A well crafted piece of writing where information - Tasmanian Devils - met suspense and mystery
It was a good thriller with a great setting

Loved this thriller, suspense, mystery story. So many twists and turns. The story really keeps you guessing!! I really enjoyed this book!

Devils Island was a fast paced read with mystery in mind. The author weaves her story to take on many twists and turns making you question who really done it.

This one is a slow starter, but does settle in to be a fine thriller. It takes a careful approach to character establishment.

Suspense is ever present in this story. If you love a good mystery, you may enjoy this one. I definitely had several candidates for the culprit but did not arrive on the correct one until almost at the reveal. I recommend this book and would be very interested in other books by this author.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.
I liked the setting, plot and twists, and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. It was a slower paced read, especially in the first half of the book. The information of the wildlife/history was nice, but some of the descriptions of character past events started to feel repetitive.

I received an eARC of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review


this book was okay. the premise was great but the execution left a lot to be desired. the characters are all shallow and our FMCs brooke and kerry are also whiny to the point i was having trouble staying interested. the biggest issue for me though was the amount of twists. it was a bit over the top and unbelievable in the end. I did enjoy the tasmanian devil aspect and wish it had played a bigger role

I loved this book the setting was so interesting and the plot was well fleshed out and engaging and it held your interest till the end .

Rating 3,5

"Six guests embark on a wilderness tour but only two emerge" Devils Island book description and the cover grabbed my attention right away. Kerry, a naturalist guide leads her first tour on Devils Island (a remote Tasmanian Island) after leaving behind her Tasmanian Devil research job. Kerry"s first tour group includes two couples who have been long time friends, Two American college friends that reconnecting after years of estrangement. When guests start disappearing the first night, will Kerry be up to the task to lead her group to safety?

I loved the remote island setting with horrible storm as the backdrop. I found the descriptions of the animals who inhabit the island very informative, especially the Tasmanian Devils. The authors kept up the suspense with secret reveals and twist after twist.

What I didn't love was the ending was a little drawn out.

The target audience for this book: mystery thriller fans who like to be kept guessing, interest in endangered species including Tasmanian Devils, remote island settings and multiple POV's,

I felt like the author wanted this to be an informational book about Tasmanian devils with a thriller combined and felt like it fell short. The story was pretty out there and unrealistic, although it was pretty entertaining.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

While the detailed exploration of characters and setting enriches the story, some readers might find it slightly long-winded.

The climax could have been more explosive, given the buildup

Devil’s Island is a delightful blend of horror, mystery, and supernatural elements. It beckons readers to confront their own fears and question the thin veil between the living and the spectral. If you’re ready for a spine-tingling adventure, step ashore on Devil’s Island—you won’t be disappointed.

Remember, dear reader, some secrets are best left buried, but curiosity has a way of unearthing them..

Good thriller.

Needs to be a bit more refined by cutting out some unnecessary descriptions and dialogues.

It was quite interesting to learn about remote Aussie culture and island.

Great read overall!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the ARC of Devil’s Island.
I really loved the setting for the book. An island refuge with a group tour. The characters were well defined in this fast paced thriller.
The descriptive narrative of the wildlife was very interesting. I learned something new about Tasmanian Devils.

Overall enjoyable thriller. Cool setting, switching POVs, build up.
I hated the discussion of anti-depressants.
Ending felt rushed.

Setting the Scene: 🇦🇺 Set in the Tasmania wilderness at luxury camping sites with hikes in between.
POV: We are following two main characters. One is a guest invited to this vacation with their old friend from college days. The other is a guide on the tour who used to work in animal conservation. We also get glimpses from one of the friends.

Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Touches of domestic suspense dropped in the Tasmanian wilderness
-Psychological suspense with juicy secrets, spilled tea, and speculative gossip
-Small hits of high-stakes action and saving the day scrambles
-Themes and metaphors around acting, humanity, wildlife and nature, complicated friendships, the masks we wear, finding oneself, and the roles we take on.

----
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕

🎬 Tale-Telling: The switch between POVs means we know more than any one character so we can start putting together the puzzle pieces about what is happening and why. If you like character driven narratives, there are elements of this alongside the puzzle and plot developments. I’m glad we didn’t the perspectives of all the guests, the ones we got were good choices. The story is divided in to five acts and each has a slightly different purpose and tone.

🤓 Reader’s Role: Ghostly onlooker. We float along in the camp, privy to the inner workings of our characters’ minds, and we trek along with the characters through the mystery and suspense, getting just enough info to keep guessing without spoiling everything all at once.

👥 Characters: Brooke and Kerry came across as the flawed heroes. Jane is annoyingly self-centred, slightly unhinged but I sometimes felt sympathetic and sad for her. They were all grappling with their demons and handling eerie situations while navigating personal and interpersonal battles. I don’t know that everyone would find our MCs likeable or relatable, but for me it wasn’t essential since there is a lot of plot happening around them and I wanted to know what would happen and how they’ll navigate it (and for some of it, I needed them to be unlikeable or cringey!).

🗺️ Ambiance: I felt like I was there. I listened with thunder and rain ambiance tracks and it made it all the more immersive. The story is written like it needs to take place in Tasmania and doesn’t forget it’s there. We learn about the unique setting without suffering through info-dumping of facts.

🔥 Fuel: The drive to keep reading is a bit different between the five acts. We start with wondering why each character is there, to how they’ll get out alive (well paced low-key, eerie stuff). Then there’s a psychological deep-dive in to the characters. Act four was my least favourite because it switches to high stakes action and thriller style cat-and-mouse surivival and escapes, and had me face-palming everyone's decisions.

🚙 Journey: From setting the stage to the character backstories each act had its own flavour, but overall they flow well together and end with a final twist that I hadn’t completely predicted. Near the end we go from cruising to hitting a bit of speed bump, but even when it briefly veered into slightly campy territory, it still felt plausible and had me wondering what I would do in those situations.

Random Thoughts
🤓 What worked: The setting, the build-up of mysteries, and gradual unveiling of character dynamics.
🫠 What didn’t: The handling of anti-depressants felt a bit off (don’t mess with your meds without consulting a trusted medical professional, especially cold turkey - there are serious side effects that were left out of this story!). The ending was too much too fast and relied too heavily on rushed resolutions and questionable decisions for my taste.
----

Content Heads-Up: Infidelity. Divorce/break-ups. Unrequited love. Animal death and struggle (wildlife rehabilitation, natural and manmade causes). Depression, anxiety. Animal cruelty (poaching). Murder, attempted murder, violence. Sexual assault, attempted rape and PTSD (recalled, aftereffects discussed). Mental illness prejudice (terminology, character opinions/discussion; brief mention). Loss of a spouse.
Rep: Cisgender. Heterosexual. White Americans and Australians.

👀 Format: Digital review copy from Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”

After a few chapters, I was invested and it was a page turner! Well written, loved the plot and setting.

4 Stars for Devils Island by Midge Raymond & John Yunker. I enjoy stories of survival in the wilderness, and TV shows like Survivor, Naked & Afraid, Alone, etc. I also would love to visit Australia (esp Uluru) or Tasmania, but I hate bugs, so... I will travel via books. The premise interested me: 6 couples sign up for a tour through the Tasmanian wild - two estranged American friends plus 2 married Aussie couples. Guided by Kerry, whose passion was working with the endangered Tasmanian Devils, and Bryan, the couples are dropped off and start their trek, which has been carefully set up with checkpoints and stopping points along the way. This isn't really a survival trek, but more of a guided tour thru a very rural island. But the weather quickly turns sinister with a horrendous storm, and one of the guests has an agenda for revenge... so the story quicky turns into a cat and mouse game the guests arent even aware they are a part of,

I really enjoyed learning about some of the history of the island as well as the animals. I didnt realize a disesese plagues the devils, which is incredibly sad. and I didn't realize there were other animals (such as the Tasmanian tiger) that have been extinct due to humans settling in Australia.

The story was entertaining and flowed, but I was confused by the end and some other events in the story I felt I really had to suspend disbelief. But I read for entertainment and this was an entertaining read! I appreciate NetGalley for the advanced copy. I believe this book will be published in Sept 2024.

A well written novel with a decent paced story and an exotic setting.
With facts mixed with fiction and some nicely described characters, I found the plot suspenseful and interesting, it did take me a few chapters to become invested in the story though but I’m glad I persevered.

Devils Island takes readers on a thrilling journey into the heart of Tasmania's wilderness, blending wildlife conservation with a chilling mystery.

Set against the backdrop of the rugged landscape and the endangered Tasmanian devils, the story follows Kerry, a passionate conservationist, as she leads a diverse group of characters on a wilderness tour. When a guest goes missing and another is found dead, suspicions rise among the group, heightened by the isolation caused by the worsening storm.


What stood out in this book were the fascinating insights into the world of Tasmanian devils, the challenges of wildlife conservation and highlighting the importance of protecting endangered species.


The narrative intertwines strained friendships and hidden connections among the characters. While characters are unlikable, their flaws and motivations contribute to the tension and intrigue of the plot.

Devils Island suffers from an imbalance between dialogue and explanation, disrupting the natural flow of the narrative. Instead of allowing the story to unfold through character interactions, I found myself bombarded with excessive explanations that took away the pleasure of enjoying the story. It also contributed to a slow pace, further disengaging me from the story.

The conclusion ultimately left me feeling unsatisfied. The abrupt escalation of events towards the end feels disjointed and convoluted, failing to provide a fulfilling resolution to the story's buildup.

Okay, I liked this much better than I thought I would.

I mean, I didn’t like most of the characters. They were pretty universally awful. The best of them were our guide who was the most Eeyore of characters and a himbo with ‘almost’ a heart of gold.

But despite my character dislike, I was really interested in what was happening on this island. I wanted to know the who and the how of it and I wasn’t disappointed. I also loved learning more about the Tasmanian Devils.

I ended up really enjoying this one!

• ARC via Publisher