A blend of science fiction and fantasy, AN UNUSUAL ISLAND follows a pair of American twins who discover an alien race hiding the remains of their world on what appears to be a Hawaiian island.
When teenaged twins Justine and Janine wash up on an uncharted island with their parents, it’s immediately apparent that nothing about the place is normal. Told through Janine’s eyes, AN UNUSUAL ISLAND follows the twins and their parents as they discover that the island is far more than it seems, doubling as a home to a species of humanoid birds that have been hiding from humans for decades. Though they don’t know it yet, Justin and Janine are incredibly special to this race, and not all of the bird-people are eager to welcome them. The twins’ time on the island is fraught with mishap, danger, and an absurd amount of acceptance.
The premise behind AN UNUSUAL ISLAND is a bit bizarre, but Finn makes it work in most cases. The story starts off especially strong – all of the scenes leading up to Justin and Janine’s discovery of the bird-people are excellent examples of suspense and mystery. The characters too are created with skill; Finn manages to capture a realistic family dynamic without being either boring or clichéd.
One of the major issues with AN UNUSUAL ISLAND is the general lack of consistency in both character decisions and plot as Janine and Justin’s growth as people is undercut by their odd actions.. The bird-people are known to be telepathic, able to both speak mind to mind and read the minds of others. The minutia of this skillset is never adequately explained and the constraints, such as how far away Justin and Janine need to be to feel secure, are altered as the plot requires. The twins never question this; in fact they rarely question any of the oddities before them beyond surface level inquiries. This seems atypical for two people who are presented as honor level students.
AN UNUSUAL ISLAND has a bizarre but charming pretense and engaging characters.
~IndieReader.