Lost by S.A. Bodeen

 From Goodreads, 

"The mystery of the island deepens as members of the Robinson family disappear and strange animals are discovered.

Sarah Robinson and her family are shipwrecked on a remote and mysterious island. Their food is running out, and their fear is escalating–there is no sign of rescue. The mysterious girl they found unconscious at the beach is healing, and what she tells them about the strange island and especially about someone called the Keeper has the family on edge. When Sarah’s dad and Marco’s younger brother go missing, the mystery becomes dangerous. Now, it’s a matter of life and death. Now, the family is truly lost."

Goodreads - Lost

After I read Shipwreck Island I knew I had to find the second book.  I was luckily able to check it out from the school library.  I tore through the book that night in one sitting.  It was such a fast-paced read that it felt like it was over before I had even started it. 

Lost picks up where the first book left off.  The Robinson family is trying to figure out who the girl is that was on the beach.  Soon they learn that her name is Cash and she was dropped off by her grandfather and two people that were on their boat.  The people on the boat were looking for a specific island and treasure that the man left on the island.  The family decides to set up a camp and make sleeping platforms in the trees on the beach.  As they are working Sarah's dad goes to collect more bamboo and Nacho takes off too.  But they don't return.  Marco's mom is sick and won't stop throwing up.  Marco and Sarah are worried and decide to go look for Nacho and Sarah's dad.  But they soon run into a valley of trouble and meet the person who is behind the chaos on the island. 

This book was the one that took a wild turn in my opinion.  I thought this entire series would be survival focused, but things start to take more of a sci-fi twist in this book.  I felt like this book didn't pack the same punch as the first book.  It felt like this was just a stepping stone to the next book in the series.  I found some of the mash up of animals super cool and some were super terrifying.  We finally get confirmation that Marco and Sarah have both seen crazy looking animals.  At that point I realized that something strange was definitely happening on this island and that someone has basically been experimenting with animals to make new creatures.  It was an exciting twist in the book to prove that this was not in fact just another survival series.  

This book had the same problem as the last that it felt more like a chapter of a book than an actual book.  Everything is so fast paced in this series that the books are over before you really get started.  I really enjoy this series, but I think it would have been better fit as one big book than being split into four really short and quick reads.  I also wish that the books would have had a map of the island in them.  It would have been awesome to have a map in the first book that showed the outline of the island, but only shown the things that they had discovered.  The second book could have had more details on the map as they progressed and discovered more on the island.  It would have been an excellent visual to have that would honestly add to this entire series. 

This was a quick read that was just a stepping stone to the next book in the series.  The first book was really interesting and pulled me into this series.  This one was okay.  The ending left me excited for the next book of course.  I give this book 4 stars.