Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Sundial

Characters--4: the characters in this novel were one of the weakest parts for me. I did not like the MC—I felt as though she was illogical and made really horrible choices. Her POV was grueling to read, and I did not connect with her or her plight whatsoever. The side characters were somewhat better, but even their motivations for things seemed flimsy at best. I wanted to root for someone, but I honestly, other than the children in the story, I did not care whether any of the adults lived or died.

Atmosphere--6: this was the one thing that stood out to me. The atmosphere was tense, uncomfortable, and chilling. I felt the mood intensely, and was genuinely afraid for the characters, even though I didn’t really care for them.

World-Building--6: This was another strength of the novel, specifically in relation to Sundial itself, and how the narrator describes the place. I could envision it easily in my mind’s eye, as well as the events that took place there.

Plot--4: while this wasn’t my favorite part of the novel, a lot of the decisions made sense given the circumstances of the tale. I also really didn’t care for the ending, and that can make or break a story for me. Of the two surprises at the end, one of them was satisfying, while the other was too convenient. I can’t give more detail due to spoilers, but I had just got done praising one in time to roll my eyes at the other.

Intrigue--4: This was so-so for me. While there were moments where I was genuinely interested and couldn’t put it down, there were things that completely took me out of the story. For instance, our MC is writing a novel, and most of the characters, if not all, are named after people from her life. I think that the way she is telling her story gives hints to the true nature of characters in the overall novel, but not enough for me to feel that this aspect was necessary. I don’t feel like I learned anything that wasn’t already obvious in the larger story, and it often took me out of the tension and suspense of what was happening. I think it could be omitted entirely.

Logic--4: the logic did and didn’t logic logically for me. Sometimes I was like, “okay, I’ll buy that” while other times, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of some decisions made by the author—particularly in the relationships she created between characters. And, again, some things were just SO convenient and clearly a means to an end plot-wise, that I felt a bit cheated as a reader.

Enjoyment--3: With everything else considered, I just did not have a good time. Apart from the issues listed above, I do not enjoy some of the themes in this book (child abuse/death, animal abuse/death) on a personal level. This type of horror is just far too real for me, and I do not enjoy reading about it at all, especially when it has no supernatural elements to it and is instead people doing these horrible things. Both of those were central themes of this novel, so bear that in mind when going in to read this one.

Content Warnings

enchantressreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

I am obsessed with Catriona Ward.

After reading The Last House on Needless Street, I knew I was going to pick up everything from Ward. So, when I saw Sundial on NetGalley, I put my request in as soon as possible. I also bought the book on release day. And I’m so happy to have it.

Ward has a way of writing the horrors of mental illness in a very kind way. A lot of previous horror books involving mental illness make the protagonists crazy, dangerous, unable to be cured and must be locked up to protect society. But in Sundial, and also Needless Street, we finally get to see vulnerable people with mental illness. It’s not others who need to be protected. It’s them.

Trauma also comes up in both books and is, I believe, handled with the utmost care. In Sundial, Ward tackles the “nature vs nurture” theory. Rob has two daughters: one frail and one terrifying. After discovering a disturbing hobby, she takes Callie to her childhood home, Sundial. Her father and step-mother (of sorts) raised Rob and twin sister Jack in a research field. They were trying to figure out what made certain dogs bad—specifically MAOA* or commonly called “the murder gene.” They used gene therapy to “correct” the dogs. But is it inherently in their nature, or were they trained this way?

*MAOA makes monoamine oxidase A, which breaks down amines such as serotonin and dopamine which are important for mental health (among other things). A mutation in MAOA could disrupt the natural cycles of the neurotransmitters.

This book has been labeled as both a horror and a thriller, and I agree that it is both. I read the last third of the book holding the book so tight, I had to remind myself to loosen my muscles.

Sundial is shocking and terrifying, but mostly it’s sad. I definitely needed a hug (and maybe a shower) after finishing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read an advanced review copy of this book.

Content Warnings

reading_and_wrighting's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

lizslazylibrary'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

this book had me addicted from the first page. sundial is a gripping story about how you never truly know a person even if that person is you.

trigger warnings are in order for this book and they are: domestic violence, animal abuse/death & child abuse.

catriona ward's writing was so beautiful and i couldn't put it down.

i don't want to write about the plot because i feel it's best to go into this book blind (well with the exception of reading the brief synopsis and the trigger warnings i listed above) the twists at the ending is well worth waiting for.

although i loved this book i have a bone (pun intended) to pick with it, if i have to read the words 'sickly sick' again i might lose my mind. it almost made me not finish the book but i pushed forward hoping that the payoff would be worth my nausousness; and it was.

i don't know how i feel about how the character's mental illnesses were dealt with and as someone who suffers with a personality disorder catriona did describe what some of us feel on the inside by showing it from another's perspective. like i said i am on the fence about a lot of it but when push comes to shove i have seen worse.

the last thing i wanna say is i hate the ending. but not in the "i hate this and i wish i never read it/i hate this and it was a waste of time" i hated it in the was i hate that it was so abrupt. i wish there were more to it. i was left with so many unanswered questions. that's a pet peeve of mine. i get it that we as the reader gets to make our own assumptions as to what happens but i have way to much anxiety for that. i need to be told what happens or i am left there with my mouth open silently screaming because i will never know how it ended for the characters i just spent so long getting to know, hating, loving, rooting for them, crying with them, and seeing myself in them, it's not how i like books to end. i think because life is so unpredictable i like my escapism to have a solid ending being good or bad. i need that as a reader. and sundial will forever be left a mystery.

Content Warnings

word_wandering's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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