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.

I really wanted to like this book, but the story was all over the place, told from many different points of view over periods of time with a tie up that was complicated.

It felt as though I had to see the book through to the end, although it took a while to do this.

Every now and then a book comes along that you think is right up your street but then disappointingly falls short of expectation. Unfortunately, this takes of witchcraft and folklore was one such book for me. I found it phased to get into and rather an anticlimax- I didn’t buy the characters or the scene setting. I put the book down several times, forcing myself back to it to finish.

Mine is a rare ‘bad’ review therefore please take the comments as my own opinion and, seemingly, in a sparse minority.

I liked this book. It’s throughout and well written. For me it was slow going in the beginning but I stuck with it. The timeline jumps around a lot, 1600’s to 2000’s. I really enjoyed the pages of Patrick Roberts Grimoire. I liked the tie in to the witch trials and the mystery around the wildlings. I will try more from this author.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK for this advanced copy.

Liv is a struggling single mother to three daughters. Life is tough so when she gets a commission to paint a mural in a lighthouse on a Scottish island she bundles her three girls & sets off for Lòn Haven.
The accommodation is not great & the lighthouse is going to need some work to clean up before she can get started on the somewhat curious demands of the owner. They soon find out that the lighthouse was a prison for witches awaiting trial. There are tales of 'wildings' children who appear but are not real. First her eldest daughter goes missing then her youngest. Luna is the one left- flash forward, Luna receives a call to say her sister Clover has been found but when she rushes to see her she finds that Clover is still seven years old. She decides they need to go back to Lòn Haven, to find answers.

The author creates a wonderful creepy atmosphere. She clearly knows a lot about the witch trials and the history of the way women are treated. The obvious flaw of Luna being allowed to take a seven year old child without a great deal more scrutiny didn't bother me as much as the placing of Lòn Haven! From the descriptions & the fact that the islanders conversed in Gaelic the place should have been on the West coast & I found this difficult to get past this. Apart from this it was an interesting read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I loved the premise of this one, but I was blown away by the execution. An absolutely stunning book, atmospheric, emotional and gripping from start to finish, and I think this one will become an autumnal reread from now because it is just perfect for that time of year.

I’m a massive fan of CJ Cooke so was delighted to receive this arc in exchange for an honest review. And I wasn’t disappointed! I read it over Halloween and it was perfectly gripping, creepy and gothic. It kept me guessing right to the end. Superb.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this arc.

Wow!
Probably one of the gloomiest yet most gripping books I have read this winter!
It took me a tiny bit to get into it only because of the different times and different voices however once I got into a rhythm I could not let the book down!
It reminded me of House of Hollows.
Scotland is definitely a great place for mysteries, magic and being at the sea always adds a certain fear of what can happen. The feeling of being stuck into a nightmare was real!
A must read!

This book was the highlight of my spooky season. It’s not my usual genre so diving in was a leap of faith, the cover was stunning and the blurb drew me in.

From page one, I was well and truly hooked. The different povs and timelines threw me a little but once I saw where the story was going it all made sense. Cooke graces us with a beautifully written, utterly eerie and captivating tale of superstition, intrigue and thought provoking themes.

The best part of the book was the ending, it was so out of the left field that it rendered me speechless. And the heartbreaking twist still guts me.

Overall a massive 5 stars for this wonderful book!

This is a perfect read for anyone who likes a bit of suspense regarding witchery, Scottish folklore, local history, legends and some family drama all tied in beautifully. Perfect for those cold Autumn evenings especially around the spooky season, this is chilling and engrossing. What more could you want at this time of year.

The story is set in 1998 Lon Haven, The Black Isle-Scotland, Liv is the mother of three daughters her loving husband has died, she is commissioned to paint a mural in a century old lighthouse which is built on an ancient Scottish broc. The lighthouse is owned by the island’s mysterious millionaire who Liv hasn’t yet met. She thinks she has finally got a break being a single mum this commission is just what she needs, with money being tight and trying to raise her three daughters alone, as an artist she has felt a strain on resources. This is a fresh start for her and the girls. It’s a tough decision moving the girls there but she has little choice. As they board the ferry the day they move, Live, Saffy, Luna and Clover say goodbye to their old lives. But she knows very little about the history and dark secrets of the island. Witches had been killed here, in 1662, women were imprisoned, burned at the stake, and tortured.

When they arrive at the lighthouse and the adjacent botany, which is now to be their home, it’s slightly more dilapidated than they had expected but it’s not long before they have settled in. Saffy I the oldest daughter and finds it the hardest to settle, with teenage hormones, she distances herself from her sisters. Liv dives into her work, she befriends some of the village women who tell her tales she finds hard to believe, some of them are disturbing, especially a witches curse which summons wildlings, The women that tell these stories clearly believe them to be true. Then when mysterious things happen to Liv and the girls, she starts to believe there maybe something true in what the women have told her.. But then two of her daughters go missing! Liv panics, willing to do whatever it takes to bring her girls back.

The story is told from three different timelines, 1662, 1998 and the present day, they flow well never leaving the reader unsure which timeline you are on. Told from three points of view, Liv, Saffy and Luna. As the story starts to unfold the tension grows, along with a growing sense of dread and unease. There are a number of very creepy things going on that will keep the reader guessing, as you are trying to work out what is actually happening.

Full of atmosphere, this will keep you totally engrossed from start to finish. I would like to thank #netgalley and #HarperCollinsUk #HarperFiction for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Atmospheric and creepy. The story flits between different characters and timelines, hinting at supernatural events. Deliciously eerie!

This was a very very interesting read, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the amazing unique plot. Definitely would recommend it!!

A brilliantly atmospheric and yet emotional creepy read.
Following a single mum and her three daughters as strange things begin to happen in their remote new home.

This was a great read, especially over a rainy autumn night.

In 1998 Liv takes her 3 daughters to a remote Scottish island after accepting a commission to paint a mural at an old lighthouse called the Longing. It isn't what she expects, she meets superstition and folklore and tales of witches and curses.

Years later in 2021 Luna is still confused about the disappearance of her mother Liv and her sisters. A call from a social worker saying her sister clover has been found alive and well brings relief and more mystery. As Clover is still seven years old, the age she was when she disappeared in 1998.

There's a lot going on in this - the history of the island and the witches, the very wicker Man type of locals, the runes and folklore aspect and then what should be the relatively simple relationships between all the characters. However mix in suspicion, teen angst, mistrust and secrets and what you get is something a bit more complex and interesting. Are the mysterious children who appear wildlings? Some sort of Fae changeling? Is the island cursed by the witches who died there? Gets an extra star for being clever

I do love a gothic mystery, and this definitely hit the spot on that front! Add in the witches link, and lots of mysterious goings on and it made for a really entertaining and engrossing read - even if it did end up falling a little flat towards the end!

It's a story told over a number of years and from different views, so it does keep you on your toes keeping up with what is going on, but at the heart of the story are the disappearance of young girls and the terror that brings to the local area.

Liv is drawn to the area with her 3 daughters, desperate for a new start and doesn't like to believe in the local gossip of strange goings on. But things start to happen that has a big impact on all of them! And when Luna, one of her daughters is drawn back to the area 20 years later, the story begins where it left off, with the reappearance of one of her sisters who has been missing... except she is exactly the same age now as she was when she disappeared. There's a lot to be explored and it's a murky, strange world she now finds herself involved with as she delves deeper into the magic and folklore.

This was an enjoyable and mysterious story and I loved the witchy aspect mixed in with the folklore!

Cooke seems to have found a sweet spot with modern takes on stories from days of yore. Although that feels like it sells the concept short. This is more than a modern retelling of a story we all know well, it's a clever weaving of those stories into our modern world. In the case of "The Lighthouse Witches" our trip to the real past takes the form of a grimoire found and read by a teenager in the late 90s. The back story of the small island of Lon Haven. One with witch trials. And yes, we all know the general concept of witch trials with their burning stakes and suchlike, but it's fair to say Scottish witches have been underrepresented in our commonly known history. So although the witchy parts aren't exactly revelatory, they do have a slightly different flavour and accent than usual.

The witch background is just that though. The real story is split between 1998 and 2021. The early timeline sees a family turning on up Lon Haven, the later one sees one of the daughters, now a grown adult, unravelling during that fairly brief earlier period, a time that saw the rest of her family mysteriously disappear. And yes, the title does tell you very clearly that this isn't a police procedural with a Scooby-Doo style reveal at the end to debunk centuries of folklore. It's a story of witchcraft and unexplained, and unexplainable, phenomena. If you're hoping for the former walk away, if you enjoy the latter you've found a gem.

Something I enjoy about Cooke's writing in the books I've read so far is the simple details. Small lines that could easily be dismissed add a depth and reality to the whole affair and bring the magic to life. A mask to enter a hospital plants a stake firmly in the ground for the habits we've developed to show it really is 2021, but it never explicitly mentions what we all know that means. As the book ages so will that detail. It isn't a "book of the time" that leans on the world for the story and will feel awkward in a few years time, it's a subtle nod to something that we know makes it contemporary and relatable. Mentioning Facebook allows us that connection to a world we know and understand once more. It's modern without being faddy - you could read this in five years without having to look up a five-minute wonder overhyped app or meme that we've long forgotten. It's a good balance that allows the story to dip into the world of witches without fear of becoming self-parodying. The teen Wiccan, the superstitions, the long list of small details that very simply build a bridge between the folklore of wildlings and our modern world make it work.

The characters and story grow gently to fill your mind and offer up an intriguing story. There's not really a big reveal, a few aspects are nice twists and turns but the main story becomes obvious fairly quickly, but there is also a good feeling that the next page will tell you something more. And it does. You're pulled carefully along, as Cooke walks the fine line she's so good at. That tightrope of giving us the mysteries of old in a modern story. She asks for more suspension of disbelief than usual, and it's and her writing encourages the trust needed to do just that. A definite read for anyone who craves a good old fashioned story for the modern age.

Thoroughly creepy and fiercely unputdownable, this tale of Scottish lore and it's effect on present day is the perfect book for anyone wanting a spooky evening in!

THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES by C.J. Cooke is a thrilling page-turner steeped in gothic atmosphere. Set on a remote Scottish island, the setting of this book was a perfect backdrop for the unnerving story that unfolded throughout the book. There are three timelines threaded together throughout the book, which I did initially find confusing in the audiobook, however they came together in a very satisfying way once I'd finally worked out what was going on. I found the ending of this book incredibly bittersweet and emotional, and I couldn't have predicted where it was going to end. Every single theory I had throughout the story was absolutely wrong.

I found myself feeling genuinely on edge at several points throughout the book, and with storming winds outside I felt like I was following closely along with the characters as they tried to uncover the hidden history of the island. I loved Luna best, which meant I wasn't *super* invested in all the other POVs, but they were a really powerful way of telling each part of the story - and let me start furiously piecing together what was really going on in the book.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Liv is a single mom to three girls, who flees with her daughters to a remote island to paint an unusual mural in a lighthouse for commission. Unbeknown to Liv the island has a long and difficult history involving witches, curses and wildlings, that her family will soon become entangled in.

The story is told over multiple timelines and different characters perspectives. I found the story quick paced, intriguing and found myself wanting to keep reading to see how the story would end.

Three timelines, intertwined. Three sisters, two lost, and one returned. When Luna receives a call to say that one of her missing sisters has been found, she's ecstatic. Except Clover is still the same seven year old girl she was when she went missing 20 years ago. Luna must walk a murky path into the troublesome past of a remote Scottish island to uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago. A past that involves witches, torture and death.

This was brimming in atmosphere. From the wild and windy Scottish island and it's hostile inhabitants, to the disturbing past of the lighthouse, the reader knows straight from the get go that this is going to be a dark tale. The timeline of the past follows Liv and her three children as Liv struggles to control eldest daughter Saffy while keeping her head afloat with bills and life worries. There's a lot of fighting and squabbles that really add to this uneasy feeling that sweeps through the island. I liked Liv and found her relatable and realistic. She's by no means perfect, but she's trying to do her best and she wants to show her girls that she can be a good mother. Even if Saffy in particular can't see this. I could also see a lot of Liv in the present day Luna, who brims with a determination to uncover the truth in her own stubborn way.

Gothic and cruel, with windy shores and bleak conversations about human nature, this is a perfect wintery read for those looking for atmosphere and witches.