A journey into the unknown, often in a far-flung, exotic location.
Danger.
Characters you care about who are thrust into extraordinary circumstances, with considerable suspense as to whether the characters will triumph over the challenges they face.
These are a few of the elements that make up a great adventure story. These elements also happen to be provided in wonderful abundance in Uncharted by Tracey Garvis Graves.
Uncharted is a companion novella, a follow-up to the author’s runaway bestseller On The Island. On The Island tells the story of an unlikely romance that blossoms when a young woman and an even younger man are stranded for years on a tiny island in the Maldives. While there, they discover a human skeleton and a tiny wooden shack. Uncharted clears up the mystery of the island's deceased previous visitor, while introducing another young couple with a unique and challenging romance of their own.
And for all you guys out there, yes, I just used the r-word. Twice. On The Island and Uncharted are both categorized as Women's Fiction and Contemporary Romance.
Trickery, trickery, trickery. Don't be fooled into passing on these reads. I carry a Y chromosome with me everywhere I go and I enjoyed both books tremendously.
These stories are much more than boy meets girl; they are legitimate entries in the Action and Adventure category. Both of them kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. The author goes far beyond simply relating events as they take place. Instead she immerses the reader into the adventure so we understand what the experience is like for the characters. We get to feel their fears, their pain, and ultimately, their joy.
Uncharted can be read and enjoyed on its own, but I don’t recommend doing so. In my opinion you would be depriving yourself of the best way to experience these captivating stories. Part of the tension I felt while reading the novella was a delicious after-effect of On The Island, and Uncharted includes a few spoilers that relate to the preceding novel.
So if you haven't read On The Island, grab yourself a copy and then click your way over to Uncharted. You'll be glad you did. I found myself so engrossed in the reading experience that at one point I thought I could hear a voice calling faintly from far out on the water:
“Wiiilllllllssssooonnnnnnn!”
But that was probably just my imagination.
My verdict: 5 out of 5 swaying palm trees
