theborky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death
islaybooks's review
5.0
This book was so much better than I envisaged it would be! It's dark, dreamy and depressing; with mysteries galore!
We learn the story though past and present, from the POV of multiple characters who tell their story and how they all tangle together. We meet Liv, who moves to an isolated lighthouse in Scotland in 1998 with her three daughters, as an artist commissioned to paint an extravagant mural on the lighthouse walls.
In parallel, we see Luna in 2021, who is the only daughter who returned from that lone lighthouse. What happened to her two sisters? What happened to her mother? When her younger sister turns up, having not aged a day and with strange numbers etched into her skin, she needs to figure out what happened and if this actually is her sister.
The story switches between these storylines, aswell as the narration of a grimoire which depicts the witch trials that took place centuries earlier which was said to have cursed the land. The rumours and mysteries involving changelings add to the investigation as Luna questions whether her sister is the same person that went missing all those years ago.
When I say I DEVOURED this book, it's not an exaggeration. I was desperate to unfurl every mystery, and I didn't see any of it coming. I was so attached to the characters storylines, and needed to know exactly what happened and whether the curse or the rumours were true. I didn't expect to give this five stars but I love being surprised! Definitely recommend this one for your spooky season TBR.
We learn the story though past and present, from the POV of multiple characters who tell their story and how they all tangle together. We meet Liv, who moves to an isolated lighthouse in Scotland in 1998 with her three daughters, as an artist commissioned to paint an extravagant mural on the lighthouse walls.
In parallel, we see Luna in 2021, who is the only daughter who returned from that lone lighthouse. What happened to her two sisters? What happened to her mother? When her younger sister turns up, having not aged a day and with strange numbers etched into her skin, she needs to figure out what happened and if this actually is her sister.
The story switches between these storylines, aswell as the narration of a grimoire which depicts the witch trials that took place centuries earlier which was said to have cursed the land. The rumours and mysteries involving changelings add to the investigation as Luna questions whether her sister is the same person that went missing all those years ago.
When I say I DEVOURED this book, it's not an exaggeration. I was desperate to unfurl every mystery, and I didn't see any of it coming. I was so attached to the characters storylines, and needed to know exactly what happened and whether the curse or the rumours were true. I didn't expect to give this five stars but I love being surprised! Definitely recommend this one for your spooky season TBR.
fishkind's review against another edition
5.0
This book, in many ways, is perfect. It is a haunting echo of our own world, yet there is a hope layered within that perhaps we —humans —do not have to be the worst parts of ourselves
leelee77's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ilicadri's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
loudes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape and Body horror
Minor: Miscarriage
My perfect October / November read. For someone who doesn't like horror or being scared, the creepy vibes were spot on. At the same time, the folkloric focus of the book felt intimate and cozy. I didn't expect this book to make me sob the way it did, but I think having Taylor Swift's Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions only heightened all my feelings. Definitely helped me get out of a small reading slump !Spoiler
what I didn't understand was why Clover was "evil" when she's found. what are her motivations for wanting to flood the house and kill her stuffed animal ? "just" because of her trauma ? but since she time travelled, her trauma comes from walking alone in the woods I guess ?nanc_282's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Enjoyed this book at the beginning but found the multiple narrators and povs cumbersome. Felt the plot lost its way and led to an unsatisfactory ending.
champagnepr0blem's review against another edition
I don't know if I'm just not in the mood or in a slump but there were too many povs and I just was all over the place and confused as to which pov I was reading if I left during one of the chapters