Blog Tour: Spy Island by Sophie Schiller (Review and Giveaway)

Today, I'm happy to host a stop on the blog tour for Sophie Schiller's Spy Island. To keep up to date on the tour click HERE. Now for the review and giveaway....

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Summary/Cover Image from Author:

Abby Maduro is a young girl living a purposeless existence when she rescues a handsome deserter from a German U-boat, Erich Seibold, who has washed ahore on her Caribbean island  Abigail hides Erich in the basement of her house and friendship and love blossom between the unlikely pair. Unbeknownst to Abby, St. Thomas is a hotbed of German spies and saboteurs who use their Hamburg steamers to aid the Kaiser's war effort. When island's German Consul, Lothar Langsdorff, discovers Erich's presence on the island, he forces him back into the conflict. Langsdorff blackmails Erich into committing sabotage and murder, throwing the whole island into chaos and plunging Abby headfirst into the dangerous world of German spies. When Erich is arrested, Abigail faces the ultimate test. But as long as Lothar Langsdorff is on the loose, Abby relies on her wits, bravery, and a little island magic to save Erich and rid her tranquil island of a nest of German spies.

If you can imagine "Summer of My German Soldier" set on a Caribbean island replete with German spy characters, Old World Danish characters, colorful West Indian characters, blazing Luger pistols, a mad Voodoo Queen, and a brave and resourceful heroine, then you have a good picture of Spy Island.

Review:

As soon as I read the summary for Spy Island, I knew it was the book for me. I always love historical fiction novels, especially when they have to do with exciting things such as German spies and exotic locations. Luckily, Spy Island managed to be everything I had hoped it would and much, much more!

Spy Island begins the story of Abby Maduro, an everyday girl living in Panama during the early 1900s. She loves her parents and  friends, and she hopes to one day become a school teacher. However, everything changes for Abby when her parents die in a tragic accident. Suddenly, Abby's alone, and thanks to one of parents most "trusted" advisers, she now has no money to her name and is being sent to live with her crabby Aunt Esther in the Dutch West Indies. Abby isn't enthused. However, what she's about to find in the Dutch West Indies might change her life forever, but in what kind of way exactly? Only time and more pages can tell!

Spy Island had a lot of good things going for it, and one of those aspects would have had to be the characters. Sophie introduced such a lively and likeable group of people within this one, and even the characters that weren't as likable were still a ton of fun to read about it. One of my favorites, though, would have had to be Abby. At first, I was worried Abby would end up being the typical spoiled rich girl, always looking for a new hobby to keep her interest. However, Abby ended up being dauntless, especially when it came to helping her new friends out as well as tracking German spies. I loved seeing Abby interact with the wide variety of island natives such as her aunt's housekeepers as well as her two new found friends, Erich and Ian. Abby's interactions with each and every character added a lot to the book as well as her character to say the least.

The plot and writing in this was also truly fascinating. As mentioned before, I always love a good historical read, and Spy Island managed to be just that. From the first page, I was instantly thrown into Abby's world and truly taken aback by the lovely descriptions ranging from those of Panama to those of life at sea to those of the Dutch West Indies. Sophie really managed to make me feel like I was right there with the characters in this one and it added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. Plus it's made me feel as if I need to travel to these places. I also loved the focus on German spies and the war efforts going on. It added a lot of tension and plot turns and twists to the book, and I love how I ended up learning a lot about this time period by the end.

In all, Spy Island is a thrilling and fast paced novel perfect for fans of historical fiction and mystery. However, be warned, this is a read in one sitting kind of book.

Grade: B+ 

Spy Island (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: eBook provided by author

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About the Author:

Sophie Schiller grew up in the West Indies amid aging pirates and retired German spies. She was educated at American University, Washington, D.C. and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Author Links: 

Sophie Schiller's FB page * Sophie Schiller's Blog

Giveaway:

Thanks to Sophie, I have one paperback copy of Spy Island to giveaway! 

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter giveaway form below.

Official Giveaway Rules:

~ Must have a US or Canada mailing address

~ Must  be 13 years or older

a Rafflecopter giveaway