I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke Published by Penguin Publishing Group on November 5, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Horror, Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Goodreads
A Most Anticipated Novel by Pop Sugar * Book Riot * Betches * Bustle * and more!
Utterly spellbinding....Witchcraft meets thriller.--Pop Sugar
Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found--but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting.
When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters--Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.
Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers--except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her.
The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke hit my radar simply because witches was in the title. Also, the cover is so bold with the yellow-green colors. I had been in the mood for a mysterious, atmospheric read and particularly a book about witches. So, I eagerly dove into this book from Netgalley. Turns out it took me what felt like forever to get into and through.
It is a little bit hard for me to explain the plot of The Lighthouse Witches because there is a lot going on. There are three different timelines in this book. We have Luna’s timeline set in 2021. We have Liv and Saffy’s timeline set in 1998. Then we have Patrick’s timeline set in the late 1600s. Set on the island of Lon Haven in Scotland, this book follows all three timelines and a curse. You see at one point Luna’s sisters Clover and Sapphire “Saffy” disappeared, along with her mother Liv. But then 20 years later, Clover shows back up but at the same age she was when she disappeared 20 years ago. Luna isn’t quite sure what’s happened.
Meanwhile, in Liv’s timeline, she has been hired to paint a weird mural in the lighthouse on Lon Haven. In Patrick’s timeline, the witches are rounded up and burned. They curse Lon Haven. Legend has it that there are these creatures called wildlings who look exactly like the disappeared children. You have to kill the wildling or they will destroy your entire bloodline. So, things are a little bit intense in The Lighthouse Witches.
This book just was not it for me. I felt like it took too long for me to get into it and gel with the plot. It feels very meandering and slow. I also thought there was just too much going on. So, I would have appreciated a focus on one timeline. The ending was neat. However, it was too little too late. The threads came together really well but I did not care for the build up. I believe that this book should work for more patient people or people who actually sleep at night and can concentrate. For me, it is on to the next one.
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