Literature & Fiction
![Natasha Preston - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_natasha_preston.jpg)
The Island
Hot on the heels of the New York Times bestsellers The Twin and The Lake, another pulse-pounding read from the undisputed queen of YA thrillers!
They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren't counting on forever.
Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich-or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley-social media influencers with millions of followers-have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They'll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.
When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than they'd imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park's themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They're given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.
But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.
They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren't counting on forever.
Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich-or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley-social media influencers with millions of followers-have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They'll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.
When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than they'd imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park's themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They're given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.
But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.
Editorial Reviews
Reviews for The Island:
"Keeps the tensions high right up to the very last word."--SLJ
"Preston utilizes the uniqueness of the human-made island setting to great effect, providing an impish playfulness to the steadily escalating stakes and body count."--PW
"Keeps the tensions high right up to the very last word."--SLJ
"Preston utilizes the uniqueness of the human-made island setting to great effect, providing an impish playfulness to the steadily escalating stakes and body count."--PW
Short Excerpt Teaser
1
THREE WEEKS LATER
From the mainland, Jagged Island looked tiny, but as the boat speeds toward the rocky cliffs, I see that it's much larger than I thought.
It must be, to fit a whole amusement park, hotel, and restaurants on it.
Large hills and hoops of wooden roller coasters jut out of the ground and stretch high into the sky.
Sharp black rock that looks as if someone has carved vertical shards from the surface frames the island. The amusement park sits high off the water. Waves crash against the cliff face and white foam races back into the sea.
Trees are sparse on the island but the few there are full of bushy green leaves. From here, the park is dark, wooden, and void of color.
Even with the blue ocean and clear, sunny skies, the island appears more gloomy than glamorous. I kind of like it. The Magic Kingdom isn't my thing.
Our boat jumps over choppy water as we hurtle toward the jetty. I grip the side of the boat as my butt leaves the padded seat I'm trying to sit on.
"This looks creepy as hell," Ava says. Ava as in BeautyFulAva. The TikTok girl who my cousin is obsessed with and who my parents want me to be more like. Absolutely not going to happen. Before I left, Ellie made me promise to ask for her autograph, but so far, Ava's been a total brat.
Her contoured face twists in distaste as she stares at the island. Her glossy blond ponytail whips behind her in the wind. She's as sharp as in her videos, savagely rating brands that don't live up to her expectations. Her reputation for brutal honesty gets her a lot of attention.
Here, it might just get her hated.
We're not her followers.
When we arrived at the harbor, she dragged three large bright pink suitcases on board the boat and acted offended when Gibson, our rather hot driver, questioned if she needed it all. I'm trying to not judge her too harshly, but she's referred to Gibson as "the help" twice and we've only been on the boat for fifteen minutes.
He looks ready to throw her overboard.
"Nah, this looks awesome," Liam replies. Liam is a gamer, though from his appearance and muscular physique he seems like more of a jock. He has a dominant personality and perfectly styled brown hair. I focused on him straightaway. It's hard not to.
His YouTube channel is massive and he's TikTok-famous-his TikTok has exploded. He's a big fan of any game with violence and hits back at negative comments in the way a jock would-with complete and utter annihilation of his opponents.
He's gorgeous and probably wouldn't give me the time of day if we went to the same high school.
"No," Ava says more forcefully. "It's creepy. Who's going to look at an ad for this place and want to come here . . . besides goths, freaks, and serial killers?"
I wonder how much trouble I'd get in if I shoved her into the water. I doubt Gibson would care.
James wraps his arm around her shoulder. "I'll look after you."
It won't be the rough sea that makes me hurl.
Ava smiles up at him with her flawless bat-winged eyes. James is a movie buff. He reviews them, makes them, dissects the continuity, and rarely rates anything higher than three stars-his only five-star review last year was for Squid Game. He's tall and on the skinnier side, but you can tell he works out between all that movie-watching. He has striking features. His jaw is squared, his eyes are a very dark blue, and his hair is blond and curly. He's the only guy wearing aftershave. It's strong, woody.
And he makes Ava giggle a lot.
I don't know what she was expecting. The invitation was black with intricate red and gold gargoyles etched into it. All gothic and perfect and authentic.
The aesthetic is so on brand for me.
A couple days ago, I covered the tragic, historic story of five-year-old Maggie, who was murdered at the Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island. It created a buzz among my followers. Half of them are saying a private island is the perfect place for murder and the other half thinks I'm crazy to stay somewhere I can't leave immediately if I want to.
It's only perfect if only you and your victims know you're there.
I'm sure I'll find an edge to the resort; the gothic vibe will help.
We're almost there now. I have to tip my head up to see the island. A few birds circle above like they're searching for prey.
This weekend we get to check out the park, spend time on the rides, and hang out at the hotel spa and pool. Then Malcolm is hoping we shout great things and send all our followers to the island.
THREE WEEKS LATER
From the mainland, Jagged Island looked tiny, but as the boat speeds toward the rocky cliffs, I see that it's much larger than I thought.
It must be, to fit a whole amusement park, hotel, and restaurants on it.
Large hills and hoops of wooden roller coasters jut out of the ground and stretch high into the sky.
Sharp black rock that looks as if someone has carved vertical shards from the surface frames the island. The amusement park sits high off the water. Waves crash against the cliff face and white foam races back into the sea.
Trees are sparse on the island but the few there are full of bushy green leaves. From here, the park is dark, wooden, and void of color.
Even with the blue ocean and clear, sunny skies, the island appears more gloomy than glamorous. I kind of like it. The Magic Kingdom isn't my thing.
Our boat jumps over choppy water as we hurtle toward the jetty. I grip the side of the boat as my butt leaves the padded seat I'm trying to sit on.
"This looks creepy as hell," Ava says. Ava as in BeautyFulAva. The TikTok girl who my cousin is obsessed with and who my parents want me to be more like. Absolutely not going to happen. Before I left, Ellie made me promise to ask for her autograph, but so far, Ava's been a total brat.
Her contoured face twists in distaste as she stares at the island. Her glossy blond ponytail whips behind her in the wind. She's as sharp as in her videos, savagely rating brands that don't live up to her expectations. Her reputation for brutal honesty gets her a lot of attention.
Here, it might just get her hated.
We're not her followers.
When we arrived at the harbor, she dragged three large bright pink suitcases on board the boat and acted offended when Gibson, our rather hot driver, questioned if she needed it all. I'm trying to not judge her too harshly, but she's referred to Gibson as "the help" twice and we've only been on the boat for fifteen minutes.
He looks ready to throw her overboard.
"Nah, this looks awesome," Liam replies. Liam is a gamer, though from his appearance and muscular physique he seems like more of a jock. He has a dominant personality and perfectly styled brown hair. I focused on him straightaway. It's hard not to.
His YouTube channel is massive and he's TikTok-famous-his TikTok has exploded. He's a big fan of any game with violence and hits back at negative comments in the way a jock would-with complete and utter annihilation of his opponents.
He's gorgeous and probably wouldn't give me the time of day if we went to the same high school.
"No," Ava says more forcefully. "It's creepy. Who's going to look at an ad for this place and want to come here . . . besides goths, freaks, and serial killers?"
I wonder how much trouble I'd get in if I shoved her into the water. I doubt Gibson would care.
James wraps his arm around her shoulder. "I'll look after you."
It won't be the rough sea that makes me hurl.
Ava smiles up at him with her flawless bat-winged eyes. James is a movie buff. He reviews them, makes them, dissects the continuity, and rarely rates anything higher than three stars-his only five-star review last year was for Squid Game. He's tall and on the skinnier side, but you can tell he works out between all that movie-watching. He has striking features. His jaw is squared, his eyes are a very dark blue, and his hair is blond and curly. He's the only guy wearing aftershave. It's strong, woody.
And he makes Ava giggle a lot.
I don't know what she was expecting. The invitation was black with intricate red and gold gargoyles etched into it. All gothic and perfect and authentic.
The aesthetic is so on brand for me.
A couple days ago, I covered the tragic, historic story of five-year-old Maggie, who was murdered at the Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island. It created a buzz among my followers. Half of them are saying a private island is the perfect place for murder and the other half thinks I'm crazy to stay somewhere I can't leave immediately if I want to.
It's only perfect if only you and your victims know you're there.
I'm sure I'll find an edge to the resort; the gothic vibe will help.
We're almost there now. I have to tip my head up to see the island. A few birds circle above like they're searching for prey.
This weekend we get to check out the park, spend time on the rides, and hang out at the hotel spa and pool. Then Malcolm is hoping we shout great things and send all our followers to the island.
