What originally drew me to Marrow Island was that it was recommended to fans of Station Eleven, which I read a few years back and enjoyed. After reading the book description, Marrow Island sounded like it was going to be a creepy & mysterious read. I was anticipating a story about a woman uncovering the secrets of a cult-like group living on a deserted island. I was excited for a wild ride!

The story idea for Marrow Island was excellent, unfortunately the execution didn’t exactly pan out. Not sure where the Station Eleven reference is coming from, because I didn’t get any similar elements or feelings between Station Eleven and Marrow Island… The plot line was incoherent for the majority of the book. I felt like I was missing big chunks of information that was necessary to make sense of the story. Ever wonder what an acid trip feels like? Well Marrow Island felt like an acid trip. That’s how disorienting it felt.

The majority of this book is about Lucie AFTER the big event that occurred on the island. Despite the synopsis, we do not get much about the cult or their life on the island. We are given big chunks of Lucie’s life in the present, mixed with a sprinkling of flashbacks of when Lucie revisits the island and interacts with the group of people living there. Lucie’s traumatic event revisiting the island causes her to not be in a good place mentally in the present timeline. Possible content/trigger warning for depression. The present timeline consists of Lucie freeloading off a man, who she is in some type of superficial relationship with, and spends her days hiking alone in the woods…. Due to Lucie’s present state, and lack of character development, it makes it very hard to be sympathetic. I typically do not mind timelines that are not linear, but the flashbacks and time hops did NOT work here.

The one aspect about this book that I did appreciate was the environmental issues & the economic issues that occur in the aftermath of a natural disaster. I think oftentimes right after a natural disaster, many people are eager to help, but as time goes on that help becomes less and less. People get on with their own lives, but where does this leave those left behind after a natural disaster? What happens to these communities that are ravaged? In this situation, an earthquake causes a refinery to be destroyed thus polluting the island. Where do these displaced people go? How do they just pick up and restart their lives? Despite the fact that I had lots of issues with Marrow Island, I will say that this aspect of the book made me think long after I finished.

Coming in at just under 250 pages, Marrow Island is a relatively quick read that you can finish in a few hours. Even though this was not an enjoyable read for me, at least I didn’t have a ton of time invested in it.

*Big thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very well written. I loved all of the descriptive language, all of the nature in the pacific northwest. Unfortunately, the main character felt a bit bland and the mystery aspect of the story kind of fell flat for me. I was in it for the thriller that it was marketed as but as a result it turned out very watered down.

I wanted to love this book. The concept sounded right up my street but the plot just did not deliver. I was bored 90% of the time and felt no connection with the characters. Maybe it was a case of right book at the wrong time, but this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Marrow Island.

After an earthquake ravages the island she lives on, Lucie is forced to leave. But her job and curiosity bring her back as an adult, reuniting her with her best friend, and first love Katie. While it's nice to see her old home, things don't feel quite right on Marrow Island. Lucie has to unravel the secrets that the citizens of the colony keep.

Ugh, I never feel good leaving a negative review, but this book was like an ongoing fever dream. It started out with promise. I liked the foggy intrigue. I loved the spooky landscaping and I was ready to dive into a splendid mystery. But once we got going I felt like I was trapped in a poorly lit funhouse playing screechy loud music. I could never quite get a firm grip on the plot and there were too many inconsequential details. Truth be told, I'm relieved to just have it behind me.