Natasha Preston is a name synonymous with tense, gripping YA thrillers and having released at least one thriller novel annually over the past five years (with a backlist stretching back a decade), the prolific New York Times bestselling author has this formula down pat. Place a bunch of teenagers in a remote location like a cabin, a summer camp, or small fishing town, stir in an inciting incident like a meme about your biggest fears, a car accident or childhood secrets rising to the surface, season liberally with murder and voila!
The Island is her newest thriller set in a bigger and better killing ground than ever before—an exclusive amusement park island which isn’t yet open to the public and to which six influencers have received the privilege of an invitation to visit before the grand opening. Their purpose is to promote the Gothic luxury island with restaurants, resort and amusement park over a long weekend, but how many of them will survive the experience is hard to say…
YA books about influencers are becoming more common these days as a testament to the iron grip this niche group of young people have over their peers, and increasingly these influencer-based stories wind up veering into the thriller/horror genre. You’re So Dead, Never Coming Home and Lord of the Fly Fest are recent examples from the past couple years which all feature a plot about influencers stranded on a remote island in a brutal struggle for survival. Natasha Preston’s version distinguishes itself by incorporating a Gothic-themed hotel and amusement park laden with stone and dark wood to match the aesthetic, carved gargoyles around every corner and a medieval weapons cabinet display in the lobby. It’s our protagonist Paisley’s dream come true, suiting her macabre-loving heart and certain to boost her following to even greater heights—but social media content will be far from her mind once the bodies start dropping, their ways off the island and communication with the mainland are sabotaged and the teens finally realise that their survival is not guaranteed.
Alongside Paisley on the influencer team are beauty bloggers Ava and Will, gamer Liam, movie buff James and bookstagrammer Harper. Key island staff members include the attractive duo of Gibson the driver and Reeve who acts as head of maintenance, chef Kenna and assistant Camilla who works under the billionaire Malcom Wyatt. As you might expect from a thriller with a high body count, there isn’t much chance for the side characters to receive character development, especially as a few of them are only inserted into the story to serve as cannon fodder. For a reader prepared for and anticipating bodies to drop, this will pose no issue as it’s all part of the fun. There isn’t much gore or graphic content which will recommend this book to some readers, but anyone hoping for more bloodshed will need to adjust their expectations as it’s a fairly tame read, not pushing any boundaries with the teenage demographic.
A Natasha Preston thriller is guaranteed to be an addictive, adrenaline-fuelled reading experience and it’s difficult to resist bingeing the book in one hit. There may be flaws in the formula, but these are flaws typical to the genre itself such as a teenage girl being too trusting of attractive guys or people making foolish decisions in stressful situations (splitting up is NEVER a sensible idea!) and are easy enough to overlook while compulsively turning the page to see what life-threatening escapade our protagonist narrowly survives next. What will be divisive is the final line that the author chooses to end this book on—a very provocative and frustrating choice that is sure to induce agonised screams in readers everywhere…
A heart-pounding, pulse-raising thriller perfect for readers looking for an entertaining YA slasher-lite story with sneaky twists you won’t see coming!
The Island is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Hot on the heels of the New York Times bestsellers The Twin and The Lake, another pulse-pounding read from the undisputed queen of YA thrillers!
They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren’t counting on forever.
Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich—or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley—social media influencers with millions of followers—have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They’ll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.
When the teens arrive, they’re stunned: the resort is even better than they’d imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park’s themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They’re given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.
But soon they’ll discover that something’s missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.
