Book Review: Isle of Beasts
Isle of Beasts. Angela Hobbs. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,October 3, 2013, Trade Paperback and Kindle, 258 pages.
Reviewed by Ed Sarna.
Isle of Beasts, Angela Hobbs’ debut novel of paradise gone bad, is a suspenseful and thought-provoking thriller that hooked me from the first page and kept me reading long into the night. It tells the story of a cursed island, Ankira, cut off from the rest of the world, whose children are forced to pay for the sins of their parents. Twenty years from the moment of their birth, the children of Ankira go through a metamorphosis, turning into savage beasts before their families’ eyes. To protect those living on the island, they are caged and exiled to the place where the trouble began, never to be seen again.
Nineteen-year-old Raphael Solomon has tried to prepare himself for what is to come. He and his friends attempt to live typical teenage lives—ignoring the inevitable to the best of their abilities, even as they watch their peers, one by one, change into monsters. As the day of his forced captivity approaches, Raphael’s parents tell him they need to have an important talk with him. Before this can occur, they are interrupted, and the talk is postponed. He is taken into custody before he is able to discover what his parents were so desperate to tell him.
When Raphael doesn’t change at the appointed time, the island is elated, believing the curse is broken. Then, just as quickly, everyone is devastated. Rather than being freed, Raphael is vilified by the angry crowds. He is forced to run both from and toward his past, revealing secrets along the way that were supposed to remain hidden. While what he discovers turns his world upside down, it also may lead to salvation for the island.
The book is populated with beautifully described, multi-dimensional characters to whom we are drawn and quickly come to care about. They live full, vibrant lives, even as pain and fear pulsate just below the surface. It is a world that, while maybe not fair, is nevertheless predictable. That predictability ends when the unthinkable happens, and the people are forced to question all that they have been led to believe. The action builds at a breathtaking pace in a rich and believable world—a world similar to our own, only different. While the novel touches on many genres, I believe it would appeal to readers of thrillers, mysteries, horror stories, or anyone who appreciates a good story.
If there is any hint of weakness in the writing, I believe it is in the ending. While it ties up the storylines, it comes about a little too quickly for me. The rest of the story built so naturally that I would have liked to see the same with the resolution. I don’t mean to imply that it came about through a deus ex machina, but I would have liked to see it a little more developed. That said, it did its job and left me wanting to read Ms. Hobbs’ next book. I’m hoping there is a sequel, but whatever she publishes next, I’ll read it.
Angela Hobbs is a native of Chicago’s South Side and a journalism graduate from Columbia College Chicago. She is also the former editor of the retired teen magazine Young City. I would highly recommend this excellent book by an exciting new talent with a unique voice.