I finished Anna MacKenzie’s ‘The Sea Wreck Stranger’ the other night and found it an interesting tale. Anna has won many awards and hails from New Zealand. This book is her third novel and I think I need to go find her other two books and have a read.

What would happen to a group of people stuck on an island after a seeming apocalypse? How would they ensure that their people were safe against outside influence? What would it be like to grow up in this sort of environment? What if those who make the decisions are wrong?

I felt empathy for the heroine as she tried to make her way in life even though she’d suffered loss and pain previous to the start of the story. I also could understand her reasoning for trying to keep a stranger alive, one that she had been warned throughout her life was dangerous. When Devdan washes up on shore, Ness is supposed to hand him over to the Island Council. Instead she shelters him and learns truths that shake her understanding of life and her part in it. She’s also trying to escape being forced into a marriage to a guy who I just wanted to throttle during the story. Life is hard for the people of her island.

Think Forest of Hands and Teeth mixed with Hunger Games/Sovay. I did want more. I enjoyed this book and even though it leaves you on a bit of a cliff hanger it was well worth the read.

Speaking of which I have a copy to give away. The great folks over at Text Publishing have generously donated a copy for us to share with one lucky commenter.