The Island of the Lost - Daisy Stephens

THE ISLAND OF THE LOST

DAISY STEPHENS

*****

Liv doesn't believe in ghosts.

There is a small island off the coast of Italy that was once the site of a plague quarantine station, and later a psychiatric asylum. It now sits deserted, home only to the shadows of local folklore.

Liv doesn't believe her sister is dead.

Granted special permission to visit for a writing assignment, Liv sets sail for the abandoned island, but only she knows the real reason. She is certain it is the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she vanished eighteen months ago.

But Liv believes in whatever is on this island.

Alone with only her colleague Sam, Liv can't deny how unsettling the place truly is. How can a church tower toll when there is no bell? What is the ghostly figure in her peripheral vision? And why can she smell the smoke of burning bodies?

MY REVIEW

*****

I was particularly excited about The Island of the Lost from its blurb – a mystery and a horror set on an island with an abandoned plague quarantine facility? Say no more!

Liv is on mission to find out what happened to her twin sister Mia. Under the guise of writing an article, she gets permission from the Italian authorities to visit the island of Poveglia – once the site of a plague quarantine facility. Are the answers she needs on the island? Or just a lot of new questions…

I will start out by saying I adored this book - it’s relatively short but I read it all on one sitting on a train journey, I could not put it down! The setting is brilliant, well described and atmospheric. Poveglia is actually a real-life place as well, so you can look up some pictures to help with your imagination, but Daisy Stephens paints a great picture of the place that this isn’t really needed. There are plenty of spooky moments and I really felt like I was on the island with Liv and Sam. Using the imagery of the plague doctor mask really tuned in to those horror elements nicely as well.

The plot is well-paced - using the first chapter as a flashback to the islands haunted past worked well to grab the readers attention and hook them in. We then start from Liv’s point of view on her trip to the island, as well as a few memories of her childhood with her mother and sister who were both obsessed with Poveglia. As the plot moves on, we are then introduced to another perspective and the book begins to jump between them, which kept the stakes high and my interest piqued. The end twist is a little signposted, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I wish we had slightly more character-building regarding Sam, who seemed to just be there as a prop for the first half of the book and then disappears for most of the remainder. That little critique aside, The Island of the Lost is an astonishingly assured debut and I cannot wait to read other novels by Daisy Stephens in future.

Overall, The Island of the Lost is an atmospheric horror with a fantastically spooky setting. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LINKS TO BUY

Amazon UK

Waterstones