In 1998, Liv, a single mother of three daughters, takes on a project involving the painting of a mural in a lighthouse on an island in Scotland called Lon Haven. She soon learns of a local legend involving the killing of women accused of witchcraft and the wildlings that were rumored to take over the bodies of missing children and destroy their families. Although Liv doesn't initially believe these crazy stories, she begins to wonder about them when two of her daughters disappear, and one returns bearing the branded numbers that are said to differentiate a wildling from the real child. The story changes perspective from Liv to her daughter, Luna, twenty years later. Luna, now grown, is still searching for her sisters. When she is contacted with the news that her younger sister, Clover, has been found after all this time and is at a hospital, she rushes there expecting to see a woman close to her own age. Instead, she finds a young girl who seems to be Clover but hasn't aged. How can this be? The book answers this question as it goes back and forth in time. I found the explanation an interesting twist. My only criticism of this absorbing book was that it sometimes was difficult to keep the characters and time periods clear. Other than that, I found the writing compelling with realistic characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys supernatural novels that take place in different time periods.

"Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found - but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting.

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters - Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers - except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her."

A spooky Scottish lighthouse? Sign me up as an armchair traveler, because I am SO not going there in person!

The Lighthouse Witches follows Olivia and her three daughters as they make their own in a remote Scottish village, haunted by folklore and tragedy. I'm not a fan of the varying POV's and alternating timelines in narration that now seems to be the popular literary trend of recent years. Cooke executes this a bit neater than most, but I found this choice didn't necessarily aid a plot that was pretty straight-forward and simple. The mythos that inspired the novel- wildlings, witches, and inter-generational curses- are interesting enough, but this novel just feel a bit short for me. It was fine. on the level of horror and engagement with dark folklore, Cooke could've gone much further and much darker, but that simply wasn't in the cards with this book. Overall, no strong feelings about this novel- it didn't impress or shock me, but I didn't hate it either. It just isn't what I'm looking for in a novel.

I love a good gothic tale, and this one delivered. I thoroughly enjoyed the folklore elements, the setting was eerie, and the pace was suspenseful, but not rushed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

I honestly don't really know what to say about this book or how to rate it. This was, for me, honestly just a complete mess of a story. I feel like the guy from the Bachelor Australia who had no idea what to say when someone replied that they were a Gemini after he said he was an astrophysicist. Complete and utter bewilderment.

Let's just go straight into the details on why I had such a reaction to this book. Based on other reviews I have seen though, I seem to be in the minority, so you can judge for yourself whether or not this is a book for you.


Writing:

I don't have any issues with the writing itself, but where the fault lies, for me, is with the format of the story. This is a multi-timeline and multi-perspective book. Part of the story is also told through the use of a book on the town's past. Because the plot is divided this way, the story felt very fragmented. I understand the point in using multiple timelines and perspectives as each one tells a different part of the story, but I found that by the time it got back around to a certain character's perspective, I had already forgotten what happened last with them.

The story was just too spaced out which made it feel disjointed and like it was a series of different stories. Another aspect of the format that I found made the story very disjointed was the subchapters. Each chapter was divided into sections labeled by roman numerals. The abrupt transition between each subchapter made the story stop in place instead of continually flowing.


Plot:

The story was at best a hodgepodge, and at worst, a mess of plotlines that didn't blend well together. Once everything was starting to be revealed, I sat there confused because I had no idea why that was the direction the author chose to go in. While I am sure a lot of people would enjoy it, the plot twist for me came out of left field and made no sense in relation to the rest of the story. It was almost like all the plotlines were meant to be from separate stories, but were thrown together without any cohesion between them. I honestly felt a bit cheated by the time I finished the book because I didn't get what I signed up for.

The way information was being dispensed was a bit too casual and offhand at times and, as I said before, the use of the multiple timelines and perspectives made it a bit confusing to follow along. There were also added bits of information that I felt added nothing to the narrative except to fill up space. For example, did the reader really need to know how Luna aggressively ate tomatoes like apples, no, no they did not?


Characters:

I had no feelings really for any of the characters as they all fell flat for me. The exception to this would be Saffy, but it isn't a good exception. Saffy, or Sapphire, had no personality and was more or less just one big ball of teenage angst and bad decisions. Her relationship with pretty much every single character in the book wasn't healthy, and I found myself questioning her motives time and time again.

The relationship dynamics between all of the characters were a bit messy. Because we don't really get a general sense of how long the family had been staying at the Longing, all of the relationships felt very rushed. You didn't get to see them getting to know each other, it was just one second they were strangers, and the next they were being rather intimate.


Conclusion:

This was just one long trip into the land of confusion. Nothing about this book made any sense to me really. I would recommend you a TV show to watch instead, but it would be a big giveaway for the latter half of the book. I would also still recommend that you try this book out for yourself to see if the story works for you or if you came out just as baffled as me.

Nevertheless, thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for providing me with a copy for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lighthouse Witches is a very imaginative Nordic mythological story with a witchy twist. The book flashes back and forth between the 1600's to 1998 to the present and in multiple POV's. It is impressive with how well put together the plot and characters were written. It is 1998 and Liv Stay has moved her and her 3 young daughters to Lon Haven, a tiny island with a spooky past. She has been commissioned to paint a lighthouse that once held and tortured accused women of witchcraft. The women of Lon Haven warn Liv about wildings, fae who turn into identical versions of children on the island, a curse made by the lighthouse witches. Not long after, two of Liv's daughters, Clover (the youngest) and Saffy (the oldest), go missing. It is now 2021 and Luna is an adult. She has not stopped searching for her sisters. One day Luna gets a call that Clover has been found, reunited with her sister she sees that Clover has not aged since 1998. They both return to the island for answers and what they discover questions everything they thought they knew. I loved how there was a background story for the witches and how the characters seemed to clash and flow with each other at the same time. The single mom, rebellious teen, and their spooky new home. This was a fantastic read.

I read this book in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat. The setting of a small island off of the coast of Scotland created a creepy, atmospheric tale that keeps you enthralled until the very end. Highly recommend!

While this book wasn't exactly like I thought it would be, I can say that I really enjoyed reading it.. and Ill definitely be buying a physical copy and reading more by this author..
This book has witches, a curse, a spooky old lighthouse, a really weird dude who thinks one of our characters is someone shes not.. wildings, scottish folklore. and a whole host of townspeople who think that faeries are stealing their children.. I mean really whats not to love?

Throughout this story we are traveling back and forth in time.. We start in 1998 when Liv and her family arrive at the lighthouse, Liv has been comisioned to paint a mural.. She has uprooted her three children which has caused more tension between her and her oldest daughter Saff.. When her children begin to go missing she begins to believe the stories the locals tell about the wildings.. and how they should be taken care of once they appear.
In 2021 Luna gets a call that changes her entire life, and makes her face the past that she has buried.. Her sister Clover has been found.. When Luna goes to her she doesn't expect what she finds.. Something is definiely wrong with Clover, where has she been for 21 years? and why doesn't she remember anything? Luna and Clover will have to return to the lighthouse to find all of the answers..and the townspeople arent exactly happy that they have returned.. What she finds doesn't just change her life but the history of the land itself..
While there wasn't a lot of "action," as the story moved along we are getting the story from two timelines and different points of view, the tension is building, and building then bam! we get the explanation for everything that is so out there but make so. much, sense.. I love how everything came together, I wish that I could read it for the first time all over again..

I haven't read any other books by C.J. Cooke but a few months ago when I saw The Lighthouse Witches mentioned on Bookstagram my excitement was instantaneous. I knew right away that I wanted to get my hands on this story. Little did I know at the time that thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing I wouldn't have to wait until October to do so.

On NetGalley this book was listed under Mystery & Thriller but I would argue that it's more of a family drama with elements of mystery and fantasy/mystical. Liv is an artist and a single mom to 3 daughters: Sapphire, Luna and Clover. In 1998 she is commissioned to paint a mural in a lighthouse on a small Scottish island. This is a small community full of all sorts of beliefs and folklore rooted in its colorful and eventful history of witch trials. Liv and two of her daughters disappear under mysterious circumstances. In 2021 one remaining daughter, still haunted by her family's disappearance, finds out that one her sisters have been found. Except inexplicably she is still 7 years old, the same age she was when she disappeared. The story goes back and forth between 1998 and 2021 but also includes the diary/grimoire of one of the island's residents from mid 1600s.

I absolutely loved every second of this reading experience. The atmosphere of the story and the island, the way the characters come alive, the way the lines between "real" and "fantasy" keep getting blurred and just like the main characters, the reader keeps wondering what to believe. All of these elements came together so beautifully and led to me simply "inhaling" this book over the span of 24 hours. Few things are as satisfying for a book lover as when the book lives up to the hype and anticipation we build in our own heads. I can see The Lighthouse Witches quickly becoming a popular and beloved read setting itself apart from this fall's numerous highly anticipated new releases.

What a quirky, creepy read, which I fully loved. Amazingly written, with such great character development! Very unique, chilling, and unputdownable! A hard one to review, but one not to be missed! Highly, highly recommend!

Will buzz around platforms and use top Amazon reviewer number on release!

I absolutely loved this book. Such a fantastic story and the characters were so well-written. The chapters alternate among characters and timelines so it flows fast. The author is a master of sensory writing and really pulls you into how the different characters are feeling. Just amazing writing. I hated for it to end.

This is a strange one but a fantastic one. The story kept me guessing until the very end. A great fall read and a must for spooky season.

I loved this book!

An artist takes a job painting a bizarre mural on a dilapidated Scottish lighthouse. . With her three daughters in tow, she ferries across the sea to the isle of Lon Haven, where superstitions run high and mysterious disappearances remain unsolved. Even more unsettling are the reappearances - days, months, years later.

The author switches between characters and points in time so skillfully that it is never confusing. There are layers to this story... and there are layers within the layers to be revealed in due time. I highly recommend this title. Tags: atmospheric, chilling, suspenseful, surprising.

I've always been a big fan of books featuring witches and magic, especially when they aren't the same old same in Salem, MA. The Lighthouse Witches takes place on the small island of Lon Haven in Scotland and starts off in 1998 when Liv and her three daughters arrive on the island. Two of the sisters go missing. Suddenly, we're in 2021, following Luna (one of the three sisters) who receives a phone call that her sister Clover has been found. Luna is fully expecting to see her sister as an adult, but is in shock when she finds she is still only 7 years old.

From this part, it's a wild ride. I found some parts were a bit long and sometimes the story jumped so much, I had a hard time keeping up (and I love multiple timeline stories) but I NEEDED to know what was going on, so I didn't give up on it. I'm glad I didn't. I wasn't sure if everything was going to be resolved by the end, but thankfully it was.

It was an interesting concept for a story blending witchcraft and magic, with history. Despite being confused at times, I did enjoy the read. If you enjoy books involving witches and magic, you will probably find this one interesting.

3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has witches and light houses! What more do you need? This book was very intriguing and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I love reading about live and her family especially in this very well written Scottish folklore novel.
I really like CJ Cookes writing in this book and the author brought it for me with witches, supernatural, and a very spooky atmosphere! A definite Fall read for sure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wild myth-steeped story. Choosing a rating was really difficult because there was so much to consider. Calling this a mish-mash of genres seems like an understatement. It has elements of family drama, thriller, mystery, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, and it works.

My favourite thing about it had to be the intrigue. I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was happening, but all you're given is scraps enough to make wild guesses. Your limit is your imagination and your open-mindedness.

This is a mystery that centers around a creepy lighthouse on an island full of sketchy locals who believe in witch's curses and changelings and will do anything to keep their families safe. ANYTHING.

Then, you get to the end and you're left with yet more questions than answers. What happened? You'll never believe it!

I chose a rating of 4 stars because it doesn't quite fit into any boxes, and that might make it difficult to sell. I'm definitely going to recommend this book, though. It's perfect for spooky season!

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.
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Enjoyed: Loved the multiple time lines here and how we were able to see how the folktales of this island came to be. The magic/fantasy element was well done and I loved it! Overall, the story was compelling and I flew through this one pretty quickly. The whole story of Liv and her daughters was enjoyable-- I did not find anything to be dragging on or out of place. This was really well written!

Didn't: My only qualm about this was how willing the social worker was with everything. I wish we could have seen a little bit of her past to make her turn such a blind eye. Also, I would've liked a little more action when Luna was on the island again.
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I recommend for anyone who likes creepy settings and witch stories!

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the e-arc!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lighthouse Witches follows Olivia and her 3 daughters as they move to a Scottish village that’s haunted by ghost stories and tragedy. In 1998, Olivia, Saffy and Clover go missing. 2021, Luna is still trying to remember everything that happened during her childhood and why her family went missing. When Clover suddenly reappears, she’s still the 7 year old girl that went missing and hasn’t aged at all. Luna takes Clover and goes back to Lon Haven to try to figure out what happened to their family.

This story had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It’s dark, spooky, creepy and very atmospheric. I loved the dark setting and the witchy vibes. This was the first book that I’ve read by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. I highly recommend this book especially since spooky season is coming up.

Book releases on October 5th so make sure you grab a copy!

I'm a huge fan of CJ Cooke. This is the second novel I've read, and I loved it every bit as much as The Nesting. I find Scottish folklore fascinating and Cooke's ability to blend the old with the new and create something entirely original is really fantastic. With an easygoing and very engaging writing style, I was drawn into this one from the very first pages. I loved the characterizations and the weaving together of past and present. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and when I would happily recommend.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, C.J. Cooke and Netgalley for letting me read The Lighthouse Witches early. This one hits shelves on October 5.

This book struck my full attention from the first chapter. After I was finished reading it, I was thinking to myself I wish I could just forget this book and read it again. This book gives you witches, obviously, but it also gives you a spooky Scottish island atmosphere, long ago forgotten folklore and a back and forth timeline just perfectly crafted. I highly recommend this book! Go make your preorders and library holds now, my friends!

I went into this one pretty blindly, which I recommend, but if that’s not for you here’s a synopsis.

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it’s an opportunity to start over with her three daughters–Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she’s frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed. Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she’s initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers–except she’s still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she’ll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn’t realize just how much the truth will change her.