I wanted to love this book so much as the premise of it was great. Remote island, witches. It should have been very immersive, but I found it very hard to get into.
There were too many narratives, too much going on, which made it really hard to follow. I was really confused, and it felt like I'm studying a text book to understand who is who, etc.
So, I'm afraid it wasn't for me.

Thanks a lot to the publisher, Netgalley for this copy.

This was a read I found very hard to get into. I persevered and I really wanted to love it. Witches and a remote island. A cross between The Wicker man and the Crucible, it was beautifully written but SO confusing. In places so busy and too many narratives which confused me even more. This is my own personal opinion and I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
I would like to thank the author, Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A book with a great premise and hints of The Crucible and The Wicker Man, but ultimately mildly confusing and hard to follow. The island, Lark, is a deeply religious and isolated place with piousness on the surface hiding cult-like tendencies beneath. While the idea was initially interesting, and the characters well thought out the execution was lacking.

The dark heart of an isolated community is slowly revealed in this book that is part Wicker Man, part The Crucible. It is told in alternating voices between Viola, a new comer to the island and Leah, a teacher at the school. This was a clever idea, because through Viola's eyes it is apparent that, even with her youthful infatuation with them, there is something very wrong with the behaviour of 'the Eldest girls'. Through Leah's eyes we understand just how isolated the island is, and because of the social structure just how it has been easier to turn a blind eye to everything that is wrong with the system. However, the book felt very fractured to me. There were some really interesting threads that seemed to disappear into nothingness and 'the Eldest girls' felt like nothing more than a cypher. Viola wasn't fully ever fleshed out and her grief was never fully explored, nor her fascination with 'the Eldest girls'. Leah's voice was the strongest to me, but even here, her inner thoughts were never explored. The island itself and the weather conditions could have added a really sinister undercurrent to the book, but became just the odd mention rather than an evocative description. It's a shame, because there was a really good story, that I felt never fully realised its potential. Maybe as a film or tv show this might create more unease and sense of place?

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy.

A very hard book to get sunk into. I wanted to love it, everything about it was made to attract me: witches, isolated island...Alas, the story, even though well written, was too messy with too many different narrating voices but only one confused reader. This book feels more like a script than a novel and it unfortunately defeated my numerous attempts to conquer it.

I enjoyed this book, but didn't think it really delivered on the synopsis. It was atmospheric and the claustrophobia of an isolated community was well portrayed, but it is very long and the timelines difficult to follow on occassions.
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury for an advance copy of this book

DNF

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I was incredibly excited by the premise of this novel and it seemed right up my street, however after reading the first few chapters I was unable to get into it. Unfortunately I didn’t end up finishing this one, it wasn’t quite what I had expected, but overall it feels more so that the authors style didn’t vibe with me very much than there being something terribly wrong with the novel itself.

So while I wouldn’t personally recommend it, I certainly wouldn’t stop anyone intrigued my the premise from picking it up.

This was a very intriguing plot, but I felt it could have been executed a little better. For me, there wasn't much of an opportunity to connect with or get to know the characters, and I didn't like the religious aspects of it, as the religion itself wasn't truly explained. 

The changes in POVs and also time jumps back and fourth were a little confusing and didn't flow very well. 

One aspect that really didn't sit well with me was that the women and girls on the island, although they make up the majority of the population on Lark, are treated by the men in a very condescending way.  The girls are patted on the head, their cheeks are pinched and they're spoken to as if they're not very bright simply because they're female, and then when the girls reach 16 years old they're suddenly seen as women and finally old enough to be lusted over.

There's one pub on the whole island and women are only allowed in there at the weekend - when the 3 girls on the island who have turned 16, all of the pub patrons suddenly think it's okay to talk about them in a sexual way and how they'd give 'them all one'. This didn't sit well with me because there was no point where the author mentioned that this was not appropriate. No character commented how that was wrong and I just didn't like it, probably more so because it was a modern setting and we know as a society that this behaviour is wrong. 

I really did want to enjoy this one, but I just couldn't get into it. Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this but this has all just been my opinion - if you like the sound of this book then by all means give it a go and let me know what you thought!

Trigger warnings for misogyny, sexualisation of minors, explicit descriptions of sex.

I struggled with the beginning of Impossible Causes, it didn’t immediately draw me in but the synopsis is so interesting that I was determined to keep reading and I’m glad I did!
Once you get further into the story you can forgive the beginning. In Impossible Causes the isolation of Lark Island leaps off the pages, the wording is beautiful and best of all its creepy and dark!
My only issue is some of the characters lacked depth but there’s enough greatness in this book to overlook that!
A strong 3.5/5.

This is a tricky one to review, and it is certainly a book that was difficult to really get into for some time. However, by the end I was gripped and can certainly see the parallels with something like The Crucible.
Our story takes place on the remote island of Lark. We focus on the narration by Leah, a teacher on the island, who is privy to many of the secrets of the island but who seems rather detached from everything. This sense of ‘otherness’ does become important later on, as it explains why Leah acts as she does.
The island of Lark is cut off from the mainland, physically unreachable for months. So it is of great interest when an outsider, Ben Hailey, comes to the island to teach.
He - and, as a result, we - comes to learn of the superstitions regarding what are referred to as the Eldest Girls. There are three girls aged 16 who, now, are given what seems like carte blanche to act as they like. There is talk of witchcraft and odd behaviour, but it is what has always been and people turn a blind eye. The inclusion of new girl Viola seems to act as a catalyst for the behaviour to escalate.
Before too long we get told of a dead body and people start to talk about what is happening. As things become more personal for Leah, the ‘new arrivals’ force the villagers to confront what is happening under their eyes.
Initially this seemed to be going in one direction and it was a little hard to follow. Details were vague, but as we learn the truth of Lark it seems there is a reason for this vagueness. By the end, when the true horror of Lark’s dark secret was revealed, I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Chilling, and definitely worth a look. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this prior to its scheduled November publication.

Like several other reviewers, I initially found this book difficult to get into. The switch between different time periods, narrators and first and third person felt very jumpy and even when we were in first person the writing style felt more narrative than immersive as if I was watching events unfold not feeling them. However, not only was I intrigued by the premise of Impossible causes, but I very much enjoyed the author's previous work and so I persevered. I'm glad I did.

Impossible Causes is set on the small, remote island of Lark, an island far out in the North Atlantic, surrounded by fog and impossible to access eight months of the year. The island is owned by a reclusive Earl and lived on by a community of religious, traditional, patriarchal people. The birth rate is low and so the population watches the coming-of-age of three sixteen year old girls with an almost obsessive interest. The elder girls as they are known are watched, gossiped about and have a power they are not sure how to wield. Is it the power of youth, or witchcraft as some whisper? They certainly spend a lot of time at the standing stones at the top of the island...

Into this small community come three newcomers. A male teacher, young, handsome and eyed with suspicion as a result, a grieving woman who opts out of the community she came to join and her daughter, Viola, a lonely grieving teen, the same age as the elder girls. Does their presence provoke what happens next, or are they but there to bear witness as the island finally looks at the evil within?

Tragedy and horror hang over the book, something is wrong but we, like the community, have to wait until the layers are peeled back to discover just what's going on. This is a clever, atmospheric and original read that defies genre, part young adult, part feminist dystopia, part thriller. Definitely worth persevering with, Impossible Causes will stay with you long after you finish reading.

I am sorry to say I really struggled with this book, I did persevere as I had looked forward to reading it after I had read the overview however it just wasn’t for me at this time. I did finish the book but I have to admit I skip read the last half to find out the conclusion but it all seemed a bit confusing and so I am afraid I can only award this 3 stars and this is because the quality of the writing was worth that.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, Raven Books for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was really looking forward to reading this but I must admit I struggled awfully with it. Yes, it WAS very laden with atmosphere but I just found my mind wandering a lot whilst reading it. It was extremely good at raising my goose-bumps occasionally but oh my - those characters and the timeline just totally confused the heck out of me. I kept losing the plot (literally) and didn't find the author's writing-style engaging. But my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. On this occasion I'm sorry to say this book was a no-no for me.

I'm afraid I didn't finish this book.
The writing style wasn't my cup of Tea at this time.
Each time I picked it up,I was having to go back a few pages to remind myself what happened.

Not all books suit all people.

Impossible Causes tells the dark and disturbing story of life on the made-up island of Lark, where a small cult-like community reside. On the surface the island’s inhabitants seem like pious, morally conscious people, but there is something very evil lurking just beneath the surface.

I loved many aspects of this book and I thought the story and characters were good, but I found its narrative style a bit awkward and confusing at times. It is not told chronologically and the characters’ versions of events differ wildly from each other. It could have been really clever, but I don’t think the author successfully pulled it off, as it made for a somewhat disjointed and

Loved the setting and the concept but the writing just didn't connect for me. I really enjoy gothic atmospheric books and witches are in right now, but somethung here failed to hit home for me. I was left a bit disatisfied. Other readers will doubtless enjoy it - especially those who like Sawkill Girls for example. (Side note - not that it matters especially but the cover here on UK site really does not reflect the book.)

I am sorry but I could not get into this book at all. I had requested this book based on the synopsis. I realised though that it is not my type of book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a story that took me a while to get in to, purely because the two main storytellers are often telling the story from different conflicting moments in time.

We stayed with these characters throughout their time on Lark island and dealt with lots of obstacles and general life situations with them.

A lot of the storyline was made up of things that were hinted towards, but not fully confirmed. This made me eager to read more and everything was finally explained within the last few chapters.

It is a book that was eventful, well written and captivating and I would recommend it to my friends that enjoy less straightforward stories. However as that is not my personal preference I have given the the 3* rating. It was a very good story but I didn't quite gel with the format as much as I wished I would.

I loved the premise of this book and the characters were well written and intriguing as was the clearly pagan past of the island now mixing uncomfortable with the more modern religious views of the occupants.
The isolation of the island, cut off from the world for month of the year and subject to provision rationing as a result was also very well described.
I suppose having never lived in that type of isolation or community I found some aspects very hard to imagine, such as the complete lack of understanding of life outside he island, the reluctance of the inhabitants to have a phone mast or any other means for the population as a whole to communicate with the outside world and the bizarre quasi-worship of the "eldest girls". However this was all gradually explained as the central plot was revealed and the truth was told and heard.
I found the book tricky to get into and some of the characters hard to follow but the story did keep me reading and the less obvious plot lines were nicely tied up at the end.

I found it very difficult to get into this book. I found myself getting confused with the different points of view and the timelines. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.

The island of Lark was intriguing and I enjoyed learning about a different way of life. I did love the atomsphere that the author built - a chilling, isolated community with little outside contact.

The synopsis grabbed me but I just couldn’t connect to the story. It just wasn’t for me.