Scan barcode
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
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
not_another_ana's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
Set in a whaling town in the 19th century the story follows Temperance, a young woman who's been forced to take up her late father's job as a lamplighter in order to provide for her mother and younger sister. It's a very important job, the fog in this village is dangerous and it's common for people to disappear in the dark. The responsability is heavy on her shoulders, not helped by the distrust of the men in power who consider her less competent for being a woman. When a girl goes missing the same night two lights go out not only is Tempe's job on the line but also her safety, as something is haunting the streets and endangering everyone.
The concept is quite solid, I picked this up because I was intrigued by the choice of a lamplighter as a protagonist. The writing is good and I generally liked the characters. My issue with this book was how much the middle dragged. The first chapters do a great job of setting the scene and the plot, and then the book just meanders until the middle or so when a very obvious reveal happens. After that it starts picking up again but the previous slog had lost my attention.
There was something else that took me out of the immersion and it was how heavy handed the author handled certain messages. I get it, it's a YA but the constant (very obvious!) references to how bad the misogyny was and how men were ruining everything felt like getting hit in the face by a shovel. I think a lot of my complaints can be traced to me not being the target audience for this book and that's fine, perhaps a young teenaged girl will appreciate the message way more. I will say I did enjoy the ending, it felt like a perfect way to wrap up the book. I'm glad the author decided to go there, this is (after all) a horror book. I also want to mention the cover, the illustrator did a fantastic job.
Set in a whaling town in the 19th century the story follows Temperance, a young woman who's been forced to take up her late father's job as a lamplighter in order to provide for her mother and younger sister. It's a very important job, the fog in this village is dangerous and it's common for people to disappear in the dark. The responsability is heavy on her shoulders, not helped by the distrust of the men in power who consider her less competent for being a woman. When a girl goes missing the same night two lights go out not only is Tempe's job on the line but also her safety, as something is haunting the streets and endangering everyone.
The concept is quite solid, I picked this up because I was intrigued by the choice of a lamplighter as a protagonist. The writing is good and I generally liked the characters. My issue with this book was how much the middle dragged. The first chapters do a great job of setting the scene and the plot, and then the book just meanders until the middle or so when a very obvious reveal happens. After that it starts picking up again but the previous slog had lost my attention.
There was something else that took me out of the immersion and it was how heavy handed the author handled certain messages. I get it, it's a YA but the constant (very obvious!) references to how bad the misogyny was and how men were ruining everything felt like getting hit in the face by a shovel. I think a lot of my complaints can be traced to me not being the target audience for this book and that's fine, perhaps a young teenaged girl will appreciate the message way more. I will say I did enjoy the ending, it felt like a perfect way to wrap up the book. I'm glad the author decided to go there, this is (after all) a horror book. I also want to mention the cover, the illustrator did a fantastic job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Body horror, and Sexual harassment
More...