With Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy has once again crafted a haunting mystery based on climate change.
A family of four are the final inhabitants on an island in the Southern Ocean, near to Antarctica. Even they are due to leave, once they finish packing up the seed vault kept there. One day, a woman washes up on shore. Facts about both the woman and the family are parceled out like breadcrumbs. Told from the viewpoints of all five individuals, I loved that I had no idea whom to believe or trust. Everyone is hiding something and all are damaged. They have each lost someone and grief is a major component of their lives. I came to care for each and every one of them, especially the three children who have spent 8 years in this remote location.
McConaghy has excelled in putting the reader right on this cold, isolated island, full of penguins and seals, with the ocean full of whales. There is a constant sense of tension throughout. The ending was gripping and totally caught me off guard.
I listened to this and the cast of narrators did a wonderful job.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

Wild Dark Shore centers on Dominic Salt and his three children, Fern, Ollie and Raf, as they close up a remote island research base used as a seed library that is succumbing to flooding. One day, a woman washes up on shore, which kicks of a series of twists and events that I absolutely did not see coming.

I found Wild Dark Shore to be incredibly engrossing - I had a bit of a slow start, but as the story progressed I needed to know what was happening with Rowan, Dom, and the three kiddos. Each layer was more and more of a surprise, and for the majority of the twists I truly did not see them coming. This book reminded me a little bit of I Cheerfully Refuse with the trying to survive and be normal in a climate apocalypse mixed with Our Wives Under the Sea for some creepy research vibes. If you enjoyed either or both of those books, I definitely recommend.

I listened to this as an audiobook and heartily recommend - the cast of narrators bring an extra dimension to all of the characters and I really love a novel that has multiple narrators. I found it so immersive that each character had their own voice and just gobbled the book up as a result.

I will say, I didn't quite get the romance between Dom and Rowan - the amount of distrust they had for each other throughout really made that a bit tough from my perspective, especially given the background Dom has with Rowan's husband.

Dominic is the caretaker of a small remote island that has the world's largest seed bank which will soon be unsafe to live on. He and his three children are weeks away from moving off the island when a woman, Rowan, washes ashore. He is suspicious of her intentions, and she is suspicious of him with the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave.

I enjoyed the audiobook and immediately was immersed in the creepy but beautiful setting of the remote island. Many different narrators brought the story to life and I loved how it mixed mystery with science. I definitely feel like I need to check out her other books now.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audiobook arc of Wild Dark Shore.

I read Once There Were Wolves when it came out and absolutely loved it so I was very excited to get an advance listen of this book. This was once again very much nature oriented and it was incredibly interesting to learn about the importance of the different seeds and how they're stored. I will say, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had physically read it rather than listening to it on audio. I found myself getting distracted while listening, and I also found the narrator's accents very distracting. These are all me problems, not the book.

That being said I did still very much enjoy this book. It was a bit of a slow burn but towards the end it really picks up. I was a little disappointed with the ending, I wish it had gone in a different direction. I would definitely recommend this book in whatever format works for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Incredible. This book captures you from the very first page. Such an intriguing story and setting. You care deeply for the characters almost immediately. Interwoven stories and timelines of hope, tragedy and loss and the human spirit. A truly profound read.

This book, WOW! Like nothing I’ve ever listened to. Loved the narrators. Loved the story. This will not be the last book by Charlotte McConaghy I read. I LOVED this book!

You will want to pick this up March 4th! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was completely transported to Shearwater Island through the vivid descriptions of Charlotte McConaghy. The Salt family are living in a lighthouse on this small island between Australia and Antartica. There is a research facility and a seed bank, but the island is sinking and they are waiting for the navy to come and rescue them. A woman washes up on shore unexpectedly. They all have secrets. Can they work together to save themselves until the boat arrives? Lots of twists. A very compelling story. And the narration was fabulous!

3.5 stars rounded down

I listened to the audiobook. There were multiple narrators - always a plus for me! One of the main characters, Dom, had such a raspy soothing voice - i thoroughly enjoyed listening to his chapters! Narration was 5 stars.

I ADORED the setting of remote island nearly abandoned with promise of a lingering doomsday to wipe the island out. Very unique aspects in the plot - like guarding of seed banks. I was not even aware of seed banks and their purpose - very interesting!

The story and the characters were relatable enough to keep me entertained and engaged throughout the book. I did, however, find some big disconnects in the plot. Not necessarily "holes" just oddities and misfits. It almost felt like the author had moments of rambling on about personal opinions rather than sticking with the flow of the story. Maybe I just was not the intended target audience but it felt a bit forced at times. I also felt like the ending was rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ALC and chance to give my honest opinion

This book is getting massive buzz, and I can see why. The writing is stunning, the setting is unique and highly atmospheric, the mystery is compelling, and the message around climate change is urgent. For all of these reasons, I enjoyed it tremendously… until I hit the 90% mark.

I really didn’t like the ending, and I know going forward, I’ll remember how the ending made me feel, rather than the 90% of the story I loved, which sucks.

I honestly don’t know if I’d recommend it. It’s an absolutely stunning book, but the ending frustrated me so much that I hesitate to tell people to read it. So… do with that what you will.

Audio: The multiple POVs are each voiced by a different narrator. Saskia Maarleveld narrates one of the primary POVs, and like most audiobook fans, I can’t get enough of her! The second most common voice is performed by Steve West, and between his deep voice and the Australian accent, I often found myself furrowing my brow to concentrate (why does that help?). I didn’t love that, but I think it’s probably just a personal thing!

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 need 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.

Why Kirsten loves it
I can’t stop thinking of this INCREDIBLE story. The premise, the set-up, and the writing combined to create a narrative that held me captive and had me gasping and crying in equal measure. I felt the ending in my bones as I reluctantly turned the last page. I’ll be recommending this book for years to come.

Wild Dark Shore was difficult to put down, and I devoured it over just a few quick days. McConaghy has a profound ability to write landscapes that are ethereal, alive, and a character unto themselves. In this novel, she returns us to a not very distant world where climate change has continued to progress and

While the environment and the harm that humans have enacted upon it is a significant through line of the story, it runs parallel with questions on surviving grief, both for people and for the natural world that is being lost.

The plot on its own was interesting, but sometimes felt unevenly paced. Most of the characters felt complex and interesting. But I feel like the landscape and the metaphors it embodied is really what shines through. Overall a good piece of climate/eco-fiction to add to your list. 4.25/5 stars

This was an excellent story really well-narrated. There are several narrators and each brought something different to the listening experience and made the characters come to life.

I'm a fan of McConaghys. She does climate fiction well, it can lean towards preachy (climate fiction, not this book) and I think she veered from the preachiness by giving our learning moments over to a precocious child. There was mystery, suspense, family drama, grief, ghosts, and an island as much of a character as the people in the story. It was totally fascinated by the habitat.

Entertaining and educating at once.

Absolutely beautiful! This is the third Charlotte McConaghy novel I've read (previously having enjoyed Migrations and, to a slightly lesser degree, Once There Were Wolves) — and this is the best one yet!

In the deepest isolation possible, a family lives on a small island off the coast of Antarctica, manning a lighthouse that stands guard over the Earth's largest seed bank. Single father Dominic and his three children are the last residents on the island, after the scientific researchers have fled from rising sea levels and increasingly damaging storms. It's during one such storm that Dominic's daughter rescues a drowning woman from the sea. Who is she, and how did she come to wash up on an island so remote? As they nurse her back to health, Dominic's family and the woman come to realize that their lives are irrevocably woven together with secrets and emotions held tight on both sides.

I've just about sworn off cli-fi entirely, because typically speculative science fiction revolving around climate change ends up as just a slow drudging meander, casting the nomadic lifestyle as the main character more than the people. This is where McConaghy truly shines, however. Her books seem deeply personal to the characters, centered around their stories and emotions that just happen to be in the context of climate change. Her settings are atmospheric and you're left with little doubt as to the fate of the world, but her characters remain relatable, grounded, and forgivably flawed.

Read this if you like: slow-burn mysteries, literary fiction, strong character development, and stories about love, family dynamics, loyalty, and justice. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Charlotte McConaghy for an advance copy for honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to review this audiobook for my honest review. Wow! This was so beautifully written. It is a story of nature and our human response. It is not to be read lightly. However, it is so beautifully written and tragic. I loved the narrators and really appreciated the multiple POV’s. My favorite was perhaps learning about the various seeds and their will to survive. There were many slow parts to this book, so it is not one to rush through. But, it is well worth the read. I learned so much while also being entertained. That makes for a pretty amazing book!

Thanks to @netgallary and @macmillian.audio for this advanced audio copy.

I am a big fan of Charlotte McConaghy's writing and really enjoyed both "Migrations" and "Once Their Were Wolves". I also loved her newest: "Wild Dark Shore" which will come out on March 4th. At a fictional island in the middle of the ocean, somewhere between Australia and Antarctica is Shearwater, where Dom and his three children serve as caretakers for the wild island, with just a few scientists, the world's largest seed collection and many, many animals.
But the storms are getting worse, the scientists are leaving, and Dom is haunted by the tragedy that brought them here in the first place. Oh and then a mysterious woman who is half dead washes up on their shores. Who is she? And what does she want?
Set in a very near future and as usual with McConaghy's writing, we get climate change and environmental tension in spades. It is a well written book with a dark atmosphere that is hard to describe as it descends so many genres: thriller, mystery, romance, literary fiction, dystopian?

The book explores complicated feelings about climate change and being a parent in a dying world, about choices we make and about the future we have or don't have.
It is surprising in its tension, and often both sexy and dangerous and actually does have many twists and turns and kept me on my ocean toes.
Who is keeping secrets from who? And can they trust each other enough to try to get through this and live?
Both heartwarming and sad, another stunner from Charlotte McConaghy.

30% into the book and nothing interesting has happened. And there is nothing, plot or characters, compelling me enough to finish. Sorry

Audio book review- 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A woman, Rowan washes to shore on a remote island, she’s rescued by a teenage girl who swims out to pull her in. They take care of her and she awake to a father, Dominic, and his 3 kids. They are hiding secrets and Rowan doesn’t immediately clue them into her arrival. Slowly they come to know each other and Rowan starts to care for Dominic and his children. The island is going underwater and they must all gather seeds from the supply while waiting to be rescued from the island.
The subplots behind each character were so beautifully written and revealed in such an interesting way to keep you hooked and going on this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Cue all the tears. I can already call this as my favorite book of the year. WOW. What a novel. Give it all the stars!

‘Wild Dark Shore’ by Charlotte McConaghy is a captivating novel about a family of three kids and their dad living on a secluded island. The narrators’ performances brought the story to life. If you’re a fan of her previous books, you’ll love this one. It’s a beautifully written mystery that explores the complexities of grief, family, parenthood and nature.

This is my kind of book. Charlotte McConaghy does a fantastic job with creating a wildlife atmosphere with the right amount of suspense and a slow burn romance. The narrators executed this mystery of the island and what happened perfectly.

The Salt family is living on a remote island. It is a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world's largest seed bank where researchers study these seeds. The researchers are gone. The Salt family is in charge of packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. They nurse her back to health but there is a secret the Salt family is keeping and the woman is also keeping a secret as well.

This book deals with the strong family bonds, found love, courage, isolation. The characters all have their own trauma to deal with. You can feel their love for each other is so strong. I feel in love with all the characters. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.