The Island: A New Adult Enemies to Lovers Dystopian Fantasy Romance

I was introduced to the work of S. Usher Evans when my husband bought me the first three books in her Razia series as a Christmas gift. So when I had a chance to support her Kickstarter for The Island, I jumped all over that. It was just the icing on the cake that I got a copy of the book ahead of time! So I took The Island with me to my son's doctor's appointment, figuring I'd get a good start on it while we waited. We waited for two hours and a little more, and I finished the book because I could.not.stop.reading.it. The story of two warring countries, Rave/David versus Kylae/Goliath, pulled me right in. Theo is a pilot for Rave, and she's gunning for some Kylaens. When she learns that Prince Galian will be flying, she's gunning for him in particular. Galian wouldn't be flying at all, were it left up to him. He'd prefer to use his medical training , but joins the military at his father's strongly worded request. In the air battle, Theo does indeed shoot down the princeling's plane, but crashes her own in the process. So there they are, from two enemy nations, stranded on a deserted island...together. How would you like to be stuck on an island with someone who represents what you hate the most? Theo's none too crazy about it, to put it mildly. But she's injured, and Galian doesn't know a whole lot about survival, and neither of them has a way off the island since both planes went down, and it becomes clear fairly quickly that they're going to need to rely on each other if they make it out of this alive. Action? Check. A battle with the deck stacked against one nation? Yep. Characters that make you laugh and cry and want to reach into the pages and shake them? Oh, yes. And maybe some romance, too, and some intrigue, and, oh, just go get a copy!

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Theo and Prince Galian are from countries that are at war with each other, and they are on the front lines, believing whole-heartedly that their country is in the right. That is, until Theo and Galian end up stranded on a island together, and all of their beliefs are put to the test. I have a really hard time connecting with most female main characters. I don’t know what it is, but it’s really hard for me to find a female lead that I like. I really liked Theo, though! She was tough and strong-willed and I loved her. I also loved everything about Galian. The romance was not overbearing at all, and it was balanced perfectly with some action and suspense. Watching their relationship develop was just wonderful, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here. The only slight negative I have about this book (if you can even call it that) is that I would love to learn even more about the world that Theo and Galian live in. I know the majority of this book took place on an island, so that limited the world-building quite a bit, but I would still like to know more about the history of their world and how these two countries ended up fighting one another. I am really looking forward to reading the next book to hopefully learn some more about their world. PS- I've already read the rest of this series, and trust me, you need to read it!

Coming in to this book, I had really high hopes, and perhaps expectations for it since I have been OBSESSED with Double Life (Razia Series Book #1). And this early, I want to tell you, all of you, that I was not disappointed! I could go on and just mumble about how I liked this book, but of course, being the good (ahem) blogger that I am, I will discuss them further and try to be more helpful than my usual self. What I liked Honestly, a lot. I think the world building was on point. Now I may have some bias on this because my father was in the Air Force when he was still in the military service. And so, I was familiar with air crafts, maintenance, and mechanics, and hangars, and barracks, and the lot. So for that, I was able to relate early on. However, in retrospect, had I not been in my circumstance, I think I still would have been able to relate after some time. The situation surrounding Theo and why things were that way was told clearly. Of course, the situation with Galian had some relation with me as well because I too work in the medical field. The moral and professional sentiments he expressed were not entirely alien to me. Also, I think that how the world's situation was explained well, appealing to the hearts of those who value democracy and freedom (which is probably all of us). You tend to take sides 5 pages in. Clever if I may say so, because by the last 3 pages, you will question that loyalty you held throughout the book. You think you have weighed out everything and made a firm decision but nope! Things are just getting started my friend. The entire premise of the book was great, of warring lands, with a much deeper and thought-provoking underlying cause to it. It is not entirely a story of love in a war torn country. Because if it is, you know I would have junked it. For me, it is a book of loyalty, and principles, and love, and politics, and choices, and the moral consequences of war. To believe and trust in someone you are raised and trained to hate, and the string of choices you have to make along with it is what makes this book beyond what it looks like. The story's pacing was perfect. Although there were a bunch of things needed to be explained and a lot of the conversations carried much information, there was enough pause for a lot of the scenes. What I mean is that, there are moments which needed just a teeny tiny bit more time, just a little drag on the time to let readers get immersed in those moments, before getting their hearts broken to pieces again. Those moments, were generously given to readers in this book. Looking back, I could say A LOT has happened to the characters in this book, BUT, it is surprising to say that it wasn't a very thick, heavy read. Now, for the one thing you know I look for in books. Both characters had interesting back stories to them, and I liked that there was not much mystery to where they came from or what they did in the past because that would have been too much. But, the character development both of them underwent during the course of the book was to me, exactly what was needed. You see them change perspective, and challenge their long-held beliefs, but they stay true to their nature, and true to their hearts. There were no dramatic change of loyalties, but internal conflicts that should be natural were present. What I dislike The ending. Yup, I said it. What? No it was not a bad ending. It was just that it ended so soon! One minute I was furiously flipping the pages and then poof! I hit the back cover and my booknerd self cried. Why do this Whitney?