Review Detail

ANTILLIA by Eric David Stanford is a YA coming-of-age thriller, in which Trick Horngold leaves his family behind to help his estranged father close a business deal. To do that, he has to fly out to a Caribbean Island, disguised as a landscaper, and earn the trust of a very powerful man, Robinson. The only problem is Robinson’s daughter, Nikki, captures Trick’s eye, and soon his loyalties are stretched between what everyone around him wants, and what he desires deep down.

What I enjoy most about this novel is the setting. While in real life, Antillia is an ancient legend, a place that largely disappeared from maps when chartering became more accurate and exploration more popular, Stanford does a good job at bringing this fictional place to life. Complete with maps, language, and even a fake tourism website, it’s clear this island is alive in Stanford’s mind, which translates onto the page. As Trick slowly grew to love Antillia, so did I.

I also like the basic plot of the book and found myself thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. However, the structure sometimes prevents the story from shining. For example, in the first chapter, the book jumps around between POVs, confusing me as to who the narrator is. Luckily, that doesn’t continue throughout the book, but what does is how Stanford sometimes introduces dialogue. Instead of typical book formatting, a quote, and a following dialogue tag, Stanford occasionally structures it like a play.

Danny. “Well, we got that out of the way.”
Trick. “What are you doing here, D?”

The decision to treat the dialogue in this way is surprising and often took me out of the story. As Stanford has been an editor for a long time, I’m assuming the choice is stylistically intentional, particularly as he notes that ANTILLIA is inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

That aside, I can’t deny that ANTILLIA is entertaining. Stanford has created a compelling world that will make readers want to visit, and through Trick, has touched on insecurities that most of us face, allowing us to see that sooner or later, you find your place, your friends, and your purpose.