Overall I really liked this book. As a science nerd, I really liked the mystery surroundings Cora's immunities, There was the interplay of ethical's considerations for scientific research. This book did jump around telling both a story from the past and present concurrently. It was a little hard to keep track of the timelines, but I don't think the story would've made as much sense (or be as suspenseful if it was written differently). There were definitely some surprises in the story. This book is part of a series. I'm looking forward to reading the next one to see how the story line is resolved.

I tried, like really tried, to read this book from Day 1 however, I just cannot seem to get into it. I feel like the author jumps from one thought to another without explaining the the thought process led to the next thought (if that makes sense). So it just got to be too much jumping around and left me feeling all confused. The plot line, based on the description of the book, seemed really interesting which is why I placed interest in this ARC. I hate to DNF a book but also I feel like life is too short to read something I just can’t get into and enjoy.
Thank you so much though for the opportunity to give this book a try.

This book was not what I was expecting, however this does not mean I would say it was bad. For the most part I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was interesting for the genre. However, I do not usually read this genre. If you even remotely enjoy History type books you will more than likely enjoy this book. But if you do not this book would be a slog to get through. I fell into a weird mix with this book enjoying it when I read it and reading a lot of it in one setting, but also not wanting to back to this book ever.

The Vines by Shelley Nolden. After an unusual beginning, the story transitioned into a twisted darkness that was uncomfortable to read. Strange and somewhat slow pace, it was difficult to connect with the characters were who unsavory and hard to like. Cora was interesting but she too had a dark side. An intense, torturous historical medical thriller with an interesting premise that may not appeal to everyone.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Finn’s family is looking for a cure while Cora is waiting on the island for the right virologists to figure out how to turn her blood into a miracle that can end a pandemic. Many interactions follow, leading to what can only be seen as a very haunted past for all those involved.

The Vines is both a work of historical fiction and a contemporary story discussing the value and rights of a single human being. Is one life – one person’s happiness – worth the deaths of many? Would you sacrifice yourself and give up your own life for the greater good?

The story takes place on North Brother Island, an island in New York City. You’ll learn a lot about the history of this island including the role it played in isolating asymptomatic carriers of diseases like Typhoid Mary. The setting adds to the graveness of the story. Yet even though it is a story about diseases, death, and suffering, The Vines is not a heavy read.

Shelley Nolden has a pleasant writing style and succeeds in alternating the past and the present in a very natural way. It is quite a feat to make all timelines equally interesting and have the reader curiously anticipating the time jump without feeling annoyed.

While Shelley Nolden writes acceptable contrasting characters – Cora’s hurt beyond repair and Finn’s hope and brightness, for example – the main characters of the story are not actually in the center of the attention. I was more focused on solving the problem the author presented to us, thinking about the ethical dilemmas that prevent people from finding cures. I didn’t care for any of the main characters, nor was I particularly interested in Finn and Lily’s relationship or Sylvia’s health. The more subtle struggles within the Gettler men of the past, Otto and Ulrich, were presented in a better way. These Mengele copycats felt more ‘human’ and real than the other characters.

I can’t wait for the sequel to this debut novel to find out if he will succeed! “Haha, nice ending,” is literally what I thought when I finished the book. Who is the ‘he’ I am talking about? You’ll know who I’m talking about when you read the book.

Such a fascinating read! I did not know much about North Brother Island, but this book fascinated me from the beginning so I had to do some of my own reading. This is such a unique read, full of multi-generational family conflict and scientific mystery.

This book follows Coraline, an 18 year old who became sick in the early 1900's. She was moved to North Brother Island, and not long after was showing no physical symptoms of being sick. However, when she tried to leave the island, the symptoms began again and she would not be able to survive long. After contracting other diseases, she became an asymptomatic prisoner of the island. Her only hope is the Gettler family, in which the men were all determined to find her cure as well as provide medical answers to even bigger problems. With their own motivations and experiments, Cora had to find a way to survive for more years than she ever expected.

The ending was such a cliffhanger to the point where I stared at the page in disbelief that this author made it to where you NEED to read the second book.

I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!

If I remember correctly it was last year when I discovered North Brother Island. A documentary of the Island popped up on my YouTube feed. I watched it and learned a few details about its history and thought-at the time-I would love to read a fiction story that included the history elements. Low and behold, writer Shelley Nolden wrote a dual time-line story that takes place on the mysterious Island.

I must admit I was briefly hesitant at first to read the book based on the story’s topic of contagions. It’s not that I lacked interest in that subject but because of our current world-wide state of a pandemic. I thought it might be too sensitive of a story to read at the moment. However, my curiosity had gotten the better of me and I changed my mind.

When I opened to the first page on my Kindle, it wasn’t long before I became fully absorbed in the story. Finn Gettler arrives-more like sneaks-to North Brother Island and becomes immediately intrigued with the nature reclaiming the Island. He soon comes in contact with Cora. A woman who is not only trapped on the Island but, unknown to him , a prisoner of his family.

Cora is a fascinating woman and I enjoyed how the author developed her character as the story unfolded. Her experiences and circumstance had me connecting dots about real life, past and present, medical science I’ve often thought about.

When I discovered Finn’s last name is, “Gettler,” it struck a chord. I had heard of that name before but couldn’t remember where. I delved in little research and I was stunned at what I discovered to say the least! Nolden brilliantly balances real people and events into her story.

I experienced countless emotions reading this book. Many of them were sorrowful and feelings of anger on behalf of what was happening to Cora. The other emotions, I felt strongly, were for the absolute lack of humanity of a few of the characters. What makes this story good, yet all too disturbing, is the relevancy of the subject contagions and the evil that exists in this world.

There were moments I felt a few scenes were boggled down by just a little too much detail but overall, it was a worthwhile read. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

Stephanie Hopkins

The Vines had a really interesting idea behind it and I really wished that I loved it more. It took me a while to get into it. But I can see this book being well loved

I really enjoyed the slow unraveling of the mystery that is Cora and the whole family and their connection to her. The modern day stuff had me hooked and I kept wishing there was more of it. Lily's uncertainty throughout most of the book had me on a bit edge. The writing and the character development were really good.

Different to most mysteries I read, this book involves a woman, Cora, who is secretly trapped and experimented on in an abandoned hospital on an uninhabited island in New York City called North Brother Island. This island is real, as is the history of it detailed in the story, so it combines historical fact with fiction. The island is a heron sanctuary so Cora is safe from people discovering her on the island, except for the occasional trespassers and any authorized officials that may pass through. But during mating season, there is no authorized access, and that's when most of the narrative occurs. The story is pretty dense with scientific language, dealing with the timely subject of viruses, contagions, pandemics, etc.

Cora is found to be immune to most major diseases at a time when massive outbreaks were killing people by the thousands. A doctor at the hospital began experimenting on Cora and other medical members of his family followed suit. They were determined to extract whatever her body contained that left her as an asymptomatic carrier, convinced that she held the key to vaccines eradicating all disease. That's about as layman as I can put it, as the story is far more in depth about the science of it all. That's probably where it loses a lot of people, as you really can't get into the book if this subject doesn't interest you. It's more medical than mystery, really. The story covers several periods in time, but why and who they involve is kind of a spoiler.

The modern timeframe involves Finn, who discovers Cora while exploring the island his family is so secretive about. The first scene actually involves him spying on her while she showers in one of the broken down buildings on the island, so that's a little off-putting, especially when you realize that he has a longtime girlfriend he supposedly loves so much. And it's weird because the reader is supposed to see Cora as a vulnerable victim of the medical experimentation and introducing her as an attractive showering woman just doesn't feel right. So Finn's not quote likeable to me, as his girlfriend, Lily, is part of the story and she's made to feel bad because she questions her boyfriend's motives. Well, hello, of course she would. Anyway, Lily's probably the only character I didn't dislike - the rest of Finn's family is much worse than him and they're pretty much the only other characters. I get the sense that the author is more comfortable with the science of the story than the fictional development of the characters.

That said, it's not like it's a poorly written book, it's just hard to immerse yourself in it because it's not a fast-paced brainless thriller - you really have to pay attention to the numerous details and scientific intricacies of the plot. But if it that's what you're into, it won't disappoint.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

The Vines has an interesting premise. An abandoned island, that used to play home to those with infectious diseases, in which a mystery is set.

Finn doesn't know what he's getting into when he goes to the island. He just knows that his father and brother are up to something, and have been for some time, and he hasn't been included. Having chosen a different path from them (diverging from the family tradition of medicine) he's always felt a bit the outcast. But when he gets to the island and finds Cora, secrets about his family are revealed and show a lot to be desired. Is he as bad as his family? Or can he go a different way and help Cora instead of hurting her like so many men in his family have.

Finn is probably the most interesting character in the book. He very much lives in the grey area because of his feelings for Lily (who won't marry him), his attraction and resonance with Cora, and his strife with his family. He has to make a lot of decisions in the book without having a real clear idea of anything that is going on. Cora, she left a little more to be desired. Sure, she's strong and seems to have a good head on her shoulders, but honestly, for her age I expected her to not be quite as young-seeming. Granted she's had some of her development obstructed, but there's got to be more that helps someone develop over time. And finally, the rest of the family, sheesh, I'm not sure what I can say aside from this book makes it seem like cruelty just passes down the line in the family.

While I enjoyed most of the first half of the book, I found the second half rushed and too much happening and too many curve balls thrown in. Kristian's history especially, while I'm not surprised, I think could have not been that and still made the book interesting. In fact, *spoiler alert*, I think that whole plotline was thrown in just to make sure there was a sequel when without it this book could have been a very good stand-alone. My other issues with the book is that at some parts it just seemed like an excess of torture. I get it was supposed to portray horrible things happening to Cora, but some of it seems unlikely she would have survived, even with her special abilities. It just kind of took me out of the book.

But back to the better first half. I enjoyed how it went from past to present and told Cora's history and her experiences. It made figuring out what was happening in the present like a guessing game with different players entering the arena. And infectious diseases are pretty relatable right now, so there's a topic that probably won't lose interest for awhile.

Not bad, but I really wish this would have been a strong stand-alone instead of going amok and potentially continuing on for another day.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

The Vines

The Vines takes you from the present day to as back as 1904. This is a story about finding vaccines for highly contagious diseases. The Vines, which is set at North Brother Island in New York, goes back and forth between present day and historical time periods. The reader really gets an eerie feeling from the abandoned hospital on the island.

Cora is a host to two viruses, small pox and typhoid, without showing symptoms. Finn, whose family conducted most of the research, must figure out how Cora lived so long. Both Cora and Finn are just two of the many characters in this book that range from eerie to brash.

The Vines, an extremely slow burn, captivated my interest mainly because of the setting in which the story takes place. An abandoned hospital along with all its history peaked my interest. I learned so much from this book, including when I googled North Brother Island and Typhoid Mary to get more history of when happened.

This book brought several ethical issues to mind, such as is it ok for one person to suffer for the benefit of mankind and how much medical testing is too much. I would highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fans.

5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Vines by Shelly Nolden. This is very different but quite relevant in today's world.
The story takes place in two worlds - the past and now and takes us to a hidden island in New York. Just minutes away but miles away for a young man who explores an abandoned building only to find his future and much more.
good book - differernt.

3.5 stars.

I really wish I'd enjoyed this book - it had such a promising premise! - but unfortunately the excitement quickly fizzled out from it being so very slow and meandering, and I DNF'd at 20%. Perhaps if Cora's past was introduced when the present-time story was further established, and wasn't so heavily detailed, it would read more as the exciting tale it's pitched to be.
This being said, the descriptions of the island in the present-time storyline are amazing - I felt like I was really there - and that cover is simply stunning!

Unfortunately this book was a total miss for me. It started out strong, but halfway through it lost steam, and I found myself skimming the last half. Such a bummer, I had high hopes for this one.

I was drawn to this book due to its timely subject matter, historical notes, and scientific angle. This story did not disappoint in that regard. It was mysterious, unfolding like an onion with each chapter. I enjoyed the plot and the pacing was good overall. The subject matter kept me intrigued and turning the pages. The ending was perfect, and kind of what I expected. The writing was good, and the style flowed well. The only real drawback was the dialogue. It felt stiff and unnatural in some instances. That might be due to the characters themselves, but it made it hard to connect with them, even though I did enjoy them a ton. However, I did appreciate the story overall. It was twisty and strange, piquing my curiosity throughout.

I really liked the beginning of this book and thought it was really interesting. About half way through however, I thought it got even more dark and twisted and it just didn't sit right with me and made me uncomfortable. The writing was pretty good and I did like how it shifted back in froth from past to present. It sometimes felt slow and like it was dragging on a little bit also. I did really like Cora's character a lot and liked reading about her. Overall, I did like the premise of the book.

i really enjoyed the use of North Brother Island as a setting, it really added to the mystery. I really think it added to the book. I look forward to more from the author.

I enjoyed this book and it is currently very fitting to today’s situation! The story speaks about coronavirus SAR and a variety of viruses, starting from 1901. A woman, named Cora is used as a ‘lab rat’ for different trials to find vaccines and cure the illnesses, throughout the book, it goes from past to present day to tell the story of Cora. It is scientific and really interesting. In 2008, which is the present day, we meet Finn, an explorer who finds himself on the island, where the adventure begins to try and find Cora and save her. Does she exist? What will Finn entail?

This historical story is interesting and full of suspense, survival, love and heartbreak. I liked that the storyline was set in a real abandoned place called North Brother Island, which is in New York City. If you enjoy historical reads with some science involved, then you’ll really enjoy this book!