Such a great book, the beginning had me completely hooked and freaked out.

I loved the character development experiencing the families fear and the ways the battles to be free.

The environment and atmosphere were written well, I had complete ‘The Hills have eyes’ vibes

I found this book to be very exciting.

it was very informative and extremely realistic.

great pacing throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this book. I wanted to read this as soon as I heard it was written by Adrian McKinty. I loved The Chain, and since then have been a fan of this Author watching out for his next book. Then along came The Island.
My expectations were probably far to high based on his previous book, and I didn't like The Island as much as I liked The Chain, but I did give it 4 stars so its fair to say I enjoyed it a lot.

So, an American family on holiday in Australia with a new young Step-Mother does not sound appealing. But that is 100 times better than a trip to Dutch Island! This is the worst island you could go on holiday too. It was supposed to be a quick trip over to see koalas, then back again. But an accident happens and the family are not able to return quite as soon as they would like.

The ultimate game of cat and mouse, except the cats are angry, violent and live to their own laws. The mice are hungry, thirsty and alone with nothing.
The book is a thriller and I read with a pinch of salt, as I felt some parts were slightly unbelievable, but its a thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would have liked the end to be slightly more drawn out, as to me it felt quite quick.

I loved the character development as the family were scared, but got braver and more creative in their ways to stay safe. The environment and atmosphere was really well written, as I got a good image of the savage terrain that they were on.

Another brilliant thriller by Adrian McKinty. I will be keeping a close eye when his next book comes out.

I really don't know where to begin with this book.
I couldn't put it down once I'd started reading. I read it in one sitting.
This book is terrifying because it could very well happen. There isn't a psychopath or a supernatural evil, but a viable human threat and its captivating.

Adrian Mckinty’s previous novel The Chain was a supremely clever and original thriller and I couldn’t wait for his latest The Island. This book is a full throttle blockbuster rollercoaster of a book. Yes you have to suspend belief at times, but that is part of the fun of this book that has everything and the kitchen sink from action, drama, thrills, murder, survival and more. Deliverance meets the The River Wild this is one who will do anything to save her family.

Knock out summer blockbuster five out of five

This is a tense thriller which wouldn't encourage you to go looking for a day trip to this island. Heather and her new family don't realise the danger they are putting themselves in on an impulsive outing and she is shocked by the choices her husband makes when it comes to survival. We are kept on the edge of our seats wondering if she can save herself and her reluctant step-children.

I was actually quite disappointed by this book after having read 'The Chain' by the same author.
The Chain was brilliant, but The Island just felt unbelievable in places and too farfetched even for fiction.
There were still elements that I did enjoy however, and I like the authors writing style, just not the storyline.

I really couldn’t get on with this book. The writing was more for the ya audience and varied between over descriptions to glossing over key parts. I didn’t like the characters and therefore wasn’t engaged with the chase. Sorry there are better novels out there with a similar concept.

Who doesn’t love a seriously creepy, heart-pounding thriller to see you through the boiling hot days of summer? I certainly do! I know that Adrian McKinty is known for The Chain, which I haven’t read but I’m very intrigued by the premise of that book. His latest release The Island was genuinely unputdownable for me, so I thoroughly recommend it if you want something that will make you completely forget where you are and what the time is!

When Heather Baxter married Tom, a widowed doctor with two children, she knew that their marriage may well involve some travel. So she’s excited to learn that all four of them will be taking a trip to the Aussie outback where Tom is due to speak at a conference. A boat trip to the remote Dutch Island promises glimpses of koalas but almost as soon as they arrive, it becomes apparent that the island locals really don’t want them there. But after a tragic accident, it becomes apparent that the hunt is on and they won’t be leaving alive.

Like all good thrillers, there were a couple of mysteries running simultaneously and one of them could easily have been forgotten about. I was wary of Tom from the very beginning because the husband/father is always a prime suspect for having done something incredibly dark, even if it’s not related to the main action. There were a few times where Tom’s status as a widower was mentioned and towards the end, it becomes more apparent that the death of his first wife wasn’t exactly as it was reported. So, my suspicions were with him but as he was largely absent from the bulk of the plot, my attention was diverted and I couldn’t quite figure out how or even if he was involved with what was happening on the island.

One of the locals was also having a bit of a crisis of loyalty, simply due to the fact that he wasn’t a true islander. I found Matt a really interesting character who was thoroughly unpredictable and it seemed to be the only island resident with any kind of moral compass. This is a fast-paced thriller, so I understand why we didn’t get a lot of background on the O’Neill family but I think I would have loved it. I wanted to know how they came to be squatters of Dutch Island and why they were as depraved as they were.

There was a touch of Lord of the Flies to the story too and I think it delivered a similar message. The idea that humans are the real monsters and that in extreme situations, that monster comes out is a really powerful one and perhaps puts the O’Neills in a more sympathetic light. Remote islands turn ordinary humans into violent, immoral demons -who knew?

The Island is a very exciting, heart-in-mouth page-turner with a few twists along the way and plenty of drama at the climax. There is some really horrible imagery, so it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. I found it very easy to put myself right in the terrible action, which is testament to McKinty’s talent but perhaps put pictures in my mind that I simply can’t shake. A must read for lovers of sticky, tight thrillers that won’t quit.

An American family- surgeon Tom, his wife second and young Heather and two children from his first marriage, are on an extended vacation in Australia. The usually family hostility where a young step mother is trying to impress her husband's children causes difficulties in their enjoyment of the holiday and gradually as the story progresses these chinks in the armour a the successful middle class family lead to sinsister and dangerous events. which lead them stranded on an island inhabited by laeless and violent people.. Dutch Island, with its shark infested waters, infrequent contact with mainland, harsh relentless heat and dust, is quite a vivid creation of the author's and an air of menace is soon developed.. In his desire to explore a remote and partly inaccessible area in order to experience authentic Australia and engage in the wildlife, arrogant Tom, by paying a huge sum of money to a stranger to ferry them to the island, exposes his own family and that of a Dutch couple who crossed the water with them to life threatening ordeals.

I am a long term fan of Adrian's books, particularly the Sean Duffy ones. I loved The Chain as well and expected something more like that than what The Island turned out to be. It is an amalgum of all the Austalian horror stories you may have encountered, complete with Deliverance style lawless characters. Although for nthe most part, the writing style was polished enough to keep me reading, ity was more in the hope that the plot would change into something more surprising than the damp squib that was eventually delivered. The main problem for me, I think, was that the charactyers were not convincing and not engaging. I lost interest in them and ceased to care.
However, I am sure that most readers will enjoy this horror story more than I did because there are elements of surprise and some suspenseful moments.

This is very much a ‘chase’ novel. A family are trapped on an island with the ‘Deliverance’ type family living there trying to capture and kill them,
I kept reading as I wanted to know what happened but to be honest it isn’t the type of book I would normally go for, if you enjoy the thrill of a chase this one is for you,

Firstly I need to say when I saw one of the characters was from Ballymena I automatically began reading in a Northern Irish accent(I'm from NI) and it was fun to learn that the author was also born in Belfast!

This story is not your typical island story, it's not beach vibes it's more a survival story with a lot of high stakes and constant moving. It tells the story of a recently married couple and his two children who are in Australia for a work trip, whilst there they decide to take one of the days to see some of the wild life and come across people who offer them a chance to take the ferry to a private island to see some animals, everything from there on out becomes a game of survival

Well, the fact I read this in about 3 days proves it’s a page turner. Highly unbelievable but it really doesn’t matter. In the face of adversity Heather, newish wife to a recently widowed man, turns from compliant spouse and loathed stepmother to a fierce protector with the ability to outwit an entire family of degenerates. But I still enjoyed it! The pace was faster than fast and I can thoroughly recommend if you want to escape reality for a while and embark on this gruesome but entertaining story of survival both mentally and physically.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Phew, I now need to take an unlikely leaf out of Heather and Tom’s books to meditate and slow down my heart beats!

A trip to the outback gone wrong. When they discover remote Dutch Island and insist on visiting, father, Tom is killed, so stepmother Heather is left to look after Olivia and Owen (both of whom dislike their stepmother immensely). Things have taken a nasty turn on the island and Heather does her utmost to look after the children and escape, despite many obstacles.

Quite a gruelling and gripping read, I rate it 3 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley/author/publisher for an advanced copy of this!

I loved this one! The whole story/characters were great!

I loved following along with this and have since purchased a physical copy

A dream holiday turns into a very real nightmare and it could be a very real situation for any one of us . Heather was by far my favourite character. I want to get into a descriptive rundown of the book, but I really want readers to pick this book up and absorb it for themselves. Absolutely one of my best books I've read so far and I'll be sure to read it again.

I thoroughly enjoyed the last book from this author, so couldn't wait for his next book.
It is an intense thriller.
When a family decides to take a trip on a remote Island to 'see Koalas ' the family who own the Island have told them they have to agree to stay on the road at not to detour.
But an accident soon happens and the whole family have to not just for their lives but have to decides who lives or who dies.


Another gripping and fantastic read.

I nearly gave up a few times with this. It seemed needlessly graphic in places, that didn't add anything to the story but seemed to be there for shock value only, and I'm no prude but it made me uncomfortable.

However, I stuck with it, and the storyline did get a bit better, although I still had the feeling that a few balls were dropped along the way. All in all, I'm glad i read it, but I'm also glad it's over.

I felt the island read like a horror film in my head. The action was non stop and the story was well developed. Big 'wolf creek' vibes throughout. Plenty of suspense and likable main characters, plus terrifying baddies. All the right ingredients for a decent thriller! Really enjoyed!

Tom and Heather Baxter have travelled with Tom’s two children, Olivia and Owen to Australia where Tom is attending a medical conference. Using some free time to take the kids on a koala finding expedition brings them into contact with Jacko and Matt. Both men live on Dutch Island, a private enclosed community. Tom persuades them to let the family pay a brief visit, promising to keep to the coastal road and not venture into the interior. However, following a tragic accident, the family find themselves fighting to stay alive as they are pursued by an uncompromising group of people bent on revenge.
The Island isn’t everyone’s read, but despite the violent and sometimes brutal happenings, I could not put it down. It’s well written, with believable characters. The plot fast paced with twists and turns that leave you on the edge of your seat.
I would like to thank Orion, Adrian McKintey and Netgally for an ARC of The Island in exchange for an honest review.