Published: December 17th, 2010
Publisher: Troll Publishing (Self-Published)
Rating: YA 14+
Format: Finished Copy
Source: Sent from the Author
Amazon
❘ GoodreadsPhoebe MacIntire, who is a servant to her father and sisters in her own house in Scotland in 1855, is an ordinary girl, with no big dreams for the future. She's perfectly happy in her humble life, with her cot in the basement and her little garden in the backyard. But when her father up and sends her to Newfoundland to be the lifelong servant to Lord Jacobs, she finds her life gets turned upside down.
Her journey across the Atlantic to her new home is long, scary and very unpleasant. When she arrives at the manor on a small island, she finds the beautiful place abandoned and only a note waits for her explaining her duties, the strange dietary requirements, and sleeping habits of her new master.
The very first night in her new home she's haunted in her dreams by a woman who clearly does not want her there and a strange blue-eyed man-wolf creature that follows the woman. Her dreams become more and more violent and mysteries start to be uncovered about a woman who was killed in a fire on the island, a creature that preys on anyone that comes to the island and a love story gone wrong that dates back over a hundred and twenty two years.
Join Phoebe as she explores the past, delving into witchcraft, and vampirism to help a brother save another from a life of sadness and misconception, making some amazing and surprising friends along the way.
When I first heard of Somber Island, I immediately thought, "OMG! It sounds like Jane Eyre!" and when I started reading it, I kinda saw I was right. Mrs. Tolles told me that the language was modern, and not the "language" that was spoken during that time period. But aside that, there are quite a bit of similarities in terms of plot. Pheobe is hired by Lord Jacobs, as Jane is hired by Mr. Rochester and they BOTH fall in love with them. Both Lord Jacobs and Mr. Rochester have a secret. There are more, but I'm afraid I'll give away both Somber Island and Jane Eyre if I do :) But Sober Island was an amazing paranormal take on Jane Eyre and I'm sure YA Vamp Fans will love this addition to the genre.
I thought Pheobe was a very sweet character and that her relationship with Nate is one I was rooting for the whole time! I honestly thought she would get with Jonathan first, but then I'm glad everything worked out in the end. Samuel's story was sad, and I'm glad in the end things worked out for him. Of course, the antagonist Emma is pretty creepy and the description of her kinda scared me. I loved that effect of description, especially as she was the baddie in this book.
There was a bit of surprises along the way, but the thing about the book is that it's quite predictable in some areas. It's an amazing story, but there were some scenes where I could tell what was going to happen next and guess what? It happened. It's a quick-paced book though, I managed to finish it in one sitting. Which brings me to another thing, the ending was too short and explained everything too fast. It was a nice ending, but just too quick! The font size also helped, as it was clearer and easier to read. LOVED the Cover Art (it was what caught my attention) and I think it really has that haunted, eerie look to it.
Overall, Somber Island is a new and different addition to the Paranormal genre of YA, with the story and some elements of Jane Eyre, it certainly does get the reader enthralled into the story!
**Thank you so much to T. Lynne Tolles for sending me Somber Island for review!**
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