The story starts with Rowan, in the first person POV. It grips me as I watch her drown, and yet she remains alive. This is the hook for Wild Dark Shore by author Charlotte McConaghy. The book releases March 4, and it’s for readers who love dark themes and psychology thriller. With Rowan, you get thrown onto Shearwater, the lonely island in the middle of nowhere, closer to Antartica.
How does she survive, you ask? Luck perhaps, or something else.
Who’s on the island?
Rowan was lucky that Fen had seen her. Together with Fen’s father Dominic and brother Raff, they managed to save Rowan from certain death. Dominic is another character that has a first person POV, while the children, Fen, Raff and Orly, are in the third person. Through the children’s eyes, you see the beauty of the island. Through Rowan’s and Dominic’s points of view, there are questions, secrets, and hints of danger.
Shearwater is shutting down because of global warming. The seas are rising and the island is no longer a safe place to house the seeds. The island is a seed bank, and the family is the only ones left on the island until the next and final ship arrives. To top that off, their communication has been destroyed, and they can’t radio out for help.
A mystery on the island
Rowan arrives with a mission. The family has something to hide. As they come to an awkward peace, Rowan sets off on her own mission. And despite his suspicions, Dominic helps her out. Through the youngest child, Orly, we learn more about Shearwater and its role as a seed bank. Through Fen, the seals and royal penguins, and how men are a constant threat even from afar. Raff is a protector, like Dominic, and he’s torn about something.
Dominic is clear from the get go: his children are the most important people.
The story has hints that something had happened on the island. Rowan wants answers, spurred on by an email her husband sent her.
Verdict
I love the writing. Wild Dark Shore has a poetic style and descriptions that draw you in. I love the roar of the sea, and how Shearwater is unapologetic in reclaiming territory. The resilience of the native fauna impresses me. Of course, turbulence beneath the peaceful facade keeps me reading all night long. However, the ending comes at a slight disappointment. It’s like the author builds up all the tension and then drops it off a cliff, uncaring about the aftermath.
‘Narcissist’ is a lazy word, an overused lazy word. I am being denied of a good villain because the author makes the bad guy a two-dimensional character after building up four amazing ones. Why couldn’t she make the extra effort so the book has a worthy villain?
That being said, it is still an enjoyable read.
It has intrigue, beautiful descriptions, good writing. Characters are relatable somewhat, especially if you are a parent. But I felt that it’s lazy to box the villain into one word and then call the villain crazy. Still a good read.
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