Loved this book so so much! It has action and characters are amazing,just what I wanted! Definately a must read!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish this arc. I found it hard to understand the characters due to the descriptions being short and the sense of mystery was lost on me. I didn't feel like I was reading a book about a treasure hunt. I also wasn't sure if this book was intended to come across as extremely serious, but it was almost too serious for me.

I devoured this book. Even though it is slated for a Halloween release, I found that I loved it as a summer read. A rag tag group of friends go to a mysterious island to find a hidden treasure...it's a fun summer adventure! Thanks net galley for the arc!

Oh goddess! This book! I was completely excited about reading this book and I was not let down. I can see this becoming a very popular book. Welcome to a world of mystery around every corner and where secrets are a currency you can't ignore. I truly loved how the story started out. The dramatic nature of it hooked me and kept me reading until the end. The mystery of the island and the interesting characters will have you guessing the end around every corner and new information. The dynamics of the characters is spectacular and enthralling. You will not feel cheated at the end of this read and I honestly can't wait for its debut.

Fantastic! Riveting from start to finish! Seriously an amazing read. I couldn't set it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this fantastic book!

This story opens with a shock and carries on from there. The twists and turns, the magical elements that were accepted (think magical realism- yeah, it's weird but it's part of this world) and the Goonies-style treasure hunt were all fantastic. Beautifully written with a tense and well-moving plot (that I'm not going to spoil!). The building friendships felt honest and it was, in parts, very funny.

I think to think of this book like Goonies with magic and secrets coming out. I adored this book and the slight romance

If you like Maggie Steifvater's The Raven Boys, then you will like this book. Ruby and her group of friends Anna, Charlie, Elliot, and Gabe go on a mission to find the buried treasure on Gray Wolf Island as a dying wish from her twin Sadie. In this book, some of the characters seem to have supernatural quirks, and it seems to flip back and forth in time frames. I liked this book, but I didn't love it.

Wow, this book was beautiful! I can't wait to read this over and over and over! So many emotions!

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

gray wolf island (Tracey Neithercott)

Title: gray wolf island

Author: Tracey Neithercott

Publisher: Random House Children's / Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: TODAY!!!! (hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1524715304

Source: NetGalley


The stunning cover is what originally drew me in:

[cover picture here]

Then the first line of the blurb was "for fans of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender." I loved that book so the comparison drew me in further. Then I discovered it is about five teens who go on a treasure hunt on the mysterious Gray Wolf Island. Treasure! Adventure! Islands! Maps! Magical realism! Arrrrrrr!

I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. The magical realism in this novel was a lot more subtle than in ava lavender and I loved it. The opening chapter is one of the best set-ups for a story I have read in a very long time. I was immediately sucked into the story and entranced. The main character, Ruby, loses her twin sister Sadie. Ruby was Sadie's shadow and is lost without her sister. But before she died, Sadie made Ruby promise to complete one unfinished quest - to find the treasure.

One of the greatest choices of the book was that Ruby is the reluctant treasure hunter. Her sister was her treasure and now is gone. Ruby has survivor's guilt and feels strangled by her promise. But she eventually feels compelled to see it through. Unfortunately this means that she has to have assistance and Ruby is not a people person. One "helpful" teen brings friends and Ruby finds she needs them all. Each teen also has a secret and the island demands the truth in exchange for survival.

I absolutely fell in love with the characters. All five teens were uniquely drawn and interesting. Also the many adults in the novel also had distinct personalities and actually cared about the teens. Refreshing. While I love a treasure hunt, the friendships portrayed in the novel become the true focus. I cannot even adequately explain the love I feel for these teens and how absolutely delightful it was to watch them grow and interact with each other.

The mythos of the island were captivating and rich in detail. The treasure hunt details were well wrought and suspenseful. The only problem I had was with a sideline story about Cooper. It tied in well and is seemingly explained but I think I missed a crucial detail and so am a bit confused. Small detail though. Maybe one of me crew can explain it to me one day.

Bottom line - fabulous read so check it out.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers!

The author's website has this to say about the novel:

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.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Tracey Neithercott - Author

To buy the novel please visit:

gray wolf island - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Gray Wolf Island follows a group of teenagers in search of a mysterious treasure on a neighboring island. Easy in theory; however, the island is notorious for claiming the lives of any who sets foot on it. Ruby and her friends keep their spirits high as they begin their journey, but nothing will prepare them for what is to come.

I did a bad thing. I broke the number one rule when reading a book. Never judge a book by its cover. But in all honesty, the covers are what determine whether or not I will read it. The cover is gorgeous; however, I was not in awe with the story as I was with the cover.

One point that completely and utterly irritated me was how carefree and irresponsible Ruby’s parents were. If my child asked to visit a deserted island known for its deaths, I wouldn’t think twice about telling them no. But Ruby’s parents practically push her out the door. Just a tad unrealistic. I understand wanting to get the ball rolling and the story moving, but I think there’s a better way to make that more believable.

Overall, the characters were a little too juvenile for my liking. But then again, they are sixteen-year-olds and I am not.

The preface was what really drew me into the story. I can’t say that I was interested as much as I was disgusted. As a twin myself, I could never imagine being in Ruby’s situation and following through with her sister’s request. Honestly, Ruby was so shocked and caught off guard when her sister had coughed up blood, you’d think she wouldn’t want any more harm to come to her sister.
The second thing that irritated me was how we learned about Ruby’s sister, Sadie. It felt like it was more tell rather than show.

Gray Wolf Island is a quick and easy read. The chapters are brief which makes it easy to read a dozen before realizing that you need to get some sleep. It was a good mystery with the addition of a few riddles.

I loved the description and eye-catching cover however from the beginning to mid way through this book was just to slow for me. Maybe there would be more thrills or action later on in the book but I'm the kind of person that likes a book to steal my interest from the get go this one just didn't do that for me it left me disappointed.

A solid read, that kept be interested from start to finish. Easy to fall in love with this book, and a memorable read. Enjoyed it deeply.

First, thank you so much to Random House for an advanced copy of this book. For me, it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and I feel fortunate that I was able to experience it early.

This book. I mean, this book! Honestly, I had such a love/hate relationship with this book from the beginning. And it wasn't until the last "swipe" on my kindle that I realized why, even though I struggled with it at times, I completely fell in love with the writing, the story, the characters, and the secrets and mysteries that bind all of these elements together. Because like the characters in the book, I feel that Gray Wolf Island casts a spell on the reader too and makes you confront your own truth.

GWI is so different from anything I've read and as the secrets start to unravel, the more and more invested I became. Ruby, the MC, is carrying a heavy burden. She's hated herself for so long for things she has had to endure out of love. And that was an explored theme of the book. It's hard to review this one and remain spoiler-free but all I can say is that I loved all the characters equally. Charlie, with his wit; Anne, with a gentleness and wise spirit; Elliot, whose exterior betrays his heart of gold; Gabe, who possesses an insatiable hunger for life; Cooper, who provided the biggest mystery of all. I really could go on and on because even the numerous minor characters like Bishop and Doris impressed a lasting impact.

Obviously, I highly recommend this one when it publishes in October - and it's not a question, I will re-read this before then. There are so many beautiful passages that I will make sure to quote once I have a finished copy in my hands. Please, add this to your literary wishlist. Bravo Tracey Neithercott!

Let me just start this review by saying that I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK! My favorite read of 2017 so far, Tracey Neithercott’s stunning debut was everything I wished for.
I can’t share much of the plot without spoiling any of Neithercott’s carefully threaded story, but I will share the basics. MC Ruby leads a motley assortment of characters (each a mystery all their own) on an adventure across the Gray Wolf Island, in search of treasure. Right from the start, Neithercott proves she’s willing to make sacrifices and tug on your heartstrings, which sets the tone for the entire book – will all of our heroes finish this adventure with their lives? Fantastic writing, fleshed-out, lovable characters, adventure, mystery and suspense, Neithercott does a fantastic job weaving together all the pieces for a breathtaking journey. I could rant on and on about the beautiful prose, the nostalgia inducing adventure (a la The Goonies), or the collection of swoon-worthy book boyfriends.
Gray Wolf Island’s MC, Ruby, is fantastic, her cast of supporting characters so wonderful that they reach from the pages and drag you on the adventure with them each step of the way, brought further to life by Neithercott’s remarkable writing (See? I told you I could go on and on about the writing). Not only are the characters fleshed-out, as is the setting, Gray Wolf Island a character in itself, an enigma, a piece of land waiting to be conquered by Ruby and her friends, taunting her in that spit of sea.
Fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor will absolutely love the whimsical, lyrical writing, and unique settings and characters! If you loved Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races, or Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer, don’t pass up this book!

Received from NetGalley for my honest review.

Apparently I wasn't seeing what others who have this already are seeing. I almost gave it a 1. It wasn't AWFUL, so I didn't, but it was the most boring treasure hunt in history I think. I don't know what I was missing, for all the other good reviews, but I found the characters flat and the story dragging and dull. There was a 15% (or so) chunk around the 55% mark that it picked up a bit for me, but that was about it. Had to force myself to get through it, otherwise I would have given up before 27% (because that's how long they stood around talking about going to the island, and actually getting there). But I forced it because it was for NG and more importantly for a challenge.

Characters were unlikable, I liked one, and it wasn't the MC. I found her dull and whiney. Sure, she had a rough time and she did a bad thing, but she just didn't FEEL as much as she should have. They were all flat, the story so slow and I just generally didn't enjoy any of it.

There’s something about how Tracey Neithercott writes that comes off more poetic in nature than what you’d typically expect to find in a book of the YA genre. Even with its artistic nature there’s still plenty of adventure to be had of course with a treasure hunt, secrets, magic, mystery, lies, and enough surprises to keep your attention riveted. The bonds of friendship formed by the end of this journey are full of heartfelt compassion you can’t help but feel like there’s a part of you truly there with them.

This unique premise and interesting characters will make you glad you dove into this novel as you are taken on an epic journey through some truly gorgeous settings. I’ve read repeatedly where it’s been described as a Goonies-like tale and it’s definitely a worthy comparison.

Her character development alone should make this a MUST-add to your shelf. She’s created these wonderfully complex, original and realistic people that are so well-developed you’ll wish they existed IRL. Thanks to her vivid attention to detail and artistry I could easily see this being made into a movie.