This is the final book in The Wild Isles series following the lives of the fictional last residents of St Kilda and it is everything one could wish for. There are plot twists and turns, ups and downs for the main characters, a totally unexpected denouement and some happy endings. Very satisfying. I highly recommend the whole series.
*****

Karen Swan is undeniably a masterful storyteller, and her ability to weave engaging storylines filled with atmospheric settings and complex characters is what I loved about the first two books in this series. They were captivating, filled with depth, intrigue, and a perfect balance of romance and drama. Unfortunately, the third book started to lean into the chick-lit category, and this final installment took it even further, losing some of the authenticity that made the earlier books so compelling. Perhaps there was just not enough St Kilda for me.

While I enjoyed reading about all the familiar characters, some of them fell into cliché territory, making their stories feel predictable. The plot twists, which in the past had been exciting and unexpected, felt a little formulaic and the dialogue at times was cringeworthy. And don’t even get me started on the happy ending which wrapped things up so neatly.

That being said, despite its flaws, the book still had some moments of charm, and Swan’s storytelling ability kept me engaged throughout. It just didn’t quite reach the same level as the first two books, leaving the series with a somewhat disappointing conclusion. If you’re a devoted fan of Swan’s work, it’s still worth reading, but those who fell in love with St Kilda and the atmosphere of the earlier books might find this one a little too light and predictable.

Set around the evacuation of St Kilda and it's last 36 inhabitants. A little slow to get started but soon gathered pace to become a good mystery story.

I was very excited to finally read the conclusion of this series. I thought this was Jayne’s story but it turned out to be told in multiple voices, continuing the story of each of the girls from the first 3 novels. I did enjoy seeing the next part of all their stories, although I did feel some of the bumps in the road felt a bit contrived (everything magically un-working itself out, only to come back together for the ending). However, I still enjoyed it and found myself looking up the real setting and context.

WOW, what a way to end a series! This, the final book in the Wild Isles series certainly ended as well as it started, what a finale. I have loved every book in the series, in each one the intrigue grew and the tension mounted, so I have been anticipating reading the final part and I was not disappointed.

The story is a mixture of history and romance built around the evacuation of St Kilda in 1930. From Karen Swan's storytelling, I felt like I knew the Islanders, even if these characters were fictitious, I got to know about the Islander's lives and how great the change was from St. Kilda to the mainland. The fictitious storyline is full of intrigue and kept me guessing till the end.

The characters are wonderful and I loved the girls the story is based on. I felt their despair, their happiness and triumphs and tribulations along with them. The secondary characters were also very well written, I loved and hated them in equal measure.

Despite needing to know the end of the story I did not want it to finish. I guess I will just have to read them all again! I can not recommend this series highly enough but do read them in order.

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A brilliant read. What a fantastic ending to a wonderful series of books it all came together perfectly, so well written with many interesting characters and storylines. Well done to the author and highly recommend them

This is the final book in the Wild Isles series and features Jayne, who has married Norman, a bully. They are leaving St Kilda, the island where they have spent their earlier years, hopeful for the future on the new isle where they are heading. The challenging life of the islanders is graphically described, the rugged coastlines beautifully portrayed.

The stories of Effie, Mhairi, and Flora, other women who have left the island, are also explored, and we discover how their lives continued. I became invested in their courage and determination to overcome the struggles in front of them. There are many twists and turns, along with secrets as the gripping plot unfolds.

This is a compelling, atmospheric story, superbly told. Recommended.

Was saving this for my half term holiday and devoured it on Day 1!

Lovely to be back on St Kilda with all the familiar characters. And also in so many other locations!

The scene with Effie, clad in a green evening gown, clinging to a mast through a storm is one that will stay with me.

Lots of twists and turns but resolution in the end.

Thoroughly enjoyed this series. Thank you Karen Swan. And thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the eARC

What an utterly fantastic book, last in the series for the St. Kilda girls and I never wanted the book to end as it would mean farewell.

No spoilers or hints, just simple advice that you must read the collection.

Karen Swan is an amazing author but this series surpasses all of the other books I have read by her.

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

A fantastic conclusion to The Wild Isles series. The main characters line up for their curtain call . The lives and story are all intertwined from this close knit community and your attention is kept carefully alive right until the surprising finale.

Oh how I envy readers who have yet to discover this series! The Midnight Secret rounds off all of the stories told in the previous books but Jayne has a more prominent place with various strands being brought together. There are various twists and turns along the way making it yet another book that I couldn’t put down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

The Midnight Secret is the final instalment of Karen Swan’s Wild Isles Series about the St Kilda community and their evacuation to the mainland. I was very excited to get an early copy of this one to read, having thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the series.
This book draws together lots of strands from the previous three novels, which makes its quite difficult to keep track of unless you remember all the details clearly. The preceding novels all concentrate on a different perspective but this one jumps between perspectives - all clearly signposted - but it does require you to take note of who, where and when you’re reading about, and its definitely necessary to have read all three preceding books to get the most out of this one!
I loved how the characters all have their own trajectory and in this book they all come of age in different ways. Some of the details in previous books makes more sense but there are also a few details which get lost along the way.
The whole series has made me curious about the St Kilda community and their story - and now I know the ending I’m going to go back and re-read them all again. Definitely will be recommending the series too.
Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This final story in the saga is told from the viewpoint of Jayne married to Norman - she sees visions of deaths amongst community members but can do nothing to stop them. Both on St Kilda and after the evacuation this leaves her feeling as though she is an outcast. She is stuck in an abusive marriage and is childless.

We follow the fortunes of both Flora and Effie - both with their struggles to find their identities and roles post St Kilda.

A revisit to the island allows Jayne to orchestrate events following her vision to allow justice to be done and hope to return.

The strands of the story are brought together well and the outcome highly satisfactory!

This is book 4 in the Wild Isle series from Karen Swan.
Its a return to the island of St Kildey were time seems to have stopped.
This one follows the islanders as they are evacuated from there home and follows there lives before they leave and after when they are spred across the world looking for there loved ones.
i havn't read the books that come before this one but will do now to get the full story from the islands.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - there are already some reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for.

This is the fouth - and final - book in this series, and well worth waiting for! This time the action is split between the beautiful isolated isle of St Kilda, the Scottish mainland, and Canada (not a spoiler as it was referenced in the previous novel!).

Like the previous books, this one includes some events that happened in the earlier novels, but from different points of view. This time, we see events through the eyes of Jayne - a friend of Effie, Mhairi and Flora - who has "the sight" and is thus rather more on the fringes in many ways.

This novel follows up the multiple strands running throughout this series, and brings them to a (largely) satisfactory conclusion. I will give nothing away - except to say that I was surprised by a final twist or two.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. It's quite remarkable how Karen Swan has managed to write such a satisfyingly rich saga based on tiny St Kilda and her 36 (or so) inhabitants. I really hope that she will write more in this ilk (if she can find the time, as she is a prolific novelist!)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy of this book. I am a huge fan of Karen Swan's novels and I have especially loved the Wild Isle series, so I was thrilled to be able to receive an advance copy of the conclusion of this series. I inhaled it, I have to say, reading it quickly but also feeling reluctant to part with the characters that have made up the four novels.

The novel opens with Jane’s viewpoint, the sister-in-law to Mollie who'd sadly died of pneumonia, and who was the prompt for the nurse Lorna, to request the islanders be evacuated to the mainland. Jane is reclusive. Married to a bully and an abuser, she also has the sight, both of which lead her to keep to herself for the most part. With Mollie’s death, Jane is able to share her deep grief with David, Mollie’s sweetheart who'd hoped to marry her. It's that shared grief that caused David and Jane to be at the graveyard the last night on the island, and for Jane to witness certain events that take her months and many calamities to make sense of. Those months cause her to question the kind of person she is and forces her to make critical choices.

The novel continues the stories, too of the other three women – Effie, Mhairi, and Flora, as they all continue to face the challenges of the events before they left Kilda and the choices they made.

I really loved all the novels of this series and this one was no exception. To successfully tackle such intricate weaving of parallel timelines is so impressive, especially given the stellar result. Swan continues to produce compelling and wonderfully descriptive novels with rich characters that create a world you can't help but inhabit and are reluctant to leave. In this Swan recreated 1930s Scotland in vivid detail.

She mentions writing more series and I look forward to it as I would look forward to any of her books. Highly recommended.

The fourth and final book in the series. It ties up all the loose ends beautifully with a really satisfying twist. I’ve loved all the books, although the cliffhanger at the end of each book and the gap between books has been hard on this devoted reader! Karen Swan’s books are always a thrilling and soul warming read, this has been especially so.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to PanMac and NetGalley for the ERC of the final book in the Wild Isles series.

The book neatly ties up all the loose ends of the previous 3 books.

The book is centered around Jayne, married to Norman, she has been cursed with a second sight.

I loved this final book, and spent the whole day completely engrossed!