Scan barcode
A review by fictionmajorette
The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone
5.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-blackhouse-carole-johnstone.html
The setting for this read was phenomenal. The remoteness of Kilmeray is established early and we're reminded often in many different ways which really added to the overall atmosphere of the read.
I loved the way the lore and supernatural elements were worked into the story. We get a whole range of elements from Maggie's mother being a psychic, Maggie's reincarnation claims as a child, Norse mythology, and the superstitions of sailors. I loved the way the different elements came together and overlapped in a way that felt very real. Like the people in these remote communities in these dangerous conditions don't necessarily care where the lore came from, only that they believe it will protect them on the boat when a storm blows in or will lead to a good fishing year. For some of these lore elements, the characters aren't entirely sure if these are good or bad things which I found really heightened the suspense of the story.
The mystery investigation was a little slow to get going but it paid off big at the end. Johnstone really took the time to lay out a solid foundation of this town and Maggie's own backstory and connection to this island. There are a lot of characters and places and they all play a role in the overall mystery investigation so it was good to get such a solid footing at the beginning.
I wasn't entirely loving the dual timeline aspect until about halfway through the book for the simple reason that I just wasn't as interested or invested in Robert's timeline. We do find out the connection between Robert's timeline and Maggie's timeline fairly early on, but Robert's story was just not where I wanted to spend the time.
Overall, this was a fantastic, atmospheric, and suspenseful read. I loved the way we get so many seemingly different pieces of this puzzle but they all come together so perfectly at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. Publication date is January 3, 2023
The setting for this read was phenomenal. The remoteness of Kilmeray is established early and we're reminded often in many different ways which really added to the overall atmosphere of the read.
I loved the way the lore and supernatural elements were worked into the story. We get a whole range of elements from Maggie's mother being a psychic, Maggie's reincarnation claims as a child, Norse mythology, and the superstitions of sailors. I loved the way the different elements came together and overlapped in a way that felt very real. Like the people in these remote communities in these dangerous conditions don't necessarily care where the lore came from, only that they believe it will protect them on the boat when a storm blows in or will lead to a good fishing year. For some of these lore elements, the characters aren't entirely sure if these are good or bad things which I found really heightened the suspense of the story.
The mystery investigation was a little slow to get going but it paid off big at the end. Johnstone really took the time to lay out a solid foundation of this town and Maggie's own backstory and connection to this island. There are a lot of characters and places and they all play a role in the overall mystery investigation so it was good to get such a solid footing at the beginning.
I wasn't entirely loving the dual timeline aspect until about halfway through the book for the simple reason that I just wasn't as interested or invested in Robert's timeline. We do find out the connection between Robert's timeline and Maggie's timeline fairly early on, but Robert's story was just not where I wanted to spend the time.
Overall, this was a fantastic, atmospheric, and suspenseful read. I loved the way we get so many seemingly different pieces of this puzzle but they all come together so perfectly at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. Publication date is January 3, 2023