I am traumatized in the best way.

This is the gripping, atmospheric horror I needed in my life! The ending of this book will stay with me for quite a while. I did NOT see any of that coming. The twists continued to unravel and my mind was blown. Told during different time periods, this haunting gothic fiction will have you speeding through the pages. I can't wait to read more from C. J. Cooke.

C.J. Cooke does it again! I absolutely loved her other novel and this one is so different with its chilling atmosphere, I was absolutely pulled into the story.

Wow. This was difficult to read so definitely note the trigger warnings. I’m so glad I picked this one up, though. Cooke is masterful as weaving a mystery together and combining it with compelling characters and a beautiful setting. This book definitely checks all those boxes and then some. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

I did not see the twist coming at the end. I knew something was off, but for it to be that, I was like, wow!
The story is told in multiple POVs, so make sure you are paying attention. Nicky 1901 aboard a whaling ship called the Ormen, though it is not all fun and haha. What happened to Nicky? And we get the accounts? It just breaks your heart. To be honest, I probably would have either jumped overboard and given myself to the sea or silently killed every man on board. I do wonder if what happened to Nicky's leg was really happening or if it had something to do with her brain because of the trauma. I was just truly curious. When we got the answers to how she ended up on the ship, I was devasted for her because the people you trust shouldn't have done that.
Fast forward to the present day, we are introduced to Dominique, who wants to explore The Ormen before it is put to rest in the dark sea. At first, while she is exploring, she sees things that would happen in this sort of weather. Sunlight only comes out for a few hours, if that, and snow and ice every day, you start seeing things. Until she realizes she truly isn't alone, we are introduced to three other people, and that is when our story gets juicy. They are exploring, too, but something seems off with them.
Nothing is what it seems with this ship. It has horrors for a reason, and the only person who may have answers is the one who started it all.

In my books, C.J. Cooke has firmly established herself as the Queen of creating gothic atmospheric settings. Whether it's the unsettling house and woods of The Ghost Woods, the secluded fjord in The Nesting, or the desolation of the Scottish island in The Lighthouse Witches, she ventures into even more chilling waters in her latest work—a haunted ghost ship.

Just when I thought I had seen it all from entitled men who inflict pain upon women for their own desires, Cooke creates a dark, unique, emotional, bone-chilling, vivid narrative as she delves into themes of trauma and revenge. While not overtly descriptive, her writing resonates quietly yet vividly, painting a clear picture of pain and trauma through atmospheric prose. Adding another layer to the story, Cooke introduces Norse folktales, adding an exciting, unique, haunting dose of chills.

The cleverly paced reveal is surprising, with jaw-dropping moments that go beyond twists. The satisfying payoff brings everything together, leaving me with awe and an unforgettable reading experience.

A Witches Words read with some of my favoirte witches.

WOWZA!

Atmospheric, haunting, heart wrenching, dark, and chilling. A Haunting in the Arctic is well written and well thought out. It is shocking, evokes emotion and explores trauma. Cooke's writing is incredibly descriptive and vivid. I felt as if I was right there with the characters on the ship as a silent observer.

1901, Nicky, the daughter of George Abney, the owner of the Ormen whaling ship, was attacked, and brought on board. There she is told that she is to serve as a "selkie wife" to the men onboard. Nicky is shocked, sickened and can't believe what she is hearing. Her father owns the vessel, after all. This can' t be happening, but sadly it is.

1973, Dominique (Dom), an explorer, has an urge to go to the Ormen which has washed up on the remote coast of Iceland. She wants to document it, before it is destroyed. While exploring the Ormen, Dom observes that there has been recent activity on the ship. Others have been her before her. Soon she realizes that she is not alone, three other explorers have shown up as well.


The book is told through two timelines and readers learn more about Nicky and Dominique through their POV's. Both timelines have a dark, haunted, and creepy feel to them. Talk about being right up my alley! The book drew me in from the very start. I love, love, love books set in cold environments with a trapped feeling and this one fits the bill. The cold, the ocean, and the ice all made for a chilling and harsh element that worked so well with the other themes in this book. I also loved the use of folklore in this Gothic feeling book.

Trauma, survival, heartache, and loss are just a few of the themes of this book. Parts of this book will be very difficult for some to read. Nicky's time on the Ormen is horrific, heartbreaking, and sad. I felt for her the entire time. C.J. Cooke did an amazing job weaving both timelines together. I had no idea where the author was going to take me, and I enjoyed the ride. I did not see the reveal coming at all. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. I love it when an author can shock me.

I can't wait to read what C.J. Cooke writes next!


*Be sure to read the author's note at the end where she discusses trauma.


*

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I just love a blizzard horror story. There is just something to be said about the utter lack of noise, the chance of death from freezing and the inability to get help when needed. I grabbed this. Arctic thriller and read it in one sitting!

Two timelines convene in the Arctic. There is 1900's when a young wealthy woman is attacked and awakens to find herself prisoner on a whaling ship, the Ormen, on it's way to the freezing waters. Nicky is the daughter of the business man that owns the boat and she is praying she will be rescued from the utter misery of her treatment.

Simultaneously, we are introduced to Dominque and her quest to become famous on social media as she uncovers secrets of the wreck of the Ormen off the coast of Iceland. She finds a handful of other urban explorers and they camp out on the wreck but it's not long before they realize the are not alone.

C.J. Cooke slowly twists the vise as we learn that everyone in the twin stories has a secret they are keeping. As the weather rages and actual ghosts seem to appear it is clear that no one is safe.

Pick this up and be prepared for a new haunted story - neither trite nor classic, a new story to tell at the campfire that will keep YOU up all night #CJCooke #Berkely #AHauntinginthearctic

Incredibly bleak and dark. I can’t say much without spoiling anything but this was an excellent haunted ship/ghost horror story. Both timelines were equally captivating. The story is rooted in Icelandic folklore with strong themes of trauma. This is spooky but also so SAD. Not one happy moment. Really heavy. I loved Cooke’s The Lighthouse Witches and I’m so impressed by how different this story is while maintaining gothic vibes. Strong writing. I looooved the ending, my favorite type actually, but I did have a lot of questions that went unanswered. Easily would have been 5 stars otherwise but I do appreciate the subtlety and ambiguity. Overall, highly recommend to fans of sad ghost stories!

Normally, what began the haunting of the whaling ship the Ormen would be all kinds of triggering for me, but somehow C.J. Cooke did such a good job I was able to read this compelling novel.

In 1901, Nicky is kidnapped and stowed on a ship that hunts whales in the Arctic.

Today, urban explorer Dominique has come to the northern tip of Iceland, near the Arctic Circle. The Ormen has drifted for years but is about to be destroyed. She’s documenting this for her followers, in a place she *thought* was deserted.

This is billed as a ghost horror story, which it is, but it’s so original and intriguing that doesn’t quite cover it.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel.

Whew! What. A. Book! I love the way @cjcooke_author writes, the way she adds Lore to her stories is like no other! This may be her darkest book yet, and I absolutely LOVED IT.

A haunted 19th century beached whaling ship in the Artic. What a setting! This book was creepy and had me looking over my shoulder, this is definitely a book to read with the lights on.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Make sure you check this one out in February, you are not going to want to miss this one!

I really loved this book. The writing is beautiful and the ghost story is so well constructed that even if you figure out the hook you will not be let down in the least. It’s a fine mixture of ghost story and folklore that works from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

First and foremost this book explores trauma, so reader discretion is kind of a must. It might be hard for some readers. But, it is oh so rewarding. Cooke is brilliant at creating a setting and mooring history to it in a way that is indescribable. Once the reader settles in, there is a marvelous weaving of the uncanny that has the reader guessing and wondering until a satisfactory ending. It's hard to describe the journey, how the characters draw the reader in, or the way it makes you feel at the end. But, if you are brave enough it is rewarding!

I love a good ghost story so I was already inclined to like this book. The problem I had with it was the suffering and bleakness of what went on in both time periods. If I am being asked to read through unrelenting trauma then there better be a damn good reason waiting at the end of the book. Unfortunately this was not the case with A Haunting in the Arctic. The ending seemed too pat and left many questions unanswered for me. How did she "trap" the others with her? And why them and not others? Why would they bother trying to kill or hurt her when they themselves knew the situation for what it actually was? Why didn't her daughter show up with Allan? And after a few paragraphs when readers are finally clued in to what is actually happening all the main characters get a happy ending just like that? And the book ends.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I did not finish this book, stopped at less than 25% and even that took me like 2 weeks. I loved loved loved her book The Lighthouse Witches so I was excited for this. Unfortunately I could not get into it at all. With that being said, I look forward to see what she comes up with next.

This is the most shocking, challenging, highly disruptive, but also perfectly written novel that haunted my soul as the selkie wife’s traumatic story imprinted in my heart to stay there forever! I cannot express how my emotions are scattered around everywhere and how I felt so shaken to the core after reading this complex, well-polished, detailedly executed and crafted novel. The dark, spooky atmosphere of the Icelandic town is portrayed so realistically that you feel the cold hitting your face, shivering to the very fiber of your being as the little hairs on your body all stand up. The eerie, whooshing sounds coming from outside make you tremble with their animosity. You are forced to face your fear of claustrophobia, being trapped in a mental and physical cage, and you test your abilities to survive.

The picturesque descriptions of the High Arctic, the fictional historical tales blended with folklore, and the urban Nordish tales are perfectly interwoven. Three timelines created around the haunting shipwreck and the curse of the ghost, a mythical creature lurking in the area to hunt its prey, keep you on your toes. The big mystery that intersects these three different timelines to unveil the jaw-dropping conclusion is also well established and will make you scream in amazement.

I haven’t been so moved by a book in a long time. Even though this is an amazing, eye-popping, earth-shattering, heart-throbbing mystery, it's also a thought-provoking psychological thriller that questions the mental cages humans create and lock themselves inside to reminisce about the past traumas they've faced. This makes it even more heartbreaking and deeply penetrating; it's one of the saddest stories you may ever read. Some parts of the selkie wife’s story will make you gasp, hardly able to breathe as your tears keep washing your cheeks like a torrent.

The main story opens in 1973 in Ormen: a ghost ship that was once a whaling ship from the 1800s, where researcher Dr. Diego Almeyda's remains are finally found, including his shattered feet, as the other occupants of the ship are still vanished into thin air.

Then we move back and forth between two timelines, 1901 and the present, introducing us to Nicky: the daughter of George Abney, the owner of the Ormen whaling ship. Nicky is captured by very dangerous people, kidnapped, and thrown aboard the ship to become a selkie wife to serve the crew's special desires. Nicky has already gone through a lot, having lost her daughter and sent her husband to war. She must find a way to escape from this worst kind of hell.

In the present time, Dominique, an urban explorer, is filming her adventure in Skumaskot, where she's headed to explore the remains of Ormen to share with her social media followers. However, her solo trip takes an unexpected turn when she meets three other explorers who seem to be working on a secret agenda.

Overall, this is not an easy read for everyone! It's a harsh, dark, brutal experience that you need to toughen up to digest some chapters without becoming too frustrated. However, the plot idea, execution, depictions, and the wrapping up of the shocking mystery are incredible and make the book unique and unputdownable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this fascinating book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.