I may just be jaded. Though, in retrospect, not necessarily a good book, my first fantasy novel (at age 12) involved a young woman journeying to an island overrun by monsters and fighting her way through it to find a lost nation, then carrying said nation back through the island (inside a jewel via magic) and having to find her way back to her homeland, which was being overrun by magic similar to what created the monsters, only bigger and scarier version. And her Token Magic Talismans were trying to devour her soul.