Author: Ellie O’Neill
ISBN: 9781925030013
RRP: $29.99
Ellie O’Neill is back with her second modern Irish folktale and I loved it.
Maeve O’Brien is an apprentice lawyer in the independent Dublin legal firm Holmes and Friedman, she is 27 and quite the modern lass. Maeve is technologically obsessed and just as obsessed with appearances.
Life is all a little crumbly for Maeve with rumoured redundancies at work and the dust not yet settled from the biggest fight she’s ever had with her bestie, a fight that leaves her living back home with Mam.
Maeve’s boss Harry Holmes has a special job he needs done and he selects Maeve for her tenacity, and her single status that leaves her able to set off on travel commitments at the drop of a hat. Maeve isn’t given much information, just that she needs to collect the signature of a man on documents for the sale of land to build a bridge.
The bridge build is enough to excite Maeve as it reminds her of a time that she worked building sites and construction during college, the tomboy turned in her steel caps and swapped them for stilettos in her final year of college.
Since switching her steel caps for stilettos she has also found an unhealthy obsession with selfies, sometimes taking up to half an hour to capture the perfect shot (ugh who has time for that) and religiously following her likes creeping up and her social life on social media. At 27 she’s obsessed with her appearance, botox being the backbone of her bestie brawl, and drowning in debt.
Escaping Dublin couldn’t come at a better time. This little job could be the cement building block for her career and how hard could it be to get an old man’s signature.
Hy Brasil is almost a completely new world for Maeve, there are no cars, no traffic lights, no fast food and very little in the way of a social life. The best thing that can be said about her island accommodations is that they are dry. High fashion, high maintenance Maeve is being put up in a tin caravan in the middle of a muddy field, and she’s pretty sure she’s not going to like it.
The Enchanted Island takes a, possibly slightly exaggerated, look at the quest for beauty and the perfect appearance, but at what cost. We see how Maeve has lost herself behind the online shopping, credit card debt, botox, designer clothes and quest for the perfect selfie. In Dublin the only time she could be seen naturally was in the dead of night. In Hy Brasil the need to primp and preen seems a little shallow, who will appreciate it – surely not the sheep.
Maeve soon discovers that there’s more to Hy Brasil than meets the eye. The simple signature is anything but, the wind howls like a banshee and the older generation are fit but far from friendly. No-one seems willing to talk about the strangeness but Maeve finds herself more and more intrigued.
Irish folklore is deftly woven into a modern tale of progress and romance. Hy Brasil is an island steeped in history, centuries of history, and the elder islanders have been a part of that history for generations.
The Enchanted Island is an authentic and enjoyable follow-up to O’Neill’s stellar debut Reluctantly Charmed. I was invested in Maeve’s journey and wanted to see where this trip would take her. The history of the island was engaging and I was always wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery, and wondering if Maeve would ever get all of the answers.
There is a strong sense of romance on The Enchanted Island, and a few different romances to follow. Maeve’s romance builds slowly until it becomes encompassing, it was believably written and drew you in until you had to know how she was going to cope because this was all so new for her.
An interesting meld of old world Irish folklore and the modern world, with progress trying to push its way in and upset the balance. It really is quite a reflection on a lot of what is happening across the world today. Definitely worth the read and I will be interested to hear what our readers have to say.
A little bit mystery, a little bit suspense, a little bit folklore and a little bit romance makes for a massive story steeped in history at the same time as modern technology.
30 of our lucky readers will also be reading The Enchanted Island so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
The Enchanted Island is book #63 for The Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2015.
Ellie O’Neill can be found on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
I read a lot of books at this time of year as the intense heat arrives.
It’s time to hibernate in a cool atmosphere to read a few books while relaxing with a cold drink.
Last book I reviewed was Season of Shadow and Light. I am an insatiable reader of all sorts of genres. This book intrigues me as not only does the story sound interesting, it also appeals to me as I spent my childhood in Ireland and have visited quite often. I can promise an open-minded, thoughtful and prompt review.
I read her first book and really enjoyed it. I think she is a very good author and will end up with many books published in the future. I would really love to read the current book to see if it is as good as her 1st one
Ireland has always held a fascination for me, for many reasons. This book sounds interesting and I’d love to read the first novel. I’m sure those lucky people chosen to read and review will have a great novel in their hands,
I would love to read the book
THE ENCHANTED ISLAND is a fantastic read. There are many laugh out loud funny moments which I always enjoy in any story. The writing is clever and beautifully descriptive.
Maeve is such a mess when we first meet her, but so much fun to read. I loved hearing her inner voice with her witty, snarky comments.
There is a madcap cast of very interesting secondary characters and I would have loved to have known more about them.
I do wish that Killian was a stronger character. He seemed to fade by comparison to other characters. The island, Hy Brasil, is a strong character & Maeve is a strong character, but I feel that if you lifted Killian right out of the story he would not be missed.
I raced through this book trying to unravel the secrets and find out more about the magic of the island.
I loved this book from start to finish the book flowed with twists and turns, when Maeve arrived on the Island I thought she would get straight back on the boat I could picture her slopping through the mud in her designer clothes and I actu laughed out loud when she had to get the wellington boots, the island Hy Brasil holds many secrets and some are disclosed near the end of the book I won’t say what as I don’t want to spoil for anyone some of the secrets in regards to the island are disclosed near the end of the book ( you will be suprised I was ) it was great to see Maeve become a better person this is a very enjoyable book
Thanks
Sorry repeated myself in regards to the secrets what I meant to say was some of the incidents noises were explained near the end of the book
I quite enjoyed this easy to read book – enchanted you may say! I love a story that is a little bit different from the usual read and with it’s mythalogical and paranormal elements it was definitely that.
I really enjoyed Maeve growing as a person, escaping the grip of social media and enjoying and interacting in the world around her. Also how she stopped plastering her insecurities with beauty treatments, procedures and designer clothes and learned to love herself as she is.
I love a bit of romance and the romance between Maeve and Killian was wonderful and equally the love story of John and Cathy.
I enjoyed all the characters on the island of Hy Brasil especially the gay couple, the surfer/computer guys and the hairdresser.
As much as I enjoyed the story being different with the mythalogical and paranormal elements I like it when these things can be explained away rationally. Nearly all of the weird happenings like the noise, good health of islanders and exceptional properties of the island are explained away near the end. All except the “balancing” of the island. I felt it made the story less believable.
Overall it kept me entertained and turning the pages faster till the end to find out all the secrets!
The Enchanted Island by Ellie O’Neill is a charming, easy read, but is a strange mixture of mystery, myth, romance and social commentary.
While I did ultimately find the book enjoyable, it wasn’t until the main character Maeve O’Brien gets to the island of Hy Brasil that the storyline starts to become interesting. Up until then, the first part of the book is a little tedious, basically introducing Maeve – a clueless young legal clerk who is trying so hard to create an image that she has lost her true self behind a facade of Botox, designer labels, meaningless hook-ups and an endless parade of selfies! Needless to say this self-absorbed, shopaholic, social media tart is not particularly likeable. Its no surprise when Maeve betrays her best friend’s trust resulting in her being kicked her out of their apartment.
Eager to escape the mess she has created, Maeve jumps at a work opportunity, which requires her to go to Hy Brasil, a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, to get a signature from one of the inhabitants, so that a bridge to the mainland can be built. It seems like a simple task to finalise the deal, but things aren’t quite what they seem. The man whose signature she is chasing is elusive, many of the local people are openly hostile to her, strange things start to happen, bone chilling cries rent the night air, and Maeve can’t get past the feeling that everyone is hiding something…
From the outset it is clear that this is going to be the story of Maeve’s discovery of her true self and what better place to do it than a remote, mystical island off the coast of Ireland? Here away from the trappings of modern life – no shops, no cars, no big city hustle and bustle, just winding lanes, quaint cottages, eccentric characters (including a delightful gay couple, two stoned out, surfing app developers, and the attractive schoolteacher Killian), Maeve starts to reevaluate her life and learn about herself as she unravels the secrets of the beautiful but dangerous island of Hy Brasil.
This is an entertaining and easy to read book, and it was nice to see Maeve emerge from the shallow person she began as, into a warm and engaging person who the island ultimately rewards with her heart’s desire. 😉
I haven’t received my book yet 🙁