A review by amy_lynnn
Sundial, by Catriona Ward

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

 
This book was absolutely BANANAS, in the best way. Psychological horror + family dysfunction +weird science experiments? Sign me up.

I went into it not knowing very much about the plot –and I’d recommend doing it that way, because the less you know the better. This is the sort of psychological horror that I absolutely love: there’s constant tension, and nothing is quite as it appears. Every time I felt like I knew where things were going, I was hit with a twist. It keeps you guessing the entire time. It’s definitely the sort of book where you’re never quite sure who the villain really is, what is reality vs fantasy, and you don’t really see the ending coming (phewww, that ending). All of these elements add up to a recipe for success, for me personally.

The book is told in dual timelines (the present day, and then also Rob’s past as a kid/teenager growing up in Sundial), and also dual perspectives (most perspectives told via Rob, but also some chapters from Callie’s point of view). I found Callie’s chapters particularly unsettling-–I always love a spooky child character, and Callie definitely provided that creep factor for me. Like, I never was really sure what was real, what was just in her head, or what to expect from this kid.

Rob’s chapters were where the meat of the story took place though, and they do not disappoint. Reading her perspective felt kind of like walking through fun house mirrors–twisty, turny, terrifying, and every time you turn a corner you never end up quite where you expect. The writing throughout was seamless and compelling; I had a hard time putting it down once I got going.

The only thing I really didn't enjoy about this one were the “Book within a book” chapters. I didn’t really enjoy them and I didn’t really feel like they added anything to the plot–they could have been removed, entirely, in my opinion.

Overall though, I enjoyed this one! Definitely a book of constant tension, darkness, dysfunction, and creep-factor. 
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