[The BackLog] Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott

ABOUT

Title: Gray Wolf Island

Author: Tracey Neithercott

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 10th 2017 

Goodreads Page

Synopsis:

Right before Sadie died, she begged her sister, Ruby, to do the one thing she could never do herself: Find the treasure on Gray Wolf Island.

With just a mysterious treasure map as a guide, Ruby reluctantly allows some friends to join her on the hunt, each of whom is touched by magic: a boy allegedly born to a virgin, a girl who never sleeps, a boy who can foresee his own death, and a boy with deep ties to the island. Each of them is also keeping a secret—something they’ll have to reveal in order to reach the treasure.

As the secrets come to light, Ruby will have to decide: Can she make peace with her friends’ troubled pasts and continue to trust them? Can she forgive herself for doing the unspeakable? Deep in the wilderness of Gray Wolf Island, Ruby’s choices will determine if they make it out with the treasure—or merely with their lives.

From debut author Tracey Neithercott comes a darkly compelling tale of profound friendship, adventure, and finding the strength to tell the truth.

I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book.  I knew that I had an interest it stemming from around the time that it came out and I knew that my friend Mith (@guyliners) enjoyed this book. She and I have a pretty similar taste in books so I can trust whatever she likes. It turns out that this book is such a fun read! I mean there is some dark stuff that happens, but other than that, pretty fun.

The novel centres on a mysterious island that is right off the coast of a small town, where there have been centuries of treasure hunters looking for the legendary treasure on Gray Wolf Island. And so of course, the legend is infamous and many have sunk their fortunes into the island to try and find the treasure. Ruby promised her twin sister, before she died, to find the treasure of the island and to fulfill her twin's dying wish, she prepares for her trip only to find herself with a crew to find the treasure. There is Elliot -- the bad boy with endless knowledge, Anne -- the dreamy girl who never sleeps, Charlie -- the boy who's dreamt of his death for a decade, Gabe -- the boy born allegedly to a virgin, and of course Ruby herself. As they journey to find the treasure, they learn that it is the truth that will help them find it more than any treasure map could.

This book is told in switching perspectives between Ruby and a mysterious boy who one day wakes up on the island with no memory of who he is. The mysterious boy's story really gives a little background on the island and the treasure that lies there. This book is one where magic quietly permeates its every page. The band of characters are steeped in it, with Anne never sleeping and Gabe being born of a virgin and Charlie's deathly premonition. And we can't forget about the island itself, as it demands the truth. I really really enjoyed the way that the magic was simply just there and the way that it played into the mystery. I really had no idea what was going to happen until the very end and I loved it.

As much as you all know I can't resist a good treasure hunt story (hello, I love National Treasure movies), the highlight of this book for me was the characters. They are all so individual and interesting and their interactions with each other were so great. I really enjoyed their collective chemistry and their bantering with each other. I especially love Elliot. Omygod. FIRST OF ALL, he's cute as hell.

Look at this BEAUTIFUL FACE.
(image from Tracey Neithercott's website)

Second of all, he's a huge linguistics nerd and as much as he plays the bad boy, he's really a big softie and has so much sass. I love him. So much. Anyways, I really fell in love with the cast as a whole and my first thought when finishing this book was that I simply wanted more. I wanted to read more of these characters simply all hanging out with each other in town and seeing what kind of hijinks they'd get into simply living their normal lives now that they had this giant thing irrevocably connecting them.

This book had me wondering what was going to happen next with the treasure and the island as we learn more about this group of friends and the mysterious boy. I mean i'm still pretty curious about Gray Wolf Island and all that, but what I would really like is to read more adventures of the cast of characters. Gray Wolf Island is a novel with a great cast of characters and a hum of magic that envelopes the entire mystery that is this book.

Happy Reading!