The Island of the Lost

‘A cerebral twist on the haunted house novel’ LEIGH RADFORD
‘A fantastic debut’ C.J. COOKE
The most genuinely haunting book you’ll read this year’ MEGAN BONTRAGER
‘The perfect book to take to a faraway location and read as the sun goes down’ KATE VAN DER BORGH
‘I absolutely loved this book’ DAISY PEARCE

Liv doesn’t believe in ghosts.
There is a small island off the coast of Italy that was once the site of a plague quarantine station, and later a psychiatric asylum. It now sits deserted, home only to the shadows of local folklore.

Liv doesn’t believe her sister is dead.
Granted special permission to visit for a writing assignment, Liv sets sail for the abandoned island, but only she knows the real reason. She is certain it is the last place her twin sister Mia visited before she vanished eighteen months ago.

But Liv believes in whatever is on this island.
Alone with only her colleague Sam, Liv can’t deny how unsettling the place truly is. How can a church tower toll when there is no bell? What is the ghostly figure in her peripheral vision? And why can she smell the smoke of burning bodies?

READERS LOVE THE ISLAND OF THE LOST

‘Stephens captured the atmosphere of Poveglia immediately and the characters were fantastic’

‘Poveglia Island feels almost suffocating and I would be terrified to find myself alone there’

‘Stephens bypasses the tired gothic cliches by leaning into the sensory filth. It’s not about jump scares; it’s the smell of smoke that isn’t there and the tolling of a non-existent bell’

‘I absolutely flew through The Island of the Lost by Daisy Stephens. . .a tense, atmospheric read that is equal parts ghostly and emotional’

‘This is a gripping debut gothic ghost story that has creeping dread, rich atmosphere, and emotional depth. I loved it’

‘What makes The Island of the Lost so compelling is that Daisy Stephens understands a truth at the heart of all great ghost stories: hauntings are rarely about ghosts alone. They are about grief, absence, and the impossible desire to retrieve what has already been lost’