Thank you Karina Halle for the digital arc access provided to my book club. All opinions are my own. 

Karina Halle nails the spooky atmosphere in this thriller dark romance involving a mysterious internship on an isolated island. With odd flora and scary fauna, I could feel and imagine the setting through Halle’s descriptions and the scenes within the story. It goes on the line of is this real or in the head of our main character, Sydney. 

That being said, I did have a hard time “believing” in this book. Aside from the setting, I felt like I was constantly being told something is wrong with this place or Sydney was “special”, without any depth added to justify or counter some claims. The internship and secondary characters felt the least developed as these interns didn’t grow beyond their initial descriptions nor did anything lasting (on page) happen in regard to their internship. The characters themselves said they weren’t doing anything. I wasn’t too connected in the romance either especially from what we learn of the main character and the whole ethics of being a therapist (as I’m in a parallel field). The writing style also felt more young adult/juvenile for my preference. 

I have mixed feelings about the reveals at the end. I only guessed part of the answer and I found the idea promising; what was hard for me was acknowledging the foreshadowing with its execution. Some of the foreshadowing, which later made sense, read as (research) errors initially and underdeveloped ideas. A reread or more time to process, may lessen this conflict. Again, I felt showing the why or how of this characters and setting could have added more understanding and impact to the end. 

Overall, a read perfect for October.