Stratford's Lighthouse by Joshua Stevens is a compelling tale about different types of faith and the struggle between them when faced with a supernatural event. if someone is truly evil, could they really be vanquished so easily? and if you're punishing someone innocent and playing a part in creating evil, wouldn't that make you evil as well?
one of the elements that i enjoyed the most about Stratford's Lighthouse was there were no easy answers. the novel made you think and while some folk are sure that's never a good thing, i liked that. and the uncommon folklore was a welcome change.
highly recommended.
4.5 stars out 5.

This book wasn’t scary. Not in the way I anticipated. It’s about a haunted lighthouse. However the real horrors portrayed in this story is that of prejudice and hatred and the thinking that anyone who believes other than us is wrong and going to hell.

The descriptions of American evangelical Christianity was spot on and I recognized my own experience in much of the scenes.

Although the writing wasn’t award winning, I thoroughly enjoyed how accurate a portrait the author painted of how a haunting within an evangelical Christian family would more than likely play out.

Favorite Quote:
“Maybe when it’s all said and done, your faith will look completely different than the version you were taught, and that’s okay. All I know is that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”

This book was incredibly atmospheric and eerie with a unique take on a haunting mixing your typical ghost story with Native American mythology.

Matthew, a 15 year old boy, has moved to Stratford’s Lighthouse with his family due to his dad being sent to do a church plant. His dad, Pastor McKay, is opening a church in Melbrook, a small town in Massachusetts.

I love how in this book, Joshua Stevens intertwines religions into the narrative as Matthew meets a beautiful young girl, Solstice, who is Wiccan, and begins to question everything he’s ever been taught growing up. As someone raised in a devout Christian home, this is something I can completely relate to, especially at this age.

Matthew has such a strong character development through out this book, and he grows so much as a person. It’s truly amazing to see him go from this timid little boy afraid to speak up to his parents to fighting for what he knows is right and true.

All in all, this book is truly amazing, and I highly recommend it 👏🏻

A creepy lighthouse, native American folklore, religious horror, and ghosts...put me in coach! I loved the character of Matthew, he was very endearing, which can be hard to find in horror sometimes. This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had a brilliant set up and was down right spooky! I also appreciated that while the characters voiced some offensive thoughts, the author made sure to make it crystal clear that he does not share those harmful views.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, I connected with Matt so much especially his thoughts on Christianity, the church and how Solstice fit into his life. I highlighted several parts of the book where it just reflected exactly my struggles growing up, that eventually lead me to more of a Solstice vibe. Speaking of her- great character, I love her attitude, opinions and how she interacted with Matt knowing how strict his parents were. I feel the author did a great job fleshing out all of his characters.
I do feel like it took far too long for the actual horror plot to come out and was a bit underwhelmed by it when it finally did. It was just enough spook to keep me intrigued.

Joshua Stevens does a great job in writing this book, it had everything that I was looking for in a horror novel, it had a unique concept that I was looking for. The characters felt like they were supposed to be there in this world and I enjoyed the evil of this story. It tells the story that it needed to and I was invested in what was going on.

This was quite an eerie story, which was what I hoped for. When the lighthouse was first described, I had a sense of a place that was sinister and foreboding. Somewhere cold, dark, and empty. I felt that as a reader, I was told just enough about the characters to spark my interest, and just enough to encourage me to like them. At some point while I was reading, I began to feel that something was going to happen, and once I started to feel that, I was invested, and it wasn't easy to stop turning the pages. I felt there was some gory imagery in places, but it was what I wanted, a good spooky story.

Strong book most of the way! Unfortunately the ending teeters off into being bad :( up until then I was thinking 4.5. With that taken into account 3.5

Stratford Lighthouse by Joshua Stevens
I enjoyed this book. It was well-written, pulling together a haunted lighthouse, a small town feel with a creepy atmosphere throughout, and a struggle of faith. It was a good read, and I will be adding this author to my list of authors to watch for.

A different taste. Scary, dark, impressive, fear, true page-turner. Matthew breaks through all the pressure and protections he had growing up. Religion is never an easy path or forcing your next move nor thought. What made me read this book was the Lighthouse itself. To have the idea that the Universe does not duplicate itself, is a bomb in of itself. The bits and pieces from the aunt's story makes this book worth more the read. Enjoy it!
I just reviewed Stratford's Lighthouse by Joshua Stevens. #StratfordsLighthouse #NetGalley

I always like a good ghosty, religious-y story. I liked the pacing of the story and the addition of different folklore. This was a fun read

This was a very interesting read from Joshua Stevens, a nice ride through some unsettling themes and unpredictable twists. The book has a lot of insight on the issue of faith, due to the main character's plight, though it all gets combined with some creepy imagery of course, since it's essentially a ghost story. The book's brimming with horror, darkness and lore. A solid 4-stars from me.

Excellent horror with original, compelling characters. The author truly knows how to create an eerie, haunting setting and roll with it. Loved the book and looking forward to reading more from him.

Hmm, I have some mixed feelings about this one. I loved it at the beginning, got a little impatient with it in the middle, and was just completely over it by the end.

Although Stratford's Lighthouse is billed as adult horror, it reads much more like a young adult novel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely not what I was expecting. It is totally possible to write a horror novel about teenagers or children that doesn't feel YA-ish (Stephen King's It is perhaps the most famous example), but this one just seemed like it was meant for a younger audience. The horror-y bits and narration felt like they were straight out of a R.L. Stine novel at times.

Also, be forewarned that this book focuses heavily on an ultra-conservative church and its pastor's family, so lots of unflattering things are said about gays, non-Christians, and all of the other usual targets. It's obvious that the author doesn't agree with these views, but consider this a trigger warning.

But, anyway, the beginning. The beginning was fantastic. The premise was wonderful and I loved the idea of an ultra-religious teenager befriending a Wiccan and confronting some ghosts. There were a couple parts that seemed kind of fast-forwarded – entire months were skipped here and there and things that generally take a really long time (like building an entire house) were glossed over in a paragraph or two. But, overall, I had no real complaints.

The middle was where things started to fall apart just a little for me. The plot was still mostly keeping my attention, but there was way too much of a focus on things that had nothing to do with the supernatural mystery. I mean, I get that this book is a sort of bildungsroman so it makes sense to focus somewhat on Matt's relationships with his family members and his first love and his crisis of faith and all of that, but there was just so. little. horror. Also, you're supposed to make Alfredo with heavy cream and not milk (and it also doesn't take an hour), and that's a hill I'm willing to die on. I did enjoy the incorporation of Native American legends into the plot.

And the ending? Sigh. Expect less-than-terrifying ghostly minions, the world's most talkative Big Bad, beyond irritating parents, and a huge deus ex machina. And it all just seemed so, so … juvenile. If I had read the ending as a stand-alone and you told me that it was an excerpt from a middle grade novel, I would not have been surprised at all.

So … I dunno. I kind of enjoyed this book, but it was also pretty light on the horror and I kept expecting the Scooby-Doo gang to make an appearance. Would I read another book by this author? Almost certainly. Is this a decent debut novel? Definitely. But did I love it? Eh, not quite. I do look forward to seeing what Joshua Stevens writes next, however.

Overall rating: 3.45 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This book had everything that I love to read about. There was a haunted Lighthouse, Native American folklore and a boy who needed to find the courage to fight an evil entity. I had so many emotions come out while reading this book. I felt Mathew’s confusion about the various theologies that he was exposed to. He had been brought up under certain teachings then he met someone who was very different. He began to question his faith and what it meant to be spiritual. Then when he tried to explain what was happening to his family, they refused to entertain that he could be telling the truth. They reacted in a way that only made Matthew continue to reject their teachings. Not to mention he was experiencing his first crush. Then I felt the terror the two teens experienced hen they used the Ouija board. Another reason why I will NEVER use one.Throw in a vengeful spirit and you have the makings of a wonderful supernatural horror book. This is a must read. The whole book was well researched and thought out. I particularly enjoyed the afterward. The author does his best to make sure the reader knows the process he went through to avoid offending anyone.

I enjoyed this creepy novel by a new author for me.
Love small town horror novels. This o e was written well and had interesting characters that were also well written. Definitely have this author on my list of ones to watch.

Normally this isnt my type of read but i seen that it had a lighthouse involved and i wanted to seewjat it entailed.
Wow! Was I surprised! I really enjoyed this novel more than I thought I couldn't put it down!
I've finished reading this but I wanted to share this quote with y'all.
I'm still thinking about this quote actually.
I feel like we’re all lighthouses, and my job is to shine my light as brightly as I can to the darkness- Jim Carrey
I loved the little sayings like this at the beginning of each chapter.
So far, this has been a pretty cool book. The cover is what made me choose it because I love Lighthouses and the history behind them.
On most things so far I can relate to Matthew. The things he's going through and changes. I hate change more than anything.
‘Solstice, the Universe doesn’t duplicate itself. Even things that are the same. are still different from one another in some way. But you see, baby-girl,’— she always called me that—‘people don’t understand that.
Many people think it’s better if we all look and act the same, and they waste their whole lives trying to convince and manipulate people to be like them. They are scared to be different so they don’t want anyone else to be different. " But that's not the way of the Universe.
I thought this was a cool quote from the story from Solictice's Aunt. I think she's a very wise woman don’t you?
This saying is very true even in today's society. I think it's fear itself is the controller.
Emily was definitely a fascinating character. Her story just about broke my heart. Unfortunately what she had done was wrong.
I loved the Indian folklore that was represented in this story.
Puckwudgies I believe are the same as poltergeists. So annoying and dangerous especially if they're controlled by an angry ghost.
I highly recommend this novel. 5 stars for a well written book.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.