Such an atmospheric fall read! The first 75% was action=packed and funny, a little bit of a dark humor but not deeply terrifying. Just perfect for spooky season. The last 25% was sad and didn't really match the tone of the rest of the book. Yes, it was poignant, but the ending is the only thing holding me back from giving this 5 stars. Sad that it took me so long to get around to this one!

Hauntingly moving, horrifically raw, and heart-wrenching! I'm so glad I went in blind, the way the story unfolds and the subtle way the truth creeps into the light makes for one hell of a creepy read. McGregor knows how to stitch together a monstrosity of a good book. Each and every character, each scene, and even the goat has so much detail it draws you in and just makes you feel like you are there hearing the waves crash upon the craggy rocks. The fear of the trolls and haunts are so palpable you will sleep with the lights on. McGregor has written with such exceptional detail and depth that Mary Shelley herself would be proud.

A very good new spin on the classic story. Loved the direction the plot went and interesting characters

Our protagonist is Agnes, she lives on a remote island with her four children and her abusive older husband.
She spends her days struggling to provide for her family.
Until one day a mysterious stranger arrives on the island and Agnes's life changes forever.
This is more than a retelling of Frankenstein, this book is what gothic horror dreams are made of, it's derelict, moody, gruesome and heartbreaking.
I absolutely loved Lure by Tim, it was one of my favourite reads of 2023 and he's done it again! This was a fantastic read and I will be purchasing a physical copy when it's released because I loved it so much.

"**Eynhallow**" by Tim McGregor is an absolutely mesmerizing novel that combines hauntingly beautiful prose with an intricately woven, immersive plot. McGregor’s atmospheric storytelling and rich character development create a gripping and unforgettable reading experience. This book is a standout in its genre, offering a captivating blend of mystery and enchantment.

This book was SO good! I was hooked. The prose, the gothic vibes, the plot, all of it was perfect. Many years ago I tried to read Frankenstein but got bored (I know, I know). Apparently this is a fairly faithful retelling so I’m going to give it some time to recede into my memory and then pick up the OG again.
Agnes is a beaten down housewife. Her husband is awful, her children constantly need her and she is isolated on an island with people who view her as an outsider. One day a stranger appears and Agnes becomes spellbound but at the same time, rumors of a monster terrorizing the island, start to swirl. Should Agnes be suspicious of this stranger? What is he always doing up there in that locked room at the back of his house? And why does he always come out smelling so badly and covered in blood?

Eynhallow by Tim McGregor is a great atmospheric gothic horror novella revisiting the story of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein but with a unique take on the tale. The characters are compelling and the historical setting is well-rendered with the Orkney Islands landscape an embodiment of a character itself. The conclusion was really strong and perfectly executed. This might be short novel but there is so much packed into it and not a word or scene unwasted. A highly recommend read for fans of atmospheric historical fiction, gothic horror, strong characters and a new twist on a classic story.

"Eynhallow" by Tim McGregor is a captivating gothic horror set in the Orkney Islands of 1797. Agnes Tulloch, feeling trapped in a harsh environment, struggles to care for her family as her husband grows distant. When a mysterious stranger rents a nearby cottage, Agnes is forced to work for him. The stranger, who is revealed to be Frankenstein, draws Agnes in with his dark charm and secretive mission.

With rich atmosphere and compelling characters, this novel masterfully blends historical and horror elements, making "Eynhallow" a must-read for fans of gothic fiction and literary retellings.

First and foremost, thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I had such high expectations from recommendations on tiktok and unfortunately the writing just was not for me. Its a very slow paced beginning and with my ADHD I just couldnt make it past the 45% mark. I may try to come back to it some other time but for now its a DNF for me. But again, thank you so much for the opportunity.

A creepy retelling of the Frankenstein story where the doctor and the monster clash, and a wife and mother is pulled into the middle with heartbreaking results.

This Frankenstein retelling was EVERYTHING. The atmosphere, the setting, the writing… all of it was simply amazing! This retelling is set in 1797, on a small isolated Scottish island called Eynhallow. It’s inhabited by a handful of residents until stranger comes ashore to rent an abandoned cottage. Our protagonist Agnes is forced to befriend him after her husband hires her out as his washerwoman and cook. And then weird and creepy stuff starts happening of course. All of the characters felt so real, even the island itself held such a presence in the story. I can’t think of one single thing I did not like about this book. 5 stars.

Book Review: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor

Rating: 5 Stars

Eynhallow by Tim McGregor is a captivating tale set in the Orkney Islands in 1797, following the story of Agnes Tulloch, a woman struggling to make ends meet for her family on a windswept island that falls short of the paradise she was promised. When a mysterious stranger, Victor Frankenstein, arrives on the island and forms an unexpected connection with Agnes, a series of dark and intriguing events unfold.

McGregor's novel offers a fresh and enthralling twist on the classic Frankenstein narrative. The writing is exquisite, drawing readers into the atmospheric and gothic setting of Eynhallow, which serves as a character in its own right. The pacing of the story is impeccable, keeping readers engaged from start to finish.

One of the strongest aspects of Eynhallow is its well-developed and fascinating characters. Agnes Tulloch is a relatable protagonist whose struggles and complexities resonate with readers. The enigmatic Frankenstein adds a layer of mystery and tension to the narrative, making for a truly compelling read.

As a reader who appreciates a well-crafted story, I was thoroughly impressed by McGregor's attention to detail and his ability to weave a chilling and tension filled tale. From the eerie depths of the Frankenstein myth to the captivating allure of historical fiction, this novel is a literary gem that promises to transport readers to the barren windswept shores of Eynhallow.

In conclusion, Eynhallow deserves all five stars. From its captivating cover to its gripping storyline, McGregor's novel is a standout piece of fiction that will linger in the minds of readers long after they turn the final page. I wholeheartedly recommend diving into the world of Eynhallow - it's an experience you won't soon forget.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s iconic Frankenstein has been retold and reimagined numerous times, but Tim McGregor’s eerie new horror novel Eynhallow tells an untold part of Victor Frankenstein’s story: what happens on the Orkney isles where he seeks solitude to create a mate for his cursed creature? Eynhallow tells that story from the point of view of Agnes Tulloch, a villager on the inhospitable island whose life revolves around her duties as mother to four children and as wife to her abusive husband Robert. Agnes’ life is small, staunched and without much joy save the connection she has with her children and her friend Katie. When Frankenstein, a stranger and a foreigner, comes to the island and resides in the croft on the hill doing his mysterious work, Agnes is contracted to serve him. A begrudging friendship grows between Agnes and Victor, but a frightening specter torments her new friend and the villagers, and Agnes fears that Victor’s work will bring destruction down on all their heads. McGregor’s novel captures Frankenstein’s depiction of how closely life and death are intertwined, centered on the lives of women trying to survive birth, motherhood, the violence of men and being utterly human in an inhumane world.

This is a lovely and tragic take on Frankenstein that focuses on the doctor's attempts to give the creature a wife and companion. Set on a tiny island in the Orkneys, McGregor deftly creates rich characters and a desperate and fearful culture. The mostly brutal life on the island is upended by the arrival of Frankenstein and the creature, who stays primarily hidden until the very end. A few things may seem predictable: the cheerful pregnant woman whose previous deliveries have been easy; the disassociation the protagonist feels moving between her home and family and Frankenstein's house, and her eventual fate, but they're handled so well they don't feel like worn-out tropes. This is horror told with grace, making the horrible all the more so because it is surrounded by beauty and opportunity, a hopeful feeling that lasts and lasts until it finally fails.

Thank you to Netgalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for allowing me to read and review Time McGregor’s Eynhallow. I loved the cover and read a little bit about this book, but the description does not do the book justice. Eynhallow takes place on a sparsely populated fishing island (part of the Orkney Islands) off the coast of Scottland. I really liked the narrator Agnes and felt for her as she lives with her older husband and children. The first quarter of the book, we learn about her daily life on Eynhallow, her family, and how she manages her responsibilities as a wife and mother. McGregor does great work creating a sympathetic character while also emphasizing the lack of voice that women had on this island in the late 18th century. For example, Agnes rarely refers to her husband as “Rob”, but frequently calls him Mr. Tulloch. We also learn about Agnes’ first love, and how she had to abandon him for an arranged marriage with Mr. Tulloch. Most of the women in this book are resigned to being mothers and wives, who also frequently experience either death of children or death in childbirth. McGregor paints a misty and mysterious image of the island, giving the book both a gothic and folk horror feel. Agnes and her children talk about trolls and the ghost of a bride who supposedly inhabits the island. Later, a mysterious European arrives on this isolated and homogenous island causing a lot of gossip and talk. The first half of the novel was not quite what I expected, but with Agnes’ detailed descriptions of the landscape, the visitor’s ramshackle house, and sightings of a mysterious figure on the island at night, McGregor is able to enhance the eerie and gothic setting of the novel. The novel really picks up in the last quarter, where some of Agnes’ decisions lead to an eventful ending to the book. I won’t give it away, but this is a creative retelling of the Frankenstein story. Although at times, I wondered when the horror would happen, the slow burn of the first half to 3/4s of the book are worth the wait for the ending. I’m looking forward to reading more from Tim McGregor since this book transported me to the island, and he was able to create a realistic and gothic atmosphere that also demonstrated folk horror themes.

A Frankenstein retelling set on a remote Scottish island filled with atmosphere and foreboding. The changeable weather and desolate landscape made the harsh conditions seem unlivable for the residents, add in the mysterious stranger that comes to stay and you've got yourself one hell of a gothic horror. Agnes was a gorgeous character who had a hard life and a hint of promise in her friendship with Victor is dashed in the worst possible way. It was sad and harrowing and I loved how the story completely unraveled towards the climax. A must read for any horror or Frankenstein fan.

Eynhallow (from the Norse Eyin Helga, meaning “Holy Island”) is one of seventy islands making up the Orkney archipelago on the northern Scottish coast. Only 0.29 square miles in area, the small island is often surrounded by cold wind and strong tidal surges. Mystery, too, surrounds Eynhallow. In traditional folklore, ghosts and restless spirits have been said to haunt the island’s Bronze Age ruins and standing stones—the purpose of which are obscured, ranging from territorial markers to sites of druid rituals. But while these traces remain, Eynhallow’s former inhabitants did not. In 1841, the island was completely abandoned. Stranger still, right before jumping ship, the Eynhallowans destroyed their homes and curtailed the possibility of any future habitation. Today, no ferries run to Eynhallow. Visitations organized by the Orkney Heritage Society are limited to once per year. And, all in all, not much is known about the island’s shrouded history.

Enter Eynhallow by Tim McGregor (author of Wasps in the Ice Cream and Taboo in Four Colors). Not content with not knowing, McGregor’s latest novel is a speculative account about why Eynhallow’s residents abruptly left. The novel also speculates over what is continuing to keep people away. Though these questions open up tempting opportunities for the fantastical, McGregor pushes back against such reader expectation. Instead, Eynhallow’s horror is rooted in human action, in the evil that people so often do to one another.

The protagonist of the novel is Agnes Tulloch, a mother of four living on Eynhallow in 1797—some forty years before its mysterious abandonment. Interestingly enough, Agnes is not originally from the island but, rather, was dragged there as a young bride. Unusually tall, Agnes’ parents thought her impossible to marry off, so they hastily bequeathed her to a man twice her age: a drunkard and abuser Agnes formally refers to as “Mr. Tulloch.” On such a sparsely populated island, to be a non-native is to be an outsider, separate, apart from the locals who grew up there. And on Eynhallow, the locals are extremely wary of outsiders, often talking about Agnes in Eynhallow patois that she doesn’t understand. In truth, Agnes only has Katie—her sole friend and confidant—but distance remains even within this relationship, as Katie’s family life is remarkably happy whereas Agnes’ is decidedly not. Ultimately, as much as she desires escape from Eynhallow—from the island that has turned her into a kind of island herself—Agnes’ children root her to the one place she seeks freedom from. As a result, Agnes is a responsible mother but a resentful one, referring to her children as “beasts” and “savages.” Through Agnes, McGregor deftly crafts an unnerving kind of separate-ness. Throughout the novel, Agnes is constantly aware not only of the physical distance between the island and the mainland but of the distance between her and others, too.

And then the mainland comes to her, in the form of a mysterious stranger.

This part of the book is best experienced firsthand, so I’ll save my thoughts and let you experience the unexpected direction Eynhallow moves toward for yourself. However, regardless of the stranger’s impact on Agnes’ story, the foundational themes of isolation, femininity, and motherhood established in the novel’s start remain and become further developed throughout.

At first, I distrusted the reveal of the stranger’s identity as Victor Frankenstein, the mad monster maker from Mary Shelley’s classic novel. I was afraid that Victor’s arrival signaled Eynhallow’s turn from a feminist Gothic horror into yet another Frankenstein retelling. And I didn’t want to see Frankenstein and his monster overshadow Agnes and all of the character development McGregor enacts in the first third of the novel. But incredibly, Eynhallow maintains its identity and is able to center Agnes’ story without Victor Frankenstein taking over. To be sure, bits and pieces of Frankenstein are present throughout the narrative. However, the opportunities that McGregor finds for reimagining Shelley’s novel while intertwining it with Eynhallow’s abandonment are impressive. For example, readers (like myself) who have not read Frankenstein since high school may have forgotten that Victor briefly travels to “the remotest of the Orkneys” to begin laboring at a bitter task: building his monster a female companion. While reading, I found myself researching Shelley’s novel and Eynhallow’s real history simultaneously, slowly piecing together what McGregor had been stitching up with these two distinct threads the whole time, and dreading what would happen when they eventually crossed paths.


1935 teaser poster for Universal Pictures’ Bride of Frankenstein
In Shelley’s novel, Victor toils away at his task alone, unbothered by the Orkney natives. Yet, Eynhallow diverges here, as Agnes becomes Victor’s caretaker and, eventually, something of an assistant. While Agnes isn’t privy to the nature of Victor’s work, their relationship allows McGregor to illustrate their similarities, and this is where Eynhallow’s reimagining of the original source material truly shines. Particularly compelling is how both characters act and perceive themselves as creators: Agnes to four (living) children, and Victor to one necrotic monster. However, Victor struggles to accept his role as creator, and compares his offspring in a negative light to the four Tulloch children. Agnes responds, “I just think it’s sad that you have such a grim outlook on parentage. It is a wonderful thing, but it is not easy. You have to teach as well as love, and there are many times when one fails. But one still cherishes their offspring, no matter what their circumstances.” Moments like this one are a part of what makes Eynhallow’s engagement with Shelley’s text so intriguing. The reader hopes that Agnes’ advice will have an impact on Victor, that he will change, yet the reader also understands that this is a character who is bound to his bitterness, unable to love monsters as well as humans.

As a Frankenstein reimagining, Eynhallow is a clever invention in its own right. As a novel rooted in Eynhallow’s very real history, McGregor’s work is an unexpected and inspiring blend of folklore and literary canon. Readers will delight in how Eynhallow does not sacrifice its identity to Mary Shelley’s classic novel but, rather, remains centered around Agnes’ story—however grim her narrative turns out. Victor’s arrival, then, is not the focal point but how McGregor offers us a glimpse into the outside world, the means through which Agnes is finally able to think differently about the roles she’s been ascribed (daughter, wife, mother, midwife), and the catalyst for Agnes’ eventual transformation. Complicated by the fact that Agnes’ agency is repeatedly underscored by the men in her life, Victor’s arrival increases her freedom initially but also ensures her devastating isolation. So too is Agnes’ feminist reckoning underscored by the reader’s knowledge of what Victor has in store for her. Savvy readers will recall that, in Mary Shelley’s novel, Victor assembles but does not reanimate his creature’s bride. In fact, he destroys her, fearful that she may become “a thinking and reasoning animal.” In Eynhallow, Agnes transcends this silencing and remains all too aware of her circumstances—but, one must ask, at what cost? Just as Eynhallow remains surrounded on all sides, Agnes becomes a true island by the novel’s end. Throughout history, women have long been made monstrous by men. By Victor, Agnes is made monstrous as well. A more optimistic reading may be that Agnes finally gets her escape from those who have isolated her on the island. Yet, Agnes also gets no escape from the island itself. Just as Victor Frankenstein reanimates Agnes, McGregor reanimates a beloved classic. However, whereas Victor’s reanimation leaves Agnes trapped in yet another pre-ascribed role as a monstrous feminine entity, McGregor’s reanimation puts such troubling gendered violence on full display—in a work both freeing yet encapsulating.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed reading

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What an amazing retelling of the story of Dr. Frankenstein. This blend of horror and drama occurring on the island of Eynhallow kept me on the edge of my seat and awaiting to see what was going to happen next. You will not want to put this book down and you will be questioning who really is the monster!

Gripping, atmospheric, dark, and beautifully written. Can you feel the wind, the damp, the chill in the air? I could with Tim McGregor's wonderful and vivid descriptions of Eynhallow. Oh, how I felt for Agnes Tulloch. She has a hard life. Married to a harsh, temperamental, and abusive husband on a remote island with twenty inhabitants. The only joy she has in her life is her four children and her friendship with her neighbor Katie.

When a mysterious and wealthy man by the name of Frankenstein arrives on the island, the villager’s interest is piqued, and the gossip flows from their lips like the waves flowing on their shores. Her husband jumps at the chance to make some extra money by hiring Agnes out as a cook to the mystifying and peculiar scientist. Agnes has always stood out on the island due to her height and not being a native of the island. She forms a bond with the newcomer who is also looked at with judgmental eyes.

I was fully invested in this book from the very beginning. I loved how the author captured the time (1797) and the feel of life on the island. The harsh way of life, the small group of people, the roles they played, and the struggle to survive. I also enjoyed seeing Agnes with her children and enjoying conversation with her friend, Katie. It was nice to see her relax and enjoy herself during these tiny moments in time.

I enjoyed how the author captured the character's feelings and themes of love, obligation, longing, friendship, loss, companionship, and strength. I also enjoyed the trapped feeling that took place in many forms in this book. Being trapped in a marriage, trapped in obligation, trapped in societal expectations and norms of the time, trapped on a remote island, trapped in never-ending work, and trapped in harsh conditions.

I also appreciated how the plight of women living during that time (1797) was shown. They had little to no say in their lives, about their bodies, about their dreams. What they did have was expectations, obligations, hard work, and hard lives.

As the book progresses so does the slowly building sense of dread and tension which I love in books. I read this book slowly so I could savor it and the passages. This book was moving, maddening, horrific, beautiful, and simply wonderful. I don't think I have ever felt so much while reading a horror book which is a testament to the author's writing and characters.

This is the second book that I have read by McGregor. The first being Wasps in the Ice Cream. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.

Gripping, Atmospheric, horrific, beautifully written, and moving.


Thank you to RDS Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.