Lucy Strange is one of those authors whose books always get moved straight to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile. Imagine my delight when a rather special package dropped through my letterbox…

“Abandoned at a boarding school on a bleak and remote Scottish island, Faye discovers that she and the other pupils have been sent there for doing something wicked. But what is it that Faye has done?

She might be bold enough to explore the prison-like island but has she the courage to face a secret deep within herself?”

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Lucy’s new book was everything I hoped it would be. From the gloriously gothic setting of a remote windswept island with raging winds and towering cliffs, to a mysterious school for ‘troubled’ children, everything was in place for precisely the kind of story Lucy excels at writing.

The story setup and the mystery of precisely what wicked act Faye had done, had me drawn immediately into the dark and dangerous world of Auk Island. What had she done? Why couldn’t she remember? What was wrong with her father?

There were also a host of truly villainous (and heroic) characters. It initially seemed to be a case of ‘disturbed’ children vs equally disturbed adults. I experienced the bleakness of Faye’s latest boarding school through her eyes, those of the forthright Boudicca, and of the hunted Prince Filiberto.

An excellent twisty-turny plot which will keep readers guessing until the very end. A fantastic choice for readers aged 10+

Jo.

The Island at the Edge of Night by Lucy Strange (£7.99, Chicken House) available now. 

*Many thanks to Chicken House Books for sending me this title to review*