Winner of the Carnegie Medal in 2018, this is a book which, at times, is both shocking and mesmerising. Based on an incredible, but true, survival story, it takes you through almost every emotion you could imagine including intense tragedy, fear and surprise as well as hope and humour.

It is August 1727 and a group of three men and nine boys set out from the remote Scottish island of St. Kilda to Warrior Stac (a pillar of rock in the sea) to hunt the huge seabirds that nest there. Not only do they have to survive the four-mile sea journey to the stac and complete a terrifying leap from the boat to the rocks, they must then stay there for three weeks before they can return home, spending their days dangling from ropes amongst the freezing waves and crashing against the rocks, raiding nests and gathering seabirds in the most dangerous conditions imaginable. Some of the boys are experienced hunters who have survived the Stac before; others are anxious novices afraid that they may not be ready for the challenge and will fail as 'men'.

When the boat to collect them fails to arrive, the group initially assume it must have been delayed by bad weather or accidental damage but, as the weeks pass, explanations become more terrifying: they begin to imagine that the world must have come to an end and that they are stranded with no means of escape. How will they manage to survive in such a deserted and inhospitable place, especially once winter draws in? What effect will it have on the individuals, their relationships and beliefs? What is the real reason that they have been abandoned? Can anything ever be quite the same again?

This is definitely a book for more mature readers as it tackles some surprising issues. However, it is also a vividly and sensitively portrayed survival story with breathtaking descriptions of one of the most remote regions of Scotland. There are also some shocking twists and turns in the story which I doubt any reader would anticipate...