The Vines ARC Review

 The Vines by Shelley Nolden

Release date: March 23, 2021

Historical Fiction, Thriller, Sci-fi

Thanks to Netgalley and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 20%

I picked up The Vines because Netgalley had a copy available for review without publisher approval. I also want to preface my review by saying I don’t like to DNF books. I picked up The Vines and put it back down multiple times, yet no matter how many times I tried, I could not get into the novel’s plot or characters.

The plot is the reason that I decided to read the novel. Cora is the sole inhabitant of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island in New York. She’s lived alone for over a hundred years, her body housing diseases like typhus, measles, and tuberculosis. When Finn meets her, he’s shocked to find anyone living on the island, and even more shocked when he realizes his family’s history might have something to do with it.

The reason this book didn’t resonate with me was the flat writing. It was hard to enjoy the book because the characters are difficult to connect with and don’t feel like real people. Furthermore, there was information overload in the first couple chapters, which in my opinion caused the book to feel very lifeless and more like non-fiction.

One thing I did like about the novel was the concept. I never knew that there were abandoned islands in New York that once housed people with quarantinable illnesses. While I don’t have an interest in finishing the book, I do want to learn more about the people who once lived on the islands.

Rating 1/5: While this book didn’t work for me, I think anyone who likes to read cool concepts and science fiction debuts might enjoy the plot. Overall, The Vines was definitely a disappointment for me.