Book Review: The Island of Monsters
Good Morning Blogisphere!
I hope you’re having a great start to your week. I can’t really complain so far, as I’m just going through the motions.
I’ve got another book review for you guys! This time around it’s The Island of Monsters, Spirit Hunters #2 by Ellen Oh.
After reading the first Spirit Hunters book not too long ago (you can find my review here), I had to delve into this one, and this is also my first library borrow for the summer. Hooray!
Much like the first book, I blazed through this in no time at all. Is that a good or bad thing? Well, keep reading!
Blurb:
The thrilling sequel to the Texas Bluebonnet Award-nominated Spirit Hunters!
We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh delivers the next haunting tale in her acclaimed middle grade series Spirit Hunters, a mix of captivating mystery and chilling ghost story.
The perfect spooky listen for Halloween, this pulse-pounding adventure will leave you shocked at every twist.
Harper Raine faces new challenges ahead when her parents take the whole family to a remote tropical island for vacation. As Harper starts to have visions of the resort’s history of disappearances and discovers more about the island’s dark and fabled past, she must use her newly acquired spirit hunting talents to save everyone on the island from murderous spirits on the attack.
An exciting and spooky middle grade series, perfect for Halloween.
GoodReads
The Review:
I gave this novel four and a half stars!
Continuing on from the first book, Harper Raine has survived the summer and now hunts malevolent spirits in her free time, although maybe a little too enthusiastically.
After her grandma helps her vanquish a formidable threat, Harper begrudgingly goes with her family and friend Dayo to a tropical island for a vacation just around Halloween time. The only problem is that there’s a dark energy surrounding the island, an energy that may threaten all of their lives. Can Harper figure out the mystery behind it all and protect those she loves?
This book was really great, and this series has made me a fan of Ellen Oh’s for life! Yet again, so much is done right at the hand of this great author.
The characters were a big pro for me. Harper is growing up bit by bit, and I enjoyed her progression through this novel. It’s hard to accept that you can’t win every little battle in life, and Harper has to come to terms with that a bit here. She’s coming into her own as an adolescent and breaking out of her shell, as well as developing her abilities as a Spirit Hunter.
Her little brother Michael was so adorable throughout, and Dayo was again a great supporting character as well.
The plot was great, and the second I saw this had a Halloween theme, I wanted to read it even more. The plot was riveting, and I couldn’t help but blaze through the pages. Monsters? On a remote tropical island? Sign me up!
If I had to pick at anything, I would say the ‘flashbacks’ of sorts (seriously trying not to give anything away here) could be a little cheesy with the diction, but given that this is a middle-grade book I didn’t judge very harshly.
In the end, this was a great continuation of the Spirit Hunters series, and I can’t wait to see what adventures Harper gets into next!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out my blog homepage or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
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Sounds great! I must read this series once I’ve caught on my reading list.
Thanks. I think you’ll really enjoy this one