As a secret fan of murder mysteries and thrillers, I have submerged myself into countless novels from this genre. The heart-stopping details and the intricacy as well as puzzling aspect of a murder mystery has always left my heart pumping with adrenaline. Novels with such an effect are difficult to find. “The Island” by Natasha Preston, however, delivered this exact effect. 

“The Island” follows six teenagers all who have received the almost “too good to be true” opportunity to visit a luxury resort island called Jagged Island. This island is a resort for the wealthy and the rich. With its goth and gloomy appearance, the island seems to hide its own secrets amongst its roller coasters and merry-go-rounds. 

The six teenagers are all relatively famous Tik Tokers and YouTubers who the creator of Jagged Island himself, Malcolm, has invited to post and promote the Island. The main narrator of this novel, Paisley, is a murder and crime YouTuber/Tik Toker. The other people who accompany her are Will and Ava, both beauty and life content creators, Liam who streams himself playing video games, Harper a book reviewer, and James a lifestyle content creator. 

At first, all seems well on this island for Paisley and the other content creators as the island seems to charm and enthrall all of them in its luxury. The island’s charm almost seems to blind all of them as they fail to see that it is much more sinister than they all originally believed.

Soon enough, Will goes missing and little by little more people go missing. With their WiFi being tampered with, an oncoming storm, their only escape route gone, and a murderer on the loose, all of the content creators are left dumbfounded and scared for their life. What was initially a fun and exciting adventure soon comes to be their greatest nightmare. 

The perspective of Paisley, the narrator of the book, offers a unique point of view as she herself is a true crime content creator. Throughout the book, Paisley’s curious nature and quick thinking mind theorizes who is responsible for the disappearances. Her mind forms conspiracies along with the readers.

The other characters are all viewed from the calculative perspective of Paisley who struggles to trust people who she has only recently met. This aspect of being strangers makes the hunting of the killer much more difficult. 

As she draws circles in her mind trying to piece the puzzle together, she comes closer and closer to a final conclusion only to be thrown off by minor details that the average person would not have thought much of. The book very much gives off the overall impression of being a mouse and cat chase whilst the killer themselves is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

People who Paisley thought were allies soon turned into her enemies, no one was freed of being the killer who was after the group of teenagers. Somewhere among them was the culprit of the murders. 

“The Island,” with its fast paced nature and never ending plot twists, fully managed to catch my attention. However, the ending itself seemed to leave off at a sudden and unexpected event. While I wasn’t a big fan of its open ending, I overall think that this read is worth it. 

The novel is fast-paced and an easy read that won’t leave you bored with long and unnecessary details. It is, however, filled with action and there are always unsettling and mysterious moments throughout the book. 

If you want an action-packed murder mystery with plot twists that will keep your attention, look no further. “The Island” tells a story of deceit and mystery that is ideal for anyone who is a fan of murder mysteries and true crime. Overall, I would recommend giving this book a read.