A mixture of literary horror and mystery, this book plants red herrings everywhere, in both the characters’ and s the readers’ path. Even by the very end I was uncertain if there was something supernatural at work, or just an evil earthly presence that had outsmarted everyone. About halfway through the story Liv accepts that her regular sense of right and wrong has taken a detour: When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days. Happy Halloween! Today is the perfect day to curl up with a spooky read (really, the entire month of October is) and I’ve got a stellar recommendation for getting you into the Halloween spirit. The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke landed on my doorstep towards the end of this month, so I squeezed it in so I could finish it by October 31, and I’m so glad I did, because it’s all about witches, PLUS its got a fantastic Halloween scene in it. And compared to some of the more violent horror novels I’ve read this month, this one isn’t gory, so it’s a more accessible story with wider appeal. Atmospheric, gothic, spine-chilling… “Haunting… mysterious” – Entertainment Weekly “Jess-Cooke is one to watch” – Publisher’s Weekly “Intense, thrilling… this is grip-lit at its best” – ELLE magazine In her deeply atmospheric new novel, Cooke weaves together multiple genres into an intriguing story about longing, lost love, and family….Cooke does an excellent job of bringing together three time periods and multiple story lines. Readers of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife and students of Scottish history and myth will love this read.”– Booklist

This book has many layers and it becomes interesting as you're getting through. I must admit that I had a hard time at the beginning trying to differentiate the mcs perspectives, because sometimes they were mixed. Gladly, I made my way through it. Can you imagine your long gone sister you haven’t heard from for 23 years appears at the same place where she was missing? But the strange thing about this not only the way how they found her after all those years, she’s still 7 years, she hasn’t aged for a day after she got missing. Well, did you get intrigued? You might be, because things will get more complex and crazier at each chapter. Go on! It’s so exciting! I loved the way the direction was going with the wilding storyline however it felt like it was taken too far to be resolved convincingly. I was a tad disappointed with the supernatural element of the story.

A couple of reader friends found the plot dragging in the middle but I couldn’t detect any major dip in pace. Probably because I was listening to it than reading it.

You learn about the family's time on the island, the disappearance of the girls, and from Luna's present perspective, the aftermath of all of that. For me this was a pleasure from beginning to end. It had the right amount of atmosphere, Gothic vibes, and mystery to keep me engaged and wanting more. A] hypnotic psychological thriller….Readers will keep guessing what’s really going on right up to the surprise ending. Rebecca fans won’t want to miss this one.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) Eventually though, I was able to settle into it and really enjoyed my time reading this story. There are some genuinely creepy moments and some quite interesting supernatural twists. Though there were multiple timelines and character perspectives to follow, the narrative felt pretty smooth to me. The writing keeps you hooked.The Inside Flap Ep. 140 The Witching Hour Is Upon Us with C.J. Cooke - podcast = 1:30:00 – from about 30:00 CJ Cooke wrote her first book aged seven. A few decades later, her work is published in 23 languages, has won numerous awards, and has been optioned for film and television. She writes about motherhood, mental illness, and trauma. Her fiction is often classed as feminist gothic and/or psychological suspense.