I enjoyed this creepy tale very much. At times I shivered when my imagination took over, I could picture the lighthouse and it’s surrounding from the descriptions. I don’t usually read books like this one but I’m glad I did. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A woman flees to a Scottish island to paint a mural inside a disused lighthouse, taking her three daughters with her. Then strange things begin to happen and he whole family disappears. This is all linked to the fact that some witches were imprisoned and executed in the 1600s. Twenty or so years later, one of the daughters is told that her little sister has been found. But the sister is still the age she was twenty years ago. They go back to the island to try to solve the mystery. I found this to be a gripping read but I thought the narrative got a little confusing towards the end. It would have been better if it had been told in a linear way, instead up splitting it up into three different timelines. However, the author pulls it together in the conclusion.

"They bind our feet and ankles, tear off our clothes and douse us with alcohol.."

I found myself reading this book slowly at first, trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. Until the ending where I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. Every chapter seemed to unlock a clue for another character or timeline. C.J. Cooke has the mind of a poet and it shows with all of the intricate, haunting descriptions and the ominous atmosphere she casts on the story. If you are looking for a good spooky story, I definitely recommend this one. Definitely check trigger warnings, this book is dark and contains violence, including witch trials.

First of all thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for the chance to read The LIghthouse Witches pre-publication.
After starting this one, i didn't know what to expect, but 10% in and i could not put it down. A fantastic story, swapping the narratives of different people to give different aspects of the story, weaving perfectly in and out, keeping the mystery and suspense throughout.
A beautiful and haunting setting, with wonderfully charming characters, this is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021!
If i could give it any criticism, it would be that i wanted to explore some of the minor characters stories even more.

Luna Stay has been searching for her mother and 2 sisters since they went missing in 1998. So in 2020 she is delighted to get a call saying her sister Clover has been found, however when she arrives at the hospital she is stunned to find Clover is the same age as when she disappeared.
A story about a remote island in Scotland, witch trials, curses and disappearing children make this a great story. Little is known about Scottish witch trials but in the notes at the end states that they were the worst in Europe with around 4000 women tortured on false claims of witchcraft.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, harperCollins and CJ Cook for my ARC of The Lighthouse Witches in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 30th September 2021

Olivia and her three daughters have moved to a remote Scottish island in order for Olivia to complete a mural at a strange Lighthouse called The Longing. No sooner have the family arrived weird things begin to happen. 22 years later the middle child Luna is pregnant with her first child when she receives a call from a police station in Scotland advising that her sister Clover missing these past 22 years has been found. At first Luna is ecstatic to think of seeing her sister again that is until she arrives at the hospital and discovers that Clover is still the seven-year-old child she was when she went missing. Luna begins to remember the tales on the island of wild lings magical beans created to imitate children as revenge by witches. Now Luna must return to the island to discover the truth about what happened to her mother and sisters all those years ago.

If I’m completely honest I wasn’t getting on with this book to begin with. I got to around 40% and thought that I would probably DNF however the excellent reviews that I have heard about both this book and others by this author convince me to continue and I’m so glad they did. This book turned out to be incredibly enjoyable and if anything turned my original two star review into a four-star.

The story is a little bit slow to begin with and I found a short chapters and changing points of view quite difficult to get on with. However, once I got around halfway through I found I was gripped by the mystery of the storyline.

The blend of magic, folklore and mystery edged with horror keeps the reader turning the pages and wanting to discover what happens next. The idea is really original and not something I’ve come across before and blends folklore with science Fiction. The only criticism I would have is that some elements of the story such as Clover’s behaviour after she was found by Luna in 2021 will never fully explained. I have the nesting also by this author in my kindle library and now can’t wait to get to it.

I love books seeped in the history of witches and their trials and this has everything I love. Strong female characters, intrigue and mystery blended with the evil actions of the Scottish witch trials. It was much darker than I expected and was deliciously creepy as the folklore of the island was revealed. With many twists and turns in an atmospheric setting this is one of my favourite books of the year.

⭑⭑⭑⭑.5 4.5 stars

How to describe The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke...

It's a mysterious gothic horror dripping in mythology and history and cannot be confined to one genre.

The plot is complex and intriguing the entire way through. There were a few times where I muttered 'wow', 'wait, what?!' and 'nooo'.



This book contains the history of the Scottish burning of the witches, which were the worst in Europe (I have now learnt thank you, author) and Cooke has gifted these wronged people stories that help them live forever. Cooke acknowledges the fact that the families of the accused were left with no body, no real burial site, and tarnished reputations by suspicious neighbours.

This harsh dose of reality is coupled with myth and curses that plague the Scottish town the characters are staying in. The result is a dark, complex story guilty of swallowing readers whole and spitting them out hours into the future after completing the book.



If you like witches, gothic settings, a tinge of horror, a bucket load of mystery, creepy lighthouses, and scary children; this is the book for you.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

This was my second book by this author, and I felt this was a much better book than her first. I really enjoyed the scenic writing, but felt the different POVs were a little jarring. I would have like a bit more witchy stuff but overall a great plot.

Just say any of the words "atmospheric", "lighthouse", or "witches", and I am there! And this book has all three! With such a gorgeous cover, as well, how could I not request this one?

The Lighthouse Witches was everything that I wanted from the title alone! There's folklore and mythology, stories told of witch trials in the 1600s, and a unique twist that brings history into the modern world. And let's not forget the gloomy lighthouse where children have been going missing for years. If that doesn't have you gripped, I don't know what will.

With two timelines running alongside each other, the first in 1998 when the Stay family arrive at the island and the second in 2021 as Luna seeks the truth, there is so much mystery to be unravelled. Is Luna's sister who she says she is? Or are the wildlings real? And what happened to the third sister?

Atmospheric is definitely the right word to describe this book and Cooke does not disappoint with an effective gothic feel. I was reading this book late at night and had to stop when my toddler started screaming for no reason. And then when I picked it up again the following morning, the lights started flickering from heavy rain. So I definitely got chills when reading this book!

If you're craving a book with a supernatural element, a gothic story with a modern twist or for something witchy this autumn, this is definitely the book for you! I now have the urge to hide away in the library researching witches and spells. For now, I've already gone and bought The Nesting because I need to read more by C.J. Cooke and soon!

The lighthouse witches is a tale with many a twist and turn and is wonderfully mysterious. This story is enthralling and is the epitome of the genre gothic thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple narrations within the story which gave the tale a plethora of layers. I really loved the back story with which the story found itself - surrounding witches and witch trials and the depiction of how history had treated these women. This book is an absolute triumph!

Thank you to NetGalley as well as HarperCollins for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I shouldn't have read this in the middle of the night.

'The Lighthouse Witches' isn't horror in the most conspicuous manner, at least not always: there aren't axe murderers knocking at your door, no ghosts trying to take revenge, no—well, there are actually men calling for women to be burnt at the stake. Most of the horror, though, is more subtle, coming from revelations in the past that tie in a little too neatly with events in the present, leaving the reader with a sense of foreboding and the understanding that something very, very wrong is about to happen.

I loved it.

Every character is given their due weight and attention in the form of individual points of view that enable the author to present a complex, multifaceted narrative to the reader. From the 17th century to the 21st, the lives of witches and of those cursed by them are explored in a style of writing descriptive in nature, allowing the reader to sink into the setting created.

What didn't appeal to me was the branded numbers aspect of the plot. The story behind them I have no complaint against, but of themselves they felt too out of place in the midst of everything else; perhaps they were too obvious where other details in the novel were more carefully crafted.

Altogether, C.J. Cooke's latest novel would make a great addition to a book club's repertoire. You may want to add it to your TBRs soon, because it'll officially be released by the end of this month!

This book was the best I've read for a while! It was fascinating how the author spun this tale which I won't say much about as I don't want to spoil it for you, she managed to put some of the historical tales in this story so it feels like you know some of it if you've been interested in the history of "witches" and their treatment through the ages!. I carried that book around everywhere with me !. I didn't want to miss a moment !. It was fantastic!!.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.

This book was absolutely incredible. Just when you think an abandoned lighthouse is creepy enough witches are thrown into the mix… The writing was poetic and absolutely beautiful and i loved every second of it! Felt like i was Alice in Wonderland. Cannot wait to see what this author does next.

TW/CW⚠️: stillbirth, trauma, miscarriage, mentions of rape, sexual assault.

This is my first book by the author so I went in with no expectations except a decent read hopefully, which have been met to a certain extent, because the book is about family, love, relationships, history, some Nordic folklore and Icelandic myths which make it an atmospheric read, perfect for autumn and halloween season! The story revolves around artist Olivia Stay who is commissioned to paint a mural in a lighthouse in a remote island of Scotland. Landing there, with her three girls, she discovers the island has been home to witch hunting which was a huge deal in Europe in the 1600s. Two of her daughters go missing and frantic search reveals nothing. The story moves in triple timelines, the 1600s ..the late 1990s when the girls go missing and the present year, when the middle sister Luna Stay is still on a lookout for her sisters, 22 years later. When she finds her younger sister Clover, frozen at the age of 7 it seems with a series of numbers etched in to her skin, all the memories and folklore come rushing back to Luna.
The book might have been more interesting if it hadn't dragged on in the first half and definitely of it was a little condensed. The story line is great, but I felt no warmth towards any of the characters in the story..

This book pulled me in from the start. I have always been a huge fan of stories that incorporate multiple timelines and perspectives.

Cooke carefully feeds you tidbits of information, pieces of a puzzle that you can't piece together until the end.

It was magical, heartbreaking, beautiful and very well written.

Cooke clearly has done some very deep research into folklore and history and she represents the tragedy of witch hunts and trials. She gives a voice to the women that were condemned without a chance to speak by men who feared them.

I will definitely be reading more from this author!

I’m not a huge horror movie fan but every year, as Halloween approaches, I like to get cosy with an exciting new book which sends shivers down my spine. You can imagine my excitement, therefore, when Netgalley and publishers HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, offered me the chance to read and review the digital ARC of The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke, a ‘chilling gothic thriller’ about a family staying at a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island. Not only did the book sound fascinating but it also featured a stunning, atmospheric cover which hooked me right away!

The book follows two timelines: Liv Stay, a single mother who takes her daughters who live at the isolated lighthouse while she works on an art project, and Luna (in the present day) one of Liv’s daughters-and the only one left after her mother and sisters all disappeared. I sometimes find dual timeline books a little frustrating but Cooke does a wonderful job of weaving the two plots together so that we inch slowly and thrillingly towards the climax of the story. Both women have distinct voices so you never feel confused about where you are in the story.

Cooke has also done a huge amount of research and really allows a modern reader to understand the tragedy and cruelty of Scotland’s witch hunts-innocent women and girls who died horrible deaths due to society’s fear and vindictiveness. This book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of persecuting anyone who seems ‘other’ or different, and indeed Cooke makes it very clear that she doesn’t feel that modern society has progressed much in this regard at all.

This book never feels preachy or didactic, however, and I found myself caught up in the quick-paced plotting, desperate to know what had happened to Liv and her other daughters. This is the perfect autumnal read so make sure you draw the curtains, light a pumpkin candle and dive right into The Lighthouse Witches!

Lighthouse witches is an amazing gothic thriller.

The book follows the journey of a single mother, Olivia in 1998. As well as Olivia's daughter Lunas' story with motherhood in 2021. Luna soon learns that her sister Clover was found after being missing for 20+ years. She's ecstatic to know someone from her family has survived. However, something isn't right. Clover is stuck in the age that she went missing in and she acts different. Luna is determined to find out the truth of what actually happened. Even if it means revisiting her past.

The story continuously switches between different perspectives and timelines. Two set-in 1998 in the perspectives of Olivia (Lunas' Mother) and Sapphire (Lunas' elder sister). The third being Luna's set in 2021. This format really made each character's voice clear and distinct. It built the suspense well, being slow at the start of the book but eventually gaining pace.

I would also like to add that this book was creepily addicting. I normally am not a huge fan of mystery or thrillers. But this was surprisingly good. Telling a story about family and sisterly bond as well as highlighting the injustices women went through during the witch trials in Scotland. The blend between the past and present is very well done!

The ending was super satisfying. It was great to see Luna finally learn the truth about her family.

First of all, I am so happy to discover this authoress, whose writing is compelling, tasteful, and on point for depicting the eerie ambiance of the story. This is a fantasy book, where we meet witches and time-travel.
We follow Liv, a contemporary artist who is the single mother of three daughters Clover the youngest, then Luna and Sapphire. Liv is offered a job to paint a wall in a lighthouse on a Scottish isle. Compelled by an unknown need to leave her town, she leaves in the middle of the night with her children to arrive on a small territory haunted by a heavy past. Indeed, on the site of the lighthouse, 12 "witches" were burned at the stake in the 17th century. Since then, the isle has been cursed with the disappearance of children and apparition of "wildlings", children who look exactly alike the missing ones.
Carefully searched, C.J Cooke does a wonderful work to intermingle history, Scottish wilderness and feminism with the plight of women unjustly executed, with very interesting reflexions on time, motherhood, and search for origins after a trauma. What I loved is that every child is her own person, that Liv is very relatable I believe as a woman, artist and mother, because she questions as do many women , her motherhood when she only does as she is able to. Sapphire is a very bright teenager, Clover a sweet and inquisitive girl and Luna is like this balance between the two.
My only "negative" point is that I am left wanting to know more about Isla, an inhabitant who seems to know so much about the history of this lighthouse.

The setting for this book is a delight. I'm a sucker for remote Scottish Islands. I also love lighthouses. Combine this with gothic horror/thriller and I will likely enjoy it. Which I did but but with increasing caveats as the book went on.
The overall story was good and entertaining but there were a number of buts.
Firstly, I really didn't connect with Liv or Luna as main characters and as the book is told mainly from their points of view this presented problems
Secondly, the book was quite confusing in the jumping around of timelines
Thirdly, medical inaccuracies. That I really can not abide
In addition I felt going down the sci-fi route at the end was a mistake. The book didn't really suit it. Patrick's story seemed a bit of an afterthought too and didn't really add anything
One of the 3 star reviews on here contains a massive spoiler so avoid until after you've read the book- I'm glad I did
Overall, a 3.5/5 stars