Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

40 reviews

lisaarnsdorf's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book covers several different genres and is hard to pin down. The dual timeline works extremely well because it drives you toward the reason why Luna's family disappeared while building the tension through her recovered memories and backtracking in the present. I felt like the explanation of where her family had gone was a little too convenient and also somewhat unexplained. The ending was a little too pat. But it was still a compulsive read! And great atmosphere, especially for this time of year.
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rosecott's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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butterflywitch9's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

  • Characters: I found the characters to be fairly well done, but for the most part not terribly memorable. I found the older version of Luna to be annoying to read from the perspective of, I know she was in a tough situation but her decisions usually left me feeling frustrated at how illogical they were (not just in the practical, always doing the correct thing sense, but I just can't see things playing out like this in real life kind of way). My favorite dynamic was everything to do with Saffy, especially the contrast between herself, grunge and knowledgeable about witches, and Rowan, aesthetically Wiccan but lacking in local lore. The reveal of Robert, the lighthouse owner, was also a good character treat! But Saffy alone brings my character rating from a 3 to a 3.5.
  • Plot: The plot was a slow unraveling of the mystery and history of witches and changelings on the island. It doesn't have a super strong narrative, it's more about the daily lives of the characters as the secrets unfold. Again, I found the present day side of the story weaker than the past. Overall, it's serviceable, but it didn't usually "wow" me, so I would also give this a 3.5.
  • World Building: This is one of the story's strong suits! It's more so about how it builds the atmosphere of tension and isolation on a small, distant island village, surrounded by ocean and forest and few people you could turn to or trust. The present day version of the island also develops the world building and plot in an interesting way! I'm giving this part a 4.
  • Themes: The main themes are about the struggles of keeping a family together, and the violent mob mentality people can fall into the trap of. The main family is messy, unified in dealing with one problem but with different and conflicting methods. I wasn't the biggest fan of the resolution, but I can understand it. The other theme about mob mentality is a classic one in stories about witches. The powerful members of society rally everyone against a vulnerable person for selfish gain. This idea repeats itself in the history of the island, and even some of the main characters are nearly influenced by it, too. For the well executed, consistent themes, I give this section a 4.5.
  • Writing Style: I found the writing style good overall. Dark themes and descriptions are written in non-exploitative ways for vulnerable characters. It's not a super elegant prose, but not drab and unimaginative either. I was especially intrigued by the "jump scares" she wrote in, where something creepy is described vividly, but only for a line or two. It leaves a subconscious image in your mind of something "wrong" in an otherwise normal scene. I had to double back to re-read them to make sure I read it right the firs time! However, the one thing I don't dislike but am confused about is the perspective. The mom's perspective is first person, but the daughters' are both in third. It doesn't make sense for it to be a story the mom is telling when she doesn't know everything and dies before the end of the narration. Regardless, the writing is a solid 4 for me.
  • Magic: This section disappointed me a bit. How much magic was real or just superstitious perception was muddied, which I suppose is kind of the point, but I really wanted a good magical book. I don't blame it for not being that, but I think it could have been a bit more clear then! I also understand why magic was used as a red herring in the horror part of the book, but once it was apparent that almost anyone involved in magic and witchcraft was innocent, and it's the witch hunters that are the real villains of the story each and every time, I wish there was more time dedicated to revealing those kinds of horrors. I don't feel so strongly that I'd go as low as a 3, but no more than a 3.5, either... 3.25?
  • History: If you read the author's notes, you can see she's clearly invested in the real world history of witches and their persecution. She obviously fictionalizes the history of the island and adds some magic, but it's so clearly based on actual treatments of witches, trials, burnings, and then becoming lost to history. C. J. Cooke, you deserve a full 5 stars for your dedication to bringing buried history back to life.
  • Final Thoughts: My average score for the book rounds up just slightly from 3.96 to a 4. I felt the lack of commitment to horror, magic, and strong characters (especially young Clover and Luna) held the story back a bit. We were treated to some extra intriguing moments in the plot, but those can't carry the story by themselves. However, the remote Scottish island setting, attention to historical details, and themes of social persecution and what threatens to tear a family apart are very compelling, which still makes the book worth reading. The Lighthouse Witches won't make it to the top of my re-read list, but I'm happy to have read it!

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apersonfromflorida's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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frogetteno1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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fionamatilda's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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lavenderbluestories's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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verinvaldez's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • 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

3.0

I struggled to enjoy this book at the beginning because there were some plot points that didn't make any sense, but the back half of the book was better and the very emotional ending wrapped things up well enough. 
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chloesteele05's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

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chopspy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A mystery horror thriller with themes of witch trials and family. As well as the inescapable passage of time. 

The mystery itself had me hooked and I only understood it when the story wanted to.

It blends multiple character perspectives really well and overall is well paced.

The characters themselves feel human, especially those that make mistakes and grow from it.
Spoiler Talking about you Liv





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