The Wall

It’s been a few years since I first read The Island by Jen Minkman. The Waves is the second novella in The Island series, though instead of being a book two, it’s a parallel story to The Island.

While this is a story parallel to the first novella, telling the story of life on the other side of Tresco, it’s also a little more in-depth of a story. What I like best about these books isn’t that there’s action or romance or anything like that, but that there’s a well-written backstory to how the two settlements on this island came to be, and what happened to the world. Even though I knew what would be revealed in The Waves because I read The Island, I was drawn in as the story unfolded. It was a different culture dealing with the new information about its history. It was also a different prescriptive put on the events that take place later in the story.

Minkman, again, entertains her readers, makes them think into the deeper meanings behind Tresco’s history, and also makes readers meditate on faith and what it means to believe, no matter what it is that one believes in.

There’s a third book in this series now, The Deep, and it seems to continue from where the first two books left off. The story will move forward, and I plan on moving forward with the characters. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for them.

Reading the synopsis I was very intrigued by the premise. I liked the idea and mystery of “what lies on the other side”; yet as I read this story, I became lost- not so much as what’s on the other side, but as to which side I was on. Maybe it was the synopsis I read, but there were times when I could not tell which side of the wall I was actually on. Sometimes it seemed like the protagonists were on the same side of the wall, then at times they felt like they weren’t even on the same island.

I felt little to no connection to the characters. Even during the twist (will not spoil for anyone wanting to read it) I felt it was too spongy, there was not enough muscle behind the story to give the characters the life they needed. Important Characters seemed to just disappear when it would have been good to find out more about their struggle and feel for them more. The Antagonists seemed out of place- like the only reason they were there was to be a gnat’s worth of a nuisance. I felt they were hardly believable. The heroes of the story seemed to connect too quickly (seeing how they grew up afraid of what was on the other side of the wall), and just felt too rushed.

The language in the book felt choppy (I’m not a professional writer, so I can only give my opinion). There were too many short sentences that I felt could have gone without. Too many details that could have been left out or even summed up easier; on the flip side: there were things that left me questioning, almost as if not enough details were given.

Again, this is only my opinion, but I did not find relief after this book, only questions. I question what will happen to the ones that left the island (which I’m sure is answered in the next book). I was left with questions for the characters I never heard from again.
I wish the author very good luck in upcoming projects, unfortunately I do not feel it is a journey I will be attending any further.

I really loved this book; the beginning was on the slower side but after that it got really really good.