My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean...

Expected Publication:  August 21st, 2012

The Raft

By: S.A. Bodeen

Feiwel and Friends

ISBN-13: 9780312650100

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft. 

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

Review

   Robie has been having a blast visiting her Aunt in Hawaii, but when her Aunt has to leave suddenly on business Robie is told that she has to go home.  She manages to talk her Aunt into just having a friend check up on her, but after being accosted by a homeless man Robie freaks out and decides to go home after all.  Catching a cargo flight at the last minute, Robie is on her way home to her small island.  Then a major storm hits knocking out the engine, causing her and the co-pilot Max to abandon flight for an emergency raft.  Now they must figure out a way to survive with no food other than a bag of Skittles, no fresh water and no obvious rescue in sight.  They find an island to wait on for rescue, but it might be too late by then.  Will Max and Robie both make it home alive?  This book intrigued me because of the fact that it is survivalist fiction in the tradition of Hatchet, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite books.  So I decided to try it out and was really hoping that I would like it a lot better than I actually did.  In the beginning of the book Robie is a just okay character and she quickly denigrates into highly useless, annoying and a major coward.  Poor Max is dependent on her to make sure he doesn't die and Robie does a HORRIBLE job!  After he threw her out of the plane to save her instead of rescuing the pilot, you think she'd be a little more grateful.  She steals the Skittles for herself and when the island gets in sight, she leaves an unconscious Max to fend for himself.  I was bored by all of the sleeping and whining that Robie does throughout her time on the raft.  Yes, it was realistic but it did nothing to further my interest in continuing the book.  I wanted more excitement and more pro activeness.  It's like Robie doesn't even care enough about their survival to try and be innovative.   Plus, when she has opportunities to eat something on the island she's more worried about the cute little animals then her survival.  Give me a break!  After a week of barely anything in your stomach, a seal's life is more important than yours?  Yeah freaking' right!!!  I really HATED the plot twist involving Max and whether or not he survives.  BORING and predictable.  Yes, this book has some exciting action and a really good premise.  But I'm not in it for realism and slow-moving, immature characters.  I want something that has heart-pounding, back-breaking action.  I did not get that from this book.  

VERDICT:  2.6/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  It will be available for purchase on August 21st, 2012.*