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asolis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Child death, Confinement, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Grief
thebiblioborrower's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Toxic relationship
racl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Grief, Mental illness, Animal death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
soradsauce's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Confinement, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Alcohol, Body horror, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Vomit
vixenreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting
If you are afraid of dogs, this book will prove to be quite triggering. Plus no one likes when the dog dies.travelseatsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ward has an innate ability to completely engulf the reader within her writing and immediately the darkness and unease begins to claw it's way out of the pages from the very first chapter. There are so many layers within this story that it would be easy for a reader to get lost among them but Catriona harrowingly and flawlessly ensures every single enmeshed strand has a place and a purpose.
The story is told with alternating POV's and dual timelines which works perfectly to ensure the reader is left hanging on every word waiting for that gnawing tension to subside (spoiler alert, it doesn't).
I can't write this review without mentioning trigger warnings as frankly this book in itself is almost one. There are large sections to do with animal deaths and experiments on dogs. To be honest, this is normally a hard no for me and I will often DNF a book with animal abuse but to be fair none of it appeared gratuitous or overly descriptive so while it took me aback it wasn't overly distressing. There are also many mentions of multiple forms of abuse (adult, child, physical and emotional), mental illness, pregnancy, infant death, self harm and suicidality.
Overall, Sundial is an engrossing, dark, sinister and twisted psychological horror meets thriller which will send shivers up your spine and leave you haunted for some time to come.
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
kerrygetsliterary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
amy_lynnn's review against another edition
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.
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts