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High upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, there is a lighthouse that has weathered storms for centuries. Wow. This is a superb Gothic thriller , we have sorcery, witchcraft, magic, spells and curses which reveals a creepy world full of superstition, apparitions and the wildlings, the latter completely capturing my imagination. The premise and unfolding dark events are really creative and original and I’m spellbound caught up in the enchanting, well written storyline which mesmerises as it weaves the fantastic tale. I love the superstitious folk lore element with the earlier timeline of the Grimoire being some of my favourite sections as it tells of dangerous times of witch-finders and so on. The setting principally on the island is fantastic as it lends a haunting, threatening, fearful , malevolent presence especially in and around The Longing which feels alive. At the start when we first meet the Stay family there are some good touches of humour which contrasts starkly with later dark events. The characterisation is excellent, even peripheral characters have depth. This is a very clever story which although it centres in witchcraft it is also about love, motherhood and family. My only slight negative is that maybe the end is a bit convenient but that’s not to say I don’t like it as I do! Single mother Liv has been commissioned to paint a mural in the lighthouse of a remote Scottish island. Liv takes it as a golden opportunity to make a fresh start with her three daughters. She soon discovers that the island harbours dark secrets. But who in this modern day can believe in those old ladies tales and superstitions? Not Liv, for sure. Until things take a dark turn. Olivia (Liv) is our first-person narrator for much of the book. Other chapters offer third-person POVs from Luna and Saffy. A second first-person account is historical. That one provides interceding chapters made up of passages from a book, left in the bothy, referred to as a grimoire. But it serves less as a source for studying the dark arts than it does as a memoir. Written by someone named Roberts, presumably an ancestor of Liv’s employer, it serves mostly as a fourth perspective, offering first-person exposition of historical events the book’s author lived through, events that inform the present. My one small issue with this story was that I did find it hard to differentiate between the perspectives in the beginning. I was still learning everyone's name and their position in the family, so it was hard to keep it all straight at first.
The Lighthouse Witches: The perfect new haunting gothic
The grimoire’s story was my favourite, though it was the most horrifying at times. The idiotic thinking behind the witch hunts were written very well. The Picture Company co-founders Andrew RonaandAlex Heinemanwill executive produce the series with Studiocanal’s Ron Halpern and Shana Eddy overseeing the production for the studio. It was brought in by Studiocanal’s Leena Lancashire Iglesias. A complex and haunting story, beautifully told … Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving’ Amanda MasonA] hypnotic psychological thriller….Readers will keep guessing what’s really going on right up to the surprise ending. Rebecca fans won’t want to miss this one.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) This story is told, primarily, in two timelines of 1998 and 2021, with a third timeline of 1662 mingled into some of the chapters. Holding onto the mystery through to the end, with its atmospheric, creepy, and foreboding narrative is everything I was looking for in an October Spooky Season read. The series will blend genre elements with a supernatural family drama spanning multiple generations.
The Lighthouse Witches - Carolyn Jess-Cooke The Lighthouse Witches - Carolyn Jess-Cooke
EXCLUSIVE: C.J. Cooke’s supernatural family novel The Lighthouse Witches is set to be adapted into a television series after Studiocanal and The Picture Company landed the rights to the book.C. J. Cooke’s The Lighthouse Witches will be published by Berkley Publishing Group on October 5, 2021. I received an eARC of The Lighthouse Witches from Berkley in return for casting one or two minor spells. Thanks to EK, and NetGalley for facilitating. My only issue is of personal preference where I try to avoid books where children play a large role... as I find them annoying usually.
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