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https_presley's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for giving me and e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book- I really did. The premise sounded like something I would adore. It has a strong fmc, a small seaside town, supernatural elements, and a touch of eerie horror.
Firstly I’ll start with what I did enjoy: I loved the main villain as a character. Without spoiling anything, I thought they were genuinely scary and threatening. At a couple different points I really feared for our main character and had absolutely no idea how she was going to succeed. The action scenes present in this book were definitely thrilling and well-done. I also liked the number of twists- most of which I didn’t see coming. They kept me interested in the story and motivated me to finish it.
Now for what I didn’t like as much: Basically, I found the first 60% of this book to be incredibly slow. So slow I almost dnfed this book. I found it very hard to connect with any of the characters and be interested in their survival/success/goals. I think this book would have worked much better for me if those scenes were shortened and replaced by more action scenes. Additionally, while the ending was very unexpected, it felt vague and unsatisfying. It almost feels like the author is setting up the plot for a sequel book but without really concluding anything from this one.
Overall, I didn’t think this book was particularly bad, it just struggled to keep my attention and be something I’m interested in. I would still suggest other readers give it a shot if they’re interested- especially if they’re ok with a slower start. I do think there are readers who would love this story, I’m just not one of them.
I wanted to love this book- I really did. The premise sounded like something I would adore. It has a strong fmc, a small seaside town, supernatural elements, and a touch of eerie horror.
Firstly I’ll start with what I did enjoy: I loved the main villain as a character. Without spoiling anything, I thought they were genuinely scary and threatening. At a couple different points I really feared for our main character and had absolutely no idea how she was going to succeed. The action scenes present in this book were definitely thrilling and well-done. I also liked the number of twists- most of which I didn’t see coming. They kept me interested in the story and motivated me to finish it.
Now for what I didn’t like as much: Basically, I found the first 60% of this book to be incredibly slow. So slow I almost dnfed this book. I found it very hard to connect with any of the characters and be interested in their survival/success/goals. I think this book would have worked much better for me if those scenes were shortened and replaced by more action scenes. Additionally, while the ending was very unexpected, it felt vague and unsatisfying. It almost feels like the author is setting up the plot for a sequel book but without really concluding anything from this one.
Overall, I didn’t think this book was particularly bad, it just struggled to keep my attention and be something I’m interested in. I would still suggest other readers give it a shot if they’re interested- especially if they’re ok with a slower start. I do think there are readers who would love this story, I’m just not one of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual assault
cortanasreadingnook's review
Thanks to North Star Editions for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my thoughts about the book in any way.
This is the best possible way I could articulate my thoughts about this book, but it is unfortunately, very terrible. I rarely DNF when I’ve progressed to 41%, but I cannot say anything that makes this book redeemable. I am part of the minority who disliked this and these are just my thoughts.
CWs/TWs: Sexual Assault, Suicide, Depression, Mental Illness, Adult/Minor Relationship, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Sexual Harassment, Sexism
Bell’s writing paints an eerily atmospheric picture. It is poetic and has lots of potential but is very dragging. Almost halfway through and I could see why other readers did not like this at all. With these amount of CWs, you’d think the writer would’ve handled these issues in a manner that compliments the story and its main character’s purpose, but the execution was bad. I am not intentionally being mean, but this story made me so uncomfortable, especially with the Adult/Minor relationship and how Temperance (the fmc) dealt with SA. The FMC’s goal was to provide for and protect her sister, which I have nothing against, and SA survivors do not owe the world their story, but Tempe was clearly protecting her sister and she failed to do so by hiding substantial information from her, defending her abuser by disguising his actions as rejection. This was a constant reminder throughout the book that it just lost how crucial this should’ve been addressed. In the end, her sister ends up with a pedophile who preyed on her emphasizing how he’s “pushing her for another child” despite her not being ready and our main character loses her mind. It strayed away from the purpose of the story as a whole. I am not trying to be harsh here, but if you want to write a book that says “fuck the patriarchy” then don’t write a book where men still win.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Grief, and Sexual harassment
readingonthehorizon's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
In the gloomy whaling village of Warbler, an eerie fog haunts the night and is blamed for the disappearances of townspeople and visiting whalers. Temperance Byrne, the town's lamplighter, gets caught in the middle of accusations and daring acts following the disappearance of a local girl, sending her life into a spiral as she strives to uncover the mysterious disappearances.
Crystal Bell's "The Lamplighter" was an absolute joy to read. It was my first dip into the gothic genre and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction. The world building gave way to thrilling twists and betrayals that left me saying "just one more chapter".
Despite its beauty in storytelling and the world it built, I would have loved to see more of the relationship between Josiah and Temperance as well as Tempe's mother and her character. For me, the fleshing out of these relationships and characters would have allowed me to connect more with them and produce a bigger reaction to the novel's climax.
Thank you so much to North Star Editions and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!
Crystal Bell's "The Lamplighter" was an absolute joy to read. It was my first dip into the gothic genre and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction. The world building gave way to thrilling twists and betrayals that left me saying "just one more chapter".
Despite its beauty in storytelling and the world it built, I would have loved to see more of the relationship between Josiah and Temperance as well as Tempe's mother and her character. For me, the fleshing out of these relationships and characters would have allowed me to connect more with them and produce a bigger reaction to the novel's climax.
Thank you so much to North Star Editions and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, and Violence
susanpevensie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
2.5 rounded to 3 "atmospheric" stars
"a man can make mistakes. a man can change his mind. a woman? no. if she makes a mistake, she is unfit. if she changes her mind, she is fickle.
incompetent."
first and foremost, the writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. the author has a talented gift with her words. i saw that other reviewers said the lamplighter felt atmospheric, and i agree. the way she weaves them made me feel like i was transported to warbler myself—experiencing being enveloped by the constant fog, feeling watched and claustrophobic, as i followed temperance on her journey. the book was incredibly slow at first, but i did not particularly mind it because i felt like the pacing fit the story. it slowly draws you in, and once it picks up its pace, it moves very fast.
temperance was not an easy character to love. while i wanted to root for her, she did not always make the best decisions—in fact, most of her decisions were just poorly made, point black—so i became increasingly frustrated with her as the book progressed. it did not help that her mistakes were extremely costly because they did not just cost her; they cost literally everyone in her life. i had to constantly remind myself that she was a traumatized eighteen-year-old girl, and her actions read as such. after sleeping on it, i realized that it wasn't temperance—it wasn't her fault. not really. she was just destined to be doomed by the narrative. this is not a criticism of the way the narrative is set, but rather the world temperance was living in. she never had a chance.
there was a sense of hopelessness and complete futility as i slowly went through 80–90% of the story and then, the ending. i think that is why i couldn't give this book a higher rating because i am the kind of person who needs a huge pay-off after being put through hardship and pain—something i don't think i got out of the lamplighter. however, i know this book will definitely find an audience once it debuts. the writing is way too good to not have people falling in love with it. will i ever pick another book by this author? the answer is unequivocally yes.
ᡣ𐭩 i received an advance reader copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review ᡣ𐭩
"a man can make mistakes. a man can change his mind. a woman? no. if she makes a mistake, she is unfit. if she changes her mind, she is fickle.
incompetent."
first and foremost, the writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. the author has a talented gift with her words. i saw that other reviewers said the lamplighter felt atmospheric, and i agree. the way she weaves them made me feel like i was transported to warbler myself—experiencing being enveloped by the constant fog, feeling watched and claustrophobic, as i followed temperance on her journey. the book was incredibly slow at first, but i did not particularly mind it because i felt like the pacing fit the story. it slowly draws you in, and once it picks up its pace, it moves very fast.
temperance was not an easy character to love. while i wanted to root for her, she did not always make the best decisions—in fact, most of her decisions were just poorly made, point black—so i became increasingly frustrated with her as the book progressed. it did not help that her mistakes were extremely costly because they did not just cost her; they cost literally everyone in her life. i had to constantly remind myself that she was a traumatized eighteen-year-old girl, and her actions read as such. after sleeping on it, i realized that it wasn't temperance—it wasn't her fault. not really. she was just destined to be doomed by the narrative. this is not a criticism of the way the narrative is set, but rather the world temperance was living in. she never had a chance.
there was a sense of hopelessness and complete futility as i slowly went through 80–90% of the story and then, the ending. i think that is why i couldn't give this book a higher rating because i am the kind of person who needs a huge pay-off after being put through hardship and pain—something i don't think i got out of the lamplighter. however, i know this book will definitely find an audience once it debuts. the writing is way too good to not have people falling in love with it. will i ever pick another book by this author? the answer is unequivocally yes.
ᡣ𐭩 i received an advance reader copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review ᡣ𐭩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Sexual assault
pagesofkenzie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual assault
bee_on_a3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Murder
dayisdemigod's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
the_reading_seal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Lamplighter is a book for fans of atmospheric, fantasy horror and lush writing. Its mysteries and its reveals crept up on me exactly like the fog that haunts Temperance, the protagonist. It is definitely a more slow-paced read, but I think the wait is worth it.
Without spoilers, Temperance’s story is set in a small, 19th century whaling town where people have been known to disappear inside the dense fog that covers the streets every night. As a lamplighter, it is Temperance’s job to not only light the streetlamps that puncture the fog, but also act as a watchwoman. So, when a girl goes missing during one of her patrols, Temperance is put under scrutiny by the townspeople. Isolated, fearing for her job and for the livelihoods of her mother and younger sister, who she cares for, Temperance must shine light on the mystery and bring down the evil that is secretly festering in her town.
My favourite aspects of this book are the writing, which is beautiful, and the ending. I can definitely see some readers not enjoying the ending, but I found it haunting and fitting. I guessed one of the earlier reveals quite quickly, but did not expect the ending at all and was impressed. In my experience, YA horrors often either have cop-out endings or feel underwhelming, but this did not!
I liked how active Temperance is as a character even though some of their decisions were careless and rash. There were also several moments where I was very frustrated at Temperance’s unwillingness to confide in and communicate with the people trying to help her, but I can understand the fear she holds as a teen who feels like she has to handle everything on her own. She did grow throughout the story too.
Rating: 3.75/5
Trigger warning for depictions of suicide and sexual assault – not super graphic.
Thank you to Flux and Netgalley for the review copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
crothe77's review against another edition
5.0
This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley
Trigger warning for mentions of SA and suicide.
Crystal J. Bell’s The Lamplighter is a 19th century horror set in a whaling town. There is atmospheric worldbuilding that feels true to the time period and setting, specifically relating to the use of whale oil and the dock setting.
The novel opens with Temperance, our main character, seeing her father’s ghost hanging from a lamppost, and features discussions suicide and how survivors of assault experience doubt or do not know how to talk about their experiences. Everything is handled respectfully while also not being afraid to showcase the messier parts of these very real lived experiences, such as not trusting the words of a man who committed suicide even if he is your father.
Gideon is the perfect representation of the kind of predator who everyone believes cannot possibly be a bad person because he’s charismatic and knows how to manipulate people around him. Gideon’s interest in the sixteen year old Prudence, Tempe’s younger sister, is quite creepy and rooted in the age-old desire for control.
The foreshadowing was quite well-done and I was able to predict what happened, but that is a sign of good craft. I would much rather read a book when I have the pieces to draw my own correct conclusions than to be served a twist where even rereading the book several times, I am still confused. The use of figureheads throughout the novel was also quite interesting and worked well with the story and setting.
I think this is the kind of book teens do need because seeing discussions around SA and suicide is one way for people to become educated in the topics while also helping survivors and people struggling with their mental health or in very difficult situations find things that speak to them and give them the courage to speak out and say something that will protect others or will help them.
I recommend this to readers who want to give teen horror around these themes a try.
Trigger warning for mentions of SA and suicide.
Crystal J. Bell’s The Lamplighter is a 19th century horror set in a whaling town. There is atmospheric worldbuilding that feels true to the time period and setting, specifically relating to the use of whale oil and the dock setting.
The novel opens with Temperance, our main character, seeing her father’s ghost hanging from a lamppost, and features discussions suicide and how survivors of assault experience doubt or do not know how to talk about their experiences. Everything is handled respectfully while also not being afraid to showcase the messier parts of these very real lived experiences, such as not trusting the words of a man who committed suicide even if he is your father.
Gideon is the perfect representation of the kind of predator who everyone believes cannot possibly be a bad person because he’s charismatic and knows how to manipulate people around him. Gideon’s interest in the sixteen year old Prudence, Tempe’s younger sister, is quite creepy and rooted in the age-old desire for control.
The foreshadowing was quite well-done and I was able to predict what happened, but that is a sign of good craft. I would much rather read a book when I have the pieces to draw my own correct conclusions than to be served a twist where even rereading the book several times, I am still confused. The use of figureheads throughout the novel was also quite interesting and worked well with the story and setting.
I think this is the kind of book teens do need because seeing discussions around SA and suicide is one way for people to become educated in the topics while also helping survivors and people struggling with their mental health or in very difficult situations find things that speak to them and give them the courage to speak out and say something that will protect others or will help them.
I recommend this to readers who want to give teen horror around these themes a try.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual assault
eviethebookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell is a haunting historical fiction tale.
Tempe is a stubborn and ambitious character who has plenty on her shoulders. We join her just as Warbler starts experiencing more missing locals and other incidents that shake the community.
A highlight of this debut YA novel is the way the narrative crescendoes as we follow Tempe's efforts to untangle Warbler's strange past and present. As the truth is uncovered, I found myself unable to put the novel down – I simply had to know what was going to unfold.
I would recommend this novel if you enjoy entry level horror, something a but spooky, and a strong female lead.
Tempe is a stubborn and ambitious character who has plenty on her shoulders. We join her just as Warbler starts experiencing more missing locals and other incidents that shake the community.
A highlight of this debut YA novel is the way the narrative crescendoes as we follow Tempe's efforts to untangle Warbler's strange past and present. As the truth is uncovered, I found myself unable to put the novel down – I simply had to know what was going to unfold.
I would recommend this novel if you enjoy entry level horror, something a but spooky, and a strong female lead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Murder, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Mental illness