Thank you so much to @netgalley @freilingpublishing @shelley_nolden for sending me this #gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review. If you want a very interesting read with characters that suck you in, about a place that’s actually real (I looked up the history many times while reading) and will keep you wanting more. Then look no further than The Vines. Working in the medical industry reading about the history and different perspectives of treatments was fascinating. High 4⭐️

During the 1900s illnesses ravaged the world. Hardly sparing anyone or anything in its path. Cora and her sister were no exception. Off to North Brother Island they went to be under observation. Only after arriving does Cora begin to realize the severity around her deadly illnesses. She loses her sister and everyone she comes into contact with gets sick too. Dr.Gettler refused to let her have contact with anyone else. All while doing horrific scientific experiments on her.

Shift forward many many years Finn an urban explorer and a by product of the Gettler family, ventures out to North Brother Island. Only to stumble upon a scared beautiful women. Once he starts talking with her does he begin to understand this islands very dark and twisted history. & The many secrets and betrayals his family has been holding onto for generations. Will Finn be able to save Cora? Or will she meet her demise on the island that has become her prison? This book did such a great job at intermixing quite a few genres.

This is an interesting premise and a promising start to a series. It certainly read like a first novel, but in such a way that made me look forward to seeing how the author grows and matures in her writing. Meticulous research from both scientific and historical perspectives added much-appreciated weight to the story. I eagerly anticipate the next volume!

DNF

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish this book. It's too confusing and I'm not in the right mindset for this kind of writing. However, I have a feeling that it might have turned how good, so I might get back to it one day.

One note: There is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease. The mention of it (twice, as far as I read) probably tainted my experience as well.

Thank you NetGalleym the publisher and author for this copy in exchange for my honest review. I will find the time to read this one when I'm ready.

This book had its positives and negatives for me. I enjoyed the premise and found it quite timely. I also enjoyed the setting and the idea that a plague during that timeframe actually isolated people to an location that was completely cut off from daily life as we know it. It is interesting to imagine this response to an outbreak of infectious disease, that is so much more extreme than today. It puts the whole mask debate into crisper perspective.
The story is that people who are known to be infected or suspected to be infected, with an epidemic disease in crowded NYC were sent to live in a hospital/sanatorium until they were free from disease. Unfortunately the medical personnel at the time were poorly equipped to do much for the patients. One of them becomes the main “guinea pig” for the doctor in charge and subject to repeated procedures and treatments and testing. This involved multiple surgeries all done without anesthesia. It was a barbaric time. I especially liked the historical aspects of the story.
I found sections of the book slow, but overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters.
Anyone who likes a good medical and historical fiction, with some magical realism, would enjoy this book. It appears to be the first in a series as well. I will look out for the follow-up book soon.
#TheVines #NetGalley #FreilingPublishing #IBPA

I really enjoyed The Vines even though it had a bit of a slow start for me. The characters were so well done and either the right amount of likable or hate-able qualities. There were so many good details and medical knowledge that made it more intriguing. The ending was quite a cliffhanger and I was glad to see a sequel is in the works.

This book was a book for it self. I am sad to say that I did not enjoy it. It was wprth The The Read, but I did not feel any connection to the characters or interest in the plot. It took me a long while to read it and almost put me in a sluml

It is set in the early twentieth century, with New York City grappling with a new set of communicable diseases. The haunting visions of century-old quarantines and human experimentation are hidden in a deserted hospital. It begins with a woman named Cora being used as a "guinea pig" in various experiments to find vaccines and cure the deadly diseases that are prevalent, and it moves from the past to the present to tell Cora's storey. What I liked most about this book was that the information presented was scientific and accurate. It got very interesting when an adventurer, Finn, ended up on the island, and the adventure began to try to figure out what was going on there and find and save Cora.
Does she exist? What will Finn entail?I loved how the characters were built. I adored the way the characters were developed. The way History and Science were intertwined was flawless, and the book was a page-turner from beginning to end. It's a great combination of engaging characters and a storyline that twists and turns before coming to a satisfying conclusion that left me wanting more. As a medical student, I was astounded by how correct the definitions of pathogen pathways were while remaining "reader-friendly." I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, but the ending was satisfying, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
This is a book I'd recommend to someone who enjoys immersing themselves in a storey that is so close to being true that it makes one wonder whether the events really occurred.

Another book that stared with an extremely sexist and downright disgusting scene which made me want to put down the book immediately. I pulled through, however, but I did not enjoy reading this book. Please stop making stalking such a sexualized, admirable quality in books. It's gross.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Not an easy book to read but very timely. Probably one of the first books that really relate to the current epidemic. The characters were well drawn and most were not very likable. I had a hard time getting into this book and will not be reading the next book that features Cora. The writer has an incredibly vivid imagination and the the book was different to anything I have read before.

This was a well written, amazing story. Of course I had to google North Brother Island and learn more about the history. I never knew that this place existed and it is very intriguing for me. The author wove the history into the story very well.
Many thanks to Freiling Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The premise was intriguing. Finn finds a woman, Cora, living alone on North Brother Island which was the site of human experiments and is tied to his family. The writing is disjointed and choppy which makes it hard to follow the story line. I can appreciate the historical aspect of the story and did find that part fascinating. It led me to do my own research on the island. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy this book.

I couldn't get into this title. The prose was hard to follow, and I had to keep slowing down and re-reading which annoyed me. I really like the premise though, and I may give it another chance in the future.

I could not finish this book. I read for several days and got to 36% and decided to give up. I felt the subject matter was very interesting, but the story dragged and descriptive passages were way over done. I rarely give up on a book, but the whole time I was reading I was thinking of all the other books I have to read. That told me I wasn't enjoying it and so I gave up. Sorry!

My experience with The Vines is a case of "It's me, not you." Ultimately, I'm giving it up as a DNF.

I'm fascinated by the premise. The setting comes alive, and the atmosphere is almost claustrophobic in its ability to absorb the reader.

I should've loved this book. But? I'm not sure, really. I simply couldn't connect.

Pacing is SLOW.

I wanted more spark from the characters.

I found myself constantly skimming to get to the heart of the story, and that's when I decided to call it quits.

As I mentioned, this is very much about my personal experience and preferences. The writing is beautiful, so don't let me deter you if this one sounds appealing.

Rather strange book

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from this story but I was not expecting this fever dream of a tale.

I felt this was a cross of a nightmarish warning tale as told by Dr. Frankenstein in collaboration with Dr. Mengele about their secret research being done on Plum Island.

The main character of the story is Cora, child of a prostitute, who early in the 20th century finds herself on North Brother Island near Bronx, New York and over the next many years finds herself the subject of an unscrupulous family of doctors who use her to research different virulent diseases which she seems to be immune to.

To me this story was very bizarre and the family of doctors either modeled off of Nazis or who were Nazis were devoid of any redeeming qualities.

There were just too many times I had to try to wrap my head around yet another happening in the story. So...this one just wasn't a winner for me. I understand there's going to be a sequel. I won't be reading it.

But I do want to say this. The author wrote that she was struggling with health issues while writing this book. And this book is how she exorcised those demons along with the COVID-19 pandemic demons we've all been trying to cope with.. So, really, who am I to say that this isn't just the perfect book to do that? For her hopefully it was and also hopefully for other readers. That's what makes the reading journey so wonderful. It's a different journey for each and every one of us.

I received this book from Freiling Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Before talking about how good of a book this is (I’m still digesting, but I really enjoyed it) - I feel I have to mention that this genre bending book involves content that will be triggering subject(s) to many people. It addresses so much in terms of ethical medical practices (torture and/or experimentation for the “greater good”), global pandemics, terminal illnesses, loss of life/death (I.e. typhoid fever, cancer, war, drowning, etc..) and violations of basic human rights, that at times it can be hard to read. While not being the primary focus, COVID-19 is also mentioned in this book; so for those who have sensitivities to the subjects I mentioned above, take that into consideration. No matter what way you dissect it, this book and it’s contents, is heavy. Additionally, it is an incredible story of the human capacity to survive. While this work of fiction is part fantastical and part historical fiction/mystery, many of the viruses, events and people surrounding the story were real.

I had no idea what I was signing myself up for when I requested an arc of this book, but I am pleasantly shocked at how incredibly well done this story was. You will feel for these characters in a way that can be so rare in fiction. It’s as if the story is real, and you’re experiencing it through the eyes of a survivor. There were times throughout The Vines that I felt so deeply saddened by the events occurring (especially as it pertains to the torture of our main character, Cora) that I had to step away for awhile.

This historical fiction/sci-fi serves as a heart-wrenching reminder that in our quest to save lives, we must be careful not to lose our own humanity. Please, please, take everything time to read the author’s note at the end, you’ll understand so much more of how personal and raw the subjects breached in this novel are to the author. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an unbiased review, and many thanks to Shelley Nolden for creating this fascinating book.

The Vines by Shelley Nolden is a topical read, while enjoyable, it can be quite forgettable. It was about in the middle as a read but was not bad.

I had been hearing lots of hype about The Vines, so I was thrilled when I was approved for an ARC from NetGalley. While I liked it, I didn’t love it. To be fair, that may be my fault to some extent, as I think my expectations were pretty high going into it.

The story is definitely timely - if you’re not ready for talk of diseases, viruses and vaccines, you may want to skip it for now. It was evident that Shelley Nolden did extensive research when writing this book. As a reader, I appreciate learning something even when I’m reading for pleasure. I definitely had that experience with The Vines. I struggled with the characters - none of them were particularly likable and all of their relationships were rather dysfunctional and toxic. We get to know Cora very well, but i would have liked to have seen more development with Finn.

Overall, this was a good solid read. . 3.5 stars, rounded up.


Many thanks to NetGalley , Shelley Nolden and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to

I took a chance on this book because the blurb sounded a little cliched, but I like to support female writers and there is a chance the author, Shelley Nolden, can get past the cliches. She does and doesn't at the same time. An abandoned hospital where terrible things happened to patients is a true horror trope. Though the protagonist, Cora does help you get past the trope, she herself becomes a bit of a trope as well. If you are OK with that, then you will find this book more enjoyable than I did. It is not a bad book, but the setting, especially being so close to NYC, was somehow not as exciting or dramatic as it could have been. Nolden takes us back to the turn of the last century in flashbacks, and though they are interesting, I really just wanted the book to focus more on Cora and Finn, the young doctor who finds her when exploring the island where the abandoned hospital is. So I grew occasionally impatient with the book, though it is still good enough for me to want to finish and see what happens.

The Vines is an apt novel to read in this Covid-19 times. It is about a woman who is immune to deadly viruses and is held hostage by a family of doctors who dream of making the world disease-free. The novel happens in New York set in 2007 and early 1900s and is told from many points of view (POV). The novel starts with Finch meeting the woman and then goes back to when the woman was young. When we are first introduced to the immune woman's story, it was so long that I did not understand the link to the first chapters and then it became clear. The timelines and the POVs could have been managed to have a smoother transition. Also, I did not like the way it ended, I was looking for some kind of closure and felt there was none. This novel was not my cup of tea in this time and age.