Island of Tory by Regina M. Geither

Synopsis:
When sixteen year old Arella Cline's summer vacation begins with the tragic death of her parents, she is sent to live with her aunt to begin a new life on a remote island off the western coast of Ireland. But there are strange things happening on Tory Island- shadow figures, mysterious auras, and the haunting sound of her deceased parents' voices. The only thing Arella finds appealing about Tory is the handsome, dark-haired Declan McQuillan. But Cannon Fidelous, a mysterious outcast, warns her that the island and its inhabitants are hiding a dark secret. And when Arella finds an ancient book of prophecies, she discovers the island's curse-a curse that only she can undo.
(Synopsis from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
I am absolutely fascinated by Irish, and Scottish folklore, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. If someone tells me about a book of folklore from that area, I'll definitely want to read it. Therefore, I was so excited when the author of Island of Tory, Regina M. Geither, approved my request to read and review it. I found the book to be enjoyable, even though it wasn't one of my favorites I've read this year. 

I found the premise of Island of Tory to be fascinating. It was unlike anything I've ever read before. Even after finishing the book, I still felt the same way about the premise. The folklore was so in depth. Even if the story line was obviously fantasy, it was still awesome to see the monuments of Tory while reading the book, and to watch the setting come to life in my head. I was so excited when I found out that the Island of Tory actually is a real place. The book made me want to go there, and see all the locations in real life that are mentioned in the book. It was exciting to learn that one day I might actually be able to go to somewhere I read about in a fantasy book.

All that being said, I did have a couple of problems with Island of Tory. The pacing was slow. It felt almost like the plot was crawling along at a snail's pace at times. I got bored several times while reading. Every couple of chapters, it seemed like there was nothing going on, other than filler. It took me almost two weeks to read the book, which is ridiculous for a book that is less than two hundred pages. Also, the dialogue was hard to understand at times. The author writes the characters with Irish accents, which makes the reader feel like they are on the island with the characters. However, if the reader isn't used to the dialect, it makes the characters hard to understand sometimes. Several times, I had to stare at a sentence and try to figure out what the heck the character was saying, based on context. It left me feeling really confused, like I was being left out on something very important, and disengaged from the story line.

Other than those few things, I really did enjoy Island of Tory. The book is part of a trilogy, but it is in my opinion that it can be read as a stand alone. I'm going to continue with trilogy because I am excited to see where Regina M. Geither takes the world of Tory next. I recommend this book to anyone who loves folklore.

I give Island of Tory: 3.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: https://reginamgeither.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Island-of-Tory-by-Regina-M-Geither-158924204171998/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reginamgeither
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5874354.Regina_M_Geither

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.