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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
madkatrob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This story hooked me from the beginning. Temperance (or Tempe for short) is a young woman who works as the lamplighter for her small whaling community after the previous lamplighter, her father, committed suicide. As a working woman in the 1800s, Tempe deals with constant misogyny and scrutiny of her work, and this is not helped when strange disappearances begin to occur.
The writing was incredibly beautiful and haunting. It was slow paced, but there was always something going on to keep me invested in the story. There was a ton of world description and details, but it didn’t seem overbearing or unnecessary; every word genuinely helped to paint a picture or keep the story moving.
The characters sometimes had me frustrated and wanting to shake some sense into them for making dumb decisions, but that’s pretty realistic for 16-20ish year olds, so I can’t complain about that. I did enjoy the relationship between Tempe and her younger sister. It felt very reminiscent to real life sibling relationships; they bickered constantly but you could tell they really cared for one another.
I’m a sucker for a story with a bleak ending, and this was certainly one of the bleaker ones I’ve read. It was extremely well done, leaving the message that sometimes despite your best efforts things can go wrong. There was a small sliver of hope at the end, however, leaving it open to interpretation.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to anyone who enjoys spooky, dark mysteries.
The writing was incredibly beautiful and haunting. It was slow paced, but there was always something going on to keep me invested in the story. There was a ton of world description and details, but it didn’t seem overbearing or unnecessary; every word genuinely helped to paint a picture or keep the story moving.
The characters sometimes had me frustrated and wanting to shake some sense into them for making dumb decisions, but that’s pretty realistic for 16-20ish year olds, so I can’t complain about that. I did enjoy the relationship between Tempe and her younger sister. It felt very reminiscent to real life sibling relationships; they bickered constantly but you could tell they really cared for one another.
I’m a sucker for a story with a bleak ending, and this was certainly one of the bleaker ones I’ve read. It was extremely well done, leaving the message that sometimes despite your best efforts things can go wrong. There was a small sliver of hope at the end, however, leaving it open to interpretation.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to anyone who enjoys spooky, dark mysteries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Body horror, and Suicide
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