Monday, June 18, 2018

The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn


I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn and narrated by Nicol Zanzarella. 

Listening time for The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn is 8 hours, 9 minutes.

The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn is a work of historical fiction set in the year 1764 in the village of Rantum on the island of Sylt in the North Sea.

I thought that The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn started off kind of on the slow side. In fact, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this novel very much as the main character, Maren Luersen, was a bit too headstrong, prideful, a tad spoiled, and a bit naive when it comes to love. Plus, the storyline didn't initially seem very compelling to me of a worthy read. However, the novel picks up about midway in and becomes much more interesting, thank goodness! There are twists and turns to be expected throughout the rest of the novel that make it more engaging... The ending for The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn was short and a bit abrupt, but also predictable as to how it was going to end. 

I thought this novel was well narrated by Nicol Zanzarella.

I'm not sure at this point if I will be reading the second novel in the The Island of Sylt series as I wasn't completely in love with the first book in the series.

The following is a plot summary for The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn from Amazon:
In the opening epic novel of The Island of Sylt trilogy by bestselling author Ines Thorn, a young woman must choose between love and poverty, or thrilling adventure and tormented passion. 
Germany's North Sea Coast: The Island of Sylt, 1764 
Life in the windswept village of Rantum in the North Sea is fraught with peril and hardship. Most families must rely on arranged marriage just to survive. But free-spirited Maren Luersen doesn't care for riches - her heart belongs to handsome but poor Thies Heinen. He may not have prospects or fortune to offer, but Maren knows their intense love can overcome any obstacle, and she is determined to be his bride. 
The wealthy and mysterious Captain Rune Boyse has other plans. He shocks Maren with a startling marriage proposal, and even though he can give her family a better life, her love for Thies is too powerful to deny. But when tragedy strikes, she finds herself in debt to the captain and must set sail with him on a dangerous whale hunt - with no promise of a safe return. 
If Maren survives, will life be the same back on shore? Or will her heart change course somewhere over the icy swells of the Arctic Sea?
I am giving The Whaler: The Island of Sylt, Book 1 by Ines Thorn a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

2 comments:

  1. It sure sounds like it has an interesting setting and time period. Somewhat predictable though? From what language was it translated?

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    1. Yes, predictable in the sense that you know the main character isn't going to marry who she thinks she's going to marry. And it's predictable as to who she will marry and also who her former beau will marry.

      The author is German, so I am assuming the novel was translated from German.

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