The Island Queen: Dethroned by Fire and Water: A Tale of the Southern Hemisphere

by R.M. Ballantyne

In The Island Queen, Paulina, Dominick and Otto Rigonda manage to escape in a life boat after their ship is destroyed at sea, and soon find themselves stranded on an uninhabited coral island. Thankful to be alive, they begin to explore their new island home, learning by necessity the skills required to survive. After enjoying a happy season on their own, the siblings help rescue the passengers and crew of another ship wrecked near their island during a storm. A colony is soon established, but the need for actual government quickly becomes apparent as the newcomers begin struggling and fighting amongst themselves. The biblical virtues of a godly woman begin to be felt by all, and the sailors ask the peaceable, gentle, and wise Paulina to be their ''queen.'' Paulina consents and helps govern the new colony with the assistance, oversight and protection of her brothers. What will become of this unique cast of characters, thrown together by the whims of the sea? Hostile natives and a terrifying volcano are just a taste of what lies in store for the Rigondas and their new friends. Join their adventure in The Island Queen!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Adventure, Childrens, Survival, 19th Century

314 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1885

About the author

R. M. Ballantyne was a Scottish writer of juvenile fiction.

Born Robert Michael Ballantyne in Edinburgh, he was part of a famous family of printers and publishers. At the age of 16 he went to Canada and where he served for six years with the Hudson's Bay Company. He returned to Scotland in 1847, and published his first book the following year, Hudson's Bay: or Life in the Wilds of North America. For some time he was employed by Messrs Constable, the publishers, but in 1856 he gave up business for literature, and began the series of adventure stories for the young with which his name is popularly associated.

Reviews

[Morgan Giesbrecht]

dnf

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much fun. Dominick, Pauline, and Otto are great main characters. Each of the siblings has their own personality and character strengths. As girls have little appearance in most Ballantine books, I appreciate Pauline's character especially.
Unlike Ballantine's similar book, The Coral Island, The Island Queen contents itself with very brief descriptions of the flora and fauna, and only goes into detail once or twice about things the siblings made.
This book deals with many issues, such as starvation, government, alcoholism, justice, and God's providence, just touching on each of them.
While the characters' Christianity does not often enter the book, what is there is true and good. I especially appreciated the discussion near the end about how we can be grateful and hopeful for everything because God uses even sin for good.

[Ashley K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very exciting, and cute story. So many characters, yet all are very well done, and don't get lost. There was always something new happening, and it was never boring. It has some very adult themes, but is written in a way that both adults and children could read and enjoy the book together.

[Erin **Coffee and Book Addict** · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting classic read. I always enjoy the language used in a good classic.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very engaging, but interesting to read as a "culture piece" I guess? Meh

[Micaiah Keough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had 'The Island Queen' by R.M. Ballantyne sitting on my shelf, left untouched, for some months before I picked it up one Saturday morning not too long ago and started reading it (randomly. I do this sometimes - haha!). The beginning line has such a poetic, scene-setting touch that I decided to read on, completely interested.

And it was a fun read.

It felt a bit different from the other Ballantyne books I've read. It was shorter, or felt shorter, for one thing, and everything moved rather quickly (which wasn't necessarily a bad thing).

I really enjoyed two of the main characters' playful banter - they made for moments of laughter! I also smiled through almost a whole chapter, which never happens to me! The three main characters - Pauline, Otto, and Dominick - are a good bunch, if a bit too perfect.

Plus, one of my favorite authors used a quote from this novel in one of his blog posts, and when I came across it, I thought 'That's familiar!' and then realized where I had read it before. I was slightly excited... (Okay, so, yes, I was excited...)

I do want to note that I would've preferred a different ending. Not that the ending was bad (it wasn't), but, I suppose, I just wish things would've happened with more of an actual end. Something from the book leaves us hanging, and there weren't really many hints as to what happened afterwards.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was a quick, light read, with funny moments and some charming characters. Recommended!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read. There was plenty of adventure, and the setting was intriguing. Probably not one that I will read over and over, but it has piqued my interest for the 7 other Ballantyne novels on my shelf. If there is a fault with this book I would say that perhaps the main characters were a little too perfect and things came together a little too easily, but it was written for children in 1885 so that's understandable.

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot, though all of his books are good. This is probably the only story where a girl is involved in it as much as Paulina is.

[Rachel]

Interesting!

[Natalie Skiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls don't often feature in Ballantyne adventures (other than the odd one that needs saving) but this one had a main female character.

Obviously because of the period it was written (think this is 1880s?) there is an element of Christianity throughout the book. I find all Ballantyne bookls tend to lean towards Christianity and can be quite racist.

This book is fun and was obviously written for young boys as most of Ballantyne's work is but his writing is poetic and beautiful. Thus making this la great book for children adults alike.