I am not generally a fan of climate fiction, but this novel was incredibly compelling. The setting is described so thoroughly that I formed a vivid picture of what this tiny island looked like. The small cast of characters (a welcome change from too many recent reads with so many characters I couldn’t keep them straight) allows the reader to get to know each one intimately, as individuals and in relation to one another. The premise of the story: the body of a woman washes up on the shore of this island near Antarctica, inhabited only by a caretaker and his three children. Incredibly, the woman is alive, and as she recovers, the wary relationships that are formed are captivating. There are so many questions—and pondering those and the possible answers keeps this novel going. I am grateful for the opportunity to have listened to the audiobook, narrated by a cast that really brought these five characters to life. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review. I highly recommend this book!

Anyone who has ever read a Charlotte McConaghy book knows how powerfully she writes, weaving science into a story with gorgeous, fully-fleshed out characters and exciting twists. Wild Dark Shore is another beautiful story from an immensely talented author.

In Wild Dark Shore, the Salt family are the caretakers of Shearwater Island amidst catastrophic climate change. When Rowan washes ashore, the family aren't quite sure what to make of her. The writing is atmospheric and the story is sweeping. McConaghy's Shearwater Island is a bleak, remote place and she perfectly deposits the reader right onto it.

I tandem read the audio with the print version and I can safely say both are excellent. The multi-cast narration really adds an extra layer to the book's feel and the production quality was excellent. I would highly recommend the audio version.

THIS WILL BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR! Wow, this exceeded my expectations and I cannot stop thinking about the characters. The setting was so detailed, unique, and mysterious. The characters were SO well-developed. I haven't read a book cover to cover as fast as I did in a long time!

This was definitely a book that made for a fantastic audiobook. The full cast was impeccible and I had a rather easy time following each of the story threads.

This is a family story- a story about hope,loss, overcoming grief, sacrfice, and the fragility of life.

The story takes place on a remote outpost in Antarctica where a research station with a seed preserve is being abandoned due to rising sea levels and drastic storms. Dom and his three kids live there taking care of the lighthouse when a mysterious woman washes up ashore threatening to disturb what they have all carefully tried to bury in the past. No one is telling the truth and little things are revealed bit by bit which really worked for me as a reader/listener.

I absolutely thought the writing was beautiful- McConaghy did no disappoint with her character writing either. The contrast between Dom as a single father and Rowan (I THINK that is her name guys audiobooks trash me on the names when I can't see them written out haha) as a "never having children ever" was so well beautifully done.

There is a lot about ecological disaster- with bush fires and rising tides. I think it was less dystopian as some reviews may lead you to believe and set in the present time. There are seed banks throughout the world (at present) and today we are already experiencing a loss of biodiversity and with changing climates. I do love that this story was almost a reclaim back to nature- that no matter what we have a fragile existence here on planet earth and that nature will one day claim us as her own.

Easy 5 stars from me. I teared up at the end and felt it all came back full circle.

A special thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for my audiobook ARC! Published 3.4.2025

Content: some open door scenes and f-words, death and violence

This novel is unique, compelling, and unputdownable. It's the story of a tiny island near Antarctica that holds one of the world's seed vaults, a place that holds the last parts of life should the world be destroyed. Due to climate change, the island is being swallowed by the sea, and the caretakers and scientists need to pack up the seeds to prepare to move them to a new location.

But the isolated island holds lots of secrets - including that none of the scientists remain, the communications lines to the outside world no longer work, and now a mysterious woman has washed ashore with secrets of her own.

Trigger Warnings

Destruction by fire, death

Why Jackie Loves it

This is a unique story that is scary in how relevant this story is with its references to fires and climate change. The story immediately captivated me, but I was even more invested with every chapter. This is a dystopian mystery thriller with family drama all rolled into one powerful book. The end had me gasping. #gifted

I loved this book ! I did not think when I applied to read this that it would interest me but I am so glad I did. This would be one of my favorite books in the last year and a story that will stay with me. I finished and felt I missed the characters.

The seclusion of this far north Island and the family living there that must truly depend on each other, are the real heart of the story. A woman is recused from the ocean and must become accustomed to their world . We slowly discover her reasons for being there and the story becomes intense. The characters of adults, teens and a child are all very realistic. The only issue I had was the audio book had an adult for the child’s voice. It did not detract from the story.
Thank you for the opportunity to listen and provide my honest review.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💃🏼 Vibes: Environmental thriller (I said what I said)
📕 If you like ______, you’ll like this: How High We Go in the Dark
📖/🎧 Read Type: ARC (thank you to @netgalley, Charlotte McConaghy, and Macmillan Audio!)

The remote island of Shearwater was a once-bustling research hub and housed the world’s largest seed bank. It is now home only to the Salt family—Dominic and his three children. The Salts serve as caretakers to the island but are being forced to evacuate because of the rising sea levels and intensifying storms. The final weeks of their departure are complicated by the arrival of a mysterious woman, Rowan, who washes ashore during a ferocious storm. Mutual suspicion and hidden agendas plague the Salt family and Rowan, forcing them to navigate their intertwined secrets.

I wasn't looking for a new favorite author, but Charlotte McConaghy found me with Migrations and it feels like she is showing off at this point. She has cornered the market on “intellectual suspense,” which, let's be honest, is a pretty specific market. This was my most anticipated book of 2025 and it did NOT disappoint. The plot was unexpectedly twisty—I was either gasping, crying, or yearning pretty much the whole time. (The twists hit so much harder when you know nothing, so I do recommend going in blind.) The atmosphere was completely immersive with Shearwater becoming a character. The Salts and Rowan are multilayered and their emotional struggles mirror the fragility of their island home. I don’t normally get into slow burns, but I grew to appreciate the simmer. Watching these characters navigate suspicion and then desperately reach for connection resonated with me. This was more than just a thriller; it was also a poignant exploration of loss, hope, and the definition of home. If you like suspense with a healthy dose of existential dread and introspection, this is for you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Charlotte McConaghy for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for Wild Dark Shore coming out March 4, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed mysteries and thrillers! I love a good psychological drama. I love isolation stories with the backdrop of surviving in the wild elements. This story definitely started off with a bang. I loved remote island. The characters were really interesting. I really loved that the audiobook had a full cast of characters. I love hearing the Australian accents. I thought I added a lot to the story. The only drawback for me was that I would still sometimes get the characters confused. There seemed to be a lot of POVs. There were some things at the end that I was a little confused about. I would definitely check out other books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers!

WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 If you have read a Charlotte McConaghy novel, you know how beautifully she writes about wildlife and the landscape. Let me be the first to tell you, she’s done it again! I listed to this book on audio, and between the full cast and lovely accents, it was amazing! The characters were complex and interesting… but Orly stole my heart in every way. If you want a book with a little thrill, a pinch of romance, atmosphere and wildlife that will suck you in, look no further!

The Salt Family are caretakers to the world’s largest seed bank on a remote island. As sea levels rise, they are the only people left on the island and undertaking the task of packing up the seeds to relocate. When a storm hits, a woman washes onto shore, and the Salts nurse her back to health. During this time, secrets start to emerge from all sides.

Perfect if you like:
•Atmospheric novel.
•Beautiful writing.
•Full cast audio.
•Character driven.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Mood: 🍜🫗

🚪: 45
⚠️: explicit language.

“Where men go, there is harm.”

Similar to her previous two novels, Wild Dark Shore is a propulsive and eerily mysterious story set in a world inescapably impacted by climate change.

Charlotte McConaghy knows how to write compelling climate fiction with an entertaining mix of mystery, romance, and introspection. The audiobook captured my attention and the four narrators did a great job bringing the main characters to life. However, I had a tough time believing in some of the character’s feelings and motivations, particularly between the two adult protagonists, and this weakened the emotional impact of the ending. While I enjoyed Migrations and Once There Were Wolves more, this was still entertaining and thought provoking.

🎉 Happy publication day and thanks to @macmillan.audio for the ALC ♡

*ೃ༄*ੈ‧₊˚ Stranded at the edge of the world, one family’s will to survive the call of the wild.

3.5⭐️ I have been conflicted over this one. The audiobook experience: I did appreciate that we got a full cast narration, which helped as there are no less than 6 different POVs!

I also love an Australian accent and we get many... loved the voice of Dom! Where I struggled was the sluggish first 50% — pacing was very slow for a thriller and I was just waiting for something to happen while trying to track who was who.

Then it ramped into high gear for the last 25% and I started loving the book! There was one major twist that I did not predict that was so good, but then 😭 devastation with the ending, all I can say is truly I felt depressed and sad. 😭

⛈️🌪️⚡The simultaneous raw beauty and destruction of nature was the most compellingly beautiful part of this book. You feel small when you go hike to the top of a mountain, swim in the ocean, look up in the middle of a lightning storm, witness animals in their natural habitat. All these feelings and emotions are captured in Charlotte McConaghy’s atmospheric writing.

🌊 It might have helped me going in to have thought of this more as climate literature combined with a family/drama mystery. Shearwater Island is a fictional place but based off of an real island located between Australia and Antarctica, home to much scientific research.

🐋 Ultimately I would recommend this to nature lovers, environmentalists, and those that don’t mind a sad, heart-breaking book.

TW: Attempted Murder, Death, Death of Parent

“She isn’t frightened of the dead. It is only the living who have the power to harm.” 💯

“But here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves, knowing they will die.” 🥺

Whelp this may be the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is so atmospheric, placing you ON the island of Shearwater with this family and these animals. I’m talking fully immersed. Tasting the salt air. Feeling that frigid ocean breeze. There is a mystery woven in as well as a love story. It just ticks all of the boxes, man. All of them.

The audiobook has four narrators and is just superb. The accents are so calming to listen to and the emotion felt just adds even more enjoyment to an already fabulous story. I highly recommend the audio. Just close your eyes, listen, and allow yourself to be transported.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Although the story has a solid background, I found I had a really hard time following along. Not sure if this was just me?? But, it made it much harder to enjoy…

Rowan has set out to find her husband. He’s been missing for some time now, and although she expected him home from his excursion, he never appeared…and now she’s worried. He ventured off to a remote island, in order to preserve and help his seeds/seedlings… and to do some research. But, he was expected home, and never returned. So, Rowan is now setting off to find Hank… on this remote island.

Although she does finally make it there, when her body washes up on shore, she’s presumed dead! 😵 The Salt Family, who are living on the island, work very hard to try to keep her alive. (Mind you, this is in the first few minutes of the book!) 😮

As I mentioned, this is a very remote island. There are no extra supplies. Or food. Or…anything! Very EYE OPENING to say the least!

The part that totally threw me off was that there are MULTIPLE timelines in the book… but, there’s no reference to the fact that you are 10, 15 or 20 years before. You are just there! Trying your best to figure out WHO, WHAT AND WHERE while you’re reading…

Because of that, I’m giving only 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Still a good read, but confusing at times!!

#WildDarkShore by #CharlotteMcConaghy and narrated nicely by #Cooper Mortlock; #Katherine Littrell; #Saskia Maarleveld and #Steve West.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The release date is TODAY, 3/4/25, so look 👀 for it on shelves now!

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

I think this book would probably be a good discussion for a psychology class. Themes include grief, family, self-discovery, trust, and loyalty. I kinda figured out part of the ending before I got there, I wish there was a bigger twist/“reveal”. The setting is really cool and unique, loved the wild animals incorporated into it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #gifted

A family living off a remote island off the coast of Antarctica. A woman washed ashore in the midst of a storm. Wild Dark Shore captivates from the beginning and delivers a tense, atmospheric story full of secrets, survival, and complicated relationships. Be prepared for deep themes such as love, grief, parenthood, isolation, family and nature (both the nature of humankind and the physical world).

“But here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves knowing they will die.”

This is my first book from this author (and my first book that could be classified as Climate Fiction) but it definitely will not be my last. Time to finally read that copy of Migrations on my shelf!

🎧 Love a full cast narration? Then don't miss this immersive read! Highly recommend the audio experience for this one.

I went back and forth on whether to give it 4 or 5 stars honestly. What kept this from being 5 stars for me? Elements of the ending, I didn't feel the romance/attraction part of this story, and some of the backstory weren't for me. But with all that being said, it still lands as a solid 4 (4.5?) star read for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dominic Salt and his three children are in their final days as caretakes of a tiny island close to Antarctica. They’ve been tasked with closing the base down and ensuring that seeds from the World’s largest seed bank survive. But when Rowan washes up on shore, the Salt family find themselves confronted with their past and their futures. As the days dwindle down and the storms increase the Salt family and Rowan must figure out if they trust each other long enough to get off the island.

One of the things I love about Charlotte McConaghy’s books is the way she integrates nature into mysteries, emphasizing the impact humans have on the natural world. As always, I learned a ton from the story and enjoyed the way she tied in the Macquarie Island and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle into the plot and location.

I’m not entirely sure when the story is supposed to take place. It briefly references the various climate devastations and the potential for humankind to disappear, but it’s never fully discussed if the story takes place in the present or if it’s supposed to be more of a dystopian setting. Regardless, while the writing is beautiful, you can feel the isolation and fear radiating off the pages and I loved our setting.

The story itself though is a slow burn and flips between each of the characters present and some jump back into memories. Orly’s POV was interesting as he primarily gave us science lessons; you could hear the youthfulness, optimism, and love of nature in his voice. The pure character development throughout the entire book was excellent.

I listened to the audiobook full cast version and enjoyed most of the narrators. Steve West’s voice for Dominic Salt was a bit difficult for me to decipher but ultimately the audiobook was a soothing listen.

If you want a slow-paced – character driven mystery, with a unique and atmospheric setting, look no further than Wild Dark Shore. I’m interested to see where McConaghy is going to take us next!

Wild Dark Shore is out now! Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting:
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Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

this book was such a disappointment. i do realize i am in the minority here, but alas, here i am.

this book was the pinnacle of telling rather than showing. it was the equivalent of a six-episode season when it needed AT LEAST 13. the mix of first and third person was not justified in the least. at no point could i gain my footing in the shoes of any of the characters. where were the details, where was the feeling, where was anything i was supposed to believe? i went into this hoping for something similar to hawkins’ the blue hour and got a less fleshed out the god of the woods. AGAIN i do know i am in the minority here. but, alas, i stand firm.

the dom chapters were borderline unbearable; his inner monologue was hollow and unrealistic at best. being an unreliable narrator is no excuse for a lack of verisimilitude. in fact, i think you have to lay it on pretty thick to fool anyone (i.e. gone girl — flynn got it right.) but here, there is no flair, no panache, no creativity in the writing. the sentences were choppy and surface-level. do we really want to consume a plot so quickly that everything that adds depth and meaning has to be stripped away? please say it isn’t so.

but the thing is, i liked the setting, i liked the animal motifs, i liked the themes of loss and life and death and acceptance. i liked the kids! the whole book should have possibly stuck to following one of them or maybe should have doubled down on rowan; i think there could have been strength in that, if the book was determined to stay around the 300-page mark. or go full-allegory! dom is clearly the hopeful but aberrant father, and rowan is the pessimistic but interestingly feminine counterpoint to this could-have-been- meaningful story about climate change. something more artful could have been made with these pieces. but this story, as is, was all lost in the wash for me, personally, as i’ve said, by a mess of a mess of narrative choices. by the end, it became a strange, melodramatic version of the movie overboard (a plot that does not need revisiting.)

please let a scene breathe. make a reader understand a character’s feelings without stating that feeling explicitly. this book left me with nothing to behold and nothing to wonder. 1.5 stars overall.

i do want to thank netgalley and the publisher for advanced review copy. i appreciate the opportunity to share an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

As an audiobook junkie i will say that this is one book i think would be better to read physically. There is so much happening and so much emotional depth to this book, i think that it’s hard to appreciate listening to It via audiobook. I was looking for a book i can binge and i don’t think thats this. I would enjoy this so much more if i read a few chapters at a time, processed and went back.

With all that being said, i loved this more than When We Were Wolves! The setting, the characters, the mystery. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and inspiring. It made me push Migrations higher up on my TBR because i still haven’t read that yet. Fen, Orly, and Rowan have my heart ❤️ i could see this being a book students read in school and actually loving.

WILD DARK SHORE
Charlotte McConaghy

A woman’s body washes ashore. A family torn by grief happens upon her. They bring her home to help her recover. She is in bad shape and will need a lot of love and tender care to make it through.

Climate change is upon us and everything that is not ablaze will be soon. Everything alive now will be eradicated. Species are going extinct,

It has been years since I’ve seen a snail.

Two stories.



I am on outlier island, again.

The Good:
The atmosphere was palpable and reminded me of Jane Harper’s books.
The narration

The Bad:
This might be a case of missing it or it going over my head. However, I did not find a connection between the commentary and the mystery. It felt like two books in one.

WILD DARK SHORE in scope is as big as the world is. If this was a debut, I would say they were trying to squeeze too much into this one book. There is a mystery and a ribbon of commentary. The commentary could’ve been its own book. I was left wondering what its purpose was.

There is a difference between enjoying the audiobook and enjoying the material. As is with a few other duet and full-cast narrated audiobooks that got rave reviews recently, (THE FAVORITES (⭐⭐⭐) (LIGHTS OUT (DNF) (FOURTH WING SERIES (DNF) I have had to separate the audiobook presentation from the material.

Someone reading the physical or ebook copy is not going to have the same experience, and I think it has to do with the emotionality of the full cast experience.

You’re going to see five-star reviews everywhere so take this review with a grain of salt. It is lonely on outlier island.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

WILD DARK SHORE…⭐⭐⭐

Dominic and his three children chose to stay behind after a group of scientists left a deserted island trying to save humanity by managing a seed bank. This was a story that focused a lot on the crisis of climate change and its effects on people and the world. A woman is washed ashore, alive, and slowly her story is unraveled. The characters were amazingly developed and beautiful. The literary writing swept me along for the ride. The pacing was on the slower side, but I still enjoyed the storytelling. I listened to the audiobook and at times was confused as whose POV it was at that time. Other than that, the narrators were great. There were many themes of climate change, family, parenthood, love and loss that were laced together in a beautiful way.