The prose and character development in this book is superb. The story is amazing and it kept me gripped throughout

Spooky and atmospheric, and well written, however the initial ambiguity of the horror/fantastical elements didn't work for me.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I have always been intrigued by witchcraft and historical aspects to it so going into this, I was excited but also hoping it’ll be different to stories i’ve heard before; and it definitely was. There were a lot of spooky and creepy parts throughout the book that kept me engaged and the characters themselves were great to read. The writing was also amazing and it felt like a very quick read, for me. Definitely want to check out more from the author.

Two sisters go missing on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. One is found almost immediately, the other 20 years later. But she’s still the same age she was when she went missing. And she thinks it’s only been 3 days…

The Lighthouse Witches is a mysterious tale of sisterhood, feminity, and power. Told through snippets of history, the story covers Scotland’s past with witch hunts. With strong voices and formidable female characters, all set against the backdrop of a ruthless and unforgiving island, this is a hugely atmospheric book. The audiobook is excellently narrated and produced, and the writing is gripping and interesting. I loved the complicated relationships portrayed here, and the mystery of the missing girls that kept me hooked to the end.

This is a very enchanting book that is easy to get lost in and I’m very much looking forward to investigating C.J. Cooke’s other work.

I so wanted to love this book, but I really struggled to get into it. Usually I’m a sucker for anything witchy, anything mysterious and anything with lashings of family drama… and this book had all three in spades. This isn’t a critique of the plot or the writing style, because on the surface there was nothing wrong with either, I just wasn’t as gripped or emotionally connected as I wanted to be. I’d definitely give another book by this author a try though.

I’d been reading this NetGalley ARC for about 6 months, and in the end it was the audiobook that saved it – it would likely have been a DNF if I hadn’t swapped. This was one of those reads that had nothing particularly wrong with it, but I just couldn’t seem to get hooked on this, as atmospheric as it was. The narration on the audiobook was well done, and got me invested in the story again. This shows a light on some of the more obscure history of witch prosecution in Scotland and the more remote islands, and the changeling myth, but spun into a different tale.

This book is one of the best things I have ever read, and I do not know why more people are not talking about it. This novel follows a family when two sisters go missing on an island and then twenty years later one of the sisters turns up the exact same age as when she vanished. This book has three narratives; it follows the witches in the past, the months leading up to the girls going missing and the narrative of when the girl is found all those years later.
This book was so different to anything I have read in the past. I loved it from the first page to the last. The thing that gripped me from the start was the atmosphere. Rainy Scotland on the coast with a strange and creepy lighthouse – what more could you ask for? It follows Liv and her three daughters after they arrive at the lighthouse only to discover that this town used to be home to witches and witch trials. After seeing a strange creature on her doorstep Liv gets sucked into the town legends of the demon children that swap places with the real children and take over their lives. However when two of her own children go missing Liv has to decide what she decides in. Meanwhile twenty years later the remaining daughter is trying to struggle her way through life when one of her sisters turns up the exact same age as when she vanished leaving them with a mystery that has been unsolved for over two hundred years.
This book is ultimately about witches and how even today witch hunts can take over peoples lives. The lighthouse is built upon the grounds where witches were killed many years ago without trial. The historical aspect of this book was so interesting to me to see how even though these witches were people within a community and had friends they could be turned on for the slightest thing even something like witchcraft. When going into this book I had no idea that Scotland had even had its own witch trials which made this book even more interesting to read.
This book encompasses fear. The fear a mother has for their children, the fear of isolation and being turned on by the people in your life, the fear of the unknown. Liv, the mother of the three girls displays that the whole way through this book and makes you feel the same fear of not knowing what is going to happen. Although I did not find this book too scary reading this at night definitely gave me the spooky atmosphere I was looking for.
One of the things I truly loved about this book was the displays of love that occurred the entire way through. The love a mother has for her children, the love of siblings and even the love of strangers. Luna the youngest sister never truly gives up looking for her sisters and that is such a special thing to read about in a book. Although Liv’s love is questionable throughout due to the decisions she makes it is clear that she loves her daughters more than anything.
This book was just like nothing I had ever read before which is why I enjoyed it so much. I loved the atmosphere, the witchy vibes and the family aspect. This book was definitely a five out of five stars. If you have not read this book yet you need to get to it as soon as possible. I can not wait to read the rest of C.J. Cooke’s books and I will hopefully enjoy them as much as I enjoyed this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this review copy in return for a review!

The subject matter, location and format of The Lighthouse Witches ticked all boxes for me. This gothic horror with a nod to the supernatural as well as a touch of historical fiction was written so well through multiple POVs and timelines. I loved understanding the story from each characters perspective and felt the author combined them all so well without causing confusion like other multiple POV books.

Each genre (gothic horror, supernatural, historical) was also covered in great detail and had me on tender hooks throughout. The setting was both haunting and magical at the same time. Coming from Scotland myself and having visited many of our beautiful islands, the author captured not only the natural rugged beauty but also the way small communities are, as well as explaining some of the horrific history that happened hundreds of years ago in our very small country. Although the island - Lòn Haven - is fictional, I could definitely picture several Scottish islands in my mind when reading this book.

I will definitely be reading another book by CJ Cooke, as I adored her writing style and this book had me hooked from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in return for an honest review. I would also like to thank them for introducing me to this amazing author.

This is a a beautifully atmospheric, creepy, gothic thriller, which links witch trials several centuries before with contemporary events on a remote Scottish island. The consequences affect single mother Liv and her daughters over a period of 20 years. The connections are very cryptic but begin to become very clear as you turn the page. CJ Cooke has done an amazing job of keeping the suspense going from beginning to end with ghosts, bleakness and all the things I love in a gothic novel. Highly recommended. Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy.

This book did unfortunately not meet my expectations. I wasn't drawn into the story in the beginning, which meant that I had a hard time getting into it. Then at once it gripped me, and I was excited because I thought it was finally going to pick up pace. But I was let down a couple of pages later when I lost interest again. This kept happening throughout the story, and it frankly made for a very frustrating read.

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.

I didn't love this book as much as everyone else evidently did; it started out good, and the middle was getting better - only for the end to leave me with more questions. I also felt that was a bit much- even for a fantasy. For example, in one scene a character has their ribs removed, but is apparently well enough to run away? Another is that a character is apparently 'broke, but can also drop money on silly things.

On the other hand, it isn't confusing as you would assume it to be with so many POV's. It started out as fun, but ended as a disappointment.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley for the arc

This book was a nice read. I hope to get to read more books like this.
I would like to suggest this book to others, for the nice plot and it sure is an interesting read.

This is a wonderfully unsettling read about treachery, betrayal, abuse of power, and dangerous secrets. Told in several timelines and from various points of view the author skilfully brings all the elements together. There are the seventeenth century island witches; the barbaric fate they meet and the revenge that 'the wildlings' subsequently take on the islanders. In 1998 the reader is introduced to Liv and her daughters; Liv has taken an art commission on the remote Scottish island believing that here she will find sanctuary and a respite from the life she is escaping. In the present day Luna, one of the daughters, returns to the island when she is told that the sister who disappeared over 20 years earlier has been found on the island. The three plot lines weave an incredibly tense atmosphere, as fear, superstition and paranoia infect even the most level headed characters in the book and the curse on the island became entirely believable. On every page danger simmers and the supernatural element (particularly when anyone entered the lighthouse) increased my nervous enjoyment of the story.

If you enjoy anything written by Melanie Golding then I think this will appeal to you.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for my advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, in short: This was brilliant. It was atmospheric, mysterious and above all, well written. It kept me guessing the whole way through, the characters were engaging, the setting was creepy. the story intense- I could go on and on.

I will be reading more of this author's work in the future, undoubtedly. This book took my expectations, and leapt clean over them. Brilliant work by C.J. Cooke!

The lighthouse witches - review

This is a story that alternates different timelines across three centuries, starting around the 17th century up to 2021.

After falsely accused, more than 13 women were burned as witches in a island full of preconceptions and false protectors of good manners and family.

When Liv decides to move to this Scotland island in 1998, after a commissioned job offer, she would never imagine what that decision would affect her and her three daughters for ever.

The author showed fairly well how can people be manipulated with false myths and legends and proceed with the most atrocious acts of violence against another human being.
Great story, dark sometimes appealing to stories, witches, spells and a bit of imagination! Timelines sometimes confusing but overall a strong 4 stars.
Thank you so much to @netgalley.com and  @harpercollinsuk  for this review copy.

YES! What a success! This novel was everything I wanted it to be.

I often find Historical Fiction based around witches a little underwhelming. I always want that something more from them... not this time, this one grabbed my attention from the get-go, and oh how I loved this story.

I was swept away by the remote Scottish setting, I was invested in each of the viewpoints, and the way the threads of this story ultimately weave together was just perfection.

A complete hit for me, I loved it, and I'll be recommending it to everyone that will listen. 5-star perfection!

a gothic witchy read set on a remote island, linking the disappearance of various children to myths of the past. this is a read that will catch the imagination and keep you gripped throughout. i will look out for other books by this author having enjoyed this read immensely

A single mother arrives with her three daughters to paint a fresco in an old lighthouse in a remore area of Scotland. There are many strange happenings and tales of dark events and magic from the past. Do the locals know more than they let on? What about the strange owner of the lighthouse? How true is the ancient book of spells they find in the cottage? Then people start to go missing.

This story is very well written and although the timeline moves around and is complicated, it all comes together in the end and is well worth reading.

The Lighthouse Witches is an intricately plotted novel with three interweaving timelines - 1662, 1998 and 2021 - set on a remote Scottish island. The 1998 timeline features single mum Liv, an artist commissioned to create a mural in the island's lighthouse. She brings her three daughters, Sapphire, Luna and Clover. There are all the odd experiences you expect in this kind of story, when outsiders come to a remote rural area - strange murmurs among the locals, whispers of superstitions, etc. It all creates a very effective sense of threat that builds throughout the story. When two of the girls go missing, Liv is caught in desperate search for her daughters – and then she too disappears.

In 2021, Luna is still searching for her missing sisters and mother, when a girl is discovered who says she is Luna's younger sister, Clover. The only slight snag is that, despite being missing for 22 years, Clover is still exactly the same age she was when she vanished.

And the 1662 timeline, as the name and the mysterious happenings suggest, concerns witches. The ideas are complex but tied together deftly, and it's a compelling and exciting read.

Single mother Liv travels to a remote Scottish Island with her three daughters, Sapphire, Luna and Clover, to accept a commission to paint a mural on the Lighthouse. Whilst there, she hears all about the Island’s history; chilling tales of witches and wildlings who replace children and must be killed. And then, two of her daughters go missing.

This book is told from three different points of view. Liv and Sapphire’s in 1998 and Luna’s from 2021. Also included are excerpts from a grimoire from 1622 detailing the height of the witch hunts. We learn that not only did her sisters disappear, but so did her mother, leaving Luna all alone.

In 2021 Luna receives a call saying they have found her younger sister Clover but when she goes to meet her, she encounters a young girl. She certainly looks and acts like Clover but how can it be possible that she hasn’t aged since the day she disappeared.

Cooke creates a wonderfully gothic atmosphere with the Island and the lighthouse at the centre of it all. It evokes strong feelings of The Wicker Man with the residents seemingly aware of strange occurrences that outsiders are not initially privy too. The disparate strands of story are woven together well and each character is well developed. You feel the frustration of the teenage Sapphire who is angry with her mother, you share the strain of Liv trying to provide for her three daughters all on her own. And you wonder along with Luna about what exactly happened all those years ago.

The story is essentially about myth and folklore and how, over the years, human beings react to unexplained events. The hysteria of the witch hunts doesn’t seem that far fetched when you compare it to events on the island in the current day. And Cooke is exceedingly clever in the way she brings you along on the journey. How she uses the reader as evidence that even the most level headed people can get swept up by superstition.

This book was gripping from start to finish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The haunting setting made for an excellent mystery and one that I would highly recommend.