A mysterious island. An ancient plague. The doctors will see you now...
On break from med school, Annabel and her sister Jezebel embark on a sight-seeing cruise off the coast of Italy. But their idyllic getaway comes to a terrifying halt with the sudden appearance of a violent storm. A collision with a mysterious ghost ship sends their boat to the bottom of the ocean, and strands the sisters and other survivors on a desolate island.As Annabel tends to the survivors’ wounds, the storm forces them to seek shelter in the remains of an ancient medieval town. But they soon learn they are not alone. Bonfires choke the empty streets with smoke. Jezebel sees strange apparitions, visions she cannot explain. And when the abandoned town’s church bells toll, the island’s most terrifying secret of all is revealed...
The Plague Doctors, malevolent spirits of medicine gone wrong, infest the town’s unholy grounds. Their touch brings death by horrible disease. Their red-robed minions stalk the night, snatching away ‘patients’ for their sinister masters. As the doctors’ insidious infection contaminates the survivors, paranoia takes hold. The group begins to turn on itself.
Using only their wits, and Jezebel’s uncanny sixth sense, Annabel and her sister manage to survive the deadly ghosts’ first assault. But when the sun sets and the bonfires blaze, the Plague Doctors will return.
And the two sisters are about to become their next patients…
For some reason I had a really hard time getting into this one. I got into it pretty well there for a while and then it just couldn’t hold my interest. I think the idea is awesome and this author’s creativity is to be commended. I just wasn’t able to connect enough with the story to truly enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
There are plenty of characters in this story. They experience a shipwreck onto a weird island together, but that’s about all you know about most of them. There isn’t enough backstory going on for me to connect with any of it, and I’m pretty sure that’s a big part of where I ran into trouble with it.
I’ve read some of this author’s other books and I think Ring of Roses is probably the only one I’ve felt disappointed by. If you don’t mind taking a chance on this author, I’d suggest trying out her other books first.
