The Vines

The Vines, Shelly Nolden Historical, Fiction 412 pages 3/5 stars

Synopsis: In the shadows of New York City lies forbidden North Brother Island, where the remains of a shuttered hospital hide the haunting memories of century-old quarantines and human experiments. The ruins conceal the scarred and beautiful Cora, imprisoned by contagions and the doctors who torment her. When Finn, a young urban explorer, arrives on the island and glimpses an enigmatic beauty through the foliage, intrigue turns to obsession as he seeks to uncover her past—and his own family’s dark secrets. By unraveling these mysteries, will he be able to save Cora? Will Cora meet the same tragic ending as the thousands who’ve already perished on the island?

The Vines intertwines North Brother Island’s horrific and elusive history with a captivating tale of love, betrayal, survival, and loss.

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I enjoyed this book and it is currently very fitting to today’s situation! The story speaks about coronavirus SAR and a variety of viruses, starting from 1901. A woman, named Cora is used as a ‘lab rat’ for different trials to find vaccines and cure the illnesses, throughout the book, it goes from past to present day to tell the story of Cora. It is scientific and really interesting. In 2008, which is the present day, we meet Finn, an explorer who finds himself on the island, where the adventure begins to try and find Cora and save her. Does she exist? What will Finn entail?

This historical story is interesting and full of suspense, survival, love and heartbreak. I liked that the storyline was set in a real abandoned place called North Brother Island, which is in New York City. If you enjoy historical reads with some science involved, then you’ll really enjoy this book!