I did want to like this but it just wasn't me.

Sindony Redruth has won a travel competition by doing research (she calls it cheating) and wins a prize to go to Hy Brasil and write a travel book about it. The island is a mid-atlantic mythological island this is told partially through her notes for the travel book. It involves piracy, lost treasure, drug smuggling and political intrigue. Set in 1997 I honestly didn't really connect with any of the characters (except perhaps Lucy, I wanted more of Lucy). I didn't really feel connected to anyone, even Sidony, which is unexpected as she's the major narrator, they just passed me by in a blur of uncaring. Still it was an interesting read and brought up a whole host of ideas of how a small island like that would survive. It's a read that involves a lot of people but very little happens in reality, this is not a genre of novel that suits me. ( )

I'll admit it was the cover of this book that first caught my eye; like Bilbo Baggins, I've always loved maps.

The novel is set in the imaginary, though present-day, island nation of Hy Brasil, which is inhabited by a seafaring community descended from Norse, Celtic and piratical roots. Sidony Redruth, prize-winning travel writer, arrives under false pretences to compile a guidebook to these Atlantic islands, only to find herself embroiled in eruptions both geographical and political.

She finds herself alternately attracted and perplexed by the people, and gradually becomes aware of wheels within wheels whirring away under the charming surface of island life. She makes friends, explores the island, and climbs a huge volcano as it powers up towards an eruption. Some of the enigmas she encounters are resolved and some remain a mystery; what is not in doubt, however, is the absolute charm of the islands of Hy Brasil! ( )