The Lost Colony

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Jess Nahikian

What could possibly go wrong?

Jamestown promises to be a history lover’s dream, a reality series featuring 15 contestants who will spend six months living in 17th century conditions, their ability to adapt and overcome daily hardship judged by millions of TV viewers. Supplies will be replenished, and a medical officer will be on hand to ensure everyone’s well-being. Lucrative cash prizes will be awarded at the end.

Except that the colonists find themselves abandoned on an uncharted island on the first morning of the shoot, lacking sufficient provisions or a means of communication with the outside world. Tensions begin to mount—and bodies start to pile up.

Each contestant has reason to fear for their life since everyone on the island hides a dangerous secret, and any one of them might have motive to kill.

©2022 Irina Shapiro (P)2023 Merlin Press LLC

I Felt Lost Reading The Lost Colony

“The Lost Colony” by Irina Shapiro is a novel that blends historical fiction with reality TV elements. The story revolves around fifteen contestants who participate in a unique reality series where they must live for six months under seventeenth-century conditions, testing their ability to adapt and overcome daily challenges.

Despite the intriguing premise, which combines historical reenactment with modern entertainment, the book fails to deliver a satisfying experience. The narrative tends to drag, losing momentum and failing to maintain reader interest. The plot’s pacing is problematic, with the story seeming to meander without a clear direction.

While the concept of contestants struggling in a historical setting sounds promising, the execution falls short of expectations. The book draws comparisons to movies featuring contestants stranded on deserted islands fighting for survival, but it doesn’t capitalize on this potential for excitement or character development.
Unfortunately, the ending is particularly disappointing, failing to provide a satisfying conclusion to the story. Overall, while “The Lost Colony” presents an interesting concept, it struggles to maintain engagement throughout and ultimately fails to meet the expectations set by its premise.

A Gripping Mystery

I am not an easy customer, but I was enthralled by this mystery. The plot is well constructed and well developed, and the characters are credible. It's fresh and original, and never gives in to the usual, expected tropes of the genre, which makes me abandon many other audio books.
It held my interest until the end, and proved quite enjoyable!

good story, but a little bit contrived

The narrator doesn't do male voices very well, so all the men sounded to similar to distinguish. A lot of the details were hard to buy, at least for me. That said, the plot and characters were good and believable. no Mary Sue chrs here.

Wow, finished it as quickly as I could

The story was very compelling. At a certain point I couldn’t stop listening because I had to finish the book and find out what happened. At times, it was really hard to hear what they went through and I almost wished I hadn’t read it. In the end, I was glad I did though.

Great characters, mystery and narrator!

Fantastic. absolutely loved it. I hated for it to end. so interesting and intriguing. Great author.

Great book

Beginning, middle and end all great! The story kept me guessing and listening. And, the narrator was perfect, too.

Excellent

I loved it. I loved the characters and their story. I can't wait to listen to more by this author. The narration was excellent also.

The conditions and depravation.

I was totally engrossed throughout! timely story that was harrowing and had many twists. really had me wondering if I could have survived... I doubt it.

The history

The ending was complicated. The book had a lot of potential but didn’t hit the mark.

Loved this book

I’m terrible about leaving reviews but this book was really well done. It had a ton of twists and turns to keep you guessing and the characters and story are memorable.