Author: Aja Hannah
Author's Website: Click here
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
BUY IT!: Buy on Amazon
Price: $4.99 for ebook, $10.52 for paperback
My Review:
Attie Hotep is just your typical high school student--well, your typical high school student hiding a really big secret. Attie is a direct descendant of the inhabitants of the fabled island of Atlantis. In this book Atlanteans are known as Zarconians and their descendants have special powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity. Attie has spent her entire life keeping her heritage secret, but after embarking on a cruise with some of her classmates her secret must be revealed. Disaster strikes the cruise liner in the form of an attack by out of this world super sized whales. The ship goes down, but not before Attie is able to save her friends. Attie and the other student refugees wind up on an exotic island, facing numerous dangers including a traitor in their midst!
The first half of Zarconian Island is incredibly slow. The teens are on a cruise ship, but the author never offers a real explanation as to why exactly these particular students are on a cruise liner or even if every other person on the ship is a student/teacher. Parts of the story are simply choppy and unrealistic. For instance, why does the island have weird prehistoric creatures and why aren't the students more surprised by the existence of these seemingly extinct animals? The Zarconian mark is something else that was not explained satisfactorily. Why does it glow? Why do Zarconians have a mark? These plot holes were distracting, and could have been "filled in" with the assistance of a good editor.
Plot holes aside, Zarconian Island remains a good read. Attie provides an excellent example of a strong female lead, and the concept for this story is incredibly unique. The pace really picks up in the second half of the book, and tons of action really gets the plot rolling. The teen castaways come into their own as they face an array of richly described dangers and life threatening situations, and Attie steps up as a keen leader. Zarconian Island is a truly original tale, and it will be interesting to see what Hannah comes up with next.
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