I tried to like this book, I really did. The premise grabbed my attention but unfortunately not the rest of the writing. Finn Gettler stumbles across a mysterious woman in the ruined, abandoned North Brother Island. Through various flashbacks, we learn more about Finn's family's own involvement in the quarantine facilities of the island, and how Finn himself comes to terms with these discoveries.

Maybe it's because this whole infectious diseases sci-fi setting just hits too close to home and I just couldn't get too invested in it for the sake of sanity?? In terms of the writing itself, it seemed like there was much more showing than telling. At times the plot and dialogue seemed all stuck and tangled within itself (maybe like a cluster of vines, ha ha) and I really had to trudge through it. I got an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so I'm curious to see if my opinion is upheld or if it's an unpopular one.

An abandoned hospital, a families secrets and scientific experiments. Finn spots Cora hiding on North Brother Island, she is elusive but he is determined to find out ger history and the links with his family. Reading the synopsis of this book I thought I would enjoy it more than I did.
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

While I enjoyed this book and will read the sequel, I am hesitant to buy this for my library. I have read many of the sources mentioned by the author as her research materials so I got into the story very quickly. My problem with the book is the amount of potential triggers for readers including, torture, animal mutilation and infanticide. I just dont know that the book as the literary merit to justify it's purchase. I recently read another book with potential triggers but feel like that book used them in a way that would be beneficial for discussion of the subject manner and the trauma that took place was necessary to the story.

Living in New York, it is a shame that I didn't know about the existence of the North Brother Island and events occurred on it for ages until it was officially shut down. This book encouraged me to do bit more research and I'm glad I did. Most of the events referenced in the book are real events in real places except for the actual story line. I would be devastated if an event like this happened in reality (it happened in other places, countries and times for sure - maybe many more times than we know)

This books tells a tale of a patient with unusual traits and one medical family's obsession with her. First doctor to treat the patient had relatively humanistic ideas about how to use her unusual traits in everyone's benefit. As medicine and technology advance and her traits became even more unusual and unexplainable than before, next generations of the doctor from this family became more cruel and absurd in their ways.

Beyond the medical mystery and cruelty and god complex of human kind, this is also a story of mothers and sons. One mother lost her child and only to see him return a changed man. Another mother is dying slowly and painfully and constantly fighting for her child to be a better person, not another doctor.

It's a very interesting story of modern medicine, humankind, hope while facing horrible diseases, motherhood and personal and medical ethics. I liked the fact that how each of these topics were touched upon without throwing shade at each other and diminishing the level of struggle. If you are into historical fiction based on real places with a hint of "possibly happened somewhere else" events, you'll enjoy this book

This review will also be posted on my instagram account on publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Vines.

I'm not the type of person who shies away from reading about a pandemic when our current reality reflects fiction so painfully.

I also enjoy fiction based on historical events and facts and the premise was interesting though I wasn't as drawn into the narrative as I had hoped.

First, it's too long. There are two POVs, past and present told from Cora, the age and virus resistant survivor/victim, and Finn, an ancestor of the medical doctors who treated Cora, for the most part, immorally and unethically.

Second, there are a lot of characters. I get it; it's the setting, the location, Cora lives on an isolated island hospital surrounded by staff and patients. Names will blur together.

Third, the time jumps. Why bother if all the action and horrible medical experiments happen off screen?

I understand the time lapse is to show how long Cora has been on the island, held against her will, but those chapters could be edited and much more brief.

Fourth, there are science fiction elements entwined in the story, which I enjoyed though I hope Cora's inability to age would be explored in the second book.

I believed in her incredible immunity but there was no basis or context for her inability to age. Was it the island? Her immunity? Is she like Wolverine?

The needle on my "ability to suspend disbelief"meter was ticking over to the far side, and not in a good way.

Fifth, and just as importantly, I didn't like or identify with anyone since there was little character development for most of them.

Finn's father, brother, his girlfriend, Lily, I understand the dynamics between them but I don't really know them.

I did like Cora. Not surprisingly, after all she's endured and suffered, she's a survivor.

There's unexpected family drama and secret revelations which smelled a bit Lifetime, and I'm on the fence about its inclusion.

The writing was good, but this was too long and parts of the narrative tested my ability to suspend disbelief.

Overall, I think some readers might enjoy this, more so if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic ourselves.

This is why I read!!! I learn something new every time I open a book. As a librarian, I challenge my students to find something you are interested in and go with it, but lately it has been go out of your comfort zone and genre you will be amazed by the new categories of knowledge that are surfacing. Shelley Nolden, thank you for opening my eyes to North Brother Island, NY. How did I not know this existed? I realize the story is based on historical fiction, but this led me down a rabbit hole to research the island, The General Slocum, the human experiments, the quarantines and mankind's seemly cruelest mistakes.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for my review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hoping for a sequel.
I couldn't stop thinking about the General Slocum that killed 1,021 men, women and children. I was horrified by the descriptions and the poor souls clinging to life while watching so many burn or drown and the countless people who tried to rescue them.
The images online of this island is captivating with so many beautiful castle-like buildings. It would be hard to keep me away from investigating this farther if I lived in New York. The book has an excellent historical background and research with connections to the Holocaust and the family responsible for the horrifying psychological human experiments on the patients quarantined for contagious diseases. This book hits close to home with our universal quarantines from loved ones and a pandemic that will be written about for decades. I'm thankful for being quarantined at home when loved ones during the early 1900's were taken from their homes and sent to live on this island with no technology to connect. **Extra note*** After closing in 1940, the island was then used to isolate drug addicts until 1963.
Interesting characters to watch for is Typhoid Mary. I remember reading about her in history books, but to see her character come to life is phenomenal. Finn, an adventurer, that explores the island that he has always heard about since he is a by product of his family responsible for relinquishing harm on the patients. Finn discovers Cora, a beautiful isolated inhabitant scarred mentally, physically and kept against her will for decades. She has experienced pain and torture from the demented Dr. Gettler.
(The enrichment of this work holds parallel to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.)
Discover the lies, betrayal, intriguing strength found hiding on one of the best kept secrets in the remains of this shuttered hospital and island.
***Don't forget to research the North Brother Island and General Slocum. The images will enhance the reading of this book***

The Vines drew me in from the very first few pages. It is a compelling story of disturbing family secrets passed down through generations of strong men determined to succeed in finding a cure for some of the most deadly diseases before they infect the world. Timely in this age of uncertainty, The heroine of the story perseveres through years of mental and physical abuse, leaving you cheering for her and racing to the final surprising conclusion. Highly recommend this book!,

I cannot proceed with the reading of this book from Net Galley due to awkward phrasing, sentence construction, word choice, strange actions, etc. Concept of book sounded very intriguing but reading it is too much of a struggle.
Also...the author has a lovely profile of struggle that should have lent to authenticity. Sorry.

ARC Net Galley

1902- A young girl, Coraline McSorley, and her sister Maeve are forced to depart for Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, NY after contracting measles. Riverside hospital provides an isolated location for quarantining and treating those who have contracted infectious diseases. Dr. Otto Gettler soon discovers that Cora has a unique immune system capable of protecting her from the deadliest pestilence. Her body is able to fend off the viruses leaving her as an asymptomatic host capable of infecting anyone who comes in contact with her. Dr. Gettler, obsessed with uncovering the mystery, imprisons Cora and uses her to conduct horrific and unethical medical experiments.
2007- Finn Gettler the great-grandson of Otto Gettler finds records of his family’s research at Riverside and decides to travel to the island to uncover the truth. There he discovers a beautiful and deadly young woman living on the island whose scarred body tells a tragic tale. Finn decides he must help her even if it means exposing his family’s darkest secrets.

The Vines is an intriguing new novel that is a unique blend of historical fiction, mystery, thriller, and sci-fi. North Brother Island does exist and was a quarantine site that once housed Typhoid Mary. I found Cora's character and story quite interesting as the novel follows her through four generations of Gettler men using her for medical experimentation. Her unique immune system somehow manages to protect her from the viruses introduced while simultaneously giving her longevity in life as long as she doesn't leave the island. Finn, the only Gettler not to follow in his families medical endeavors, decides to help Cora unaware of her "condition" or his family’s part in her prolonged trauma. This novel is the first book in the duology and provides and in-depth look into Cora's condition and the Gettler family history. As much as I enjoyed this story, I felt like this could have easily been written as a stand-alone novel concluding with Cora revealing her secret. Either way this was a very interesting novel centered around infectious disease, a hot topic with the current pandemic, and the use of unethical human experimentation to study viruses.

In present day New York, Finn decides to explore North Brother Island, a place of mystery that is connected to his father and brother's medical experiments. On the island he finds Cora, a scarred and tortured woman. In the early 1900's, Cora and her sister are sent to quarantine on North Brother Island. After the death of her sister, one of the doctor's discovers that Cora has a special immunity to the diseases and viruses that are killing the masses.

This book was very hard to put down. Cora's past was very interesting and compelling. The author did a masterful job of blending the past and present, which made for an extremely compelling read. Overall, highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.of The Vines.
This is definitely a twist on historical fiction. The dual timeline really pulls the story together. A mixture of curiosity, science and family secrets.

Enjoyed reading this fact and fiction story. Had me sitting on the edge to finish it. Waiting the sequel.
It was obvious to me that the writer had some experience of the torment depicted GeForce some of the characters, like Cora and Lilly.
The obsession of mankind to eradicate disease and be the first to do so.
Great read, now I want the sequel

This book has stayed with me weeks after I finished reading. The context of the story crawled into every crevice and I just can't let it go. The similarities between today's world and illnesses and past diseases, what could happen and has happened is just mind boggling. Just goes to show you what human kind is capable of doing to one another. Excellent story.

I just reviewed The Vines by Shelley Nolden. #TheVines #NetGalley

I had to DNF this book, unfortunately. The time hops were confusing, there were so many characters introduced in a very short time, and the writing was so wordy that it was hard to follow. Sentences that were too long, too many sentences chopped up by dashes, and just not interesting enough to grab my attention.

Interesting storyline and it's a good time for this style story. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely read this author's next book.

Wow. So many feelings.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for this digital ARC for my honest opinion.
The mystery that began on the first pages with a scarred but beautiful woman being watched by an innocent interloper and then fearing for his life from said woman was a pretty good start! I got a bit confused with the first change in timeline narrative and it did require me to let go of some of my more "realistic" notions. Once I did, I was able to fully embrace the story and let my mind and heart engage in the many layers of emotional wranglings that the characters must navigate.
This story wrestles with the ideas of the individual versus the collective, human strength and dignity, the drive to live, and the motivations to help others against the deeper evils of power, glory, and control. Evident here that was a poignant point to me, was the necessity to dehumanize in order to harm. Also a difficult, and well presented question of how far someone is willing to go to prevent/cure/aid someone or yourself. Do the ends justify the means? I thought these questions were dealt with well in a very human way through the characters. Reading more about the author and her cancer experience helped me understand how she could bring such depth to the emotion.
I like a book that leaves me with a sense of challenge; how do I really feel about something. This book definitely did that.
My only critique (beyond the "realistic" notion that I had to shake off) is that I wished for a more satisfying end to one of the antagonists, one that was sooner. All the frustrations I had with Cora, the scarred woman in the beginning, seemed to be explained and made sense as the story progressed. She was a stronger woman that I had given her credit for in the beginning.
A timely story in a year of Covid, this is a good read that poses basic human questions that are for any time.

Review for NetGalley eARC.
Being an urban explorer myself and having had friends who have extensively photographed and written about North Brother Island I really wanted to like this book. However, I finished in the course of one day because I found myself skimming a good deal of the story.

In this novel we are introduced to the Gettler family of whom Finn is the “black sheep”. He is not a doctor like his brother, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, all of whom have ties to North Brother and the contagion hospital that once stood there. The concurrent plot line concerns Cora McSorley, a patient at the hospital who, it is revealed, has super human immunity that is somehow tied to her remaining on the island. The moment she leaves the island, the symptoms of each one of the contagions in her system begin to appear and she risks death. While attempting to replicate the antibodies in her system to save both Finn’s mother AND potentially his girlfriend, Finn learns that there are even more secrets that have been kept from him including his brother’s true parentage which happens to be their grandfather Ulrich. His mother is none other than his test subject, Cora.

This is an exceptionally convoluted plot with a timeline that speeds through days, months, years in a matter of mere pages. In many cases I found myself thinking, wait, who is that person? Why do they matter? What is happening? Then it really fell apart for me when it is revealed that Cora’s super human immune system has also somehow stopped her from aging.

Overall there is too much happening at once in this book. The characters are extremely flat and largely unlikable with the exception of Cora which may have been the author’s intention but the rest of the characters simply don’t round out the world of the novel enough to make me consider reading a sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley, Freiling Publishing, and the author for a chance to read the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4 out of 5 stars
Owing to its timely subject matter on viruses, a link to Nazi Germany and mysterious island that I never knew existed, I was intrigued. The Vines switches from the present day back 1904, when the experiments began. I struggled at first to get into the story but by a third of the way I was hooked.
I also didn't know I was reading the first book in a series. There remain some important answers that will be revealed there, I hope.

Absolutely loved this story! Looking forward to reading more books by this author! Highly recommend!

A Review of “The Vines” by Shelley Nolden, Freiling Publishing, March 23, 2021 by Linda Zagon
If you enjoy a terrifying, horrifying psychological thriller, I have a book recommendation for you.! Shelley Nolden, the author of “The Vines” has written a captivating, intriguing, intense and historical thriller. This novel takes place on North Brother Island, close by New York, on an island that has been taken over by vines and plant growth. At one time there was a hospital, used for quarantine for contagious illnesses, help for patients with addictions, and experimentations of biological viruses and toxins, as well as human beings. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. Some are evil and appear to be psychotic, or obsessed with dangerous things. There are lies, secrets, betrayals, danger and death.

Finn is exploring the island and checking the foliage, and comes across Cora, a woman who is beautiful but scarred. Most of Finn’s family have been doctors affiliated with research on the island. As Finn gets close enough to meet Cora, without getting killed, he starts to learn dark secrets and mysteries about his family, that he can hardly believe is true. Cora has developed unbelievable survival skills, although she has become the uber victim.

There are twists and turns, danger lurking at every turn, and the possibility of death. I could not put this book down, and continued to read. With everything going on in the world today, there could be a realistic tone to it, and it is very thought-provoking. Stay-tuned, I believe there will be another book to follow. I look forward to reading it.