ARC Review: The Deep by Jen Minkman

Title: The Deep (The Island #3)
Author: Jen Minkman
Publication: June 3rd 2014
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Provided by the kind author...
Goodreads

‘The world is never-ending.
I never realized just how much space there is – how far and wide the water around our island stretches out. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I may have believed that a second Wall ran around Tresco, containing the infinite waters so we wouldn't all wash over the edge and plummet down into the depths.’

Leia and Walt are on their way to the Other Side, where the legendary land of Cornwall awaits them. Tony, their new friend, has told them that all wars of the past have been forgotten and the citizens of Bodmin and Dartmoor live in peace. People adhere to the tenets of an old religion that preaches forgiveness and non-violence.
However, Walt and Leia soon discover that even a peace-loving, ideal society like this one may have its flaws. While on a forbidden trip to Exeter, the old city of their ancestors, the two Islanders discover more about the new world than they ever bargained for.

Secrets run dark and passions run deep in this thrilling conclusion to the Island novella series.

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

    I read the first and second book in this series a while ago. And I loved the short way the author describes her surroundings. But I didn't expect the third book to be a long novel, in contrast to the other two, which were novellas.
     Leia and Walt are now on the way away from their island. To an unknown world. The horizons are limitless but there is much danger waiting for them. And the line between enemies and friends is getting more harder to determine. Alisa is one the island, changed after the truths that have been exposed until she meets Saul, the tortured previous-leader of the Unbelievers.
     The world-building is much more prominent in this sequel than the others, because there are different worlds to discover and many more details to be fulfilled. Although it is not as detailed as I hoped it would be, it was still enjoyable. There was a lot of potential and the author definitely took advantage of that and succeeded in it.
     The characters; we have four main characters to keep track of, but it is never confusing. We have Leia, our MC from the first book, and Walt, our MC from the second book. But we also have Alisa and Saul. The strange thing is; i felt like I connected much more with Alisa and Saul than with the other couple. They were so adorable and lovely.
     The romance plays an important part in this story and it's really beautiful. We're already familiar with the Leia and Walt love story. So it was refreshing to see them go farther in this novel. Then, the romance between Alisa and Saul, is so new and with tension. It's really believable and lovely.
     This was a very enjoyable read. I loved reading it and the ending was really fulfilling. No loose ends. I loved that. Finally, if you like a plot-oriented, romantic love story, then this is for you!

ARC Review: The Boy From the Woods by Jen Minkman

Title: The Boy From the Woods
Author: Jen Minkman
Publication:December 1st 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind author...
Goodreads

Julia fell down on her knees next to his lifeless body, her heart filling with dread as she noticed the left side of his face was covered in blood. He had fallen off the motorbike, hitting his temple on a sharp-edged rock. His head injury looked really, really bad.
“Michael?” she whispered softly, putting a trembling hand on his forehead. “Can you hear me?”

Julia has been in love with Michael for years. He’s the hottest guy in school, and she can’t believe her luck when they finally hit it off during Senior Prom. Her dream doesn’t last, though: after a few dates, he callously dumps her out of the blue. Summer vacation starts with Julia feeling heart-broken and miserable.
But then she rescues Michael in the woods when he has a motorcycle accident in a heavy thunderstorm. From that point onward, her life is turned upside down. Michael has changed completely after the blow to the head that nearly killed him... and he wants her back. But why is he so different? And will she be able to trust him this time around?

Can the boy who broke your heart ever win it back again..?

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     Jen Minkman is not an unfamiliar author to me. I have read two of her books in her series, The Island, before and they have been really good. Although short, they expressed a lot of individuality. This book was not short, by any means and it was much more beautiful than I expected it to be.
     Julia has been in love with Michael for as long as she can remember. But when they spend a fabulous night together and he never calls her back, she's devastated. Then Michael has an accident in the woods, and Julia is the one to find him. But is that the Michael she knew?
     The thing i LOVED the most about this book were the characters. They were unique individuals, with flaws and misgivings and talents and everything in between. I loved Julia, even though she was naive at first, she did grow on me and she developed into a beautiful and brave young lady. I loved her interactions with her family, and her family living without a father figure in their lives, it was a bit hard. I felt all her love and devotion to her mother and her little sister and that moved me.
     I also liked her interactions with her friends. They were a very close-knit group and i loved their freedom with each other. It reminded me of my friends and I, and how loyal we are to each other. The romance in this book is at its peak of glory. The two guys are like two gems, just waiting for someone to find them. Michael is a jerk, at first. But after the accident, it's like another side of him is unleashed, and although we find out the reason for that in the end, it was still beautiful watching him with Julia and you could truly feel his love for her. On the other side, there's Thorsten. He's cute, genuine, and her truly cares for Julie, too. Michael is the mysterious and dark personality and Thorsten is the open-hearted one. But you can never choose between any of them, even in the end.
     The ending is fabulous. It's truly amazing and I have to admit that it made me cry a bit, too. It was heart-breaking and i could have never imagined it ending that way, but it was still beautiful and hopeful, and it made me realize that even though it might not work out, love will always stay. Jen Minkman has moved herself to the list of my favorite authors and i am waiting, on edge  for her new books to come out, she is a great and talented author. And an amazing person to talk to!

ARC Review: The Waves by Jen Minkman

Title: The Waves (The Island #2)
Author: Jen Minkman
Publication: October 4th 2013 by Jen Minkman
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Provided by the kind author...
Goodreads

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 want to know.
“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!

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

The Island #1 : My review

     I read Jen Minkman's first novella of this series a while ago, and it had me wanting to read her series whole. So, when she approached me to read this second novella, I was up for it immediately!
     Walt is a believer. He, just like everyone else in his side of the island, believe that one day they will be rescued by the Goddess Annabelle. And anyone on the other side of the Wall is an Unbeliever. And Walt never questioned his beliefs. Until his cousin's murder, the arrival of a mysterious man from the outside world, and his chance encounter with an Unbeliever girl, Leia.
     The first novella, The Island, was from Leia's point of view. I liked her, but she really was an ignorant character. Her part of the island were stupid, but Walt's part of the island weren't. But in this novella, both parts seemed stupid. I don't mean stupid in a bad way, no. But stupid in a close-minded kind-of-way. When you don't know anything better, you just end up behaving like how your ancestors taught you.
     This is a good book, that's for sure. And these two novellas give you an insight about the story but never really what's gonna happen. So, I am definitely waiting to read the first book in the series and i am pretty sure that it will be imaginative and an amazing dystopia. If you are a fan of survival and dystopia novels, then this is the one!

Review: The Island by Jen Minkman

Title: The Island
Author: Jen Minkman
Publication: June 1st 2013
Genre: YA Dystopian
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...

‘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?

(Please note: this novella contains a few references to the famous sci-fi movie Star Wars which are pivotal to the plot. None of the characters in The Island are in any way related to the characters in the movie.)

- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I didn't know this book was so short before I started reading it. But I am glad that it was to-the-point. At less than 100 pages, it build up a small, delicate dystopian environment that was chilly, but gave you the impression of a whole new world to discover. Which I loved.
     There is no summery needed for such a short piece, but the main character is the one I liked. Leia is a tough girl but one who never questioned her lifestyle or the authorities. She develops throughout the book into a curious, hard-to-crack girl. The character development was evident and I liked it. Although the other main characters were not as much fleshed out, and they felt two - dimensional at times, I hope that the author  explores them more in the sequel, if there is a sequel. Since I don't know if this is  a standalone, or a prequel, or the first in a series. 
     The only problem that I had with it is that it was too short for me. I rarely read books that are less than 130 pages, at least. So, i wanted this to be longer. I hope that the author will continue in the genre, since she evidently has a talent.