Synopsis from the back of the book:
“Hair like a jagged gleaming star.
Blurred Birds on his pale skin.
He comes from nothing, from nowhere.
Each year, Louise travels with her father to Lindisfarne. But this year things have changed and the beautiful island seems troubled. Louise meets Hassan, a boy from Syria, who fascinates her. He is an acrobat, maybe a sorcerer, perhaps a source of great danger. The gang of boys who live in wild parts of the island want to cast him out. Over the course of a few days, the forces of love, death, hope and destruction connect all who are staying there.”
My rating:
☆☆☆
Island is one of the 2017 World Book Day titles, the synopsis left me intrigued and wanting to read more, it was one of the first I snapped up at the World Book Day event in Waterstones Piccadilly. I had high hopes for this book, especially after hearing so many great things about David’s other works. I was sadly left a little disappointed after finishing it, I really wanted to like it. Most of the time I found it too slow and found myself drifting to other books despite it only being 119 pages.
For me, the biggest issue is the writing style and storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, David is good at both, it’s just not to my liking or style. It is worth a read, especially if you are a fan of David’s previous books, I’ll definitely try another one in the future.
Published February 27 by Hodder Children’s Books
Fantastic Book Dragon 