Tuesday 23 February 2016

Review: The Waves by Jen MInkman


The Waves (The Island, #2)The first memory I have of my grandfather is of a moment that we share together.I’m sitting on his knee looking out over the harbor. Grandpa is smoking a pipe. He points at the horizon. “Look, Walt. Our ships are out there. And one day, another even more beautiful ship will appear at the horizon. A mighty ship to take us all away. And Annabelle will be at the front deck with open arms, inviting us all to join her on board.”“Why don’t we sail to her ourselves?” I want to know.“Because she promised she would come,” granddad replies. “And in that promise we trust. It’s only the Unbelievers who think they can do everything themselves. They have no faith in the Goddess.”
Walt lives in Hope Harbor, an island community that has put its trust in salvation from across the sea. The townspeople wait patiently, build their ships to sail out and welcome the Goddess, and piously visit the temple every week. Horror stories to scare their children are told about the Unbelievers on the other side of Tresco.
But not all is what it seems. Walt has questions that no one can answer, and when his best friend and cousin Yorrick is killed in an accident, he digs deeper to find out the truth about the origins of Hope Harbor’s society… and the secrets of the temple.
Return to the world of The Island and discover what Walt's life was like before and after he met Leia!


Shona's review 4 of 5 stars

The Waves is the second book in Minkmans The Island series however, as the events of The Waves take place mostly before and then during the events of The Island, it would be possible to read this book first. But please don't assume that this is just a retelling from Walts POV. This is NOT a retelling. 
In The Island, we met Leia and learned about how her people lived, this time we learn about Walt and how his people live. And we learn a little more about the two outsiders  Tony and Henry, who washed up on the shores of the Island. And what that means for the people of the island, on both sides of the wall.

As is usual for Minkman, this story is filled with descriptive text, text describing the world, the people who live in it and the religions they follow, but it is done so beautifully that you are not overwhelmed. One of the other things Minkman is good with is fitting a lot into novellas, and the same is true for this book. This isn't just a companion novella, this is its very own fleshed out story. 

I am looking forward to reading the next instalment in this series.


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