Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 10th, 2017
Pages: 336
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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.
Lisa’s Review: I received an ARC of this book for review via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautiful book about friendship, mystery, adventure, and self worth.
The main character, Ruby, struggles with what she did for her sister, Sadie, and is still adjusting with that loss. Sadie was everything to Ruby and helped define Ruby. With her gone, Ruby doesn’t know who she is. Ruby made a promise to Sadie which takes Ruby a year to commit to following through with her promise. Ruby’s character was very well developed which made her easy to relate to.
The secondary characters are just as awesome as Ruby. Elliott, Anne, Gabe, and Charlie are also well developed and easy to relate to.
The mystery and adventure relates to this group seeking out the treasure and having to piece all the clues together. There is also a bit of a magical realism involved as well. I liked the mystery but wish the pacing would have been a bit faster in some parts.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It reminds me of The Raven Cycle and The Goonies which are two of my faves.
A huge thank you to the publisher for allowing me to review this book early.
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