The Island
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-19 08:41:39
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Adrian McKinty
- ISBN：B09MN4DN27
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Reviews
Madi Garcia
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This one was phenomenal thank you Novel Suspects！ It was such a fun and wild read。 Action packed， unique， intense， and heart pounding。 I absolutely loved it。
S’s Reading World
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Finished in less than 6 hours。 I couldn’t stop。 Wow this thriller is amazing。 And I love a good thriller which does not make shortcuts in background， description， character depth， and development。 I was with these characters in every moment。 Highly recommend。 I just found a new author to read！
ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook
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I put a hold on this one， at the library， five months ago and am I ever glad I did。 I really enjoyed this book。 It's rare that things live up to the hype but I thought it was well-written and exciting to read。 You do have to suspend your belief a little bit and it is rare that those types of books hook me。。。but McKinty does this perfectly and I was in an adrenaline fueled rush to complete the book and managed it in one sitting。 The short but gripping chapters will leave you hanging and hungry to I put a hold on this one， at the library， five months ago and am I ever glad I did。 I really enjoyed this book。 It's rare that things live up to the hype but I thought it was well-written and exciting to read。 You do have to suspend your belief a little bit and it is rare that those types of books hook me。。。but McKinty does this perfectly and I was in an adrenaline fueled rush to complete the book and managed it in one sitting。 The short but gripping chapters will leave you hanging and hungry to read on。 I found it hard to put down and couldn't wait to find out what happened next。 I have found out it will be a Netflix series soon so I look forward to that as I think it will work well on the small screen。 Overall a fantastic thriller and I look forward to reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty sometime this month。 。。。more
Annette Jordan
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The Island is the latest thriller from best selling author Adrian McKinty and is certainly a thrill ride from first page to last。 Set in the Australia it follows Heather Baxter， the second wife of a widowed doctor named Tom on a nightmare quest for survival that brings to mind several horror movies。 Heather ， Tom and his two teenage children are finding their so called dream trip a little tense， so the chance to get off the beaten track and visit a private island which is home to a koala colony The Island is the latest thriller from best selling author Adrian McKinty and is certainly a thrill ride from first page to last。 Set in the Australia it follows Heather Baxter， the second wife of a widowed doctor named Tom on a nightmare quest for survival that brings to mind several horror movies。 Heather ， Tom and his two teenage children are finding their so called dream trip a little tense， so the chance to get off the beaten track and visit a private island which is home to a koala colony seems like an opportunity that should not be missed。 The fact that the island was once the site of a prison and is now home to a reclusive clan ruled by the rather aggressive "Ma" isn't enough to put them off but when a tragic accident angers the locals Heather and the kids find themselves on the run ， desperately trying to save their lives。To be fair， you do need to suspend your disbelief a bit with this one， but if you are willing to do that you will certainly be entertained。 The characters while not always likeable do grow on you as you read and you find yourself invested in their fates。 Heather becomes quite the kick ass heroine。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Dana
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The Island begins with a character， who we learn is Heather， creeping up on someone who is a threat to her and her family。 As she creeps up on him we switch to what leads up to this scene。Tom， Heather， Olivia and Owen are in Australia combining a holiday with Tom's attendance at a conference as a keynote speaker。 Heather is Tom's second， younger wife， and it is obvious from the beginning that Tom is quite an angry man who likes his own way and obviously feels entitled。 His children resent her ev The Island begins with a character， who we learn is Heather， creeping up on someone who is a threat to her and her family。 As she creeps up on him we switch to what leads up to this scene。Tom， Heather， Olivia and Owen are in Australia combining a holiday with Tom's attendance at a conference as a keynote speaker。 Heather is Tom's second， younger wife， and it is obvious from the beginning that Tom is quite an angry man who likes his own way and obviously feels entitled。 His children resent her even though she seems to be the one who maintain peace between father and children， wherever possible。Their trip to the Island is a mistake from the beginning and what follows， although far-fetched in places， definitely makes this tale a page turner。 It is novel to have a heroine in this sort of adventure。 It will definitely make a good film！Three and a half stars for me！Many thanks to Netgalley/Adrian McKinty/Orion Publishing for a digital copy of this title。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Ashley （ashley's little library）
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WOW WOW WOW。 This thriller was SO good。 This is exactly what I'm looking for in a thriller: something that keeps my heart pounding with a plot so good I can't put it down。 In this story you're following a family who is being held captive on an island with no escape in sight。 The stakes are SO high and it truly seems like an impossible situation。 It kept my mind turning wondering "What would you do in this situation？？" and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through。I also loved the char WOW WOW WOW。 This thriller was SO good。 This is exactly what I'm looking for in a thriller: something that keeps my heart pounding with a plot so good I can't put it down。 In this story you're following a family who is being held captive on an island with no escape in sight。 The stakes are SO high and it truly seems like an impossible situation。 It kept my mind turning wondering "What would you do in this situation？？" and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through。I also loved the characters in this one and the dynamics between them。 Plus the atmosphere of Australia in the summer heat and all its creepy creatures was a villain in itself！ This is THE thriller of the summer！！Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an ARC for an honest review。 。。。more
Rayleen Mace
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Not believable， but engaging。
Eryn Eaton
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I was late to the bandwagon with The Chain but made sure to read it before THE ISLAND was published so I could finally understand all the hype。 The Chain was incredibly disturbing， heart-pounding， and kept you on the edge of your seat， and let's just say The Island is the same way。 Not only that， it's very atmospheric and you'll feel as if you're in the Australian climate。Be forewarned， there is a lot of violence （graphic violence） and know ahead that there are pretty detailed descriptions of th I was late to the bandwagon with The Chain but made sure to read it before THE ISLAND was published so I could finally understand all the hype。 The Chain was incredibly disturbing， heart-pounding， and kept you on the edge of your seat， and let's just say The Island is the same way。 Not only that， it's very atmospheric and you'll feel as if you're in the Australian climate。Be forewarned， there is a lot of violence （graphic violence） and know ahead that there are pretty detailed descriptions of the deaths of dogs。 With all that said， if you've read The Chain， you will more than likely be glued to The Island。 If you haven't， be prepared to have a new author you won't be able to put down！4。5/5 starsThank you to Little， Brown， and Company and NetGalley for the eARC for my honest review。 。。。more
Robyn_reads1
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The most accurate word for The Island by Adrian Mckinty is intense。 Every single page crackles with intensity。 The imagery at times can be brutal but this is a story that is impossible to put down。 I can’t imagine that this won’t be made into a movie。 Heather is a kick ass heroine。 I highly recommend this one！
Rica
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Thrillers don't get better than thisA family in peril。 An ordinary young woman who is forced to tap into her Inner Badass。 Two smart kids。 Heart-squeezing suspense and action。Just read it， ok？ Thrillers don't get better than thisA family in peril。 An ordinary young woman who is forced to tap into her Inner Badass。 Two smart kids。 Heart-squeezing suspense and action。Just read it， ok？ 。。。more
Meghan Howell
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3。5 star rounded up Genre: thriller， mystery， suspense， crime fiction TW: death of animals I enjoyed this！ The beginning started off a little weird to me but then it really picked up！ It was jam packed full of action pretty much the entire book。 This book does a great job of allowing you to get attached to characters and rooting for them 100%。 Im rating a 3。5 because I did feel that there was almost tooooo much action？ I kept waiting for it to all come together and then there would be more actio 3。5 star rounded up Genre: thriller， mystery， suspense， crime fiction TW: death of animals I enjoyed this！ The beginning started off a little weird to me but then it really picked up！ It was jam packed full of action pretty much the entire book。 This book does a great job of allowing you to get attached to characters and rooting for them 100%。 Im rating a 3。5 because I did feel that there was almost tooooo much action？ I kept waiting for it to all come together and then there would be more action。 It just kind of dragged on IMO。 All in all， I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a suspenseful action book！ Thank you to #netgalley #thechase #theisland #adrianmckinty for the eARC！ This book released yesterday so go snag it if it peaks your interest！！ 。。。more
Kori Potenzone
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What did I just read？ The Island， is absolutely mind blowing！ Thrilling， suspenseful， scary， twisted。。。。。 is that enough adjectives for you？ The Island fed my dark soul。 Its beyond disturbing and I will most likely have nightmares for a week This will be my go to book for one of the most traumatic books I have ever read。 This is one of those books that will have you peering over your shoulder long after concluding。 I know a lot of you say how much you love thrillers and the darker the better。。。。 What did I just read？ The Island， is absolutely mind blowing！ Thrilling， suspenseful， scary， twisted。。。。。 is that enough adjectives for you？ The Island fed my dark soul。 Its beyond disturbing and I will most likely have nightmares for a week This will be my go to book for one of the most traumatic books I have ever read。 This is one of those books that will have you peering over your shoulder long after concluding。 I know a lot of you say how much you love thrillers and the darker the better。。。。 proceed with caution on this one and don't say I didn't warn you。 I am completely and totally obsessed with Adrian McKinty， and I can not wait to see what the future holds for this fan-freaking-tastic author。 。。。more
Kim
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Yikes， glad I finished that and my brain is safely off the island from hell！ This is a fast paced， anxiety inducing， thrill read you don’t want to miss！ I heard one of my favorite bookstagrammers， Jordy， call it a Die Hard/Deliverance mash up and I can’t improve on that。 Of course you will have to suspend belief， of course there are some inconsistencies。 But I highly recommend this story if you’re looking for some high octane fun！ Thank you Netgalley， Little Brown & Co， and the author for this e Yikes， glad I finished that and my brain is safely off the island from hell！ This is a fast paced， anxiety inducing， thrill read you don’t want to miss！ I heard one of my favorite bookstagrammers， Jordy， call it a Die Hard/Deliverance mash up and I can’t improve on that。 Of course you will have to suspend belief， of course there are some inconsistencies。 But I highly recommend this story if you’re looking for some high octane fun！ Thank you Netgalley， Little Brown & Co， and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Luanne Ollivier
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I really enjoyed The Chain - Adrian McKinty's previous book and New York Times bestseller。 I eagerly picked up his latest， The Island， anticipating another suspense filled read。The premise was good and took inspiration from an event in McKinty's own life。 "While I was driving in rural Australia on a very isolated island inhabited by one large extended family， a woman wearing a hearing aid pulled out of a blind road on her bicycle and I swerved to miss her。 I half jokingly told my wife， Leah， tha I really enjoyed The Chain - Adrian McKinty's previous book and New York Times bestseller。 I eagerly picked up his latest， The Island， anticipating another suspense filled read。The premise was good and took inspiration from an event in McKinty's own life。 "While I was driving in rural Australia on a very isolated island inhabited by one large extended family， a woman wearing a hearing aid pulled out of a blind road on her bicycle and I swerved to miss her。 I half jokingly told my wife， Leah， that if - God forbid - we had hit her we wouldn't have got off that island alive。"McKinty's characters - Tom， his teen children Owen and Olivia and his second wife Heather do hit the bicyclist。 They make some bad decisions and suddenly they're fighting for their lives。 Cue the Deliverance movie sound track。 McKinty has created some godawful， depraved characters in the island folks。 They are a law unto their selves and they want retribution from Tom and his family for the death of the cyclist。 The narrative is experienced from Heather's viewpoint。 Heather is a good lead and given some background。 But there's not a lot of depth。 It's all about the action。 Initially I was caught up in the tension， the danger， the next twist of trouble in the family's attempts to escape the islanders。 But about midway， it became more than a little unbelievable。 Now， I'm all for suspending belief in a suspense novel。 But it all became too much。 Heather is now a kick butt warrior， the snotty stepkids are as well。 Cue Bruce Willis。 There's more 'grain of salt' plot lines， skill sets and more， but I don't want to provide spoilers。 The plot is busy and by the end felt almost repetitive as the close calls and near misses just keep on coming。 McKinty has also included First Nations folklore， customs and history。 The relationship between Heather and the kids is often explored， but didn't really work either for me。 It felt like an inserted element ticked off on a check list。 The prose are short and staccato。 I became annoyed with one word pronouncements。 Water。 Sky。 Sun。 etc。 The Island felt and read like a movie script。 Which is kinda true， as Hulu has picked this up as a series。 So， bottom line - implausible， but somehow gripping。 I had to see what happened in the end。 I'm in the minority on my three star rating。 That being said， I will still pick McKinty's next book。 。。。more
Annarella
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I fell in love with this story when I read the sampler and the rest was up to my expectations。It's a brilliant， gripping， and entertaining story。 It's a page turner I couldn't stop reading and I read it in one sitting。Fast paced， humorous and tense， it's an excellent read。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine I fell in love with this story when I read the sampler and the rest was up to my expectations。It's a brilliant， gripping， and entertaining story。 It's a page turner I couldn't stop reading and I read it in one sitting。Fast paced， humorous and tense， it's an excellent read。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Charlie Morris （Read， Watch & Drink Coffee）
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Just like with McKinty's other books （If you like thrillers， I'm sure you would have read The Chain already！）， The Island has a brilliant premise that screams an exhilarating adventure， a page-turning thriller， and an inevitable disaster。As soon as I read the synopsis， I was excited to get stuck in！ The concept is dark and disturbing and I almost began hyperventilating just from the thought of what was going to happen in this fearsome setting。However， I struggled at the very beginning to get int Just like with McKinty's other books （If you like thrillers， I'm sure you would have read The Chain already！）， The Island has a brilliant premise that screams an exhilarating adventure， a page-turning thriller， and an inevitable disaster。As soon as I read the synopsis， I was excited to get stuck in！ The concept is dark and disturbing and I almost began hyperventilating just from the thought of what was going to happen in this fearsome setting。However， I struggled at the very beginning to get into this one。 I found the start very choppy， moving from one place to the next without any smooth transitions， and also caught on to a few inaccuracies which slowed down my anticipation。But I absolutely loved the initial events on the island。 The family's arrival is chaotic and filled with dread， and the thought of this ominous tightly-knit clan really filled me with fear。 It reminded me of the 2020 Jude Law series The Third Day and I could really get a sense of this nightmarish atmosphere。Unfortunately， the pace didn't pick up enough for me after this first part。 The events that followed were undoubtedly full of tension， but the excitement wasn't there。 And instead of building up to a climactic ending， it all ran quite flatly。 I wasn't left shocked or as if I could finally catch my breath， and instead was left wanting more。The characters are developed well and I really enjoyed the dynamics of their unusual family bond。 But I wanted the Australian setting to be used more。 A spider is seen very briefly and the possibility of sharks is said to prevent the family from swimming to safety， but I wanted these Australian threats to heighten their situation more。 For me， it really needed to play on this original setting to really get my heart racing。Although the story lacked enough thrills for me， it has recently been announced that the book is set to be adapted into an original series and I think McKinty's story will be gripping to see unfold on-screen。Thank you to the publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Carolyn Walsh
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4。5 gladly raised to 5 stars。Wowie！ What an exhilarating， entertaining， high-voltage thrill ride！ I can't disagree with readers who found the action implausible and some of the dialogue shoddy。 I felt the author accomplished what he set out to do in this hair-raising， electrifying novel。 This was a visual read， and I was seeing it in my mind as a sensational action movie if done right。 It is going to be presented by Hulu streaming service， not yet available where I live The setting encourages 4。5 gladly raised to 5 stars。Wowie！ What an exhilarating， entertaining， high-voltage thrill ride！ I can't disagree with readers who found the action implausible and some of the dialogue shoddy。 I felt the author accomplished what he set out to do in this hair-raising， electrifying novel。 This was a visual read， and I was seeing it in my mind as a sensational action movie if done right。 It is going to be presented by Hulu streaming service， not yet available where I live The setting encourages a big-screen adaptation as well。 Heather is introduced as a naive young woman from a sheltered background。 She never finished high school and moved to Seattle where was struggling while working as a massage therapist。 She married a client， a prosperous， recent widower， almost twice her age。 His two children， a girl age 14， and a boy of 12 were still mourning the loss of their mother and resented Heather。 When their father was to be the keynote speaker at a medical conference in Melbourne， Heather and his two children went along for the trip。 After a trip to Sydney and to Uluru， they returned to Melbourne while the father prepared for his speech。 As his new wife， Heather hoped to build a positive relationship with his children and gain their acceptance。 She failed in her efforts。 Her husband complained constantly about not being to rent his first choice of a vehicle。 He was used to only the best of everything。 The children were bored in Melbourne and wanted to see Australian animals。 While having luncheon in an outdoor cafe， they meet an older， friendly Dutch couple， and were soon approached by two men。 They said they were from a private island situated near Melbourne， and visitors were strictly forbidden。 They were bribed with a large amount of money to allow them to secretly visit after hearing that it abounded with koalas， kangaroo， wallabies， wombats， echidnas， and birdlife including penguins。 They were warned that they were to stay near the dock， take photos for about twenty minutes， and not to be seen by the large family that owned the island。 The children could barely contain their excitement。 The four of them set out for the island， accompanied by the older Dutch couple they had just met。Once arriving at the island they found that they had been deceived。 Things go from disappointment， to downright deadly。 There is increasing danger and worse。 We learn that Heather has been underestimated by everyone all along， but they are up against an angry， ruthless， deranged extended family and are not wanted there。 Will anyone survive？ A riveting， propulsive action thriller。 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
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Well this one was an absolute blast！ The story of an American family visiting Australia who end up visiting a private Island in search of wildlife and oh boy do they find it。 Its just of the human kind。A kind of a mixture between Deliverance and Die Hard（except here the John McClane character is a female）this is a thriller， a road movie， a survivalist story， a horror with sprinklings of humour thrown in。The pace is relentless in this once it gets going and you will probably have palpitations thr Well this one was an absolute blast！ The story of an American family visiting Australia who end up visiting a private Island in search of wildlife and oh boy do they find it。 Its just of the human kind。A kind of a mixture between Deliverance and Die Hard（except here the John McClane character is a female）this is a thriller， a road movie， a survivalist story， a horror with sprinklings of humour thrown in。The pace is relentless in this once it gets going and you will probably have palpitations throughout。Our main characters （the family） are very well written and likeable and their foes on the island。。。。well they are all kinds of bonkers。A stonkingly good read。 I flew through this one as I couldnt wait to find out what happened next and there seemed no good places to pause such was the tension。My first read from Mr McKinty and an easy 5 stars from me。 I just had way too much fun reading this twisted tale。Thanks to the publsher for the ARC through Netgalley。 。。。more
Monty Taylor
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3。5 stars
Sarah
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I just finished this book and boy what a ride this was！ The action started pretty quickly and didn’t let up。 The whole time I couldn’t help but think what would I do in Heather’s situation。 I really enjoyed the location （an isolated island in Australia）。 The O’Neill clan creeped me out。If you are looking for an edge of your seat， disturbing at times thriller， then this is it！ Some parts towards the end got a little far fetched， but as long as you can suspend your disbelief just buckle in for the I just finished this book and boy what a ride this was！ The action started pretty quickly and didn’t let up。 The whole time I couldn’t help but think what would I do in Heather’s situation。 I really enjoyed the location （an isolated island in Australia）。 The O’Neill clan creeped me out。If you are looking for an edge of your seat， disturbing at times thriller， then this is it！ Some parts towards the end got a little far fetched， but as long as you can suspend your disbelief just buckle in for the ride and enjoy！ This book is being adapted for the screen by Hulu and I’m really looking forward to it。 I think it will make a great series！ Thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown and Company for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jena Massey
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Loved it so much I couldn’t put it down！！！！
Doreen
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2。5 StarsI keep reading thrillers in the hopes of finding one that doesn’t require me to totally suspend disbelief。 Unfortunately， this Australian Deliverance isn’t it。 Twenty-four-year-old Heather recently married a widower twenty years her senior。 When Tom Baxter， a doctor， attends a medical conference in Australia， he brings along Heather and his two children， Olivia and Owen， 14 and 12 respectively。 One day， in hopes of seeing some Australian wildlife， they take a ferry to Dutch Island， a pr 2。5 StarsI keep reading thrillers in the hopes of finding one that doesn’t require me to totally suspend disbelief。 Unfortunately， this Australian Deliverance isn’t it。 Twenty-four-year-old Heather recently married a widower twenty years her senior。 When Tom Baxter， a doctor， attends a medical conference in Australia， he brings along Heather and his two children， Olivia and Owen， 14 and 12 respectively。 One day， in hopes of seeing some Australian wildlife， they take a ferry to Dutch Island， a private island where visitors are not welcome。 Once on the island， there’s an accident which causes them to come into conflict with the O’Neill family which owns the island。 Separated from Tom， Heather has to save herself and her step-children。 Heather’s intelligence is dismissed by both Tom and her step-children。 Tom， for instance， thinks， “Why had he listened to Heather？ She was a Millennial。 She didn’t know anything” and believes “she had that young person’s thing of saying everything that came into her head。” Olivia thinks， “Heather was easily impressed。 She wasn’t very smart。 She hadn’t even graduated high school。” Of course， she proves herself to be resourceful and to have considerable knowledge of bushcraft because of her non-traditional upbringing。 In terms of strength and stamina， she becomes a female Rambo; she is pushed to the limits of human endurance and suffers several injuries but perseveres nonetheless。 Her ability to recover quickly from physical trauma is almost superhuman。 As expected， Olivia and Owen realize they underestimated their stepmother and come to trust her。 I have difficulty believing that two adults would take children to an island with two strange men they have just met。 One of those men is described as “menacing” and possessing a “wolfish grin” whereas the other is very reluctant to allow them on the island which has no cellphone or internet service。 Then after the accident， Heather and Tom make another stupid decision。 I understand that an inciting incident is needed to bring characters into conflict， but I’d much prefer something more believable。The plot has several problems。 Much of it is repetitive because there’s a lot of running and hiding。 Because of Heather’s amazing survival skills and cunning， she is able to escape all attempts by the O’Neills who would supposedly know the island much better than she does？ The plot requires too much suspension of disbelief: the reader is expected to simply go along for the ride and overlook over-the-top implausibilities。 And the author doesn’t play fair。 A chapter from one character’s viewpoint ends with the line， “And then there was no ‘he’ to feel anything at all。” The fate of that character， even with the foreshadowing in the middle chapter， means the reader is tricked。 Relying on such deception is not acceptable。 On the other hand， much of the plot is predictable; certainly Hans and Petra can easily be identified as redshirt characters as soon as they join the Baxter family on the trip to Dutch Island。 And the ending is so predictable: by Chapter 35， it is obvious what is going to happen。 Some of the dialogue is bizarre。 Jenny， the conference rep， takes the family to a house for their stay in Melbourne and as she enters that house， she says， “’Anyone need the toilet？ Fab toilets in here。 Heather？ Looks like you gambled a little on a fart and lost， no？’” An Australian would reference the Alamo， an American historical event？ Heather tells Olivia and Owen to watch out for a police car on the island？ This action-packed thriller will appeal to some readers， especially if they enjoy graphic violence。 The Rambo-like heroine， the totally evil stereotypical villains， and the far-fetched plot made it difficult for me to enjoy the book。 Does escapist literature have to require the reader to suspend all analytical thought？Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley。Please check out my reader's blog （https://schatjesshelves。blogspot。com/） and follow me on Twitter （@DCYakabuski）。 。。。more
Erin Clemence
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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: TODAY！ May 17， 2022 I was blown away by Adrian McKinty’s， “The Chain”， and it still has left its impression months later。 His new novel， “The Island”， had impressive shoes to fill， and although it was entertaining， it didn’t stick to my skin the way “The Chain” did。 Heather Baxter grew up in an isolated commune on a small island near Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free， electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。 Expected publication date: TODAY！ May 17， 2022 I was blown away by Adrian McKinty’s， “The Chain”， and it still has left its impression months later。 His new novel， “The Island”， had impressive shoes to fill， and although it was entertaining， it didn’t stick to my skin the way “The Chain” did。 Heather Baxter grew up in an isolated commune on a small island near Seattle。 When she meets and marries Tom， a widowed doctor twenty years her senior， she finally sees the possibility of a new life。 Even if that new life includes Tom’s preteen son and daughter， Owen and Olivia。 In hopes of cementing the family relationship， Tom takes Heather and his children to the Australian countryside， hoping that some international animals and scenery will help build some familial bonds。 But the family gets more than they bargained for when they end up stranded on a secluded island， an island maintained by the dangerous O’Neill family。 When Tom is killed， Heather must prove to the children （and to herself） that she is strong enough to save them all。 “The Island” is reminiscent of “Old” （the M。 Night Shyamalan movie）， and there are definitely a few horror movie throwbacks （“Wolf Creek”， “The Hills Have Eyes” to name a few） that this book pays homage to。 The secluded island， the inbred and almost feral family left to maintain the nearly abandoned outback- it’s all something that’s been the stuff of Hollywood for years。 Good thing for McKinty， this kind of stuff is right up my alley。 I found the writing in this novel a little strange。 There were some odd phrases in conversation that just sounded ‘off’， and the deliberately short sentences at the beginning of most of the paragraphs were very descriptive but tended to err on the side of confusion for me。 The story was told in the third person， from the perspective mostly of Heather， but when others took over， it was not always immediately relevant， and it took me a few sentences to realize the narrator had flipped。 Heather started the novel off as a gold-digging trophy wife， but ended up as a respectable and likable character， and I was eager to root for her and the children。 Some of the actions Heather took throughout the novel were ridiculously unbelievable （again， Hollywood-ready） but I loved every minute of the action。 From the dry， gritty Australian outback to the backwoods， inbred O’Neil family， McKinty doesn’t let up。 “The Island” is a completely different ball game than “The Chain”， but it definitely deserves a chance at bat。 。。。more
Lynn
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3。5 stars。 This was a quick easy read with a unique storyline that grabbed my attention。 Unfortunately it was so unrealistic and far fetched I founded myself cringing at some points。 I also didn’t really like the main character Heather。 I look forward to reading more by this author
Joanna Lambert
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Review to follow。
Lisa Wetzel
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Climb aboard and join this family vacation but be careful because you have no idea what is out there or what you are capable of when your family is in harms way！ The Island by Adrian McKinty is a psychological thriller like no other thriller I have read。 This is a gripping mind blowing story that will give you an adrenaline rush and leave your heart beating out of your chest！！ It is a fast paced， can’t turn the pages fast enough， very different story that is both original and exciting。 It can be Climb aboard and join this family vacation but be careful because you have no idea what is out there or what you are capable of when your family is in harms way！ The Island by Adrian McKinty is a psychological thriller like no other thriller I have read。 This is a gripping mind blowing story that will give you an adrenaline rush and leave your heart beating out of your chest！！ It is a fast paced， can’t turn the pages fast enough， very different story that is both original and exciting。 It can be brutal and shocking but I thoroughly enjoyed the story。 It is filled with tension， suspense and violence。 This is my first book by this seasoned author and won’t be my last。 If you are looking to sail on an amazing ride， pick this one up and enjoy the trip！My thanks to Novel Suspects， The Hatchette Book Group and Adrian McKinty for a complimentary advanced copy of this exhilarating novel in exchange for my honest review。#novelsuspects #thehatchettebookgroup #arc#adrianmckinty。 #theisland 。。。more
Sunny
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Wow wow wow！ I absolutely loved this book。 I could not put it down and ignored most of my responsibilities over a couple of days in favor of reading this。The story follows Heather， who is newly married to Tom， a much older man with two children who don't really like Heather all that much。 The family travels to Australia so Tom can present at a conference。 While there， they make their way to a remote island to try to spot some wildlife， and while on the island， something terrible happens。 Now the Wow wow wow！ I absolutely loved this book。 I could not put it down and ignored most of my responsibilities over a couple of days in favor of reading this。The story follows Heather， who is newly married to Tom， a much older man with two children who don't really like Heather all that much。 The family travels to Australia so Tom can present at a conference。 While there， they make their way to a remote island to try to spot some wildlife， and while on the island， something terrible happens。 Now the family is trapped on the island and is being hunted by the island's only inhabitants--one large extended family with their own set of laws。Talk about a thrill ride！ The action and intensity starts very early on in the book and holds throughout。 What I loved about this was it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading， but it didn't rely on excessive gore to keep the intensity。 The story is told mostly from Heather's point of view， but also brings in a few chapters from the perspectives of the other characters。 This， I felt， gave the reader some additional insight into certain characters' motivations， but wasn't overly confusing。 The characters aren't even all that likeable， but they do have some nice arcs that made you root for them。I seriously loved every minute of this book and will probably be recommending it to anyone who will listen for a long time。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown and Company for the eARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Tara
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What’s it about？ Heather comes from a small place， moving to the big city and falls in love with widower， Tom， who comes along with two teenage kids。 Heather， barely an adult herself， tries to settle into the family as best she can and when a business trip to Australia for Tom comes around， it seems a grand idea for the family to connect。When they discover Dutch Island from some locals—a place off limits—they find the remoteness appealing， on top of the promised koalas。 On the island， a ferry ri What’s it about？ Heather comes from a small place， moving to the big city and falls in love with widower， Tom， who comes along with two teenage kids。 Heather， barely an adult herself， tries to settle into the family as best she can and when a business trip to Australia for Tom comes around， it seems a grand idea for the family to connect。When they discover Dutch Island from some locals—a place off limits—they find the remoteness appealing， on top of the promised koalas。 On the island， a ferry ride away from the mainland， something feels wrong and when an accident happens， the situation turns into a complete nightmare。 It’s becomes up to Heather to keep everyone safe and make it off the island alive。What I liked:First， it was hard to put down—everything happened so fast！ The tension from the get-go was extremely palpable！ The writing was clipped and the dialogue believable with almost stream of consciousness thoughts throughout as if we were experiencing the exact same thing as the characters。 While in third person， mostly from Heather’s perspective， we got various other POVs from both the protagonists and the antagonists—giving a sense of their motivations behind some of the horrible choices they make。 Here again， as seems to be my theme of the year， we have another kickass， female MC who will most definitely surprise you。 。。。more
Sherry
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I was such a fan of The Chain that I jumped at a chance to read this one。 And it seems night and day to it， I did really like it。 Something about it gave me No Exit vibes。 Maybe it is the description of violence and the take no prisoners attitude。 This is not for the weak of heart as it is intense。 It lulls you into a family vacation and turns deadly。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Island
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Island&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Island&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0