Review: The Naked Light by Bridget Collins
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Didn’t Quite Work For Me
A gothic tale that combines ancient folklore and superstition with the stories of three women post WW1.
On the face of it this book was perfect for me. Elements of old horror, a gothic tale with an old cottage perched above a village, windswept and lonely, a dark menace that is no longer being held at bay and the unsettling atmosphere of a village trying to pull itself together post war. And, this is atmospheric. The writing is beautiful. I could picture the hills and the village, the stifling confines of the vicarage and the petty mindedness of some of the villagers and I genuinely didn’t struggle to read this (because the writing is so good) but, I didn’t really get along with the characters for the most part, it was a very slow burn and the magical realism elements were a little bit thin on the ground.
Set in the fiction village of Haltington, on the Sussex coast, this is a tale of three women.
In the hillside, etched into the grass, is a chalk face, rumour would have you believe that this face protects the village from an ancient menace and the residents of Bone Cottage look after the ‘face’, keeping it visible to the village below. Unfortunately war kills off most of the Bone cottage family and the remaining member dies whilst trying to fulfil her duties. The face eventually begins to disappear, grass and weeds encroaching and taking back their rightful place, the villagers begin to forget about the rumours until an artist called Kit takes up residence in the cottage causing unrest with her alternative style.
Kit wants to be left alone. Traumatised by her work during WW1 she’s running away from everything and everyone she knows, unfortunately the villagers hold a strange fascination for her and two members of the community in particular are intrigued. Florence, a lonely spinster who has come to live with her brother-in-law (the vicar) following the death of his wife, and Florence’s niece Phoebe. The pair develop a fascination for Kit. Florence becomes attracted to her and in fact she and Kit become romantically involved, and Phoebe, out of some sort of jealous instinct spies on the pair often becoming vindictive or malicious. Meanwhile dark forces are gathering strength, unnoticed.
What really worked for me.
As I mentioned above the writing is absolutely wonderful in fact it kept me reading even though the story itself wasn’t particularly working it’s magic. This is such an atmospheric piece. It’s wonderfully gothic and really quite creepy. In fact the folklore elements are deliciously creepy although they’re a little late to make an appearance and quite under explored overall.
What didn’t work for me.
The characters. I don’t know why but I really struggled to connect to any of them and that remained constant throughout the story. So, although I did complete this I didn’t come away loving it.
I thought the magical realism elements were really well done, quite gripping and very creepy when they made an appearance – but by that point they felt a little too little too late.
Overall, I had no problem reading this and I certainly wouldn’t want to put off other readers from picking this up – it just didn’t work it’s magic for me (in spite of the writing and creep factor).
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
Countdown to 2026: Day 4 – Gifts – a book you enjoyed more than you expected to
4 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Book You Enjoyed More Than You Expected To, Beth Lewis, Countdown to 2026, Day 4, Gifts, The Rush
Once again I am counting down to the New Year, as with the previous years I shall be highlighting at least one book per day to fit the prompt on that given day. The main aim for this countdown is to highlight some of my reads during the past year and to shine the spotlight on them once again (although some of the prompts relate to forthcoming reads).
Today is Day 4 of the countdown to 2026 and a list of prompts can be found here if you wish to join me in counting down to 2026 and casting a spotlight on some of your favourite books.
Today’s Prompt : Gifts – a book you enjoyed more than you expected to:
The Rush by Beth Lewis.
I really enjoyed this. I’ve read the author before and really like her style so I didn’t hesitate in requesting this but it’s outside my usual ‘type’ of read so I did wonder if it would work for me. It did.
27 Days Remaining
Tomorrow’s prompt: Chocolates – a book that was simply delicious
Monthly Wrap Up/What’s On My Plate: October/November/December
3 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, book-blog, Books, Books Bones & Buffy, Monthly Wrap Up, October/November/December, reading, TBR, What's on my Plate
I’m trying to post a wrap up for the end of each month, mainly to help me to keep track of my reading and at the same time look at what I’m intending to read during the month ahead (inspired by Books Bones and Buffy’s What’s on My Plate.
I’ve missed one of my monthly wrap up posts so I’m going to try and give a quick update for October and November and what I’m planning to read in December.
My Monthly Wrap Up: October
The following is the list of books I posted in September that I was hoping to complete in October. Lets take a look:
- Cinder House by Freya Marske
- Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
- The Cold House by A.G. Slatter
- House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
- Ring the Bells by CK McDonnell
- The Last Witch by C.J. Cooke
- The Possession of Alba Dias by Isabel Cañas
- Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
- King Sorrow by Joe Hill
- The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah
- The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow
I’ve linked the books with reviews. The Possession of Alba Dias I set aside because it was a period when my reading mood wasn’t good and so I shall be going back and picking that one up. Murder Most Haunted I also made a start with – I’m not totally sure this one is going to work for me but I’d like to give it another shot. The Last Death of the Year I’ve not picked up yet but I am excited to do so.
My Monthly Wrap Up: November
The following is the list of books I was hoping to complete in November. Lets take a look:
- The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
- The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
- I’ll Make A Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker
- Outlaw Planet by MR Carey
I have read The Place Where They Buried Your Heart – which I loved and already reviewed. I’m currently reading The Blackfire Blade and Outlaw Planet is my next planned read. It doesn’t look as though I read many books in November but I think some of my October reads were actually read in November but because I wasn’t posting weekly wraps it’s difficult to place everything! This is why I need to be more organised. Anyway. It is what it is.
What’s On My Plate: December:
I’m hoping to catch up with review books that I’ve carried forward from October and also complete my last books from November (plus a late addition that went onto my September shelf:
- What Stalks the Deep by T Kingfisher
- The Possession of Alba Dias by Isabel Cañas (Carried over from October)
- Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason (Carried over from October)
- The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah (Carried over from October)
- The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
- I’ll Make A Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker
- Outlaw Planet by MR Carey
If possible I’d love to complete these by the end of December but I recognise that I’m not reading quite as much at the moment as there are too many other distractions at the moment. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll have a strange burst of reading. Never say never.
I’ve been terrible with this challenge this year – I think I’ll just declare this year a failure and start again next year with a proper list to try and get myself into gear.
Bookforager‘s Picture Prompt book bingo.
and the text version:
PICTURE PROMPT BOOK BINGO 2025 (TEXT VERSION)
| 1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife | 2. A lighthouse | ||
| 5. A very large mechanical telescope | 7. |
||
| 9 |
|||
Today, I’m ticking off: No. 7 A Stag – which I’m using Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher for (you’ll know why if you’ve read it). I’ve also gone back through my list and I’m using The Vipers by Katy Hays for No.15 – A stylized sun with a human face – because the setting is the beautiful and dazzling island of Capri and the season is Summer – so plenty of sunshine and sparkling seas. For No.4 – the Archery Target with Arrows in it – I’ve chosen the Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford because one of the female raiders is an expert shot with bow and arrow.
So, three more prompts left – not sure I’m going to make it this year, these last three are tricksy, a flint knife, a lighthouse and a telescope. I might have to do some creative thinking.
The prompts I’ve crossed off so far:
No. 16 – A Roman helmet – and I’m using This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara.
No. 3 – an apple on a leafy branch – Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisther
No.10 – A Sheaf of Wheat – The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst –
No. 11 – An Old Mechanical Typewriter – The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia
No.8 – The ruins of a temple-like structure – I’m using Daughter of Chaos by A S Webb
No. 12 – A cluster of four mushrooms – I’m using Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
No. 13 – A fringed umbrella/parasol – I’m using A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
No.14 – A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes – I’m using Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
No.9 – A Crab – I’m using The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – if you’ve read this already you’ll be able to guess why. There are some very unusual creatures in this story.
No.6 – A Human Skull – I’m using The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North – because this is about a serial killer and there are definite human remains included in this one.
Number of books read this year: 78 (well below target – boo!)
Countdown to 2026: Day 3 – Wrapping Paper – A Lovely Cover
3 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Lovely Cover, Countdown to 2026, Day 3, Rachel Gillig, The Knight and the Moth, Wrapping Paper
Once again I am counting down to the New Year, as with the previous years I shall be highlighting at least one book per day to fit the prompt on that given day. The main aim for this countdown is to highlight some of my reads during the past year and to shine the spotlight on them once again (although some of the prompts relate to forthcoming reads).
Today is Day 3 of the countdown to 2026 and a list of prompts can be found here if you wish to join me in counting down to 2026 and casting a spotlight on some of your favourite books.
Today’s Prompt : Wrapping Paper – A Lovely Cover:
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig.
I love this cover and happily I really enjoyed reading this one too. My review can be found here.
28 Days Remaining
Tomorrow’s prompt: Gifts – a book you enjoyed more than you expected to
Review: The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
2 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Christina Henry, Horror, Review, reviews, The Place Where They Buried Your Heart
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Haunted House, Character-led Horror
I loved The Place Where They Buried Your Heart and in fact would say it’s my favourite by the author. Henry manages to really capture the essence of the spooky, abandoned house where something terrible happens. The story put me in mind of old school King, the writing was excellent and I really liked the characters. The whole story is absolutely gripping. The House is terrifying and the author manages to deliver a coming of age story with depth and emotional impact.
The story is told by Jesse, who years ago ‘dared’ her younger brother Paul to go inside the creepy house on the street. Of course, Paul doesn’t want to go, especially alone, but he also doesn’t want to back down so he talks his two friends into going with him. The result, is that one of the friends is very badly injured, the other is traumatised and Paul – well, he’s never seen again.
As you might imagine, Jesse lives with massive guilt, made much worse by the further tragedies that eventually play out that I won’t go into here. She remains defiantly on the street, although other neighbours come and go, always in the hope that one day her brother will return.
Now, there’s much more to the story than the very brief outline sketched above but I prefer to focus on what really worked for me.
Well, the story really is gripping. It hooked me within a few pages and quite literally didn’t let up. The writing is so easy to get along with and the story just had me on the edge of my seat. I could barely put this book down in order to carry out basic day to day necessities.
I don’t read a lot of horror and tend to be a bit picky as some really don’t work well for me – but this simply fit the bill. It’s massively creepy, the way Henry writes about the house gives you a real feeling of fear to the extent that I didn’t want the characters to step inside because I was scared for them. And, of course, there’s no shortage of horror in the backstory. And yet this is all balanced by the whole emotional feel that the author delivers. I loved all the family related issues and the found family that Jesse eventually finds herself surrounded by. Not to mention that Jesse eventually becomes a mom herself and struggles with wanting to upsticks and run as far as she can with her new son and wanting to do the write thing, protect the neighbourhood, help her friends and keep others from falling into harm’s way.
As I mentioned, I enjoyed the characters, and in this story the House is a character itself. It’s a place of evil. The door will stand open, enticing people within, usually people who have already become obsessed with the place, and very few come back out. Attempts were made over the years to burn the place down, or to demolish it, and yet the house still stands, impervious to such weak attempts. And now, it’s power seems to be growing, putting out feelers in the neighbourhood and seeking new victims. Jesse and a few of her stalwart neighbours do their best to guard the property and keep people away, but their attempts don’t always work.
There’s so much to enjoy in this book. I really, thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the only very small issue I had was the ending felt a little rushed. That being said, and because I like to argue with myself, I also don’t think I would have liked a longer ending – go figure.
In conclusion – highly recommended.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 creepy stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 