Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon begins when twenty something year old Rhona sees a young girl kidnap by someone dressed as a rabbit, a crime so odd she can't help but watch until it is too late. Heartbroken about failing to act, Rhonda joins the quest to search for the young girl, but it brings up feelings and memoirs about another young girl who disappeared: her childhood best friend Lizzy. Maybe by finding one abductor she can close the story on two missing girls.

After devouring and loving McMahon's debut, Promise Not To Tell, I admit I had high expectations for her follow-up, Island of Lost Girls. While I didn't love this one quite as much, I certainly enjoyed it. I think the main difference from an enjoyment perspective between the two books was that I didn't appreciate the narrator of this novel quite as much. Rhonda is much younger than Kate (the main character of Promise Not To Tell) was, and possibly as a result she often comes across whiny and needy in a way that made me less sympathetic to the struggles she faced. That said, Island of Lost Girls is still a thrilling experience from the unique and spooky mind of McMahon. The story is fast-paced and impossible to put down, and even if you have a little bit of an idea what is coming there were certainly be twists you can't predict thrown into the mix as well. Still, for some reason I found myself not a hundred percent happy with the ending and resolution.

Just like Promise Not To Tell McMahon is perfectly able to capture childhood friendship and the strong relationships that form. Both the characters and the setting are richly developed in Island of Lost Girls, but what really has the reader turning the page is the enchanting yet creepy mystery. The chapters alternate between the past and present storylines, which is a style McMahon does with great skill and ability even if in both cases the main character was one I found lacking. Still, if you are looking for an easy and exciting page turner definitely add Island of Lost Girls to your list, even if McMahon's second novel wasn't quite as flawless as her first she is definitely a writer I will be continuing to watch.

Release Date: April 22nd, 2008
Pages: 272
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This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.