The lines between reality and fiction slowly blur in Catriona Ward’s new release Looking Glass Sound. To reveal any more of its plot, other than what’s written on the book’s back cover, would be a real disservice.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook to review.

Narration: The audiobook readers/VO actors did a great job of reading clearly and in a pace that wasn't too slow or too fast. I felt they embodied their characters and did a good job at differentiating voices for other characters as well. Overall, I think the narration was great. I didn't rate this book low due to narration issues.

Plot: [No Spoilers] The plot of this book is rather convoluted and I don't think solely relying on audiobook allows for one to track all the details of the story. My suggestion would be, if you do decide to listen to audiobook, is to also read the book. I found myself losing track of the story towards the middle and end and I think it would've been easier to focus or catch everything had I been reading the book. Ultimately, I think it's up to your preferential form of reading, but since this book is a bit hard to casually follow I do think it requires intentional listening rather than listening in the background while multi-tasking.

I honestly had a hard time following this story, and it ended up being too layered & complicated for my own liking. Therefore, this is unfortunately a 3 star read for me.

The audio narrator was AMAZING, and had no bearing on this. I was very impressed by the narrator's ability to give characters their "own voice".

This book really had me hooked until the first shift of timeline/reality. We went from what was basically a memoir written by our main character, and then went to his real life? The back and forth on this was not clear to me, and therefore it did not work for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Catriona Ward for the advanced audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I never know what to expect from a new Catriona Ward book, other than it’s sure to be complex and different, and Looking Glass Sound is no exception. This story is many things: a coming-of-age tale, a murder mystery, a tragic love story and a story of betrayal. It’s also hiding a secret within its pages. What seems like one thing in the beginning turns out to be a lie, and then that lie becomes another lie. By the end it’s almost impossible to untangle the truth, and the reader is left with a sense of both awe and confusion. Yes, I enjoyed this book, but it’s not a story you want to rush through. I’m glad I’m in the habit of taking notes while I read, and later writing them down (Looking Glass Sound is five pages of notes!), because it gives me a chance to “read” the book a second time. This is one of those stories where you want to go back to the beginning after you’ve finished, because you’ve most certainly missed something important.

In the end, Looking Glass Sound is a weird little tale that does some clever things. I’m still thinking about the book days after finishing it, turning over the bits of story in my head to see what I might have missed.

4.5 ⭐️
My head feels like it could spin off my body after finishing. While I have had Catriona Ward on my radar for a while, this was my first read by her and I seriously cannot wait to read the rest of her novels. I was provided an ARC of the audiobook by NetGalley but I read a kindle version of this while listening to the audiobook. I’m glad I did because I think too many details of the story would be passed over with the audiobook alone.
The layers to Looking Glass Sound are unlike any thriller or horror book I’ve read in a long time. While the time jumps can be discombobulating at times and I found Wilder’s character really annoying, I loved how twisty and dizzying this one was. My jaw could not stay up because it seemed like there was constantly a new twist making for a gripping page turner. The plot does the absolute most but in the end it checked a lot of boxes for me.
Highly recommended to basically anyone but especially fans of Saltburn, The Secret History, Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook!

I loved the idea of this audiobook but I really had a hard time getting into it and when I went back I couldn’t follow along, It was well written, it just wasn't for me.

Though not my favorite book by Ward, LOOKING GLASS SOUND delivered the thrills and chills I expect from the author. The author has a gift for playing with her characters' minds and in this book, she pushes that to the limits. Wilder is a fabulous character and the unraveling of his world was a quite compelling read.

Looking Glass Sound is a solid addition to Catriona Ward's body of work, offering a suspenseful journey into the unknown. While the book showcases the author's talent for mind-bending horror and maintains a level of intrigue, the challenges in navigating timelines might affect some readers' engagement. Nevertheless, Ward's storytelling prowess and the overall suspenseful atmosphere make this a worthwhile read for fans of the genre.

Looking Glass Sound provides a complex and suspenseful experience with some navigational challenges in its timelines. For those who appreciate Ward's unique brand of horror, the book offers a satisfying exploration into the mysterious and unexpected.
Thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of Looking Glass Sound

Catriona Ward continues to impress with her imagination and storytelling prowess. She can use genre tropes without being stagnant or limiting the story. I look forward to all of her new releases.

I’ve enjoyed this author’s previous books and was so excited to read LOOKING GLASS SOUND! It was quite a bit different in both the writing style and pacing for me, but I was intrigued by the serial killer plot.

I listened as an audiobook format and enjoyed the narration.

*many thanks to the publisher, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

I absolutely loved Cateiona Ward’s previous book. I wanted to love this one too but it didn’t captivate me in the same way. From a literary stance, it was interesting and I loved the textual play…it needed something more to really hit, however. This author is fantastic and if she continues to create an aweaome story (like her earlier book) and combine it with her mastery of textual devices, we will see it a masterpiece from her soon.

*2 stars* I really like the premise for Catriona Ward's books but somewhere, someway, they get lost for me. This has been my least favorite from them. I am always intrigued, enjoy the writing, but they never pan out.

I was really wrapped up in the story and really intrigued by the serial killer thing. But at some point i got a bit confused on what was actually happening and just felt a bit lost. Some went over my head

I found this book to be semi-hard to understand at times but the payoff at the end was worth it. It just wasn't my favorite.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Wright was alright. There were some things I liked and some I didn’t.
Liked:
Multiple POV, dangerous water setting, gay characters, timeline that spans many decades, two narrators Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton on the audiobook, and the psychological aspect
Didn’t like:
Slow pace, the beginning was especially slow and then this book was too long for my preference, the fragments, the repetition as we would read the same scenes over and over again
Thank you to Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

I'm on a thriller kick and Catriona Ward's book hit just the right mark. I have been getting back into my workouts and audiobooks have found their way into my routine. A huge thank you to MacMillan Audio for this atmospheric thriller. Wilder Harlow is writing his last book about a killer that stalked his New English town during a summer in his youth. As he writes, his grasp with reality blurs and now he's unsure of what is really happening. I love the setting for this novel and the trauma bond between Wilder and his friends that continues to show deeper and deeper layers.

I was also a fan of the narration and found it easy to listen to. The narrator did a great job of keeping the listener captivated.

This is my second book from this author and it was just ok for me.
I think I enjoyed Sundial more because it was such a crazy plot. I mean that whole story was f**cked to infinity and beyond.
Even though this one is a coming-of-age story, I felt like I was perpetually waiting and waiting for more and when it finally did come I was probably too exhausted to appreciate it.
I did love how very distinct each character was, at times felt like I was wholly immersed in what was happening.
But then I would drift away.
I dunno, I'll read more from her in case this one was just an outlier.

A runaway train of a narrative that is both mesmerizing and frustrating, unlike most of the currently publishing genre authors specialize in thriller/mystery, Catriona Ward's output is consistently far from the norm, and Looking Glass Sound is no exception—starting out as a coming-of-age teenage friendship story with a side serving of serial killer on the loose, it gradually morphs into a meta-fiction about authorship and the (literal) power of storytelling. As much as I marvel at where the plot ends up, the transition from one subject matter to the other is admittedly patchy in this one, and not as seamless as her breakout hit The Last House on Needless Street.

It's unfortunately Looking Glass Sound starts out at its worst, with a bloated first act the feels unnecessarily long and meandering. By the time the pivotal 'gimmick' reveals itself around the 40% mark, the book might have already lost a good portion of its audience. The 'gimmick' utilizes here is something I love seeing authors explore (I can think of a few other titles, but referencing them here might be spoilery), yet the execution might has gone one layer too far—not only does it muddy the book's internal logic, it also takes readers' mind away from its central thesis (my brain hurts just from trying to sort out the eventual character map).

Catriona Ward's strength as a storyteller remains present throughout: the prose is soaked in atmosphere, scenes of horror are deeply harrowing, and there's even a surprisingly turbulent, yet tender MM romance subplot I did not see coming. But as a whole Looking Glass Sound comes a across a little try-hard and under-edited, too many interesting elements that don't quite gel together, and a lopsided pacing testing people's patience. It's definitely a diamond in the rough—if you're already a fan of Catriona Ward (like myself), I would still recommend picking it up.

Wilder Harlow is an author busy at work writing the last novel he will ever pen. It’s all about a killer who’s hunting ground was the small town of his childhood. It’s also about Sky, his friend turned thief after Sky stole Wilder’s previous work, a memoir, and claimed it as his own. Much to Wilder’s chagrin it became a bestseller entitled Looking Glass Sound. Retreating to a cottage overlooking the coast of Maine with the dream of finding his way to the bestseller list, Wilder soon questions his sanity when he begins to find notes hidden throughout the cottage, notes written in Sky’s distinct green ink.

I was not a big fan of this novel. I like strange, twisted novels, but this one jumped around way too much for me and I often found myself confused about what exactly was happening throughout the majority of the novel and to whom. I liked the basic concept of Looking Glass Sound, but I was just too confused too often to truly enjoy the novel the way I would have liked to.

The audiobook didn’t make Looking Glass Sound any less confusing. The pace was rather slow (which is often the case with audiobooks for me) and the narrators were often monotone in their delivery of the story. There was not enough inflection and, by extension, there was little to no suspense created. Even during the moments when I should have been at the edge of my seat I was, simply put, not.

Title: A Sonic Tapestry of Intrigue: "Looking Glass Sound" by Catriona Ward

Rating: ★★★★☆

Catriona Ward's "Looking Glass Sound" is a captivating exploration of the intersection between music, mystery, and the enigmatic corridors of the human psyche. With its unique narrative structure and rich character development, Ward delivers a novel that resonates as much through its haunting melodies as it does through its complex storyline.

The novel unfolds against the backdrop of the music industry, introducing readers to the world of Charlie, a talented but troubled musician, and her pursuit of the elusive "Looking Glass Sound." Ward's narrative style is a standout feature, with the story told through multiple perspectives and timelines. This structure not only adds layers of complexity to the plot but also keeps readers guessing as they piece together the puzzle.

Ward's portrayal of the music scene is vivid and immersive. The author's love for and understanding of the industry shines through, making the setting a character in itself. The exploration of the creative process, the highs and lows of fame, and the sacrifices artists make for their art adds depth to the narrative.

The characters are meticulously crafted, each with their own set of flaws, aspirations, and secrets. Charlie, in particular, is a compelling protagonist whose journey resonates with the struggles many artists face in the pursuit of their artistic vision. The supporting cast adds nuance to the story, creating a web of relationships that intertwines with the central mystery.

Ward's prose is lyrical, evoking a sensory experience that transcends the written word. The descriptions of music and its emotional impact are so vivid that readers can almost hear the haunting melodies of the "Looking Glass Sound" echoing in their minds. This immersive quality enhances the overall reading experience and reinforces the novel's themes of artistry and obsession.

While the novel's nonlinear narrative may challenge some readers, those who appreciate a puzzle-like structure will find it adds to the intrigue. The resolution of the central mystery is satisfying, though some may feel that certain threads are left intentionally open-ended, inviting interpretation.

In conclusion, "Looking Glass Sound" is a symphony of mystery and psychological depth that will resonate with readers who enjoy atmospheric storytelling and intricate character studies. Catriona Ward's ability to blend the realms of music and mystery creates a unique literary composition that lingers in the mind long after the final notes have faded.