Keeper of the Island

Keeper #5

by H.J. Ralles

Book by Ralles, H. J.

246 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2007

About the author

I was born in the United Kingdom and moved to the USA in 1990-but I did spend 4 years of my childhood in Connecticut and New Jersey. I always loved to write. I wrote my first book at 10 years old and my first story was published in a New England camping magazine when I was 13 years old. My other passion is teaching. I have a Bachelor of Education and taught Grades 4 - 6 for 13 years.

In 1997 my eldest son challenged me to write a book that he would enjoy as much as his computer games. After Keeper of the Kingdom was published in 2001 I went back to the classroom as a visiting author, teaching writing workshops. I now have eight published YA science fiction novels and an exciting ghost story called The Ghosts of Malhado due for release on September 1st 2011.

In 2008 my husband and I moved from North Texas to Houston, with Sabby our devoted black Labrador and our new addition, Solo, a 1 yr old black Labrador/Retriever cross who is a bundle of fun. You can see photos of my dogs below the Newspaper Interviews. Our two sons have both graduated from college but come home regularly. I love my job! I am working on my next book and have a very busy school schedule again next year. Perhaps I will be visiting your school? Check my calendar page!

Reviews

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been almost five years since I read the fourth book in this series, and I was able to easily pick up right where I left off half a decade ago with Keeper of the Island. Finally, the ending to the Keeper series was in my hands and I couldn't wait to finish.

So, Matt thinks he is in the 17th century on a pirate ship, but comes to the conclusion that some of the things he hears and sees doesn't fit in with what he has learned about pirates. Then he realized that he is still in the year 2540 and on a pirate ship that is a tourist attraction for cruise ships that visit the island of Moji. Boy, oh boy, was I ever excited. I love tales about pirates and all their exploits. What guy doesn't?

Once gain, H.J. Ralles weaves a tale of mystery and suspense as Matt tries to figure out how to beat this final level of the Keeper of the Kingdom game that he has been playing from the inside. With the help of his two friends, Targon and Varl, Matt must outwit the bad guys and defeat the two keepers. The action is plentiful and I was kept sitting on the edge of my chair as Matt progressed through the level.

Could he really stop Cap'n Scarr from doing what he was planning on doing? Who was the inside man on Moji that was feeding the pirates information about the guests on the cruise ships? Where did Varl disappear to when Targon was distracted by the pirate's booty? Will Matt be able to finish this level and exit the game back out into the real world?

All of these questions are answered in this stunning conclusion to the Keeper series. And trust me when I say "stunning," as I was blown away by the surprise ending. Wow! Can anyone help me find my socks that were blown off as I read the Epilogue at the end of the book? I cannot seem to find them.

All I can say is that the Keeper of the Island is the perfect end to a wonderful series and I cannot wait to see what H.J. Ralles will write in the future. It's sure to be wonderful.

Oh . . . and I just have to say, I love the name of the pirate Conan O'Malley. What a great first name he has. :)

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.