Nell lives on a remote island with seasonal work. She used to be a fairly known artist who traveled the world and displayed her art, but that life is in the past. She dreams about her past life, but is convincing herself that this is for the better.

One day Nell gets a letter at her door from the reclusive Iníons that find refuge on her home island. They ask her to make an art piece that is based on their history, and she accepts the proposal. What unfolds after, is not at all what she imagined.

I rated it 3.5 stars. The start was confusing, as the time skips wasn't super noticeable. It wasn't that exciting either - but it picked up the pace around page 70. I felt the tension, and was always wondering what would happen next.

Since the book is only 300 pages long, I feel 70 pages in is too late for the tension and creepy vibes. The start is really slow - and it doesn't really make one connect to the main character Nell or the islanders, as it should have. You get to know more about the unnamed island, sure, but many of the earlier mentions are also mentioned later in the book. 

If you don't feel like reading 70 boring pages before the book becomes fascinating, I'd suggest to not read it. I did think it was worth it, but I know not everyone will be willing to read one third of the book before anything happens.

I did see where the mystery was going, especially towards the end - but the suspense and tension were still there. I couldn't stop reading, as I really wanted to know what would happen next.

In the beginning I found the book very confusing, as we switch POV's several times - and it's not always obvious which perspective you're reading. Later on I found it easier, but it was still confusing at times. The perspectives didn't necessarily give more depth to the story, especially a very specific POV, which was a little annoying. I think the book would have been much better with a more in-depth perspective from Nell or the Iníons, and scratch

Cleary's

POV. 

The romance was also awful and added nothing to the story - except showing that Nell was not wife material (as they called it in the book).

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had way more potential though that was not used, which is a bummer. I wish we got to know more about the Iníons, as I think this would add more to the story and could've made the book better. Especially as we know literally nothing - some stories could've added tension and suspense, and make for a great plot. It may have explained the ending better as well - 'cus at this point, it was kind of confusing.