The introduction caught my attention
The writing was well done
The setting creepy
The characters seemed...from what I read...complex and tortured (some literally tortured)
The plot had historical information
There were medical, experimental, illness, contagion issues discussed with isolation and other things I believe were mentioned
Family was an issued - good and bad
I was intrigued...
BUT
On my device it took FOREVER for the page to turn and that took my attention away from the story. I was reading in ADE and this might not have been an issue on other apps.
SO
I read a bit more at the beginning then read the end and though I might be interested in reading this book at some point in the future it is not one that I am willing to wait a minute between pages to get through at this point in time. I also saw that there will be a second book and that this is a series (not sure how many books) so hope this page turning issue will be cleared up before it comes out for those that may have had the same problem turning pages.

I am giving it a 3-4 rating from the minimal amount I managed to read.

The Vines is a terrifying, well written thriller.

This is a historical thriller that left me with chills. The characters are complex, complicated and at times evil.

Do I have your attention yet? This book was phenomenal, but very dark.

A great premise perfectly executed.

The title of this book is exactly what happens when you start reading about the character Cora....it stops you, wraps you up, and pulls you in and makes it hard to disentangle yourself from the horrific life that Cora has led. I had never heard of North Brother Island or what had happened there, so the premise of the book was both interesting and midi-bobbling. Flipping back and forth in time to tell the stories of the Gettler family of physicians and their obsession with Cora McSorley sometimes gets cumbersome, but is an appropriate way to tell the stories along with their relevance to what is happening on the Island....even after the facilities there had been closed. The scientific parts of the story were at times confusing with so much information. At the same time, interesting in the parallels to the pandemic of 2020-2021. The capability of Cora to be a host to several diseases and yet have no symptoms is baffling, and the experiments performed by the Gettler physicians hope to get to the bottom of Cora's immunology profile in order to be able to cure diseases. Their treatment of her is shocking and abhorent, and yet they control her with lies and fear. Her character development and growth is great. Her anger and thirst for revenge is understandable. And then she meets Finn Gettler, the great-grandson who hopes to right all the wrongs, but is he strong enough to overcome the decades of abuse she has endured by Ulrich, Rollie and Christian Gettler? The shocking ending of the book leaves the future open-ended to what will happen next in the lives and families of Cora and Finn.. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley andFreiling Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. #NetGalley #TheVines

I don't often read historical fiction, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Shelley Nolden wrote a thoroughly relatable book.

How do mysterious science experiments relate to us?

1. Viral contagions, that caused social isolation (to the extreme in this case).
2. An island, in sightline of the Bronx.
3. Herons (because I have one that sits across the pond from me as I type this).
4. Male/female power struggles.
5. Preservation of historic buildings/lands
6. Did I mention herons?
7. Medical ethics.
8. And so many other timely issues without being preachy or pedantic.

Nolden does an excellent job of weaving factual, historical events into the story of Cora and how she came to be on the real life (and now abandoned) North Brother Island. Her retelling of the events will have you searching the web for more information and wondering how many other historical events/places exist in our own backyard that we are unaware of.

While the story did seem to go on a little and get bogged down in some of the early timeline, it has all the other good stuff: mystery, intrigue, suspense. The story of Cora, Finn and the strange little island will stay with you long after you finish the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Freiling Publishing for an advanced reader's copy.

This book was so good. It is hard to put into words without giving spoilers. The passage of time was at first confusing to me, but it really made the story work and the author note at the end was super interesting to read. Cora is an amazing main character. I honestly don't know how she made it. I could never. My heart hurts from reading this book, but I also enjoyed it. I think the pain cuts deeper for me currently because my son is 2 years old and I cannot fathom what she went through. It makes me sick to think about. I'm looking forward to book 2 and hoping there is a major redemption arc for Kristian (please).

This book was pretty freaking amazing.

IMHO Nolden appears to have put a piece of her soul into this luminous thoughtful yet horrifying historical/medical thriller of a novel.

It's pretty damn good. More than that. Again, it is obvious the care that was put into writing this with what I can only imagine was the extreme amount of research on Nolden's part, and rather than feel preachy or teachy I was mesmerized(and again horrified) by what I was learning.

The best part...if my nosing around is accurate- a follow up is in the works?

This book was definitely a page turner. Once Finn spies Coa on the island he begins an obsessive journey to figure out why she is on the island, why she can't leave, and what exactly is his families part in all of it.

The same family who has made her a prisoner on this island while using her body for their own experiments. When Fin realizes what his family has done to her he wants to help.. But what can he do as long as she can't leave? When his family realizes that Fin has uncovered some their shameful family secrets they try and convince him they are in the right.. .Who will he choose.. His own family, or the woman they have been using and abusing for years?

I absolutley love Cora, she is my favorite character, a woman who has been through unspeakable things and has managed to survive.. Which has to be even harder when she is completly alone except for the occasional visit from one of her tormentors.. She does end up a little on the crazy side.. but I mean I would be too if I was left alone on an island except for the occasional visit from the people who experiment on me.

While Im not exactly sure on all my feelings about what happened in this book, I can't wait to see what is in store for Cora next, especially after what gets revealed at the end.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. It’s historical fiction but it feels like more. Be prepared - this is just book one. I did not know and kept wondering how the author was going to tie up all the loose ends. She does not! But then I read that there was to be a sequel.... so now I wait!
If you want a recap of the story you can read another review, but if you want to go into this book not knowing I say just do it! It’s timely and pretty quick paced. Thank to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

This book was more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be and it was actually quite captivating and enchanting throughout. It has medical science concentrating on microbiology and epidemiology, historical fiction (not involving WW II, for once), and there is plenty of suspense from cover to cover! The past treachery and lies in this book... OH MY GOODNESS! OMG! For that reason, I was able to read this in two days!

Finn comes from a long line of family members that are microbiologists who work on very secured island where humans have been experimented on in the past. Finn visits North Island and finds mysterious Cora. She has been infected with small pox and typhoid fever. He starts to have many questions about Cora and his family's role on the island? Obviously, Finn wanted to right thing and save Cora from more traumatic cruelty and testing. Can he save her? Is he putting his life in danger?

This book has it all and is quite believable and plausible and very current to what is happening in the world right now. This is fiction but I felt like I was right along side Finn and Cora the whole time! I think I need to get this book at publishing and highly recommend to anyone who likes historical thrillers (and not involving WWII, there are many).

YOU NEED TO READ THIS!!

All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, Shelley Nolden and Freling Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Again, highly recommended!

The cover caught my attention first and after reading the synopsis I had it added to my tbr. Lucky me when I found it as a ‘Read Now” on Netgalley! Little did I realize how impossible it would be to put this down by the end.

With multiple POVs this transitions between the 1900s and 2007. Finn enjoys exploring and comes from a family of doctors who make it their life’s work to eradicate disease. When he decides to venture to North Border Island, he finds more than just the remains of an old tuberculosis ward in ruins. He finds Cora, and she comes with a horrid and unique past that traverses decades of microbiology, immunity sciences and vaccines. I was highly impressed with the way Nolden took so much scientific information surrounding these topics and made them entertaining to read about. Cora is probably the most in-depth character I have bonded with in a long time. The horrors she went through, the psychological onslaught she endured at the hands of a family is just incomprehensible. Let alone the aspects surrounding lack of human contact and affection over time. This one really makes you sit back and think.

Nolden not only sweeps you away with vivid imagery and deeply fleshed out characters but also takes you on a trip down ethics road. The cost of health, long life and cures. What lengths some will go to in the name of science and medicine. Just imagine how often that line was crossed to get to where we are today. I also loved the addition of Typhoid Mary Mallon; I was not expecting that. I had to take a moment to research some of the history that takes place in this book that I was completely unaware of. It added a higher level of appreciation for the time and effort Nolden went to for this captivating read. There are so many engrossing themes and the atmosphere is quietly eerie as it creeps around the plot line. There are areas that go into detail scientifically and historically. This can make the read a little longer than desired for some, but I personally have never been more eager to know more about a place or person’s background before.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical fiction with a mix of science and topics that are not so easy to read about. I think you will connect with Cora as much as I did if this is a genre you frequent. When you grab this book, read the note by the author first. Thank you to Over the River PR and Shelley Nolden for the opportunity to read this gifted digital arc in exchange for an honest review. True rating 4.5/5.

Content mention: human testing/experiments, rape, abuse

The Vines by Shelley Nolden dived into the very real, and very mysterious North Brother Island off of New York City. The island itself has always been intriguing to me, and I was excited to find Nolden stayed historically accurate to certain events that have happened in the past as well.

The plot was good - I liked the vibe and the mystery, and the slight fantasy feel. But the characters didn't cut it for me. The antagonists were too bad, the protagonist, too good, and their behaviors could flip flop erratically. Because of my disinterest in the characters, it was hard for me to dive into the book.

The history of medical science has always intrigued me. It is because of this I was attracted to this novel. It did not disappoint. The Vines is an upsetting and disturbing psychological thriller with extensively researched history and science at its forefront, and that’s exactly what I hoped for. As you’ll notice shortly, there are plenty of good things about this book; just not great. Generally not a fan of stories that jump back and forth in time, I found that it worked here fairly successfully; however the more recent timeline felt as if it sauntered along compared to the superior historical timeline. The characters were complex enough; I just found them to be a bit one-dimensional and it was hard to care about them as much as I would have liked. There were plenty of intriguing twists and suspense throughout; though the ending was a whimper when I wanted a bang. Apparently there is a sequel in the works that may tie up any loose ends. I can safely recommend this exceptionally written debut novel.

Thank you for the opportunity.

North Brother Island is home to the abandoned remains of quarantine hospital and research facility. Living among the ruins is a wild and feral woman named Cora. Cora has been trapped on the island a very long time, the only people that know of her existence keep her secret.
Finn's family has always kept the secret of North Brother Island. He knows about Cora, and wants to end the rein of terror his family has brought on her. But if he brings her off the island he could be putting everyone in danger. Cora could end the lives of millions, or save them.

Reading The Vines, after experiencing our own battle with the Coronavirus is a little surreal. The diseases mentioned in the book, how they are transmitted and researched are all very real to us now. I was lucky enough to not catch the virus during the pandemic, or lose anyone I loved to it. Cora's character wasn't so lucky. The trauma she experienced with loss and exile is horrible. I felt more for her character now, then I think I would have years ago.
The cruelty Cora experiences is what makes the book even harder to read. She is treated no different then a lab rat, nonhuman. I felt for her character throughout the whole book. She is the hook of the story.
Unfortunately the rest of the characters didn't hold me as well. I had a hard time reading any part of the story that wasn't directly from Cora's experiences. I think the whole book would have been more thrilling if it was more focused on her survival then the family that hunted her.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Freiling Publishing for an e-arc of The Vines.

Where to even begin describing this rollercoaster ride? I was sucked in from the beginning and the further into the plot I read, the more intrigued I was. The book was equal parts timely and erie.

North Brother Island has always been a source of intrigue to New Yorkers. Located next to Rikers, this island is home to a heron reserve...and the hospital that once held Typhoid Mary. Finn knows that his grandfather was a doctor who work at the hospital before it closed, but has no idea what exactly his family's involvement was.

In a compelling story, Finn explores his family's past with the help of Cora, the mysterious woman who lives on North Brother.

This story has twists and turns and I loved every second of the story. Can't wait to see where book 2 takes us!

**Please do yourself and favor and google pictures of North Brother. The setting for this story is true and seeing the pictures brings it to life.

Ever since first learning of North Brother Island and it's history, I've been fascinated by it. So, when "The Vines" came across my dash, it immediately had my interest.

This is a fictional account of a fantastical person, that is based on the reality and history of New York's isolation hospital located on North Brother Island. Cora is functionally immortal. She is also the preferred lab rat of four generations of German physicians, the Gettler family. One of which, Ulrich Gettler was a fanatical member of Hitler's SS physician's corp. that experimented on captured Jewish & Romany civilians in the abattoirs of Nazi Concentration Camps.

That should give you a fairly good impression of the cold, calculated cruelty that Cora has endured for over a century.

The book switches time periods every other chapter. First in present day on North Brother and alternately from Cora's viewpoint thru her time trapped on the Island. Ms. Nolden does an excellent job of weaving in the actual people, events and surroundings that have occurred or occupied space on North Brother, such as the infamous Typhoid Mary.

She also brings up a very pertinent point in our current world situation with rampant overpopulation, human encroachment on wild spaces and the deadly viruses that are poised to run wholesale thru the population. What morality preserves the human rights and dignity of the individual against the possibility of a panacea for all the incurable diseases plaguing the human race? For Cora, it's not just theoretical....

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read 'The Vines' for my honest review.

I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the mood for this type of story or what, but I just couldn’t get into it. Too many words right out of the gate and did not flow for me. Maybe next time!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

First sentence: A thick keloid encircled the young woman's throat like a noose, ready to seize her last breath.

Premise/plot: The Vines is suspense novel with paranormal vibes. The setting is North Brother island in New York. One thread of the story is set in the "present day" of 2007/2008. The other thread of the story is set in the past beginning circa 1902.

As for the story itself, well, how much is too much for readers to know BEFORE they pick it up? If I say too little, you might not be curious enough to seek it out. If I say too much, well, you might enjoy it less if some of the piecework has been done for you.

So my one sentence teaser:

One family plays god with repercussions that are felt for generations to come.

My thoughts: I am so completely torn on how I feel about Shelley Nolden's The Vines.

On the one hand, it is a haunting, atmospheric read that will certainly appeal to some readers. The plot is like a tangled, convoluted knot with a few strands for the main character, Finn, to start pulling. Readers have a benefit over Finn in some ways because they are privy to the PAST sections of the book. Finn isn't working with all the pieces--and readers may not have all the pieces either--and sometimes the harder Finn pulls, the more knotted it becomes.

Can characters be despicable without being developed and fleshed out? Maybe. Maybe not. I honestly don't know. I do know that I hated almost *all* the characters in this one. (Then again, I doubt readers are meant to *like* the characters.) So in that the author succeeds.

Motivations. This one takes a very long--almost four hundred pages--look at motivations. Do the ends justify the means? Is anything permissible so long as some good can come from it? If great good can come from great harm, then is that okay? The book also looks at the excuses we try to use to justify our actions, our decisions, our choices.

Two other questions that come to mind:

What can you live with?

What can you live without?

On the other hand, The Vines felt tedious. I'll try to clarify. Despicable actions are shown repetitively--think decades worth of repetition of EVIL, despicable, horrible actions. It is unimaginable to think of how it would actually feel to live this fictional life out. Cora, the main character, is definitely the last person you'd ever want to be.

When a book is so dark--even if it is a haunting, atmospheric read--and is so bleakity-bleak, and when a book is peopled with such MONSTERS, then it is hard for me to say wow what a great book I loved every minute of it.

I found it both compelling and wearisome. I know it seems impossible a book can be both. I would have thought so too before reading The Vines. It was compelling because I was always kept curious enough to keep turning pages. It was wearisome because it was so heavy and dark.

I do think some readers will find it worth their time. I don't think it will be for every single reader.

There were two things that I didn't quite like.

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I didn't like how the author felt the need to push this one into being COVID-19 related. In the author note she mentions this was a work in progress before COVID and how she reworked elements of it to make it tie into the current pandemic. I felt it strains the novel a bit. Other readers may disagree. But I almost feel like it is making the claim that the pandemic is man made and intentional. That may not be the author's intent, I do not claim to know her intentions and thought processes.

I also didn't like the cliff-hanger ending. Being as torn as I am about the book, I really don't want to have to read another four hundred pages or so to find out what happens.

DNF at about 30%. I could not get into this one for some reason. Between the cover and the first couple chapters, this felt like a fantasy/dystopian and I was just confused! As it went on, I got bored with Cora's perspective as the reader already knows kinda what happens to her because of the dual timeline. Ugh. This just wasn't for me. I did not rate this on Goodreads, but Netgalley requires a rating.

The island hadn't changed, but it had changed her...

Cora has been a prisoner on New York's North Brother Island since she was 18. A carrier of five different deadly and contagious diseases - yet seemingly immune to any of their side effects while on the island - Cora has been experimented on for decades by the men of the Gettler family. In the name of science, they claimed, each Gettler man took his experiments into darker and more inhumane territory, from Otto's original experiments, to Ulrich's sadistic plans, to Kristian's ideas to infect her with even more diseases just to find a vaccine. But through it all, Cora manages to survive. Not only is Cora a survivor, but it seems like the island won't let her die...

If you love historical fiction, thrillers, science fiction, or all three, The Vines is a perfect read for you. Shelley Nolden beautifully wrote a tale centered around Riverside Hospital, a now-defunct quarantine hospital on North Brother Island. Riverside is probably best known for being the hospital where Typhoid Mary spent her last days, but Nolden brought so much intrigue and suspense to this abandoned site. Cora has such a unique story, and I really enjoyed how effortlessly her fictional story was woven into the real-life events of North Brother Island. Nolden also pulled so many historical events into the story, from Typhoid Mary to medical experimentation during WWII, and all those details made Cora's story that much more believable. I also loved watching Cora's relationship with each generation of Gettler evolve as each Gettler's reasons for experimenting on her changed over time. The Vines was an absolutely enthralling tale, and I can't wait to see how Nolden continues the story in the next book.

A few trigger warnings: medical experimentation, rape, main character is tied down/tied up, mentions of pandemics and coronavirus, Nazis/mentions of experiments done in concentration camps.

A huge thank you to Freiling Publishing and Netgalley for letting me read The Vines in advance of its release date.

The Vines is the debut novel by Shelley Nolden. It is an interesting book in many ways. There were things I liked and things I didn't like. Overall, it was a worthwhile read. I actually acquired more respect for her work after I read her author notes at the back of the book. It is also at the end that we find out there is a sequel in the works!

I loved learning the history of North Brother Island and Riverside Hospital's 125 plus year residency there. The story visits many time periods and flips back and forth between them throughout the book. The author did a lot of research for this book and it shines through.

The main characters in the book are fictional but, many of the secondary characters are taken from the real people who lived and worked there throughout the years. I didn't care for the Gettler men who seemed to pass down their position of head doctor to the next generation in the family. I liked Cora and admired her ability to survive the many medical experiments and long, harsh years she has and will spend there. For some reason I had a harder time connecting with the fictional characters than the real ones.

If you like history, old buildings, medical research and a little mystery then this book is for you. It will be a stellar debut for for Shelley Nolden!

I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher and Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you!