Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Goodness, this is a hard review to write. I'm not new to Catriona Ward's writing, having read The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial, so I was excited to receive an advance copy of her latest book Looking Glass Sound which will be published in April.
I think Looking Glass is a very apt description of this book. Once you drop into this world, you keep falling deeper and deeper. This is a book within a book within a book, and each version feels familiar and yet skewed in some way. You sort of know where you are and yet not, and at times it can be challenging to keep up as it's easy to lose your footing.
How can I tell you more? It's complicated. It starts like a coming-of-age story, with what I thought were the most beautifully written characters. I totally fell in love with Wilder, Nat and Harper. They find themselves in a gorgeous yet somewhat eerie setting. After an event occurs, which I won't spoil for you, forget everything you know because the author is going to mess you up big time. This is a book about dark obsession, about not being able to let go of the past, and what it means to write a book about something you can't forget, even if the story is not yours to tell. There's horror, death, betrayal, hauntings, magic and friendship and love. Add plenty of twists and turns and also moments that make you go oh!
The writing is wonderfully dark. Catriona Ward is an inspiration to me as a writer. I'll read whatever she writes.
I think Looking Glass is a very apt description of this book. Once you drop into this world, you keep falling deeper and deeper. This is a book within a book within a book, and each version feels familiar and yet skewed in some way. You sort of know where you are and yet not, and at times it can be challenging to keep up as it's easy to lose your footing.
How can I tell you more? It's complicated. It starts like a coming-of-age story, with what I thought were the most beautifully written characters. I totally fell in love with Wilder, Nat and Harper. They find themselves in a gorgeous yet somewhat eerie setting. After an event occurs, which I won't spoil for you, forget everything you know because the author is going to mess you up big time. This is a book about dark obsession, about not being able to let go of the past, and what it means to write a book about something you can't forget, even if the story is not yours to tell. There's horror, death, betrayal, hauntings, magic and friendship and love. Add plenty of twists and turns and also moments that make you go oh!
The writing is wonderfully dark. Catriona Ward is an inspiration to me as a writer. I'll read whatever she writes.
This was truly such a mindfuck of a book, in the best way possible. Catriona Ward delicately weaves a story of multiple perspectives, making you question and doubt in the end whose story was true. As someone on Reddit said, it’s a tug of war between stolen and shared narratives of the same story.
There were so many hidden twists that I had to go back and look for the chapters that had [ ] as the title. We later find out that Harper accidentally killed Wilder, and her magic spell inserts Wilder into “The Sound and the Dagger,” unbeknownst to Pearl herself. The rules of the word game is that the last words of each grouping of words must spell out a sentence. Each chapter’s word game spells out “What where am I,” “Don’t let her [Harper] see Grace”, “help”, “Don't trust her, don't trust them, help, help, help”, and “You are here too.” I‘m guessing this is Wilder trying to warn Pearl in the book she wrote. Cool huh?
Even though I had to sort out the book in my head after I read it, I do want to keep reading more of Ward‘s books. Her writing style flows, her storytelling is enchanting, and not once did I put this book down out of boredom. I‘d also re-read this book again just for clarity and read some of her other novels as well.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
if there's one things a Catriona Ward book is gonna do it's make me realize I have no clue what's going on <3 (positive)
"I think about how big and old the world is compared to us. We're just little fires burning in the night."
Very trippy, very meta, and very good! Do not go into this book with expectations because you will be wrong. Certainly not what I was expecting, and Cat Ward kept me on my toes the entire ride. A definite recommendation.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
For the first few chapters I was finding it very boring and almost dnf'd. It was just 3 annoying people hanging out. Then the story started mutating into something tense and surprising.
I didn't like the writing style but I loved the mind-bending plot.
I admire the audacity.
I didn't like the writing style but I loved the mind-bending plot.
I admire the audacity.
I wouldn’t say this is horror per se, though there is a storyline of a serial killer. But it’s certainly a strange story, that twists and turns and makes you question everything you thought you knew about the story.