Scan barcode
re_leyendo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
laucherries's review against another edition
5.0
wow. wow. wow.
i finished this in a day. what a haunting story abt mother/daughter relationships and the love of siblings. every aspect of this was incredible for me (especially as a scientist). one of my favorite reads this year.
i finished this in a day. what a haunting story abt mother/daughter relationships and the love of siblings. every aspect of this was incredible for me (especially as a scientist). one of my favorite reads this year.
cecesher's review against another edition
3.0
Thriller is far from my preferred genre. After reading Ms Wards The Last House in Needless St, I was curious if I'd like this as well. I did, very much. Well, I guess if "like" works as a description for a story so dark.
mackenziekral's review against another edition
3.0
I knew nothing going in, only that I heard one extraordinary compliment of the book and decided to pick it up and go in blind. I feel that the plot was more convoluted than necessary. I’ll still pick up other books by this author, but I don’t see myself ever recommending this specific novel to others.
tinkerbe1118's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arrcristi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
malloryg's review against another edition
**Trigger warning for animal abuse**
Ouch, I had a very hard time getting through this book. The majority of the book is focused on experimentation on dogs which I was completely blindsided by so please be careful when going into this. I typically don’t pre-order books, however, after reading The House on Needless Street I was so curious to see what Catriona Ward would come out with next. I loved the twist in the previous book and was hoping Sundial would have the same shock factor. I was definitely disappointed… The premise of the book frames it as a story about a mother and daughter but I found that it is not the focus by any means. The animal abuse and experimentation was the bulk of the book. I kept pushing through since I just wanted to get back to the mother/daughter relationship and what was going to happen. The few chapters that we did get in that perspective had a fantastic eerie feeling and I wanted more.
I don’t feel I can give a star rating for this book since I am so uncomfortable with the subject matter. I just don’t think it would feel fair to the book or the author.
Ouch, I had a very hard time getting through this book. The majority of the book is focused on experimentation on dogs which I was completely blindsided by so please be careful when going into this. I typically don’t pre-order books, however, after reading The House on Needless Street I was so curious to see what Catriona Ward would come out with next. I loved the twist in the previous book and was hoping Sundial would have the same shock factor. I was definitely disappointed… The premise of the book frames it as a story about a mother and daughter but I found that it is not the focus by any means. The animal abuse and experimentation was the bulk of the book. I kept pushing through since I just wanted to get back to the mother/daughter relationship and what was going to happen. The few chapters that we did get in that perspective had a fantastic eerie feeling and I wanted more.
I don’t feel I can give a star rating for this book since I am so uncomfortable with the subject matter. I just don’t think it would feel fair to the book or the author.
moonchild12's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this audiobook narrated by Katherine Fenton who did a fantastic job at narrating this creepy and eerie story. Every step of the story makes you question what the characters are going to do next. The whole story you question whether what is going to happen when mother and daughter make their way to Sundial after an incident between daughters.
Characters are not what they seem with first impressions. The story has two main characters which are Rob and Callie with various minor characters Irving, Annie, Jack, and more to name a few. The main question you have to ask is what is up with Callie? Callie is a young preteen obsessed with the macabre and the twisted. Is Callie the bad daughter just because she has a strange obsession or is she just misunderstood? Is Rob a caring and loving mother or does she have sinister motives toward one of her children? We know that she has a secretive past that her husband uses against her. Is sweet innocent Annie really the perfect daughter? This book was very intriguing every minute of the story. Just when you thought you had a grasp on what is happening something would be revealed that would just deepen the story plot.
There is a lot going on in this book that can be overwhelming to the storyline. In the first 10 % of the book, we dealt with topics on psychological & physical spousal abuse, child abuse, a cheating husband, possible overdose, and animal abuse. Overall all this information does work for the story as it keeps you guessing what is really going on at Sundial. All this information allowed the truth about the puppy farm, the twins, and the dogs to have a large impact on me as a listener.
Characters are not what they seem with first impressions. The story has two main characters which are Rob and Callie with various minor characters Irving, Annie, Jack, and more to name a few. The main question you have to ask is what is up with Callie? Callie is a young preteen obsessed with the macabre and the twisted. Is Callie the bad daughter just because she has a strange obsession or is she just misunderstood? Is Rob a caring and loving mother or does she have sinister motives toward one of her children? We know that she has a secretive past that her husband uses against her. Is sweet innocent Annie really the perfect daughter? This book was very intriguing every minute of the story. Just when you thought you had a grasp on what is happening something would be revealed that would just deepen the story plot.
There is a lot going on in this book that can be overwhelming to the storyline. In the first 10 % of the book, we dealt with topics on psychological & physical spousal abuse, child abuse, a cheating husband, possible overdose, and animal abuse. Overall all this information does work for the story as it keeps you guessing what is really going on at Sundial. All this information allowed the truth about the puppy farm, the twins, and the dogs to have a large impact on me as a listener.