Book Blurb:
GRAY WOLF ISLAND by Tracey Neithercott
Pub. Date: October 10, 2017
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Right before Sadie died, she begged her sister, Ruby, to do the one thing she could never do herself: Find the treasure on Gray Wolf Island.
With just a mysterious treasure map as a guide, Ruby reluctantly allows some friends to join her on the hunt, each of whom is touched by magic: a boy allegedly born to a virgin, a girl who never sleeps, a boy who can foresee his own death, and a boy with deep ties to the island. Each of them is also keeping a secret—something they’ll have to reveal in order to reach the treasure.
As the secrets come to light, Ruby will have to decide: Can she make peace with her friends’ troubled pasts and continue to trust them? Can she forgive herself for doing the unspeakable? Deep in the wilderness of Gray Wolf Island, Ruby’s choices will determine if they make it out with the treasure—or merely with their lives.
From debut author Tracey Neithercott comes a darkly compelling tale of profound friendship, adventure, and finding the strength to tell the truth.
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My Review:
5 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Heart, Hysterical, Mystery, Survival, Suspense, Teen--
Ruby's dying twin sister Sadie was the world to Ruby, so when she asked Ruby to discover the treasure on Gray Wolf island that she will never get, Ruby can't say no. There was another darker request Ruby also had to perform for Sadie, one that has haunted her for the last year. Trying to make good on her promise, Ruby finds a treasure map and through no fault of her own, she ends up with a ragtag group of kids who plan to help her in her treasure hunt- despite her protests. It appears as if the loner Ruby may have inadvertently gotten friends to adventure with- now the hard part will be them surviving to make it home.
This had all the feels of the growing-up/adventure stories I grew up from the '80s and '90s such as Goonies, Now and Then and Wild America, full of action, danger, myths/folktales born of small towns that help to create the tone for the treasure hunt and learning who you are and being happy with what you discover. The story really pushed the importance of friendship and trust and letting go of past misconceptions and hurts. The book had adventure, action, mystery, danger in all forms, lies, truths, betrayals, heartbreak and a teeny tiny touch of romance.
This story had so many feels that I was sucked into! I was expecting a dangerous treasure hunt, but what I received was strongly motivated by character development and relationship dynamics with a treasure hunt as a background note. I knew I wanted to read the story when I first stumbled upon it, but I quickly discovered that I loved the book and could not put it down!
The story is narrated by Ruby, but all of the characters were given such personality and quirks, be it flirty 100 year old Doris, or patient kind Bishop with "Bart" (the fact he told "Bart" he was his greatest possession! Gah! sniffle, sniffle).
We have Ruby the girl who thinks she is nothing without her twin Sadie, the twin she gave mercy to, who is such a quiet lonely girl who becomes her true self on this journey. Elliot the boy who is likely to go crazy and kill himself just like his father, covered in his bad-boy swagger trying to keep his intelligent mind secret; Gabe the boy who was born from the virgin and can bring good or bad luck to the town, and flirts his way through all girls but bakes like a pro; Charles the boy who saw his own death but lived life to the fullest every chance he gets, and Anne the girl who needed more time so didn't sleep, who makes the most insightful comments and is quick to forgive. What a cast of characters! They were equal parts endearing and intriguing, making me unsure what I really wanted to happen with the treasure, but convinced I wanted the best for them all, despite their secrets.
The writing style really resounded with me, giving humor and heart at unexpected moments where I expected seriousness and potential despair. I have included a few interactions that were lovely and at times made me giggle. The banter between the characters was exactly how I want all character interactions: ridiculous, funny and endearing.
---Elliot lounges beside him, bare-chested and graffitied up. Skin full of stories- that's what Sadie would say. I'm feeling particularly literary at the moment, so I quickly look away.
---Elliot has a look about him, like he has a mouthful of letters and is deciding which to swallow.
---“Don’t worry —he’s mostly harmless. Unless you’re allergic to brooding looks or clenched jaws.”
“You really never know,” Anne says.
---“I discovered a really great word one day when Sadie was sick: Ya’aburnee. In Arabic, it’s hoping you die before someone you love because you can’t bear to live without them. There’s no English word for it.”
---“If only she had a sword. Why don’t we ever have swords when we need them?”
“There’s not a single time in my life I’ve needed a sword,” Elliot says.
“Well, that’s because you have no imagination.”
---“Aw, look how happy you’ve made him,” Charlie says, wrapping his skinny arms around my shoulders from behind. “You have a beautiful brain, Ruby Caine.”
“Excellent rhyme,” Anne says.
As a side note, I really enjoyed the chapters told from Cooper (aka Bart) and the small bread crumbs that were dropped and then found again in the chapters told by Ruby. I was trying so hard to put things together right from the start, but the path the story took was perfect and it just made me want to hug the book to me (see, the FEELS!)
This is Tracey's debut novel and I am so in love with it. There was a little bit of everything here I could not imagine anyone being unhappy with what take from this story and it is wrapped up in a nice little stand-alone bow. Hands down, this will be the next book that I encourage and sometimes force on all my friends and family to read because how could I not? I am so excited for whatever Tracey wants to right about next. (oh and ps Tracey- it never hurts to throw in a Star Wars character every now and then).
I received this title for reviewing purposes.
Author Bio:
My first book was written by hand and illustrated with some really fancy colored pencils. It was highly acclaimed by my mother. Now, I write YA stories of friendship, love, murder, and magic. (None of which I illustrate—you’re welcome.) I live in Massachusetts with my husband, who suggests improving my novels by adding Star Wars characters.
I’m the author of Gray Wolf Island, a YA novel about the truth, a treasure, and five teens searching for both. Coming fall 2017 from Knopf/Random House.
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/25/2017- YAandWine- Interview
9/26/2017- Arctic Books- Review
9/27/2017- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt
9/28/2017- Smada's Book Smack- Review
9/29/2017- Bookish in Texas- Interview
Week Two:
10/2/2017- Omg Books and More Books- Review
10/3/2017- Falling For YA- Excerpt
10/4/2017- NovelKnight - Review
10/5/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post
10/6/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review
Tour provided by Rockstar Book Tours
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