Hi all! 

Today I am sharing a spoiler-free review of The Unknown by Riley Sager. Check out my ranking of all his works here. Riley is known for his epic twists, suspenseful plots and suspicious characters. He is an instant-buy author for me. There is a lot to say, so without further ado, let’s get into it! 

THE PLOT

In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.

Struggling actress, Marin Keane, is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.

Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums – until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.

Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realise all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. 

As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon – and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.

WHAT WORKED

I LOVE when an author incorporates a horror film into their book. It makes the reading experience much more visually stimulating. I could picture every single detail of the spooky island, down to the period costumes hanging off the oak tree. Riley did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life in my mind. The Unknown even had some found-footage elements, akin to The Blair Witch Project, which I deeply appreciated. More importantly, this novel was scary. I was genuinely creeped out by the demonic entity, the isolated location and the unsettling sensations Marin experienced throughout. I didn’t know who to trust. Furthermore, I’m a big fan of the ‘diary from the past’ trope. I want to commend Riley for how seamlessly he was able to blend the past and the present. Marin was very similar to her character, ‘Daisy’, as were the rest of the cast and their counterparts. History indeed repeats itself but is the culprit supernatural or manmade? You’ll have to read to find out! 

WHAT DIDN’T WORK 

Whilst I didn’t guess everything that was going to happen, there were a few obvious context clues I was able to decipher along the way. Riley unfortunately does have a bit of a predictable writing style. Once you figure it out, you learn to anticipate what’s coming next. Additionally, the majority of the characters in this story were unlikeable. As you can imagine, putting a group of high-profile actors together makes for a superficial, condescending bunch. Without spoiling anything, even our protagonist, Marin, displayed some of those traits, particularly toward the end. I struggled to root for any of them – but I’m guessing that was the point. Other than that, I don’t have anything negative to add. I truly believe it is one of Sager’s best books. 

STAR RATING 

I gave it 4.5/5 stars. Riley struck gold with his tenth novel! 

Thank you so much for reading! Have you read The Unknown yet? 

Peace & Love xoxo