“All thirty-one residents vanished without a trace. No further communication was received. No bodies were ever recovered.
They were not the first.
They would not be the last.”
From the gorgeous cover to that gripping start, I was hooked. I was ready to be scared, creeped out, and desperate for answers. I mean, look at that intro! I was so excited and in love with the way the story was being told — almost like a documentary. There’s a scene almost at the beginning that literally sent shivers down my spine. I was so here for this book! Kate Alice Marshall really has a way with words, especially when it comes to setting the scene. The writing is eerie and atmospheric … and I think it led me to have higher hopes for this book than I should have.
This isn’t a bad book but I’m sad because it could have been a lot more. While Marshall’s writing and setting is brilliant, everything else is paper-thin. The characters aren’t fleshed out enough for me to really care for them, and every explanation feels a little too contrived. Even the setting, such a rich, terrifying place, could have been further delved into. We don’t get enough of the horror I was hoping for. Instead, this book feels a lot more YA and a lot less paranormal / mystery / thriller / horror. Had I know that, I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up.
I wish the book had spent more time focusing on the plot rather than making sure something was happening at all times. The reasoning behind everything was almost too easily explained and yet simultaneously not explored or explained enough. I just wanted more. While I thought the way things ended was okay, I was left a little confused and also, again, because I didn’t really care/know the characters enough, the stakes weren’t too high for me (view spoiler). This book kind of felt like a weird dream/nightmare, where things sort of make sense as you’re in it but when you actually stop to think about it you’re like what the heck even? I get that not everything needs to make sense but it should at least feel like it’s plausible in the fictional world we’re in and with this, I didn’t feel that.
“They look like us, but they are hollow.”
I think the idea was really great though. I especially enjoyed the way the story was told through us — nonlinear and in different forms. We have a radio transmission from 1973 when 31 people went missing, we have an interview taking place after the events of the book, and video camera recordings. I especially liked the recordings. Rather than give us explanations that didn’t really make sense, we get to see the island in action in all its creepiness and I was 10000% here for it. This was an especially brilliant way to tell the story that really made this story unique. I’ve heard that Marshall has done this with her other book as well and I have added that to my tbr because I absolutely loved this form of story-telling.
Ultimately, the idea seemed really great and the execution was unique, but the plot itself didn’t hold up for me. However, I enjoyed the distinctive style the story was told and the atmospheric writing so much that I definitely plan on picking up more from this author.
They were not the first.
They would not be the last.”
From the gorgeous cover to that gripping start, I was hooked. I was ready to be scared, creeped out, and desperate for answers. I mean, look at that intro! I was so excited and in love with the way the story was being told — almost like a documentary. There’s a scene almost at the beginning that literally sent shivers down my spine. I was so here for this book! Kate Alice Marshall really has a way with words, especially when it comes to setting the scene. The writing is eerie and atmospheric … and I think it led me to have higher hopes for this book than I should have.
This isn’t a bad book but I’m sad because it could have been a lot more. While Marshall’s writing and setting is brilliant, everything else is paper-thin. The characters aren’t fleshed out enough for me to really care for them, and every explanation feels a little too contrived. Even the setting, such a rich, terrifying place, could have been further delved into. We don’t get enough of the horror I was hoping for. Instead, this book feels a lot more YA and a lot less paranormal / mystery / thriller / horror. Had I know that, I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up.
I wish the book had spent more time focusing on the plot rather than making sure something was happening at all times. The reasoning behind everything was almost too easily explained and yet simultaneously not explored or explained enough. I just wanted more. While I thought the way things ended was okay, I was left a little confused and also, again, because I didn’t really care/know the characters enough, the stakes weren’t too high for me (view spoiler). This book kind of felt like a weird dream/nightmare, where things sort of make sense as you’re in it but when you actually stop to think about it you’re like what the heck even? I get that not everything needs to make sense but it should at least feel like it’s plausible in the fictional world we’re in and with this, I didn’t feel that.
“They look like us, but they are hollow.”
I think the idea was really great though. I especially enjoyed the way the story was told through us — nonlinear and in different forms. We have a radio transmission from 1973 when 31 people went missing, we have an interview taking place after the events of the book, and video camera recordings. I especially liked the recordings. Rather than give us explanations that didn’t really make sense, we get to see the island in action in all its creepiness and I was 10000% here for it. This was an especially brilliant way to tell the story that really made this story unique. I’ve heard that Marshall has done this with her other book as well and I have added that to my tbr because I absolutely loved this form of story-telling.
Ultimately, the idea seemed really great and the execution was unique, but the plot itself didn’t hold up for me. However, I enjoyed the distinctive style the story was told and the atmospheric writing so much that I definitely plan on picking up more from this author.