A widowed father and his three children find a woman washed up on their remote island during a violent storm. Dominic Salt and his family appear to be the only inhabitants living in the Lighthouse and tending a vacant research facility and seed bank located between Tasmania and the Antarctic. This is a fascinating mystery set on a bleak island teaming with wildlife and threatened by the ever- rising ocean. Everyone has a secret in Wild Dark Shore and readers will race to finish.
Unputdownable.

After the death of his wife during childbirth, Dominic moves his family and takes a job as lighthouse keeper on a remote island near Antarctica. The island is home to a seed vault and research station. The effects of climate change are forcing them to move as the permafrost is melting and it’s no longer safe.
While waiting for the ship to pick them up, a woman is washed ashore.
As she is nursed back to health, she detects that maybe all is not as idyllic as it seems.. can she trust their stories? Or are they really hiding a terrible truth?
Great characters and layered plot along with a bit of a mystery and love story.
This was so perfect in every way!
Loved it so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for an early read.

After reading Once There Were Wolves and Migration, I fell in love with Charlotte McConaghy's writing style and her ability to craft an impelling story. Her books really make you think since they're set in the not-too-distant future and they portray how the world will most likely be as a result of climate change. It's interesting to see what her characters do and how they navigate this world. Unfortunately, I felt like Wild Dark Shore got wrapped up more in the melodramatic family element. And, this isn't on McConaghy, but I personally am not a fan of when kids aren't portrayed true to age. It happens a lot in works of fiction and it's a pet peeve of mine!

All in all, I will still read anything McConaghy writes but this book fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Charlotte McConaghy, the author of Migration and Once There Were Wolves, is back with her newest title Wild Dark Shore.

Caretakers of a remote island near Antartica and the precious seed bank located there, the Salt family, a father and his 3 children, are the last remaining occupants of this isolated spot. When a violent storm washes a strange woman ashore, this isolated family nurses her back to health and adjusts to the disruptions to their routine lives while everyone tries to hide their secrets.

Wild Dark Shore is about family and the lengths we will go to protect the people we love. The island in this story is another character creating a mysterious and moody backdrop for the plot to unfold. A lighthouse slowly sinking into the sea and the rising water table added to the pacing and suspense. The amazing writing and jaw dropping twists keep you reading. I could go on and on about this title! In summary, this is a must read, sure to be on best read lists for 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the advanced reader’s copy.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy. Charlotte McConaghy hasn't missed since Migrations. I am always so enthralled in her stories and can't put them down. If you've enjoyed her other work or are interested in climate fiction, check this one out!

I honestly don’t know what made me request this title because it is not in my wheelhouse of genres but wow am I glad I did. It kept me gripped and was what I wish most thrillers could be.

Atmospheric and mysterious, Wild Dark Shore centers around the Salts, a family protecting a seed vault on a remote island that is slowly succumbing to rising sea levels. After reading it, I found myself completely fascinated by the concept of a seed vault.

I have loved Charlotte McConaghy's other novels but this is far and away my favorite. The slowly sinking island, with it's residential lighthouse...the animals that find refuge there, the family that's made it their home - the setting and set up is all so moody and wonderful. And then a woman washes ashore...gosh this one had everything! It will be one of my favorites of the year, for sure.

A quiet and surprising page-turner, a love story on multiple levels, a book where the fascinating setting is practically a character in its own right. I loved it.

Oh my gosh! This my first book by Charlote McConaghy and will definitely not be my last! I was a little hesitant of the climate change theme but I ditched that worry in just a few pages. This is the story of the Salt family who are caretakers of the island of Shearwater and are charged with packing up and protecting the seeds in the seed bank on the island from rising waters and have them ready when the ship arrives in several weeks. The story unfolds with each chapter told by each of those left on the island. The author does an awesome job of revealing the story little by little and the suspense will for sure grab you!

I will be recommending this to my friends and book club! Thanks to Flatiron books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rowan washes up on shore after a shipwreck looking for her missing husband and meets the family who has been taking care of the island and seem full of their own secrets. Wild Dark Shore takes place during the final weeks of occupation of an isolated island off of Antarctica as the family who cares for the island and lighthouse prepare to permanently leave do to climate changes' erosion in the island.

I love Charlotte McConaghy's writing and I loved this book. It was creepy, deep, complicated, and romantic. There were so many mysteries and so many layers to the mysteries. Every time I thought I knew everything that was going on I was delightfully surprised with another reveal. The family dynamics were lovely and complicated and sad and healing.

All the point-of-views were strong and unique characterizations. There are 5 (or maybe 6) in total and I really enjoyed reading every single one. All McConaghy's characters are written beautifully but I hold an affinity for those with a special connection to the water (ex. Fen in Wild Dark Shore and Franny in Migrations).

I left the book with a new appreciation for our beautiful Earth and a desire for adventure. I can't wait to see what she writes next. I highly recommend this book and her other books.

i would give this book 1000 stars if @goodreads let me 🤎👏🏼🦭🐧🥹😩 WOWOWOW THIS WAS SO FREAKING GOOD AND I LOOOVED IT!!!!! if there’s one 2025 release you pre-order, make it this one 🫶🏼

⭐️ rating: 5 stars!!!
genre: litfic + suspense
#️⃣ pages: 320
✍🏼 same author of ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES & MIGRATIONS
🥳 pub day: 3/4/25
read if you like: isolated settings, lots of POVs, plot heavy books, shocking endings, books that will make you cry

my followers know that ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES is one of my favorite books of all time. i knew it would be nearly impossible for Charlotte to write a book that i love more than that… but, it’s possible she maybe did with WILD DARK SHORE 🥹🤯❤️‍🔥 high praise!!! while WILD DARK SHORE is extremely character driven, it’s also so plot heavy—i’m not kidding when i say that 100 things happened in this book and every chapter had some action. it will be so hard for you to put it down! 

WILD DARK SHORE is about a family that lives on a remote island in Anarctica.  all of a sudden a woman washes up on their shore. how did she get here? is she telling the truth? when she finds the radios and phones to the main island cut and buried, she starts to question her safety. who is this family and how does she get off this island? 

there were truly so many things i loved about this book, but here are the main things:
🦭 the setting. i learned soooo much from this one. her nature writing inspired by true events is truly so enjoyable to read
❤️ the characters. it’s very rare that a reader can say they loved nearly every single character. my heart is especially with Fen and Rowan but also sweet Orly 
🥹 the emotion and connection i felt to this book immediately. i was so invested i read this in two sittings and stayed up reading it until 1am SOBBING 😂
📚 the genre bending. you can expect mystery and suspense, a slow burn romance, nature writing/hist fiction—you get it all

i could go on for 300 paragraphs but i think you get it—this book is SPECIAL. its a 6 star. emotional, creative, unique, action packed and devastatingly beautiful.

thank you to Flatiron for the gifted copy. an even bigger thank you to Charlotte for writing this 🫶🏼

Wow, Wild Dark Shore completely swept me away. This book is so atmospheric—you can almost feel the salty ocean air and hear the cries of the seabirds as you turn the pages. The remote island setting was breathtakingly vivid, and the way the author brought nature and the animals into the story added so much depth.

Yes, it’s a bit of a slow burn, but trust me, the payoff is absolutely worth it. The ending hit me hard in the best way, and I’m still thinking about the characters long after finishing the book. They felt so real and lovable, each one carrying their own heartbreaks and hopes. The story’s exploration of finding love again after loss was deeply moving, tender, and full of quiet beauty.

There’s also a touch of mystery woven into the plot that keeps the tension simmering and the pages turning. If you enjoy books that are rich in setting, character-driven, and emotionally rewarding, you’ll love this!

I loved the first third or so of this novel, but I despised it by the end. Rarely have I felt this split about a book, and I will say the writing and evocative descriptions of nature are truly wonderful. As for the overall themes and genre-combining, though...I was clearly not a fan. The suspense/twist parts seemed ok at first, but they built up quickly and I felt like I was reading a bad version of True Detective season 4. (I will say, the ultimate implicit messaging behind those final twists didn't bother me, more the messaging about parenthood and purpose.) I don't think I'll be reading from this author again, unfortunately.

An absolutely brilliant book with the most vivid setting I've ever read. Wild Dark Shore is the story of a woman who washes up on the shores of a desolate Subantarctic island that is being flooded due to climate change. There's mystery and romance and isolation, all set against the backdrop of a world in flux. The writing is spectacular. I can't imagine this not being a favorite of 2025. Out 3/4.

Wild Dark Storm had enough intrigue and suspense to keep me turning the pages for 5.5 hours straight, but not so much that it gave me anxiety like other thrillers. A mystery is enmeshed in a character driven story about family, love, loss and the fragility of nature as we know it.

Charlotte McConaghy has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors. Such incredible story-telling while touching on important, almost alternate universe, environmental themes.

I’ve loved all the books I’ve by Charlotte McConaghy - she weaves the themes of climate change and the precarious nature of our future so well. I think the wild Dark Shore is my favorite of her novels, the bittersweet ending, the unique characters, and the storyline were incredible. I loved the setting of this novel and the descriptions of the wildlife- the penguins, seals and whales were magical. You could feel the sea spray and the strong winds on your face. The family dynamics and descriptions of parenting and also loss of a family member were right on. I did not guess the mystery and was riveted by the possibilities. I think this will be a favorite book of 2025. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

If there is one book that you need to add to your 2025 TBR list, it’s this one 🤩
Thank you, Flatiron Books, for the gifted copy of Wild Dark Shore {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  3.4.2025
Pages: 320
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

“Maybe we will drown or burn or starve one day, but until then, we get to choose if we’ll add to that destruction or if we will care for each other.”

It’s impossible to say just how impactful Charlotte McConaghy’s books have become to me. I always know they will transport me to places I’d only dreamed of seeing through her vivid details and incredible storylines. And just as I know I will love her books, I also know there will be a piece of my heart that the story takes with me when it ends. 

Wild Dark Shore is arguably her best book yet. It’s going on my top reads of the year, and I will recommend it to everyone who could use a reminder about what beautiful, thought-provoking, and impactful books can look like. Once I finished the last page, I just had to sit back and contemplate what I’d read, cry, and then try to formulate something to adequately portray just how incredible this book is.

I’ve always been fascinated by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, so reading a book based on something similar completely captivated my mind. There was reference after reference to the precious seeds stored away in case there is ever a need for them for the future of food supply. I learned so much, but at the same time, I felt the growing ache in my chest at what the seed vault means about our world and just how critical protecting our planet is. From the food crops to the plants and the trees - it’s all connected; without one, there is no other. 

It’s very rare for me to love all of the characters in a book, but I can promise you that Dominic, Fen, Rowan, Orly, and Raff have a very special place in my heart. 

Read if you enjoy:
🌲 Nature writing
🥹 Unforgettable characters
📖 Vivid descriptions
🕵🏽‍♀️ Mystery
🌎 Climate change themes

I highly recommend Wild Dark Shore and can’t wait to see it in the world. I promise this one will stay with me for a long time, and I will be reading it again. I recommend reading Wild Dark Shore if you enjoyed reading The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton or Drowning by TJ Newman

Wow! It will be tough to put into words how much I loved this book and how much it impacted me. In its short 320 pages I learned more about plants, whales and nature than I could have imagined, connected and adored each of the five main characters, and was fully invested in the mystery. McConaghy completely transported to the atmospheric and vivid setting, feeling the emotions that each character felt every step of the way. Her writing only gets better with each book she writes and this is one not to miss!

Read if you like:
-Learning about climate change
-Genre blends: mystery, lit fiction, romance
-Family dynamics
-Atmospheric and vivid settings
-Penguins, whales and nature