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:
They
continued climbing up the steep mountain road for another half mile, then
suddenly the wind picked up. All at once they were assaulted by a downpour of
ash, cinders, and muddy rain. The pellets beat down on their faces, hands, and
bodies, lacerating them, burning them. Now they were surrounded by swirling
clouds of ash. The horse reared, almost throwing them off. Rémy did his best to
calm the animal, but they were at the mercy of the onslaught. The volcanic
rocks were raining down like hailstones, pelting them with fury. The horse was
near collapse, unable to breathe. Emilie and Rémy choked on the fumes that
swirled around like the inside of a furnace. She thought that at any minute
they would be asphyxiated. In the distance they heard wailing voices. There
were a dozen people clinging together by the side of the road, their voices
barely audible above the noise of the bombardment. That was the only way they
knew they weren’t alone. But it was impossible to see them through the ash
clouds.
They
covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs, but it did little to filter
the noxious fumes. Everything was coated with gray ash, including their hair
and skin. It soaked into their clothes and streaked down their faces. The
downpour was so overpowering, Emilie felt as if they were drowning under a
waterfall of ash and cinders. The ground was covered in a thick layer of ash,
pumice, and cinders, giving it the appearance of a moonscape. Suddenly Emilie
screamed. Several feet away lay the body of a woman buried beneath a layer of
volcanic debris. Beside her was a basket with all her worldly belongings and a
tiny infant, his body gray and still, frozen in time.
My Review:
In 1902 Mount Pelée a volcano erupted causing the death of
thousands of people. Island on Fire is based on Mount Pelée’s eruption. In
Island of Fire the volcano is spewing up black smoke and boiling water leaving
the town covered in a thick layer of ash.
The governor has been informed of Mount Pelée’s possible eruption
and that the town needs to be evacuated but the governor is worried about the
upcoming election and losing so he orders everyone to keep quiet about the
volcano. No one is to be evacuated under the governor’s order. Winning an
election is more important to him than the lives of these people.
Emilie Dujon is engaged to a rich sugar plantation owner
Lucien. Emilie cared for Lucien very much until the day she caught him in the
arms of another woman. When she tried to call off the wedding neither Lucien
nor her parents would allow it. Emilie tried explaining to her family what kind
of man Lucien was but they would not listen to her as they needed her to marry
Lucien because the plantation was in trouble. Lucien knows this and wants to
marry Emilie to get his hands on the plantation himself.
Emilie’s parents made me so mad I was like how could they
make her do that? If they loved her how could they force her to do something she
didn’t want to do? How could they make her life miserable for a plantation or a
piece of land?
Emilie learns that a group of people are going to the
volcano to find out if it may erupt or not and talks them into letting her join
them on their adventurer up the mountain. On her journey she meets an army
officer, Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer whom she gets to know fairly well.
Emilie decides to go see a voodoo witch doctor hoping that
he could help her out of her dire situation with Lucien. Going to see a witch
doctor ends up costing her more than she wants or can pay.
When the volcano erupts and Emilie goes missing Rémy deserts
his post to find her. With the volcano spitting out fire and ash will Rémy find
her in time? Can they make it out before the volcano erupts or will it lead
them in a fiery death?
Island of Fire is filled with action from beginning to end
that is promised to keep you entertained. It also promises a rainbow of emotion
that will take you on the ride of your life running from black smoke, fire, ash,
a voodoo witch doctor and a ruthless, controlling and dangerous fiancé hot on
your tail.
I would like to recommend Island on Fire to historical fiction
fans. If you like fiction stories that are based on fiction then you are definitely
going to fall in love with Island on Fire.
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
Buy Link for e-book:
Paperback – Special low price of $10.99 at
Amazon and B&N:
Giveaway:
A travel size Exotic French noix de coco perfume and shower gel (US only)
3 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
I appreciate getting to read about another book my family have not known about previously. Thanks so much for the book description and giveaway also.
Thanks so much, Nancy, for your charming, heartfelt review! I am so glad you enjoyed "Island on Fire"! And I'm so glad we met up here on "The Avid Reader". You have a very nice blog! Cheers!
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