Scan barcode
ghostams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Religious bigotry, Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death, Murder, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, Sexual assault, Rape, and Medical content
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Starts off with a literary tone that could be any other novel spanning multiple timeframes, getting creepier and darker as you go, ramping up the horror at the end. The sci fi aspects wouldn't hold up in a pure sci fi novel I think, but since this one stands on folklore, I didn't give it too much scrutiny for being flimsy on the science.
This book satisfied my hankering for a dark mysterious story blending Scottish settings, and folktale with reality, and was crafted well to reveal bits and pieces throughout. My early hunch about what was happening with the wildlings was correct, but it took time to know that, and was still enjoyable to watch as the characters figured it out and dealt with the consequences. I wish the witchy parts had been more Scottish than Icelandic/Nordic, just for personal reasons and not any fault of the story in using them.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Miscarriage and Death of parent
swordsmith's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Death of parent and Miscarriage
graceev's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Car accident, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Alcohol, and Rape
Minor: Drug use
Sister disappeared, Smoking, Missing peoplebibliobetty'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Abandonment
Minor: Grief, Kidnapping, Cancer, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Suicide, and Death of parent
katerina_l's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Child death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Child abuse
spookyaz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Drug use, Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Torture
butterflywitch9's review
- 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
- Characters: I found the characters to be fairly well done, but for the most part not terribly memorable. I found the older version of Luna to be annoying to read from the perspective of, I know she was in a tough situation but her decisions usually left me feeling frustrated at how illogical they were (not just in the practical, always doing the correct thing sense, but I just can't see things playing out like this in real life kind of way). My favorite dynamic was everything to do with Saffy, especially the contrast between herself, grunge and knowledgeable about witches, and Rowan, aesthetically Wiccan but lacking in local lore. The reveal of Robert, the lighthouse owner, was also a good character treat! But Saffy alone brings my character rating from a 3 to a 3.5.
- Plot: The plot was a slow unraveling of the mystery and history of witches and changelings on the island. It doesn't have a super strong narrative, it's more about the daily lives of the characters as the secrets unfold. Again, I found the present day side of the story weaker than the past. Overall, it's serviceable, but it didn't usually "wow" me, so I would also give this a 3.5.
- World Building: This is one of the story's strong suits! It's more so about how it builds the atmosphere of tension and isolation on a small, distant island village, surrounded by ocean and forest and few people you could turn to or trust. The present day version of the island also develops the world building and plot in an interesting way! I'm giving this part a 4.
- Themes: The main themes are about the struggles of keeping a family together, and the violent mob mentality people can fall into the trap of. The main family is messy, unified in dealing with one problem but with different and conflicting methods. I wasn't the biggest fan of the resolution, but I can understand it. The other theme about mob mentality is a classic one in stories about witches. The powerful members of society rally everyone against a vulnerable person for selfish gain. This idea repeats itself in the history of the island, and even some of the main characters are nearly influenced by it, too. For the well executed, consistent themes, I give this section a 4.5.
- Writing Style: I found the writing style good overall. Dark themes and descriptions are written in non-exploitative ways for vulnerable characters. It's not a super elegant prose, but not drab and unimaginative either. I was especially intrigued by the "jump scares" she wrote in, where something creepy is described vividly, but only for a line or two. It leaves a subconscious image in your mind of something "wrong" in an otherwise normal scene. I had to double back to re-read them to make sure I read it right the firs time! However, the one thing I don't dislike but am confused about is the perspective. The mom's perspective is first person, but the daughters' are both in third. It doesn't make sense for it to be a story the mom is telling when she doesn't know everything and dies before the end of the narration. Regardless, the writing is a solid 4 for me.
- Magic: This section disappointed me a bit. How much magic was real or just superstitious perception was muddied, which I suppose is kind of the point, but I really wanted a good magical book. I don't blame it for not being that, but I think it could have been a bit more clear then! I also understand why magic was used as a red herring in the horror part of the book, but once it was apparent that almost anyone involved in magic and witchcraft was innocent, and it's the witch hunters that are the real villains of the story each and every time, I wish there was more time dedicated to revealing those kinds of horrors. I don't feel so strongly that I'd go as low as a 3, but no more than a 3.5, either... 3.25?
- History: If you read the author's notes, you can see she's clearly invested in the real world history of witches and their persecution. She obviously fictionalizes the history of the island and adds some magic, but it's so clearly based on actual treatments of witches, trials, burnings, and then becoming lost to history. C. J. Cooke, you deserve a full 5 stars for your dedication to bringing buried history back to life.
- Final Thoughts: My average score for the book rounds up just slightly from 3.96 to a 4. I felt the lack of commitment to horror, magic, and strong characters (especially young Clover and Luna) held the story back a bit. We were treated to some extra intriguing moments in the plot, but those can't carry the story by themselves. However, the remote Scottish island setting, attention to historical details, and themes of social persecution and what threatens to tear a family apart are very compelling, which still makes the book worth reading. The Lighthouse Witches won't make it to the top of my re-read list, but I'm happy to have read it!
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment and Violence
fionamatilda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Cancer, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death and Drug use
allietriestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Murder
Moderate: Death, Rape, Death of parent, Body horror, and Bullying