bookmaddie's reviews
1121 reviews

I read this straight after reading THE WAGER, so I was on a bit of a shipwreck/survival kick to start the new year. Read into that what you will! Regardless, this story slowly closes in on you and becomes unputdownable. It’s an adventure story, love story & survival story all wrapped into one. And bonus points—it’s based on a true story!

The beginning was a tad slow for me, I think because Marguerite is so isolated, both physically and mentally. In a world constrained by faith, there isn’t much room for a young woman to grow, and pushing boundaries never leads to any good. After Marguerite is taken from her childhood home in France, she is sent across the sea to New France to try and establish a French colony. But on the voyage, she strays, and as retribution, she is left on an uninhabited island with her maid and her lover.

For me, the story really took off when Marguerite began to rebel and question the world around her. She wonders why she’s seen as the one who doesn’t fit, rather than the society she lives in. Her personality blossoms as she grows older, and I found the sections of her surviving on the island to be quite poignant and a thoughtful evolution of her character. She is brash, charming, clever, and unwilling to relinquish her agency over her life.

The ending, while a bit neat, was deeply satisfying and warm. After such a dark & chilly time on a northern island, Marguerite deserved some warmth in the end. And it’s all pretty true! It’s astounding to me that in the 1500s a woman could manage to survive in the wild for years, and then make her way back across an entire ocean. 😮‍💨 Couldn’t be me..

Thanks @thedialpress and @netgalley for my digital review copy! ISOLA is out on Feb 4th!

Content Warnings

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann

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adventurous dark informative mysterious medium-paced

4.25

A rousing tale. Hard to believe men’s desire for money and glory forced them to go through this hell, but sure! Couldn’t be me.

Content Warnings

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A book where nothing happens but everything does. Really gorgeous

Content Warnings

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I CRIED A LOT!

Content Warnings

Old Soul by Susan Barker

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

Caesaria by Hanna Nordenhök

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

interesting questions about imprisonment, instated by others and by yourself..

dark, gory. how a girl comes to understand herself in an isolated world where women are unknoweable, dirty, wrong.

Content Warnings

Asunder by Kerstin Hall

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

the ending got me good.. 😭😭

Content Warnings

The Island Child by Molly Aitken

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

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bookmaddie's reviews 1121 reviews

bookmaddie's reviews
1121 reviews