A review by stephanieluxton
The Forgotten Island by David Sodergren

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

There were some genuinely scary parts to this book and I found the setting and creatures to be quite interesting. It was a bit more complex than I imagined it would be. I wish I had felt more connected to the characters - I didn't find any of them to be particularly likeable. All the men were incredibly misogynistic, which was disappointing. All the women had a lot of baggage - none of the characters were happy people, which isn't a bad thing by default but I didn't feel empowered by them. They all had solid potential for good characters arcs but the book was too short to give it to them. There were some pretty horrific injuries in the book and the characters seemed like they just shook it off to easily, which is a pet peeve of mine. Sometimes I stub my toe and feel like I can't walk - these characters are getting a severe burn or a deep bite and they just carry on like it's nothing. The setting itself could have been more of a challenge for the characters than it was. I didn't feel the isolation and wildness. I think I'm mad because it was so close to greatness and it lost me in the nitty gritty details. The antagonists were fun. It's still worth a read. The pace is fast so it makes for a good beach read.
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