I requested this book but didn’t realise it was a follow on. After reading I will be reading the other books and will re read this book. I really enjoyed this book which follows the people of the island of St Kilda as they are moved from their homes to the mainland. It was a really well written book with some extraordinary characters.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and publisher Pan Macmillan | Macmillan UK for the read

'The Midnight Secret' is the last novel in the series. Written by Karen Swan, it is based around the real-life evacuation of St Kilda in the 1930's. This novel focuses on Jane, and closes the stories of three other characters (Effie, Flora and Mhairi) from the previous novels in the series. That said, it is well written and you could pick the threads up at this point. Jayne's life is far from happy. She is married to a bully and has inherited the gift of 'second sight', which keeps her apart from the other villagers. Once evacuated to the mainland, things do not improve for her in the way that she has hoped... The characters are carefully drawn and the historical detail is excellent. I have very much enjoyed the series and will be recommending it. Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC copy, this has not affected my review.

I have really loved the Wild Isle series. This fourth and last book is an excellent closing chapter to the whole series.

The book takes place in the months after the evacuation of St Kilda and follows up on the lives of Effie, Mhairi and Flora. Jayne, whom we met early on in the story, is brought back into focus in this final chapter. Jayne is married to Norman, a good-looking and strong man, but also a bully and a violent husband. Jayne has the gift (or the curse) of sight and she is now the one who, together with Effie, will help tie up all the loose ends of the story. Everything comes together and the truth is finally brought to light about the fateful events that happened on the night that preceded the evacuation of the island.

I liked how this book brought all the characters back together with little cues to remind us of their role in previous parts of the series. In the author’s note, Karen Swan acknowledges that too much time went between the books, but it was not a problem for me to get back into the story. And part of that is because the story lives on in my memory. The characters are strong and interesting. They have harsh lives and the evacuation is a really difficult event in their lives. Their island is wild and has a very tough climate but it is also very beautiful and special. This small community of St Kildans sticks together and tries to create a new life for themselves in their new environment. All this is written so beautifully that as soon as I started reading this book, I was just immersed in the story and the atmosphere again. It was as if I had finished the previous book yesterday.

This is one of those book series that leaves you with deep memories. Thanks to her meticulous research and her storytelling talent, Karen Swan brings St Kilda to life for us, its nature, its sounds, its people and the history that makes it a unique place. Although it seems hard now to leave this community behind at the end of the book, it also feels as though everything has fallen well into place. I definitely recommend this book, as I had the previous ones. I am grateful for the opportunity it has given me to learn about St Kilda’s traditions and history.

Thank you Netgalley and PanMacmillan for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I’ve enjoyed this emotional read.

I loved the descriptions of the way people lived on St. Kilda, as well as the characters, like Flora, Mhairi and Effie, the life they led.

The story was about these characters as well as Jayne’s life and her secrets were revealed.

It kept you hooked from the beginning and hard to put down.

I thoroughly recommend this series.

This has been a very interesting and emotional read. I found the description of the way of life on St. Kilda, fascinating to read about. Even more so, as I got to know the characters, especially Effie, Flora and Mhairi and their lives and loves. In this last book the story also includes Jayne and her life and the secrets she holds. Once again, I found myself gripped by the story and had difficulty in putting it down. I find the characters created by this author to be memorable and they stay with me for long after I’ve finished the book. I would say that it is best to read the previous books in the series so that you get the full picture. I thoroughly recommend this series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Midnight Secret by Karen Swan is the fourth and final book in the Wild Isle Series, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and the evacuation of its small community of inhabitants.

As in the previous novels we see events prior to the evacuation of the St Kildans but this time from the perspective of Jayne. However, unlike the previous novels, after leaving the island the narrative splits to follow Effie, Mhairi and Flora as well as Jayne, bringing much anticipated answers and tying up loose ends. I think Swan has done an incredible job bringing all these strands together and still managing to provide some unexpected twists, creating a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

A Karen Swan novel always evokes a strong sense of place for me. The research that has gone into creating this series is apparent in its rich detail. Swan also has a talent for creating engaging characters that leap off the page so you feel like they are old friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and I am sad to be saying goodbye to the St Kildans.

Thank you Pan Macmillan for inviting me to read this book and providing an ARC for review purposes.

I haven't read the previous books in this series, so I can only review this as a standalone. The writing is lyrical, and the characters are complex. The story has a mystical ethos and evocatively captures the remote wildness of the isle and the differences of living in a mainland setting. It engaged me, and I would like to read the other books in the series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Wow, The midnight secret picks up from where the previous book ended and answers some questions about the lead of this story, Jayne. We see how the St. Kildans are setlling down on land and making right, the wrongs done on the island in their last days there before evacuation.

I enjoyed the story, it was bittersweet, the journey of each woman we meet in this story, in the series is hard, tragic at times and yet filled with love, hope and little joys.

What a wonderful conclusion to this series. What a joy to be back with a girls again and I loved being with them as they try to find their lives away from St Kilda.

This fourth book has a focus on Jayne, she is a kind and good natured character who is dealing with a difficult situation. I enjoyed her growth in character as we see her do the best that she can and ultimately she realises at some point she needs to make a choice to turn her life around.

I love Effie, she captured my heart in the first book and I was glad to see her wild nature had not been curtailed and she’s a character I won’t forget in a hurry. She exactly who she is and is not scared to be herself at all.

Flora and Mhairi also feature and their lives both take different paths as they try to find happiness and peace. As their lives converge again it was so comforting to see that community and a sense of belonging had not gone away and people are drawn to each other through shared experiences.

All of the answers left from the previous books are answered and the plot was tied up very nicely. The last couple of chapters were heart warming. I was so pleased to see how it was for the girls and I will miss them so much. What a wonderful series and one I won’t forget for a long time. A re-read in the future is something I will be doing.

This was a worthy finale to the Wild Isles series. I think The Last Summer might still be my favourite, but I liked this very much.

In The Midnight Secret we return to St Kilda and it is advertised as being Jayne Ferguson’s story. I would have happily read it for this alone but I was utterly delighted to discover we also revisited the women from the previous books to resolve their stories too. There is a lot of heartache along the way, but I was very satisfied with how the stories concluded, as well as the mystery which has weaved through all the books.

Thank-you very much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read an eArc of this book.

I have been saving this book for a time when I knew I could fully immerse myself in it with no distractions and it was definitely worth the wait. I loved this book: scrap that, I’ve loved this entire series from the first page of book one to the last page of book four. If you haven’t read the previous books, go and get them now as you’ve been missing out (and this one won’t make much sense without the others). I feel slightly bereft that there won’t be any more books in this series as the whole cast of characters was so vividly brought to life, along with the locations, that I feel I really got to know them. I can’t stress enough how fantastic this was.

Have read all the books in this series and this one neatly ties up all the stories.
Jayne marries the most eligible man on St Kilda but he is a bully. Nasty Controlling and she hates him. She has second sight but only sees islanders deaths.
Jayne's sister in law dies and St Kilda is faced with mass evacuation to the mainland.
On the night before everyone leaves a murder takes place which will have implications for everyone.
Effie, Mhairi and Flora ' Jayne's closest friends are all in the frame for it.
However, Jayne predicts another death!

A haunting finale steeped in secrets, second sight, and simmering tension.

The Midnight Secret wraps up Karen Swan’s St Kilda trilogy with drama, heartache, and a dash of the supernatural. Though I hadn’t read the previous books, I was still pulled into the stormy lives of these isolated islanders—especially Jayne, whose quiet strength and tragic gift add a compelling layer to the story.

The writing is evocative and atmospheric, and the backdrop of St Kilda’s final days is both poignant and richly imagined. That said, newcomers may struggle with the web of relationships and backstory, which rely heavily on the earlier instalments for emotional depth.

A solid conclusion to a sweeping saga—best enjoyed in order for full impact.

First of all, you need to have read the first three books in the series before moving on to this one. There is so much backstory with the other characters that it’s essential.
As always Karen Swan completely knocks it out of the ball park and is truly in a league of her own when it comes to story telling. The shear amount of details and research that has been put into these books is outstanding. I have loved finding out so much about the St Kilda islands and the history around them. Having led me to read up on them and their history in their own right. Karen Swan is so spot on about them in her stories. It really brought the past back to life. Then the whole story spanning across all four books is totally outstanding and captivating. 100% recommend.

This book was amazing in every way. Every question I had from the previuos three books was answered, and answered perfectly. The way in which the islanders lives was described both before and after leaving the island was magical, and I could picture the descriptions vividly. All in all I was so satisfied with the storyline and the way it ended, I couldn't have asked for more. I will be recommending this whole series to everyone I know!

Wow! What a conclusion, this series is absolutely immense. Definitely not a standalone book, you need to read and enjoy the first three books in the series to get the whole overview of the story and marvel at the drawing together of all the loose ends in this book to result in the fabulous ending. I loved it and I will be reading all them again without the wait for the next instalment to be released between each one!

Thank you Netgalley

Having read all four books in this series, please start with book one and follow them in order.
This book is amazing, because it completes the story of the evacuation of the island of St Kilda and the consequences of ‘that night’ in 1930.
Focus is on Flora. And her quest to be reunited with her son together with Effie and how she obtained her nickname ‘lady of the lock’.
It is difficult not to give away any spoilers, so I will just say it was interesting to read about these. Fictional people who were uprooted from their only known life on the island and transported to the mainland. It cannot have been easy for the real villagers either..
I shall miss theses characters and envy those new readers who will discover the stories and secrets from St Kilda.

Imagine being married to the most handsome man on the island of St Kildare. Imagine if that man was a bully and imagine if you had the gift of second sight that could see the death of others. It’s all here in this tense read of love, loss and friendship. As the island is evacuated, secrets and violence surface, but will the past catch up with Jayne and her friends?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book following the people of St Kilda their loves and dramatic lives as they moved from their homes to the mainland. It was a real page turner with some truly lovely and fascinating characters. This was a truly wonderful series.

Karen Swan is a brilliant author and this doesn't disappoint, however it is the last in the series and you really need to have read the rest to enjoy it. I love the way it tells the full story of characters that we only knew a little of before and gives further insight into situations we already had been through. Finally the story is wrapped up, but perhaps not quite as you would expect, some interesting twists.