourself on the fence about picking this novel up, take the leap.

"We Love Anderson Cooper"

“We Love Anderson Cooper”

Written by R.L. Maizes

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“We Love Anderson Cooper” is an oddball and extremely eccentric collection of short stories. This book has been described as short stories with characters who are treated differently based on their race, sexuality, appearance, gender, and more. However, I felt that this short story collection was just based on people. It did not feel like this empowering, freeing collection with these themes. The reasons why these characters were treated differently are expressed in maybe the first three paragraphs of each story and then hardly influence the plot. This writer creates many different types of characters who all feel realistic, but they are in eccentric scenarios. This collection felt very easy going and natural to read yet realistic, similar to a Jason Robert Brown play (especially with all of the Jewish references). I felt that I liked some of the stories but was disappointed with most. I do not plan to keep this collection or read it again.

The first story in this collection was “We Love Anderson Cooper”. The plot follows a teen named Markus, as he prepares his bar mitzvah. For an aspect of this plot, I researched bar mitzvahs and they often occur when a Jewish boy reaches 13 years old. Markus comes out as gay while reading his speech for the ceremony, also outing his boyfriend. This puzzled me. Then, the story concludes in graphic, underage oral sex. This was just an awful and uncomfortable story to read. Yuck.

“Collections” follows the story of Maya, whose partner of 14 years has passed away, not leaving her anything in his will. Maya starts over and collects debt in exchange for cheaper housework done by a contractor.

“Tattoo” is about a man named Trey who becomes a tattoo artist and begins to obsess with his work. This was one of the best out of the bunch, but I still do not think it was phenomenal.

“The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee” was a funny little tale about a man whose cat starts turning his affection to his girlfriend instead. This was my favorite. It was cute and light-hearted with some fun, Jewish humor.

“No Shortage of Birds” was absolutely infuriating. I hated this story with a fervor like that of an angry volcano. A young woman whose father passes away is gifted a parakeet. She doesn’t give it fresh water, keep it well-fed, lets it overheat in 95-degree heat without air conditioning, which of course kills it. As a bird lover and owner of two lutino cockatiels, I wanted to set the book on fire. And buy six more lutinos to keep them safe from harm.

“L’Chaim” is a poignant vignette about a woman who stands in the venue where she called off her wedding, surrounded by the chairs, chuppah, and flowers. I enjoyed this one as well, because although it was short, it certainly painted a strong picture.

“A Cat Called Grievous” follows a man and wife who struggle to conceive. After taking in a skittish but feisty stray cat, they start to notice the destructive hold the cat has on them. This was another strange but witty story.

“Better Homes and Gardens” was completely forgettable. A man who is so unhappy in his marriage takes up pizza delivering, becoming friends with a customer and her child. The grass is always greener, I guess.

“Couch” was a story about a female therapist who becomes obsessed with a couch. That’s it.

“Yiddish Lessons” followed a young teen, possibly transitioning into a different gender. There was also an interesting arranged marriage plot line as well. However, I thought this story was just okay.

“Ghost Dogs” was yet another sad animal story. There’s far too many here. A woman moves on after both her pets have passed away, hearing thumping by the dog door, reminding her of walks.

In conclusion, I recommend the stories I liked, but I would not recommend this book as a whole. I did not enjoy it very much, even though I really enjoy short story collections. This reminded me a lot of “No One Belongs Here More Than You” by Miranda July, which was another short story collection that I couldn’t stand.

Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an advanced reader copy. This was not in exchange for a review, but I wanted to review it anyway.

"Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter"

“Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”

Written by Seth Grahame-Smith

Review written by Diana Iozzia

As much as I mocked the idea of this novel for years before reading it, I have found a new favorite within “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”. I have recently been branching out into books within the “alternate history / science fiction” genre. I started falling in love with this sort of genre when I read “Dread Nation” by Justina Ireland, which follows main characters Jane and Katherine, two black teens in post-Civil War Baltimore, in a world where the fallen soldiers have begun to rise from the dead as ‘shamblers’, similar to zombies. So, as I came across “ALVH” again, I thought to myself that I might enjoy the story, since it incorporates the Civil War and a beloved literary monster. As a large fan of most vampire folklore, I picked it up and fell in love.

“ALVH” is told in many different types of format. First, we are told of a young teenage Seth Grahame-Smith, the author who has portrayed himself, who has been approached by a mysterious vampire, Henry. Henry has lent Seth the diaries of Abraham Lincoln, so he may write a book about when Abe was a vampire hunter and most of his life before and after. Then, we are launched into a sort of biography about Abraham Lincoln, peppered by the entries from the diary, letters, and altered photographs and art.

I believe that the best thing about this book is that it doesn’t feel like a big fantasy vampire story. It has such amazing depth to it. We love Abe, as we meet him as a young child, to see the heartache and death he endures, as he rises to become an important politician. Then, we have the weavings of a vampire history, telling us all about the interesting aspects of these vampires, the friends and enemies Abe makes, and the gruesome horror, all creating this fantastic epic. Abe is a hero, in the ways that real Americans know and as a vampire killer. The novel is told in three ages of Abe, as a child / teen, as a young adult, and after he rises to political power.

There are so many amazing aspects of this story that have to be recognized. As well as it is horrifically bloody and stomach churning, this is a great piece of horror. The vampires are absolutely terrifying. The world that Grahame-Smith has taken and made his own with his great alterations is so encompassing and interesting. It’s absolutely fascinating to learn about the true historical aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life and see it explained as if vampires had existed in this world. The novel is so thoroughly researched and explanatory, that you feel that this is a real biography, that this really could have happened. A funny aspect that I was not a fan of at first but grew to like is the footnotes. Grahame-Smith adds in footnotes, explaining small details and giving his thoughts. An important one to note was his making a point how Abe’s language changes as he grows older and more haunted. This was really interesting to read through and notice how he reacted in certain situations and the words he would use.

Now, I have to mention one of my favorite parts of this story. We have a wonderful chapter explaining how Abe met Mary Todd and courted her. This felt like a romantic scene come to life. If you’re a fan of “Hamilton”, think the two scenes that incorporate “Helpless” and “Satisfied”, when Eliza and Angelica meet Alexander for the first time. Actually, a lot of this book reminded me of “Hamilton” in a way.

An element of this book that threw me at first was the incorporation of other famous historical people and events that I would not have expected. In this journey, we see historical representations of Marie Laveau’s house, Edgar Allan Poe, John White from Roanoke, and more. We also have a very interesting explanation behind John Wilkes Booth. Also, in the absolute conclusion of the book, we see a familiar character from this story encounter another very interesting historical figure. Won’t spoil that.

In conclusion, I firmly believe this is a new favorite book for me. I enjoyed this so much more than I really thought I would. This is a fantastic edition into the ‘alternate history’ / fantasy / science fiction genre, and I cannot wait to read the other books by this author. Read this as soon as possible. By candlelight, at midnight. But have a wooden stake next to you, just in case...

"Final Girls"

"Final Girls"

Written by Riley Sager

Review written by Diana Iozzia

"Final Girls" is a unique thriller, telling the perspective of a ‘final girl’, the teen / young adult who survives the end of a massacre. In cheesier horror movies like “Scream”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, “Halloween”, the female survivor who defeats the mass murdering male villain is praised for enduring and making it to the end of the film. Often, films like this are parts of franchises, in which the ‘final girl’ continues to survive, throughout at least two or three films. Riley Sager offers us our main character, Quincy, who has survived a group murder at a cabin in the woods.

The story takes place in two separate time periods. As each chapter alternates, the first perspective shows Quincy and her friends at the cabin, as we bite our nails waiting for the killing to start. The second perspective is about ten years later. Quincy was the sole survivor, so she is a neurotic and morally ambiguous woman. She works as a dessert blogger, which was pretty interesting. I enjoy when characters in psychological thrillers have hobbies, so we can relax and read a little about that, instead of chasing back and forth through action sequences.

However, Quincy’s life in the present isn’t just peachy. In the media coverage after the Pine Cottage murders that she survived, the newscasters named her a ‘Final Girl’, also covered with two other girls who have lived through similar events. In the present, Quincy is met by one of the girls, Samantha Boyd, who now goes by Sam. In addition, it has also been released that the other girl of the three has committed suicide, but the police are possibly investigating it further.

Under the influence of Sam, Quincy morphs into a “Mr. Hyde”-like personality. She is reckless and dangerous, injuring herself and others. She makes crazy decisions and becomes unhinged. Sam is clearly unhinged as well, leading us to question her morals and why she decided to seek out Quincy. As the plot progresses, we start to doubt everyone and everything, finding it difficult to trust any word or thought of each character. We also wonder, is Quincy still in danger?

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed is the links between each chapter. They are often small and subtle but great to notice if you can. Each “past” perspective has a parallel in the “present” in a clever way. For example, Quincy’s ‘blood-drenched arms’ during the killings links to “her hands covered in frosting” in the present.

To be honest, I was not the biggest fan of the two twists. One I saw coming from the first meeting of one character. The second twist was niggling in the back of my mind, but I hoped that I was not right. However, I still think that I truly loved this book, and the read is certainly worth it. Although I was not hoping for the second twist, I think it was done especially well. It makes complete sense, offering no plot holes, and was really jaw-dropping. I said to myself, “I can’t believe that just happened”. The climax is also incredible, giving a new meaning to ‘final girl’.

In conclusion, READ THIS BOOK. This was my first experience reading Riley Sager, and I cannot wait to read his next books. This became a new favorite.

"The New Neighbors"

“The New Neighbors”

Written by Simon Lelic

Review written by Diana Iozzia

I received a free advanced reader’s edition for reviewing purposes. Thank you to Berkley Publicity.

“The New Neighbors” was a novel that was completely different from what I expected it to be. It’s branded as an exhilarating thriller that hinges upon a body found on a back porch, of our two unreliable narrators Jack and Sydney. As we begin their perspectives, we notice a little arguing back and forth, as if they know what the other is saying in this perspective. This does not particularly break the fourth wall, but it leads to a bit of intriguing narration.

“The New Neighbors” is not a thriller to me, in the typical sense of the genre. This is first and foremost a love story, or well, falling out of love story. Jack and Sydney are complicated people in complicated situations. They are busy with their own lives, while they are falling apart. As they move into a weird new house, we learn more about Sydney’s abusive childhood and Jack’s difficult job dilemma. I really enjoyed this story for the parts that weren’t involved in the murder on the back porch. We only really find out the ‘thriller’ aspect during the last 75 percent of the book. Naturally, we read through their unreliable narration, but it’s different to me than regular unreliable narration. Often, we read denial, lies, and it’s clearly overt who is unreliable. Until we reach the climax and resolution, I personally did not distrust either Jack or Sydney.

I think this was a very complex thriller with much more aspects and fragility than I expected. I think this is a hard book to brand, because yes, there is abuse, rape mentions, drug addiction, and murder, but the most interesting aspect is the relationship failure. I beg you to read this; this is absolutely a new favorite.

"Little Darlings"

“Little Darlings”

Written by Melanie Golding

Review written by Diana Iozzia / Bookworm Banter

I received a free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for reviewing purposes.

“Little Darlings” is a fun psychological thriller that blends in dark fairy tales, like that of the Grimm Brothers. We meet Lauren, who believes that her twin boys were almost kidnapped at the hospital on the day of their birth. Her paranoia increases until one day, she shuts her eyes at the park, and the boys are taken.

We are enraptured in a horrific way as we see the eerie fairy tale elements. The dark shadows, the witch-like woman, the singing twins, and more build to a creepy atmosphere, that makes this book reminiscent of “The Babadook” and “The Changeling”. This is an absolutely fun and entertaining psychological thriller. As fun as it is, it’s still written very well with great suspense and well-written characters.

Everyone is suspicious, of someone else or in their own way. We are not sure who to trust. Are the creepy apparitions real or are they imagined by Lauren? Is she crazy? Or is she seeing something that no one else does? Our other main protagonist is police officer Jo who is unraveling the mystery and finding out the truth, as Lauren struggles to keep her head above water and her wits about her.

No big twist ending, but this is a really fun ride! I highly recommend this for those readers who are looking for a little bit of fantasy and supernatural, mixed in with their psychological thrillers. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I imagine others will too!

"The Island"

"The Island"
Written by M.A. Bennett
Review written by Diana Iozzia

After reading "S.T.A.G.S." by M.A. Bennett, I was thoroughly excited to read her newest release, "The Island". This book is branded as a mix of a boarding school mystery and "Lord of The Flies". I was intrigued by both counterparts, because one of my favorite genres is dark academia, and I also enjoy readings survival stories. 

Link is our eccentric, self-branded nerd. We learn about him, his hobbies, his interests, and many of his dislikes. I am not a fan of link. I understand the author consulted her teen children and then wrote a perspective based on these thoughts and ideas, but the character feels very manufactured, as in he's an alien or a robot, only spouting out references to video games and current pop culture icons. These references date the book in an uncomfortable way. 

After growing tired of his bullies, Link wants an escape from the school where he doesn't fit in. His parents are flabbergasted, surprised how horribly he was treated, even though from the absolute start, they knew he was terribly bullied. His parents make a deal, that if he can spend two weeks at a summer camp, they will let him withdraw from the school and find one he likes more. He gets on a plane, with the only characters we've known from his school so far. Suspiciously only these characters. His bullies, the girls he likes. The plane crashes on a strange island, but none of the characters can remember the crash. 

We have a large portion of the book where Link establishes power over the group, by first teaching them to hunt, cook, and make shelters. He starts to manipulate those around him, threatening that if they do not obey, they will not eat. 

We eventually find out the major point of the crash, the whole explanation why the story has taken place. It is one of the worst reveals I have read in a book. I understand that this book is for teens and young adults, but as a twenty-two year old, I don't think I'm reading too far out of my age group. My younger brother is eighteen, and he never acted in any way that these teens do. I personally rarely encountered these types of teens. So, I do understand the ending, that this might appeal to teens, but I was exasperatedly unimpressed. 

I do not recommend this book, but I highly recommend "S.T.A.G.S", the first book by this author.