Review: Cannibal Island by Cornell DeVille

Cannibal Island

Author: Cornell DeVille

Publication Date: March 16th, 2012

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Genre: YA/Adventure/Steampunk/Mystery

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Synopsis:

Young Adult steampunk adventure involving the search for the mysterious and legendary Golden Disk. This is the first installment in The Golden Disk time-travel series. It is an especially good choice for teen boys who crave adventure, danger, and mystery.

My Thoughts: This is the second book I've read by Cornell. The first one I read was "Lost in the Bayou" Which I really enjoyed and you can find the review here. I was really looking forward to reading more of his work and started off this book rather excited.

Unfortunately, my excitement slowly dwindled. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, but it's not really a great one either. It landed in  the "I could take it or leave it" area. My reasons for feeling that way are my lack of attachment to the characters. I didn't feel any real connection or attraction to the characters involved. I didn't really either like or dislike them I just felt rather indifferent about them. It was definitely adventurous, but maybe just not the kind for me. I found it  a little slow paced. At times I felt like there was too much detail where it wasn't really needed. I also found myself putting the pieces of mysteries together long before the main character, and watching him come slowly to the conclusion I had already made was kind of a boring process.

It wasn't all bad though. It had it moments where I was turning pages anxious to see what happened next. And I do like reading some YA that takes a break from making sure there is a major romance role going on. As much as I'm a sucker for romance, it's good to take a break from it now and then and just focus on a story line without that factor. I also like that it's YA that doesn't seemed aimed at the female population like most of it seems to be. I beleive I said that about his last book as well. I see in the synopsis that it's a perfect read for a teenage boy, maybe that's why it didn't quite reel me in. But I don't think you have to be a boy to enjoy it either.

Would I continue to read the series? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Maybe  like the synopsis says, to younger boys. I'm sure they'd love the sea faring adventure full of steampunk inventions, treasure, and cannibals. But for me it was to much steampunk and nautical detail, not enough adventure and cannibalism.