In August 2021, Charlotte McConaghy captivated me with [book:Once There Were Wolves. In February 2023, she shared a rare glimpse into a research trip for her next novel. Two years later, in February 2025, Wild Dark Shore finally landed in my hands—and it was well worth the wait.

I want to thank the publisher for granting me a digital copy, but I also want to thank McConaghy for continuing to craft complex, deeply human characters and for her understanding of the interconnectedness of our ecosystems. In this novel, she shifts focus from a single species to the future of the planet’s plant life, reinforcing the delicate balance that binds the natural world—and the people who inhabit it.

This is not an easy read. The remote setting and atmospheric tension pull you in, but the novel takes its time unraveling its mysteries. Secrets emerge gradually, and, alongside Rowan, the reader must piece together the past to fully understand Shearwater and its inhabitants. The novel’s emotional weight is undeniable, exploring grief, isolation, and the fragile ties that define family.

One of the most striking moments is the story of the wombats—an exquisite metaphor for the Salts and Rowan at that moment in their journey. By the end, I found myself reflecting on how the Salts truly embody the phrase "salt of the Earth."

Once again, McConaghy has crafted a world that held me spellbound. Once again, she has written a story of grief, which is, at its core, a story of love. And once again, I finished her book in tears. The author’s note on the setting brought everything full circle, a poignant reminder of the dedication and care McConaghy puts into every story she tells.

This book broke my heart. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was a truly wonderful story, but it did leave me heartbroken and in tears. This was the first time I’ve read Charlotte McConaghy’s work, and she’s an amazing writer. I listened to the audiobook version, and I was pulled in from the very beginning. Saskia Maarleveld is one of the four narrators, and I would listen to her read Old McDonald Had a Farm because she is honestly one of the best narrators I’ve ever listened to and one of my favorites. I purposefully seek her out, which is one reason I stumbled upon this book in the first place. The other narrators are enjoyable too, although sometimes it was hard to understand the character Dominic’s narrator. (I don’t remember his name). He has a deep voice that is sexy and spine tingling, but he also has an Australian accent that is sometimes hard to understand. There were several times I had to rewind the book and turn up the volume to try and grasp what he said. That wouldn’t deter me from recommending this book though because I would HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, especially the audiobook version. The plot was very different and unique from anything else I’ve read before, and I loved that because I never knew what was going to happen next, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. But, alas…that ending. *deep sigh* I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but I will say the last thirty minutes of the book left me in tears - literally - and broke my heart. I still can’t get it off my mind.

This was an audio read about a family of three children and their dad living and surviving on a remote island . The island was a thriving research centre at one time but its purpose and functionality have become obsolete with raising sea waters and climate change. It now holds thousands of seeds that may be used in the future. The family has adapted quite well to their life here becoming well educated on the animal and plant life . Events occur that upset their lives and nature . This book explores each member of this family plus that of a woman who washes up on shore in search of her researcher husband who has spent time on the island . It is a book about loss, rekindling relationships, resilience and unconditional love.

3.5 This is an interesting one for those who like thrillers with a lot of POVs. What I like about that aspect (in this book) is that each one is different, with different ages, generations, backstreet, motivations, and even flashbacks. Two themes that are in constant focus are couples' relationships, the fact that one wants or not to have children, the impact of having children on different characters and ages, and environmental awareness; we are constantly reminded that we're walking towards a bleak dystopian.

The author has a way of volunteering a lot of relevant information since the start that we may not catch on immediately making the twists interesting.

We get attached to some characters, and it catches our interest as we want to know more about their secrets, their tragedies, and how they relate to each other.

It wasn't my favorite type of thriller but I am glad I listened to it. The audio has more than one narrator.

"Wild Dark Shore" swept me away! Once again, McConaghy invites readers to see the natural world fresh—in all its wildness, beauty, and ferocity. There is an environmental message here, but this novel is really about the power of love. The characters - Rowan and the Salt family - are so alive that I truly feel I know them. I feel bereft to leave them and their island, yet I am grateful for the time I spent with them.

The full cast audio production was outstanding. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy.

Includes spoilers....

I really enjoyed the other two books I read by this author, but I don't know what happened with this one. The seed vault was such an interesting idea (the main draw for me) and it felt very tacked on and used as a weak plot device to explain why the undercooked characters were there and give them something to do when they weren't slogging through their melodrama. The mysteries of Rowan (who I hated so... SO much...) are lukewarm and almost immediately explained, and her reason for coming to the island is immediately invalidated by her actions with Dom. What a great marriage that must have been. Travel across the world to find your beloved husband, oh he's gone, well are YOU seeing anybody...? Why grieve when you can hop into bed with the first man you see?

Boring, bleak, and at the end I was hoping for everyone to drown and put them (and me) out of their/our misery.

I saw this book recommended several places and went into it knowing little more than a woman washes up on the beach of a remote island. I'm not sure how to categorize it - climate fiction, mystery/suspence, romance. The setting was outstanding, as was the narration. There are multiple narrators, which adds to the enjoyment.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for a free copy of #WildDarkShore by Charlotte McConaghy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this gifted ALC!

When I saw that Charlotte McConaghy was on a research trip for her next book, I began counting down the days until its release. I’m not sure how long ago that was, but it was too long. And yet, here I am, writing a review for this long awaited book. 🥹

I didn’t even read the premise, because I know that the book would evoke any and all emotions from me regardless. But when I realized we’d be visiting a fictional version of Svalbard (“Hello from Svalbard, it’s me Cecilia!” Anyone? Anyone?) I was PUMPED. Ever since I discovered Cecilia on TikTok and the seed vault by proxy, I have been obsessed. And I knew Charlotte McConaghy would take that to a deeper level.

Absolutely no surprise here - that’s exactly what happened. We’re introduced to another vulnerable environment and its inhabitants, and it flat out humbled me. Finishing this book on the back of finishing The Vanishing Kind has left me adrift.

Our earth deserves so much better from us as humans, but as this book glaringly stated, we already decided who to save, and it was us. I wish it were easier for others to see that we need to save our planet in order to save us, and that our impact on the planet is essential to this.

Books like Wild Dark Shore frame this crisis in such a transparent and tangible way, that it makes me frustrated others don’t see that, together, we can make a change. To choose their one small action. To make this world a better place for us, for species of flora and fauna, for the eco system.

Very quickly, Charlotte McConaghy has solidified herself as one of my favorite writers of all time. She always writes to the heart of it. Always makes me feel such deep and rich emotions. Always makes me think. Always challenges my empathy. That’s what reading is about, and I’m so thankful to her and her words for that.

Charlotte McConaghy doesn't miss. I read Migrations first and loved it and I felt the same about Once There Were Wolves. So when I saw that Wild Dark Shore was available to request on NetGalley I jumped all over it. This story immediately pulled me in and it kept my attention the entire time.

I rated Migrations five stars and I would have rated Wild Dark Shore the same but a few elements of the ending knocked it down a star for me. This book is one that I will definitely re-read in the future when I do another run through the other two McConaghy novels. If you're a fan of either of the other two I highly recommend checking this one out, too.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I don't even know where to begin in talking about this book. I read a lot of books and I will say that this is like nothing I've ever read. Wild Dark Shore spans a few genres - mystery/thriller, literary fiction, nature writing, a slow burn romance, and family drama. There were times when reading this that I had NO idea where the narrative was going.

There are so many themes explored throughout -- motherhood, fatherhood, childhood, grief, mental illness, coming of age, the environment, and how we, as humans, exist within our world.

I'm not going to lie - it's pretty bleak in some ways and completely devastating. At the end of the day, my main takeaway is about the power of love. How even in the darkest of situations and when the outcome seems impossibly dim, love is always worth the risk.

The audio is incredibly well done with multiple narrators for the various POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an Advanced Listening Copy for review.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Wow! This book. First the setting. It might have been the best setting of a book I have ever read. I loved it so much. The way the author was able to describe the setting was absolutely beautiful and I could picture it in my mind so much.

Second. The story. I was sucked into it from the beginning. The characters, the story, the back story, all of it. It was just so well done.

I will say I think the middle of this book lost me a tiny bit. It got a little slow and maybe a little repetitive but overall it didn’t last long then I was drawn back in.

The narrators were great. I’m a big fan of Saskia Maarleveld and she didn’t disappoint with this book either.

This book made me smile and cry! I loved it.

4.75/5 stars rounded up to 5 for this review.

WOW
The full cast narration was fantastic.
The suspense kept me on my toes
The setting was SO UNIQUE and an entire character by itself
The ending was so sad and I wish It ended differently but I also Understand why it ended the way it did — it was tragically beautiful

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me the opportunity to hear this audiobook in advance if it's publication.

"It is really f***ing sad that it should take loss to know the precise quality of love."
Wow! What a gorgeous, enthralling, immersive book. I think I liked everything about it. Complex characters, evocative setting, well balanced suspense... I'm sure the more I think about it, the longer that list will get. This book was at once poignant, smartly emotional, and timely. I'm so, so glad I read it, and I look forward to recommending it to library customers.

The narration was top notch- everybody did a wonderful job.

my favorite thing about Charlotte McConaghy is that i know i'm going to be learning something new when i read her books. Wild Dark Shore takes place on a fictional remote island near Antarctica. a mysterious woman washes up on this island and is rescued by a small family that seem to be the only people living there.

just about everyone can find something they like in this novel- there is romance, mystery, drama, suspense, and education all mixed into this novel (which also rings true for McConaghy's other books[book:Migrations|42121525] and [book:Once There Were Wolves|54860573].

i got lost in this little fictional island with all of the characters, and that's a win for me. escapism is the ultimate goal when reading in my opinion!

thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

Wild Dark Shore was my first Charlotte McConaghy work but I definitely will be picking up her previous novels! In this book, we follow Rowan, a woman who washes up on the shore of a research-heavy island inhabited by a family. There are heavy themes of family, love, and environmental protection.

Rowan, Dom, Fen, Raff, and Orly were so well written and felt like real, nuanced people. Their dynamics were believable and complex. The mysteries surrounding Rowan’s arrival to the island felt fully explored and I was satisfied by the ending. Overall this was a great, gripping read!

The audiobook narrators were fantastic - I’d highly recommend this novel via audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy was an audiobook for me and it’s a 5 ⭐️! The narrators were Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld and Steve West. And they were amazing.
The author captured all of the nuance of a thrilling, mysterious novel that worked perfectly with the narrators execution. I was pulled in not only by the island but this strange, unique family that lived on it. And then a body has washed up from a violent sea which only grew my curiosity. And this is just one of many mysteries that happen in this audiobook. Really well done and can’t wait to see what the author writes next.
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

What a hauntingly beautiful novel. McConaghy masterfully illustrated the beauty and the danger of their environment and bleak circumstances. She has made nature the main character along with the the humans trying to survive and accomplish their task. There are so many complicated choices and personal growth laced throughout that this is a perfect selection for book club discussion. This is hands down the strongest, easiest 5 Star novel I’ve read in a novel. Love and loss are so deep and this story was able to encapsulate it beautifully. Thank you so much NetGalley for the awesome opportunity to listen to the advanced audiobook copy!

Wow. Not at all what I expected. Especially at the end.
What an interesting remote thriller and survival book. We have mystery and suspense, family drama, hidden secrets and many surprises. Interesting and odd characters for the family living on the island still. Some touches on psychological stress as well. A bit of everything put together perfectly.
Great narration and different points of views and timelines. Everything fit together at the end.
Hard to put this one down.

Wild Dark Shore is literary cli-fi with unforgettable characters and an incredible sense of place. Dom Salt and his three children live on the remote island of Shearwater, caring for the world's largest seed bank. The family is trying to save the seeds before rising tides claim the storage facility, and one day a woman, Rowan, washes up on their shores after she is shipwrecked in a terrible storm. There are plenty of secrets that all the characters are keeping from each other, and even as Rowan and the Salt family form close bonds and grow to care for each other, the things they're hiding from each other threaten to tear them apart. This story was completely enthralling and packs a big emotional punch. I can't wait to read McConaghy's backlist. Also, the audiobook is wonderful, with a full cast to read the different characters' viewpoints. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a digital audiobook review copy.

My first time reading Charlotte McConaghy and how I loved every moment!!
🌊
A captivating story of a family whose members are facing individual struggles and feeling the far reaching grief of losing their matriarch. Dominic Salt is a widowed father of three who moved his family to Shearwater a remote island near Antarctica. They serve as caretakers on the island which houses a massive seed bank. With the researchers gone the Salts are the sole inhabitants of the island alongside the teeming wildlife. A woman washes ashore clinging to life and despite Dominic’s suspicions the Salts care for her injuries. As Rowan recovers she realizes the radios have been destroyed, so leaving Shearwater may not be as straightforward as she assumed.

The setting stands out as a character itself. The island with its secrets, seals,🦭 whales,🐋 and wild nature everywhere was stunning. The prose struck me with immediate force elegant without being flowery. The compelling plot and flawed characters made this an immersive treasure.

Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, and Steve West were incredible narrators bringing this vivid emotional story to life.

I was hanging on every word!

🌟All the stars!!🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an Advanced Listening Copy for review.
All opinions are my own.