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chloesteele05's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Child death and Sexual content
elizabethwebb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lauraleafromthelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
hq_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It’s definitely a unique story and touched on the barbarity of the witch trials in Scotland. I feel like the author could have done more to highlight the misogyny and loss of the dead’s right to be remembered. She highlights this in her author note, but that didn’t come across in the story.
Graphic: Cancer and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Misogyny
Minor: Miscarriage and Rape
kaylaramoutar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
pollyhall's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
At the being it was a little confusing with all the points of views. I had to go back and look at the heading of the sections do see who was speaking.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
tamara_joy's review
3.5
Moderate: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Infertility, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Blood, and Death of parent
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The story is told from multiple points of view in 3 different timelines.
In 1662 several women on a small Scottish island are accused of being witches and executed. Before dying, one of these women curses the island and its inhabitants.
In 1998 Liv and her 3 daughters Clover (7), Luna (9) and Sapphire (15) come to the island, where Liv is hired to paint a mural inside the Longing, the 100 years old lighthouse built at the spot where the witches were imprisoned during their trial. Soon after their arrival, strange things begin to happen and Liv's children start disappearing.
In 2021 Luna is still searching for her 2 lost sisters, when she gets the message that Clover has been found...
I really enjoyed the atmosphere on the island, it's history and the mystery. But there were some really dark themes here, and a lot of scenes were very hard to read, even for me. So definitely check trigger warnings beforehand.
There were aspects of the story I did not expect at first but was pleasantly surprised by them. I think they are handled really well and lead to a satisfying conclusion. I liked how the story is plottet, and how you slowly realize what is happening. But it's heartbreaking. I think I cried straight through the last 20-30% of the book just thinking about it.
This story shows perfectly how the irrational fear of something you don't understand can cause a lot of pain for a lot of people, even generations.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Terminal illness, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Murder
tigerlilliereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Honestly, I put this book off for way too long because I am in love! I picked up the book based off of the cover (I know!) and the fact it had witches in the title. Little did I know this book would have so many more levels than I could ever imagine. I’m not one to read a thriller book, and I loved it.
This story tells of some characters narrating from different time zones about their time on a Scottish island called Lòn haven. I’m trying to not give too much away as the story is very cleverly written with lots of interlinking. The story features Liv and her three daughters, Saff, Luna and Clover as they arrive on the island and Liv is tasked with painting a mutual in the lighthouse. Whilst there the family learns about the dark secrets and mysteries, witches and wildings that haunt the suspicious and cruel towns people.
I love a witchy story but this one had so many more levels and so much more grounding in reality. The poignant message the story brings is still relevant now as it was back in the 1600s. The focus on the Scottish witch killings that are barely known about is, not only interesting, but also vital for those stories to be given a voice. I recently read A kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll and it also features this topic too.
Honestly, this book is great and mirroring and interlinking of past and present and that ending! I am looking forward to reading more from this author!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
unphilosophize's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Loved all the timelines
Comp to discovery of witches.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent