A stupid mistake, less than a year go, leads Riley Ozaki to be ostracized from her friends and her parents to be disappointed in her. To top it all off, social media has caused quite the stir in her little world, further alienating her from her friends and family. Instead of Murphy’s law, she nicknamed it Riley’s Law. Whatever could go wrong does go wrong. Therefore, she signs herself up for a reality show with 19 other teens, hoping to get her life back on track and out of the public eye. She wants to be seen as a good person and to start her life over again in a new school without the biggest mistake of her life following her around like a dark cloud. This is not the only reason Riley is going, though. She is in search of a treasure that can only be found on Black Rock Island.
The reality show is being hosted on Black Rock Island, which also is home to an Inca treasure that claimed the life of Riley’s Godfather. Many treasure hunters have come and gone and some have even died in search of this treasure. A local curse says that seven people need to die before the treasure can be found. Six hunters have already died while looking for the treasure, will someone from this group of teens and film crew be the seventh victim before the treasure can be found?
Reality Gold is filled with people hiding secrets, lots of intrigue and even some danger. I really loved the mystery of it all and wondered if there really was any treasure or if it was all just a legend. What first pulled me into this story was the reality show aspect. I am a huge fan of reality TV, including treasure hunting shows. Also, I am a huge fan of the Indiana Jones movies. Put them both together and I was practically salivating to read this story. I am happy to say, that it did not disappoint!
There are quite a few characters introduced in this story, but do not fret, most are background characters with a few central based main characters that take up much of this story. We learn their backgrounds and what prompted them to join the reality show in the first place. It was interesting to see and learn why they wanted to be a part of a TV show and what they could gain from being on TV. I felt that each character was well written and I found myself routing for them and hoping they could find the treasure.
The plot was well written, although the beginning did start off a little slow for me. It did pick up once the action started happening on the island and I found myself engrossed in the storyline and the teens. Reality Gold has a lot of aspects that I enjoy in a story. There is mystery, betrayals, backstabbing, alliances formed, and a sprinkle of romance thrown in.
All in all, Reality Gold is a pretty solid light read. Perfect if you are looking for an easy story that you can finish all in one day.