The Lighthouse Witches is a fantastic book. It is by the same author as The Nesting, which I read last winter and enjoyed very much, so I knew I wanted to read this latest novel too. I was not disappointed!

The story takes place on a fictional island called Lon Haven, which is set in the region of Cromarty and the Back Isle. This is an area I know quite well from my own time spent in Scotland, so it was a pleasure to read about this desolate corner of the Highlands and other little known places I have visited, like Drumnadrochit. It made me long to return there and I could almost smell the sea as I read these pages.

The author has successfully transferred the sense of isolation on the Black Isle and thereabouts, onto the page, even being so bold as to write about the distrust and disdain of the locals towards outsiders and tourists. This is something I have experienced myself and I can vouch for the authenticity of such interactions!

So when the main protagonist Olivia, turns up on the island with her three daughters in the middle of the night, not all of the locals are pleased to see them. As she begins her commission as an artist to paint a mural in the lighthouse, she begins to feel uneasy. A ghostly child winks in and out of her sight-line, folklore of children disappearing are plentiful and tales of wildlings, sinister fairy changelings, abound. So when her own three daughters go missing, Liv is frantic with worry and determined to find them, even if it means sifting fact from folklore or dealing with a changeling or two in the process.

As a book that deals with the witch hunts of Scotland, it is a very atmospheric read. Eeriness drips from each chapter and there are sinister undertones throughout. At times quite brutal and graphically violent, it nonetheless draws you into its world of mystery, magic, murder and a centuries old witch's curse.

The witch hunts are rarely referred to in Scotland, despite how prevalent and brutal they were at the time. Now it is as if they have been whitewashed from Scottish history and although you might occasionally hear stories of the Brahm Seer, who was burned in a barrel at Chanory Point, or Janet Horne who was also burned in a barrel at Dornoch, for the most part, the witch hunts of history have been hushed up.

For that reason alone, I highly recommend this novel, as it brings the unfortunate plight of historical 'witches' out into the open. It is also a cracking read and the perfect way to kick off the spooky season. So grab a wee dram, light a few candles, curl up beneath a tartan blanket and go on a literary trip to the magical Black Isle in the far northern Highlands to see what The Lighthouse Witches has in store for you. Enjoy!

Blessed Be

Marie x

AD; This novel was sent to me by the publisher for review purposes prior to it's release. It is published on 30th September, 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I have looked at the other reviews and can only think that this book was not for me, as I know I did not miss anything. I absolutely loved this book up to a point and would have a one point given it 5 stars, but the reveal or ending call it what you wish was everything I try to avoid when choosing books to read. This book is being pitched as a mystery,horror genre of book whereas in fact the ending is true science fiction. I so wanted the ending to be based around the witches and some lasting legacy not a time tunnel. This is a good read until the ending is exposed.

Liv is an artist who is commissioned to paint a mural inside a lighthouse, prompting her to move herself and her 3 children to a small island community in Scotland. There she finds out that the mural is a strange collection of runes, the owner of the lighthouse is still at sea, and that it was also the site where 12 women were held prior to being burned as witches in the 1600s. The witches purportedly cursed the island, which has since been besieged by ‘wildlings’. The insular community still have a deep fear of the lighthouse site and the curse, and Liv struggles to make sense of the strange things which begin happening when she arrives. Is this the curse, or just a deep seated belief system integrated into the community?

I found this an engrossing world to inhabit, and from quite early on in the story I was hooked. There’s also quite a strong mystery element to the story for the reader as we read from several viewpoints and times, including 1998, 2021 and the diary of a man in the 1600s, so part of the hook was trying to work out why and how everything connected up. One element was a bit too obvious for the reader and made me want to scream at the characters for not noticing, though!

My thanks to #NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lighthouse Witches follows three narratives and three different timelines. The first is Liv in the past when she brings her three daughters to a secluded island for a painting job; the second is a book Liv's oldest daughter Sapphire reads about the witch burning past of the island; the third is Liv's second daughter Luna in the present, where she finds her younger sister who went missing many years ago but still maintains the body of a child.

While there are three different points-of-view, the voices are clear and distinct, and even the time jumps between the narratives are not jarring. Instead, they slip into each other to build an overall seamless narrative. The points-of-view build on each other, revealing more and more as it goes on, which I found refreshing (for I am one of those guilty readers who skips forward to read certain characters' points-of-view before begrudgingly returning to read the rest).

The prose is simple and straightforward, free of flowery descriptions, but still capable of establishing personality, setting, and most importantly, atmosphere. The simplicity of the prose makes it easy to focus on the story - what is happening, who is speaking, without detracting from the surroundings. It doesn't sound dry either, as it is clear what the characters are seeing and what they feel.

It can be easy to distance ourselves from the cast of supporting characters, mainly because the heavy atmosphere thick with mystery and doubt makes one wonder "what happens next? Who can I trust?", becomes an overarching question that occupies most of the book. This is no big deal, because these questions are naturally part of what makes a thriller or mystery exciting to read. The main cast, namely Liv and her daughters, have reasonable issues, which make them interesting to read about and gradually easy to root for. The more we root for certain characters, the more invested we are in their stories, and the more we want them to triumph. However, it isn't that simple in Gothic fiction, where elements of horror can run rampant.

The author mentioned taking inspiration from Scottish witch trials, which is grisly piece of history, but I believe information about witch hunts and witch trials should be more well-known as it reflects some issues still present in these days. Back then, women weren't allowed to speak up for themselves when being accused as a witch, and they were tortured until their mind is exhausted and any legible, practical thought is shattered. ( Trigger warning: this book contains non-graphic mentions of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, of which the subject, mood and tone may be triggering for some. )

I enjoyed this book greatly, and it brought me immense satisfaction upon finishing it, which is an experience I haven't had for quite some time (due to an unexpected reading slump). Best of all, this book lingered in my mind and made me think and marvel over its many details as many good books often do (though perhaps bad books have a tendency to linger as well, but not for the same reasons). I kept thinking of the different characters, how love and loneliness can affect a person, how the narration links together wonderfully...

If you like mystery, intrigue and a little heartbreak, you should give this book a try.

THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES by C J Cooke intrigued me albeit not my reading genre and outside my comfort zone.

A story of a mother and her three daughters who flee from York, England to Cromarty in Scotland. Olivia Stay and her three daughters, Sapphire, (Saffy) fifteen, Luna nine, and Clover seven.. Olivia has a secret and is keeping it to herself! I encourage you to read the book and decide.

This novel is a haunting, atmospheric story which I liked and disliked in equal measures. Clever writing, creepy at times with dislikeable characters,. I found the book unsettling in parts, moving through time periods with a mixture of superstition and supernatural elements. An intense reading journey with witches, faeries, wildlings with a touch of selkies! This book will enthral and excite readers.

I give a 4 star rating. I would recommend this book.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Do you believe the curse? ★★★☆☆

After a moonlit flit, artist Liv settles with her daughters on a remote Scottish island. She is tasked with painting a mural on The Longing, a creepy historic lighthouse with a mysterious owner. Twenty three years later Luna returns to Scotland to find out what happened the night her mother and two sisters disappeared.

Set in multiple timelines – 1662, 1998, and 2021 – this novel is spooky and suspenseful. The author weaves us a world of ancient curses, witchcraft, and mysterious foundling children or wildlings which roam the woods in the place of human children who have been stolen away.

When Luna is called to identify a little girl who is the spitting image of her little sister Clover twenty years ago, the true mystery of the island begins to reveal itself and the true horror of the missing children is exposed.

Whilst the secret of The Longing and it’s owner isn’t quite what we expect and starts to blur genres, I would still recommend this novel as a creepy and compelling read.

A bewitching novel just right for Halloween.

This is an entertaining spooky gothic tale about a remote island in Scotland with a lighthouse and the impact the fear and folklore has on the community. I found the mysterious plot thoroughly entertaining and compelling and appreciated the deeper themes of misogyny and the historical abhorrence described in the witch trials.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

C.J. Cooke is an entirely new author to me so I didn't know at all what to expect from this book. The description was what drew me in and made me request an arc of "The Lighthouse Witches", especially because it sounded like the perfect eerie book for autumn time.

Cooke's writing is beautiful, even though at times a little detached, and I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. The setting of a more or less remote Scottish island, of this old lighthouse in the middle of nowhere was incredibly atmospheric. The whole mythology of the place was fascinating. Once in the past, alleged witches had been burned on the very grounds the lighthouse now stands, and the inhabitants of the island are convinced these witches cursed their home. That is why children have been disappearing over the ages, returning in the form of what the villagers think are wildlings - evil-minded fae taking the form of children, with the power to kill and destroy at their pleasure. It was absolutely fascinating to read and Cooke managed to keep the mystery of whether there actually are fae and wildings and curses alive for most of the book.
I also really loved how Cooke exposes the truth behind the witch trials and the way warped religious beliefs and superstitions can lead to horrible crimes and destruction. None of this is new information, of course, but it's well incorporated into this story.

The characters are complex and interesting, though I failed to form a lasting emotional connection to them because of the aforementioned detached writing style. I mostly felt for Liv whereas Luna, for example, never managed to really make me care for her struggles - I wanted to know more about the story and the unfolding mystery, but Luna herself remained pale and rather uninteresting.
The detached feel to the writing was present in dialogue scenes as well, where a lot of times the structure was
Person A: "says something in direct speech"
Person B's response is given in indirect speech.
Person A: "answers in direct speech"
This kind of takes me out of the scene and ruins immersion because the whole dialogue feels less alive, less like I'm actually in the middle of it.

Personally, I think the book would also have benefitted from the whole Patrick storyline just being cut. While it provides background (that could have easily been given in other ways, though), I felt like it didn't really add much to the story itself, and neither did Patrick as a character. Actually, I would have much preferred if Amy where the one whose grimoire Sapphire was reading, the one telling us about the backstory. Patrick just wasn't interesting and his big showdown later on adds an unnecessary gory moment that I could have lived without. Generally, I also found the book was just a little too long for the story it was telling, and as such it dragged at times.

Overall this is an enjoyable read with a fascinating premise and a mystery steeped in folklore and history. It didn't wow me and I wasn't as emotionally involved as I wanted to be, but both the story and the author's note made me go on a google rampage to find out more about Scotland's history of witch hunts and I LOVE it when books do that.
3,5 stars.

4.5 rounded up.

In 1998 Liv Stay arrives at Lon Haven off the coast of the Black Isle with her three daughters in tow. There’s Saffy (Sapphire) 15, Luna who is 9 and Clover, 7. Liv has been commissioned by wealthy Patrick Roberts to paint a mural at The Longing, a dilapidated lighthouse built on a broch, an Iron Age Round tower. Beneath the lighthouse lies a cave where women accused of witchcraft have been imprisoned. The local people warn Liv about ‘wildlings’, a fae (fairy) who takes in human form after a pact made with witches. A few weeks later, two of the sisters and Liv go missing. In 2021 Luna gets a phone call out of the blue to say one of her sisters is found. The story is told in 1998 by Liv and Saffy, by Luna in 2021 and via extracts from a Grimoire from the 1660’s, a book of magic, spells and invocations.

Wow. This is a superb Gothic thriller , we have sorcery, witchcraft, magic, spells and curses which reveals a creepy world full of superstition, apparitions and the wildlings, the latter completely capturing my imagination. The premise and unfolding dark events are really creative and original and I’m spellbound caught up in the enchanting, well written storyline which mesmerises as it weaves the fantastic tale. I love the superstitious folk lore element with the earlier timeline of the Grimoire being some of my favourite sections as it tells of dangerous times of witch-finders and so on. The setting principally on the island is fantastic as it lends a haunting, threatening, fearful , malevolent presence especially in and around The Longing which feels alive. At the start when we first meet the Stay family there are some good touches of humour which contrasts starkly with later dark events. The characterisation is excellent, even peripheral characters have depth. This is a very clever story which although it centres in witchcraft it is also about love, motherhood and family. My only slight negative is that maybe the end is a bit convenient but that’s not to say I don’t like it as I do!

Overall, this book enthrals from start to finish with the ideas and concepts keeping you hooked. I love the cover too.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is a haunting story of witches, fae, and wildlings, centred around an old lighthouse on an island in Scotland. The setting is both mysterious and wild, and is perfect for the story.

Liv, a single mum to 3 daughters, has been commissioned to paint a mural inside the lighthouse by its mysterious owner. But when she arrives, she hears stories of children disappearing and being replaced by wildlings, which are feared by the locals.

The story is set in the present day from the point of view of Luna, one of Liv's daughters, but is interspersed with excerpts from an ancient grimoire, and flashbacks to 1998, when the family stayed at the lighthouse. The author keeps the mystery and tension going all through the book, right up to the surprising final reveal.

Based on the witch hunts in Scotland in the 1600s, it is a story of folklore and magic through the centuries, and how fear of the unknown can lead to tragedy and sorrow. Well written and with some memorable characters, it is a story that will remain with me for some time. Recommend.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

"We are not just made of blood and bone – we are made of stories. Some of us have our stories told for us, others write their own – you wrote yours."

Hundreds of years ago, on the Scottish island of Lòn Haven, women were tortured and burnt at the stake for being 'witches'. In 1998, artist Liv Stay takes her three daughters to go live there. She has a commission to paint a mural inside the mysterious lighthouse on the island.

But almost immediately, strange things being to happen. Many of the islanders believe in witchcraft and wildlings (when faeries supposedly take the form of human children). First, 15-year-old Sapphire runs away and can't be found. And then seven-year-old Clover goes missing, leaving only nine-year-old Luna and her mother behind. Finally, Liv too, disappears without a trace.

Luna is taken into foster care, but doesn't stop searching for her family. Twenty years later, she gets a call. Clover has been found. Except when Luna gets to the hospital where Clover is being treated, she finds a seven-year-old girl, one who looks exactly like Clover...

Luna is drawn into a creepy mystery: what happened at the lighthouse both four hundred years and two decades ago? Could the witches' fates be linked to what happened centuries later?

To say this book is unsettling is an understatement. I was gripped, but at the same time weirded out. And to be honest, I'm struggling to assess exactly how I feel about this book. It's a blend of reality versus unreality and I'm not sure I was always convinced by the latter. Still, the mystery is interesting and I read the book in a day and a half.

I raced through this book over the weekend - which is amazing as I have post-Covid brain fog and am finding it very difficult to concentrate on anything. The Lighthouse Witches is really spooky and creepy. It kept me intrigued and guessing until the end and I found myself shouting at the characters to stop being so stupid when they went anywhere remote, dark and deserted.. I loved the setting, characters, plot - everything about it. All felt very real and authentic. I've shouted about the book on Twitter today because I think 'everyone' should read it!

Set in Scotland, the story swaps seamlessly from 1998 to the current day and back again, plus a delve back into the late 17th century, and between the viewpoints of different characters, some more pleasant than others! There's a bit of supernatural, oodles of mystery, a dash of magic and witches aplenty. What's not to like?

A tale of witches on a remote Scottish Island. Liv comes to the island to paint a mural, with her three daughters, Sapphy, Clover and Luna and she encounters a mystery. Her daughter is still investigating the island years later. But I will stop there before I spoil the book. This novel draws the reader in, until the said reader cannot put it down. Highly recommended.

• Arc received by the Publisher in exchange for a review however all thoughts and opinions are my own! •

I truly can not explain to you all how much I loved this book!! It was one wild ride 😂

I went into the lighthouse witches completely blind, and was immediately swept away into the world CJ Cooke created. Told in three different timelines, every page you read will have you grasping for answers.I became so invested in these characters and all their equally fascinating stories. I couldn't put the book down without my mind swirling with a hundred different questions!

The story follows single mother Liv, and her daughter's Sapphire, Clover and Luna after they move to the Scottish island of Lon Haven where Liv has been commissioned to paint a mural for the lighthouse on the island. It is here that two of her daughter's tragically go missing.

The author does such a fantastic job of weaving together the stories of the past, present and future, without leaving the reader confused. The lighthouse witches was a perfect blend of fantasy , history and mythology. It was such an atmospheric read, that I almost convinced myself I was on the Scottish isle 😂

The characters have so much depth that I felt their presence long after I turned the last page of the book! C.J Cooke tells such an impactful story of the woman behind the witch trials, all while weaving in mythology, folklore and such important themes of family, feminism and how fear can be a driving force behind so much of humanities actions.

✨ The Lighthouse Witches is out October 5th !! ✨

Thank you to @harperfictionpr for the Arc and to the lovely @cjcooke_author for creating such a masterpiece!

‘The Lighthouse Witches’ is a gothic style thriller that plays homage to Icelandic and Nordic folklore, basically the absolute best mixture of genres? But oh it gets better…throw in some supernatural ties with witchcraft. SOLD!

The story itself is about a young single mother, Liv and her three young children, Luna, Clover and Sapphire, who to escape their past and start over, move to a remote Scottish Island. It is here that Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in an old decommission lighthouse called ‘the Longing’, it all seems like a good move for the family for a fresh start. However, the lighthouse has a long dark history and things soon take a turn and the whole family disappear never to be seen again.

I will say no more than this as I FULLY recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible, just soaking it all up and getting fully engrossed in it. The writing itself is gripping and tense, the story absolute sucks you in and you can’t help but whizz through it desperate to know what happened?!

I loved the setting, being from Scotland myself I’ve been to places exactly like the backdrop the author was creating, the descriptions all so wonderfully done.

Overall, I can’t recommend this enough! If you are a fan of witchy/gothic/thrillers this is one for you.

Thanks again to NetGallery and the publishers at HarperCollins for this advanced copy.

Publication Date - 30 Sep 2021

#TheLighthouseWitches #NetGalley

I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC of this book so many thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this, my first C.J. Cooke (and probably, on the strength of this, not my last).

Taking place on a remote Scottish Island over multiple timelines and from various points of view, the story knits together really nicely and leads to a well-deserved pay off at its conclusion.

The Lighthouse Witches is an eerie and haunting story of (erm) witches, missing children and, well to say such more would reveal some spoilers that would be best kept secret. A few elements and reveals caught me by surprise throughout which added to the suspense of the whole thread.

A solid spooky read and recommended reading (especially with Halloween coming up in a couple of months).

4 Stars
Liv, a single mother, reaches a remote Scottish island with her three girls. She’s commissioned to paint a mural inside a lighthouse. Called The Longing, the lighthouse has a dark history that still haunts the islanders.
Strange incidents disturb their lives, and things go for the worse when two of the girls are missing. Saffy, the 15 yo sulking teen, disappears, followed by the youngest daughter Clover. Only Luna is with her mother, but things are far from normal.
Twenty-two years later, Luna is pregnant, living with her boyfriend. She has a vague memory of her past and has no idea what happened to her mother or two sisters. She is still searching for the sisters, and one day an unexpected call takes her to an injured Clover.
Luna is shocked beyond belief when she sees Clover at the same age when she disappeared. How is it possible that the girl hasn't aged? Is the little girl really Clover? For Luna to know the truth, she has to go back to the same place where it began. Can Luna do it? Can she risk everything to uncover the past?
The Lighthouse Witches is told in three timelines and from three POVs- Liv in 1998, Saffy (third person) in 1998, and Luna (third person) in 2021. We also have another POV in the form of a book (grimoire) with incidents from the past connected to the events in 1998 and 2021.
Nowhere does the book get confusing or complicated despite such intricate narration. The story flows quite well from start to finish, though it drags a little in the second half. The witch hunt of Scotland was one of the biggest events where women were burned at stake. However, there is very little known about the incidents.
The book highlights these atrocities while showing how fear and hysteria make people commit horrible crimes. The islanders suffer a similar fear they never bothered to investigate. We also see the vulnerability of a teen from a broken family and how it changes her life.
The atmosphere is fantastic, especially in past timelines, and suits the paranormal mystery theme.
Coming to the characters, I’m not sure what to say. Liv sure wasn’t supposed to be perfect, but she somehow didn’t make the kind of impact she should. I understand her position. Being an artist with no permanent job and three kids to manage is no joke. Bills don’t pay themselves. Still, her character seemed more like a catalyst that kept the story moving, and there was one major reveal that rather disappointed me.
Saffy was explored very well and an angsty teen. Luna was more or less easy to understand. No matter her lack of memory and nightmares, her family came first.
Where the book gained points was suspense. It was difficult to guess the reason for the events that were connected across the centuries. The reveal was phased for each character in a way to bring it all together at the end. I really liked how the author handled this.
A few things remain unexplained, but that’s fine too. The major explanations stretched a little extra, and adding any more would have dampened the ending.
The author's note is detailed and gave me a better closure than the story itself.
To sum up, The Lighthouse Witches is an intriguing read with steady suspense and atmosphere if you ignore the minor bumps on the way. It’s a book worth reading.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for the ARC.

*3.5
Overall, a good book that could have been great if for the few things mentioned in this review. If you find the premise interesting I recommend that you pick it up.

This book was really interesting. Almost fascinating but falls an inch short. The premise of the book is intriguing but it gets confusing, or rather it confuses itself?? Let me try and explain.
1. This book would be 10x better if it was a short story. The fact that this book was around 300+ pages caused the storyline to drag a lot more than it really needed to. By the time the story properly grabbed my attention I was well past 50% in. The premise of the disappearance and magic and the weird lighthouse is what brings you into the book. This mystery is fully centered on the past, the book, however, has a dual present/past pov which severely takes away from the very reason you are even reading the book. Another problem with this is the fact that this dual perspective isn't necessary at all. In fact, a more linear timeline in the book would have infinitely improved it as a whole and would have made the entire reading experience feel like a page-turner and the mystery would suck you in from the beginning. All the present pov in the book other than the final few chapters that resolve the mystery was entirely unnecessary and took from the book more than they added to it. Removing these and replacing them with the past pov and the past past pov would have made a world of difference in terms of enjoyability and would have made the book work better as a full 300-page novel.
2. I wasn't attached to the characters but I enjoyed reading about them. I wish we got more on the past past, the past with the witches. It is arguably the most interesting part of the book and the basis of the book's folklore. So spending more time here story-wise would have made the book that much more fascinating.

I loved this book it was so different and it had such a brilliant ending that I wasn’t expecting at all. There was so much to like in this story lots of legends and mythology, magic and folklore and very cleverly written with different timelines I just flew through the book I was so eager to know what was going to happen.
The book is set in Scotland one of my favourite places to visit and on a small island that is steeped in tales of witchcraft and the burning of witches. Liv takes her three children there as she has been commissioned to paint a mural in the old and deserted lighthouse and what follows is a gothic type story like no other it really was so good.
This was a different read for me and a new author and I was really impressed with the quality of the both the writing and intricate storyline and I look forward to reading more in the future from CJ Cooke and can highly recommend the book it’s different and took me by surprise with the ending.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK , Harper Fiction for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.