Island
on Fire
by
Sophie Schiller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
historical thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
In
the lush, tropical world of Martinique where slavery is a distant
memory and voodoo holds sway, Emilie Dujon discovers that her fiancé,
a rich sugar planter, has been unfaithful. Desperate to leave him,
she elicits the aid of a voodoo witch doctor and is lured into a
shadowy world of black magic and extortion. When the volcano known as
Mount Pelée begins to rumble and spew ash, she joins a scientific
committee sent to investigate the crater. During the journey she
meets Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer with a mysterious past.
At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure builds, a deadly mudslide inundates Emilie’s plantation and she disappears. With ash and cinders raining down, chaos ensues. Left with no choice, Lt. Rémy deserts his post and sets off on a desperate quest to rescue Emilie. But with all roads blocked, can they escape the doomed city of St. Pierre before it’s too late?
At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure builds, a deadly mudslide inundates Emilie’s plantation and she disappears. With ash and cinders raining down, chaos ensues. Left with no choice, Lt. Rémy deserts his post and sets off on a desperate quest to rescue Emilie. But with all roads blocked, can they escape the doomed city of St. Pierre before it’s too late?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Emilie’s
muslin dress was soaked with sweat. Heat and humidity hung in the air
like a wet blanket. She glanced over at Lucien, but he was staring at
the smoldering volcano with a mixture of fear and awe. Dear God, she
prayed, please don’t let me die together with Lucien. Not here, not
now. Shutters flew open as fearful residents peered out into the
darkness. A few horses broke free of their reins and were galloping
down the street, chased by their furious owners. How quickly panic
took over the frightened residents. Emilie pushed open the carriage
door and scrambled outside. Lucien and Violette joined her, and they
stood by the side of the road, watching the scene unfold before them
like spectators to a disaster. To their horror, ash and volcanic dust
rained down on their heads while the ground continued to shake.
Emilie’s
heart raced and she felt as if she was having a nightmare. Boom! An
explosion like cannon fire rocked the carriage. In the distance, the
mountain appeared to be glowing. The blast was followed by a
loud rumbling noise and tremors that shook the earth. Her first
thought was that the world was coming to an end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review: Island On Fire is a little different from the type of historical that I usually read, mostly because of the setting, but there was something about this book that really grabbed my attention
Volcanoes, Voodoo and cheating fiances give this book a little something, something.
The setting is Martinique in 1902 and the story figures around the eruption of the volcano that devastated that island with 30,000 people dying as a result. The geologists at the time believe that volcano to be extinct. Hmm wonder what all the smoke is about then?
As you read there are a lot of geologists and politicians that you'll want to shake, especially as most readers know going into the book that the eruption of Mt. Pelee causes a great loss of life.
Emilie discovers early on in the book that her soon to be husband isn't faithful and breaking the engagement is not something that is looked favorably upon at the time. Her family's finances are part of the reason she must marry well. She goes the route of voodoo, while falling for a soldier.
Emilie is a contradiction. She's a smart women. She understands that the volcano is not dormant. She also knows she doesn't want to be married to Lucien. Then she manages to get involved with a man who practices voodoo in order to rid herself of Lucien. She also does some foolish things with Denis that don't help her cause.
There are a lot of tense moments towards the end, but I wouldn't consider this book a thriller.
This is a wonderful historical novel with a touch of action and romance to add to its appeal. It is a well researched novel that will leave you wanting to learn more about what happened in Martinique on May 8, 1902. This is a must read!
Rating: 4 flowers
As you read there are a lot of geologists and politicians that you'll want to shake, especially as most readers know going into the book that the eruption of Mt. Pelee causes a great loss of life.
Emilie discovers early on in the book that her soon to be husband isn't faithful and breaking the engagement is not something that is looked favorably upon at the time. Her family's finances are part of the reason she must marry well. She goes the route of voodoo, while falling for a soldier.
Emilie is a contradiction. She's a smart women. She understands that the volcano is not dormant. She also knows she doesn't want to be married to Lucien. Then she manages to get involved with a man who practices voodoo in order to rid herself of Lucien. She also does some foolish things with Denis that don't help her cause.
There are a lot of tense moments towards the end, but I wouldn't consider this book a thriller.
This is a wonderful historical novel with a touch of action and romance to add to its appeal. It is a well researched novel that will leave you wanting to learn more about what happened in Martinique on May 8, 1902. This is a must read!
Rating: 4 flowers
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Sophie
Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She
loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and
far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews called her "an accomplished
thriller and historical adventure writer”. Her latest novel is
Island on Fire, a thriller about the worst volcanic disaster of the
20th century, the Pompeii of the Caribbean. She was educated at
American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY
Links:
Website:
https://sophieschiller.blogspot.com/
Facebook
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/SchillerSophie/
Facebook
Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/Island-on-Fire-898938183595340/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SophieSchiller
Buy
Link for e-book:
Paperback
– Special low price of $10.99 at Amazon and B&N:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sophie
Schiller will be awarding a travel size Exotic French noix de coco
perfume and shower gel (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via
rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2733/"
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2 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
I enjoy getting to read about books we had not known about previously for my family. We have found some great ones through these tours so thanks so much.
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