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The Island of the Lost: The spine-chilling gothic ghost story from debut author for fans of Francine Toon and Michelle Paver
Not yet published
Expected 10 Sep 26Liv doesn't believe in ghosts.
There is a small island off the coast of Italy that was once the site of a plague quarantine station, and later a psychiatric asylum. It now sits deserted, home only to the shadows of local folklore.
Liv doesn't believe her sister is dead.
Granted special permission to visit for a writing assignment, Liv sets sail for the abandoned island, but only she knows the real reason. She is certain it is the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she vanished eighteen months ago.
But Liv believes in whatever is on this island.
Alone with only her colleague Sam, Liv can't deny how unsettling the place truly is. How can a church tower toll when there is no bell? What is the ghostly figure in her peripheral vision? And why can she smell the smoke of burning bodies?
There is a small island off the coast of Italy that was once the site of a plague quarantine station, and later a psychiatric asylum. It now sits deserted, home only to the shadows of local folklore.
Liv doesn't believe her sister is dead.
Granted special permission to visit for a writing assignment, Liv sets sail for the abandoned island, but only she knows the real reason. She is certain it is the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she vanished eighteen months ago.
But Liv believes in whatever is on this island.
Alone with only her colleague Sam, Liv can't deny how unsettling the place truly is. How can a church tower toll when there is no bell? What is the ghostly figure in her peripheral vision? And why can she smell the smoke of burning bodies?
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I absolutely flew through The Island of the Lost by Daisy Stephens... a tense, atmospheric read that is equal parts ghostly and emotional.
The story centres on Liv, a writer who insists she doesn’t believe in ghosts. When she receives special permission to visit a small abandoned island off the coast of Italy. Once a plague quarantine station and later a psychiatric asylum... it seems like the perfect setting for a writing assignment. But Liv has a much more personal reason for going. She’s convinced the island was the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she mysteriously vanished eighteen months earlier, and unlike everyone else, Liv refuses to believe Mia is dead.
What follows is a haunting and increasingly unsettling exploration of the island and the secrets it holds. Alone except for her colleague Sam, Liv begins to experience things she can’t explain... a church tower tolling when there’s no bell, fleeting ghostly figures in her peripheral vision, and even the lingering smell of burning fire.
One of the standout elements of the novel is Stephens’ ability to paint the island so vividly. The imagery is fantastic... you can almost feel the isolation pressing in from all sides. The ruins, the forest, the silence, and the island’s dark history create an atmosphere thick with unease. The setting feels alive in the best possible way, becoming almost another eerie character in the story.
The emotional thread running through the book works really well. Beneath the hair-raising events is Liv’s grief, determination, and complicated bond with her sister. As the tension builds, the characters’ fears and vulnerabilities begin to surface, which gives the mystery real emotional weight.
A Quote I enjoyed:
That sense of being watched... of something just out of sight... runs throughout the novel and keeps the tension simmering.
This is also a very quick read. The pacing moves briskly, making it easy to finish in just a couple of sittings. Even with the fast pace, Stephens never loses the creeping sense of dread that hangs over the island.
If I had one small critique, it’s that a few moments felt like they could have lingered slightly longer to deepen the tension even further. But overall, the combination of eerie atmosphere, emotional stakes, and vivid imagery made this a very compelling read.
⭐ 4.5 stars
Many thanks to Daisy Stephens, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy. I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story centres on Liv, a writer who insists she doesn’t believe in ghosts. When she receives special permission to visit a small abandoned island off the coast of Italy. Once a plague quarantine station and later a psychiatric asylum... it seems like the perfect setting for a writing assignment. But Liv has a much more personal reason for going. She’s convinced the island was the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she mysteriously vanished eighteen months earlier, and unlike everyone else, Liv refuses to believe Mia is dead.
What follows is a haunting and increasingly unsettling exploration of the island and the secrets it holds. Alone except for her colleague Sam, Liv begins to experience things she can’t explain... a church tower tolling when there’s no bell, fleeting ghostly figures in her peripheral vision, and even the lingering smell of burning fire.
One of the standout elements of the novel is Stephens’ ability to paint the island so vividly. The imagery is fantastic... you can almost feel the isolation pressing in from all sides. The ruins, the forest, the silence, and the island’s dark history create an atmosphere thick with unease. The setting feels alive in the best possible way, becoming almost another eerie character in the story.
The emotional thread running through the book works really well. Beneath the hair-raising events is Liv’s grief, determination, and complicated bond with her sister. As the tension builds, the characters’ fears and vulnerabilities begin to surface, which gives the mystery real emotional weight.
A Quote I enjoyed:
“It is the footsteps I hear even when there's nothing behind me. Is it the movement in the corner of my eye when there's no one there.”
That sense of being watched... of something just out of sight... runs throughout the novel and keeps the tension simmering.
This is also a very quick read. The pacing moves briskly, making it easy to finish in just a couple of sittings. Even with the fast pace, Stephens never loses the creeping sense of dread that hangs over the island.
If I had one small critique, it’s that a few moments felt like they could have lingered slightly longer to deepen the tension even further. But overall, the combination of eerie atmosphere, emotional stakes, and vivid imagery made this a very compelling read.
⭐ 4.5 stars
Many thanks to Daisy Stephens, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy. I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I blame my soft spot for crumbling Italian masonry and the sheer, predictable ego of people who think they can outrun a personal collapse. Liv is your standard issue; skeptic, clutching logic like a weapon to ignore that her life actually stopped eighteen months ago when her twin, Mia, just... evaporated. The setting is pure bait: an island with a CV that includes the Black Death and a mental ward. It’s a place that practically screams for you to turn the boat around, but Stephens makes Liv’s fixated descent feel uncomfortably rational.
The pacing is tight. No filler, just a slow, airless drag through the rot of Poveglia. Her colleague Sam is basically a human grounding wire, existing mostly to remind the reader that people with functioning survival instincts don’t go looking for answers in plague pits. Their connection isn't some tiered romance; it’s just two people bound by the visceral fear that their own brains are starting to glitch.
Stephens bypasses the tired gothic cliches by leaning into the sensory filth. It’s not about jump scares; it’s the smell of smoke that isn't there and the tolling of a non-existent bell. The prose is lean and observant. It treats the haunting as a mathematical certainty; if you go digging for ghosts in a place built on agony, you're going to find exactly what you deserve.
The momentum hits a snag in the final act when the mystery starts to lose its fog. I usually prefer my ghosts to stay metaphorical, and there are beats where the plot starts checking off genre boxes I could do without. Still, the engine of the story, grief turning into a literal, physical haunting, holds up. It’s a cynical look at the lengths we go to avoid a final goodbye, even if it means stepping right into a meat grinder.
If your past feels like a physical weight you're dragging through the mud, this will land. It’s a reminder that the real monsters aren't hiding in the basement; they’re the ones we’ve already invited into our heads. Sharp, brief, and it doesn't insult you with a bow on top.
The pacing is tight. No filler, just a slow, airless drag through the rot of Poveglia. Her colleague Sam is basically a human grounding wire, existing mostly to remind the reader that people with functioning survival instincts don’t go looking for answers in plague pits. Their connection isn't some tiered romance; it’s just two people bound by the visceral fear that their own brains are starting to glitch.
Stephens bypasses the tired gothic cliches by leaning into the sensory filth. It’s not about jump scares; it’s the smell of smoke that isn't there and the tolling of a non-existent bell. The prose is lean and observant. It treats the haunting as a mathematical certainty; if you go digging for ghosts in a place built on agony, you're going to find exactly what you deserve.
The momentum hits a snag in the final act when the mystery starts to lose its fog. I usually prefer my ghosts to stay metaphorical, and there are beats where the plot starts checking off genre boxes I could do without. Still, the engine of the story, grief turning into a literal, physical haunting, holds up. It’s a cynical look at the lengths we go to avoid a final goodbye, even if it means stepping right into a meat grinder.
If your past feels like a physical weight you're dragging through the mud, this will land. It’s a reminder that the real monsters aren't hiding in the basement; they’re the ones we’ve already invited into our heads. Sharp, brief, and it doesn't insult you with a bow on top.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Island of the Lost is one of those rare gothic thrillers that manages to feel both intimate and cinematic, pulling you into its eerie world with a quiet, irresistible grip. From the moment Liv sets foot on the abandoned island off the Italian coast—a place steeped in plague history, whispered hauntings, and the lingering echoes of an asylum—you can feel the air shift. The setting is so vividly drawn it almost becomes a character in its own right.
Liv’s determination to uncover the truth about her twin sister Mia gives the story its emotional pulse. She doesn’t believe Mia is dead, and that stubborn, aching hope carries her through every unsettling moment on the island. Her grief is raw but never melodramatic, and the bond between the sisters—felt even in absence—adds a beautiful, haunting weight to the narrative.
The novel shines in its slow, creeping tension. Strange sounds in empty buildings, a church bell that rings despite having no bell, the flicker of a figure just out of sight—each moment is crafted with a subtlety that makes the supernatural feel dangerously plausible. The island’s history presses in from all sides, blurring the line between folklore and something far more sinister.
Liv’s partnership with Sam adds grounding and warmth, but even their dynamic is threaded with unease as the island begins to reveal its secrets. The sensory details—the smell of smoke, the echo of footsteps, the oppressive silence—build into a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after you close the book.
Dark, immersive, and beautifully unsettling, The Island of the Lost is a gripping exploration of grief, obsession, and the thin veil between the living and the dead. A perfect pick for readers who love their thrillers with a ghostly edge and a deeply human heart.
With thanks to Daisy Stephens, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Liv’s determination to uncover the truth about her twin sister Mia gives the story its emotional pulse. She doesn’t believe Mia is dead, and that stubborn, aching hope carries her through every unsettling moment on the island. Her grief is raw but never melodramatic, and the bond between the sisters—felt even in absence—adds a beautiful, haunting weight to the narrative.
The novel shines in its slow, creeping tension. Strange sounds in empty buildings, a church bell that rings despite having no bell, the flicker of a figure just out of sight—each moment is crafted with a subtlety that makes the supernatural feel dangerously plausible. The island’s history presses in from all sides, blurring the line between folklore and something far more sinister.
Liv’s partnership with Sam adds grounding and warmth, but even their dynamic is threaded with unease as the island begins to reveal its secrets. The sensory details—the smell of smoke, the echo of footsteps, the oppressive silence—build into a chilling atmosphere that lingers long after you close the book.
Dark, immersive, and beautifully unsettling, The Island of the Lost is a gripping exploration of grief, obsession, and the thin veil between the living and the dead. A perfect pick for readers who love their thrillers with a ghostly edge and a deeply human heart.
With thanks to Daisy Stephens, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
March 2, 2026
Creepy, intriguing, emotional. I am now illogically scared of seeing ghosty plague doctors in all the dark corners of my house
Proper review to come at some point (probably)
Thank you to Hodder & Netgalley for an e-ARC 🫶
Proper review to come at some point (probably)
Thank you to Hodder & Netgalley for an e-ARC 🫶
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Chilling, scary, tense and atmospheric, I loved it. From the first word to the last I was gripped, it will take a while for the goosebumps on my arms to go down.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews