My Five Word TL:DR Review : Gothic, atmospheric and cunningly compelling

I was so happy to be approved for a review copy of The Lighthouse Witches, I’d previously read and enjoyed The Nesting and loved the author’s style, she can certainly create a story with plenty of atmosphere and so when I saw this book, hailed as a ‘chilling gothic thriller’ that takes place on a remote Scottish Island – well, colour me happy.  Slight spoiler for the rest of the review.  I really enjoyed this – it’s one of those books that is set to stealth mode.  It teases you with an intriguing prologue, it then stalks you, hidden from view until finally it pounces and you’re held firm in its grip.

So, following the prologue we are swiftly introduced to mother of three Olivia (known as Liv) and her daughters, Sapphire (Saffy), 15,  Luna 9, and Clover aged 7.  The year is 1998 and Liv has brought her daughters to Lon Haven, to a Lighthouse known as the Longing.  Essentially, Liv is running from something (all will eventually be revealed) and has taken a commission to paint a mural for the lighthouse’s new owner.  The family arrive late on a blustery evening and are introduced to their cosy keeper’s bothy but any romantic notions about the lighthouse are immediately dispelled when they are introduced to the grim interior.  A stark granite cone that covers something sinister from the Island’s past.

The Story is told from a number of POVs.  Primarily, Luna in 2021.  Pregnant, involved in a slightly rocky relationship and still trying to come to terms with the sketchy memories she has of the time spent on the Scottish Isle.  What she does know is that two of her sisters went missing and she was abandoned by her mother so it’s a huge shock when she receives a call to say that her sister Clover has been found – and she doesn’t appear to have aged a day.  We jump back to Liv in 1998 as she begins to get a feel for the Island.  It’s a close knit place rife with superstitions and a turbulent history that culminated in a witch hunt of a number of women who were eventually tried and executed.  Other stories abound – talk of wildlings and missing children run rife and it soon becomes apparent that Lon Haven has experienced more than its fair share of sad events that have undoubtedly led the islanders to harbour some strange beliefs.  The final pov is Sapphire, also from 1998.  Saffy’s pov includes excerpts from an old Grimoire that she found in the bothy and is slowly making her way through.  I won’t elaborate but these excerpts helpt to tie the time jumps together and give a feeling for what took place on the island back in the 1600s that eventually led to the brutal torturing and wrongful executions of a number of women.

The writing is really good.  Again Cooke manages to infuse the pages with a brooding and intriguing story, the atmosphere is like pea soup.  There’s an ever increasing sense of foreboding which is only exacerbated by Luna’s pov.  We know that the storyline from 1998 is slowly building up to something terrible and the suspense is huge.  There’s a great sense of family here, and one that is slightly fraying at the edges.  Liv, struggling to raise her daughters following the death of her partner, Saffy, rebelling against the move away from everything she knows and loves, the sisters being at odds with each other and the ever looming presence of threat that is slowly revealed.  There is a slight move into teenage angst at times where Saffy is concerned and I must admit that sometimes I was astounded by how oblivious Liv seemed to be but then I cut her some slack.  She was struggling so hard to hold everything together and barely coping herself.

This story really does move into the realms of fantasy, more so.than the Nesting  I’m not talking about dungeons and dragons but something much more subtle.  The villages believe almost religiously in the story of wildlings (in my mind I’m thinking of these as changelings – fae that mimic human children, stealing the children away and taking their place in the home).  There’s also the Grimoire and the fascinating story it relates that eventually provides answers to the mystery of Lon Haven.  I won’t spoil the final reveal, this took me in a direction that was completely unforeseen and one that I really enjoyed.

In terms of criticisms.  I don’t have very much to be honest.  I did find a few elements, particularly in relation to Clover when she was eventually found and released to her much older sister – a little doubtful – but given the route the story takes I think I was much more willing to give it some leeway.  I think I probably also had questions about the nature of what was taking place here but, to be fair, I think the author’s style of ‘less is more’ was probably more fitting than any attempts to really define what was actually happening.

Overall this was a gripping tale.  I admit that I enjoy stories with alternating timelines.  I also love anything related to the fae which wildlings sound suspiciously akin to and the whole idea of this cursed island where the islanders have bought into their suspicions and fears so strongly, that they go to terrible lengths in order to keep any darkness at bay – coupled with the great gothic setting – well, as I already said, I was very happy to pick this one up and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 stars