Avernus Island by Patrick McNulty

4/5 stars

I was lucky enough to read Avernus Island early, and wow, what a ride!

It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked! I didn’t even realize how much time was passing while I was engrossed in the book, and I ended up reading this all in one sitting.

I felt like I connected with these characters so much more than when I read the first book. Dan was so relatable, and I really empathized with what he was going through. All he wanted was to try and save his family from their grief and crippling medical debt (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). I can 100% respect that in a person, and it endeared me to him that much more. Even Anderson, the slightly slimy “realtor,” was a very real and easily brought to life character. I know a few of his type, and that made it easier for me to conceptualize him when I was reading the story.

I did think that the beginning chapters with Ruth and Marcus were a bit too mysterious. There was a lot of hinting around about a huge dangerous secret, but no details were actually given to help me even slightly understand it. It was hard for me to be interested when all I had to go on were a few extremely vague clues. It was a bit jarring to switch from those two to an entirely new set of characters, and it took me a bit to figure out how they related back to Ruth and Marcus.

All in all though, a very solid experience. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the anxiety once the story took off, and I’m definitely excited to see where this series goes next!