The Lighthouse Witches is a blend of several genres: Gothic, paranormal, and mystery. At the outset, author C. J. Cooke expertly sets the eerie, evocative scene: a decommissioned lighthouse called the Longing on the Scottish island of Lon Haven. It is "a white bolt locking earth, sky, and ocean together. . . . [L]ovely in its decrepitude, feathery paint gnawed off by north winds and rust-blazed window frames signatures of use and purpose." It stands one hundred and forty-nine feet tall and offers breathtaking views from the lantern room accessed by climbing one hundred and thirty-eight steps. In a first-person narrative, Liv describes arriving on Lon Haven in 1998 and seeing it for the first time with a sense of haunting familiarity, even though she has never been there before. She has come to the island with her children in tow looking for a fresh start, on the run from an unpleasant truth she is too frightened to face head-on. She is well aware of "how stupid" her thought process is, but is unable to disavow herself of the ludicrous notion that if she just ignores the problem it will go away. They are to live in the rustic lighthouse keeper's cottage while Liv paints a mural inside the lighthouse that has been commissioned by the owner, Patrick Roberts. He wants the mural to be "stunning and inspiring" and plans to turn the lighthouse into a writing studio.

Sapphire immediately finds a grimoire -- an old book of spells -- on the cottage's bookshelf. Cooke inserts excerpts of "The Grimoire of Patrick Roberts," which details the life of a local family who "lived our lives by magic" in 1662 and what ultimately happened to them. Liv and her children learn there were witch hunts not just in the United States, but also in Scotland and England. In fact, women believed to be witches were imprisoned in a dungeon underneath the lighthouse before being burned if they were found guilty of witchcraft. One of those witches cursed the island as she was dying, and a young child went missing there thirty years earlier. According to the boy's sister, another child was found a year later who looked just like him, but bearing a telltale mark on his neck. Was he a wildling, sent to kill every member of his family until their bloodline was destroyed?

Sapphire's first-person narrative expresses her dismay at being dragged from her school, friends, and boyfriend in New York to live in the "arse-end of nowhere." She misses her stepfather, Sean, who died in a car accident, and daydreams about her biological father materializing. Liv and Sapphire have an unsurprisingly fraught relationship -- at fifteen, the always headstrong girl has grown disrespectful and defiant. But Liv loves all her girls boundlessly and struggles to balance raising them as a single mother with accepting commissions for paintings and teaching art.

Yet another narrative is set in 2021 and focuses on Luna, who has only fragmented memories of the time she spent on Lon Haven. Her psychiatrist has explained that whatever happened to her all those years ago was so horrific that she dissociated, "effectively checking out of the horror," her memories deeply buried in her mind. Liv abandoned her when she was just nine years old. "No explanation. No apparent motivation. Just dumped her in the woods and vanished into thin air." Now she and her boyfriend, Ethan, are expecting their first child. She has vowed never to return to Lon Haven, but maintains Facebook pages devoted to her missing sisters, Sapphire and Clover, neither of whom have ever been accounted for since they went missing more than two decades ago.

But then Luna receives a life-changing call. Clover has been found! Since she was seven when she disappeared, she is twenty-nine years old now. But when Luna rushes to the hospital to meet the "wee girl" who has been found, she is disappointed. It's not Clover at all. It's a seven-year-old girl. But the girl bears an uncanny resemblance to Clover and asks why Sapphire is carrying the stuffed giraffe Clover adored. Sapphire kept it in the intervening years. The girl has knowledge of other matters, as well, that only Clover could possess.

Cooke weaves a tale of increasing angst in 1998. The creepy lighthouse has been vandalized with horrific symbols, but as Liv prepares to bring the mural to life, she makes other unsettling discoveries. She meets Patrick Roberts, the "island's mystery millionaire," who turns out to be much younger and more eccentric than anticipated. And disturbing details come to light about how he came to own the lighthouse.

Meanwhile, in 2021, Luna struggles with the prospect of marrying Ethan and takes custody of Clover, who insists that she just left the cottage on Lon Haven the night before she was found. She was discovered wandering on the side of the road, claiming that she'd gone looking for Luna. And she has an inexplicable mark on her hip.

Cooke deftly alternates the narratives into a cohesive tale of witchcraft, curses, time travel, and legends that mystify and frighten her characters and mesmerize readers. Liv is an empathetic character -- a single mother doing her best to care for her children and earn a living after experiencing trauma. She is frightened and in denial about what the future might hold for her and her daughters. Sapphire is a typically inquisitive, willful teenager trying to assert her independence, while Luna is a young woman who survived early traumatization but has found a man who loves her and is attempting to lead as normal a life as possible when it is upended by the reappearance of Clover. But it can't really be Clover. So Luna has to return to Lon Haven to face her own demons and determine who Clover really is.

As the narratives meld cohesively, Cooke gradually reveals the details of her uniquely inventive plot as she gradually accelerates the story's pace and ramps up the dramatic tension. She assembles a world in which wildlings (also known as fae or fairies), witches, and magic exist, and reveals the true motives of Patrick Roberts. She also explains precisely what happened to Liv and Sapphire, as well as Clover's true identity, and provides a conclusion that is surprisingly emotional yet fitting and, ultimately, uplifting and hopeful. In the process, she relates a tale that is engrossing and entertaining. With her richly descriptive prose and thoughtful examination of parent-child relationships, lost love, and the power of fear, she might make believers even of readers for whom the genre is outside their comfort zone.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Loved it! Amazing story line! Mystery, suspense, thriller, all those elements are there. I couldn't put it down! It kept me guessing until the end!

Scotland witches...or were they? Are the tea involved? Lots of magical elements at play. Recommend ending your reading session at chapters as they jump in time.

This story has a great atmosphere and just enough supernatural happenings to give you goosebumps as you read. Mix in wildlings, a remote lighthouse on a Scottish island, hidden grimoires, cursed witches, and a mysterious cave, and you have the making of a page-turning book perfect for fall weather. I enjoyed the grimoire passages and the alternate timelines especially. My only complaint is the multiple pov threw me off a few times and confused me. If you are in the mood for something a bit witchy and a bit gothic feeling, you should check out The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book.

Based in a Scotland Light house filled with folklore stories. Told mostly through Liv and Lunas perspective through different time lines.

2 children and their mom go missing on a remote island filled with tales of witches and wildling. Follow Luna on her quest to find her sisters mom , and uncover what really happens on Lon Haven.

I will admit I was a bit skeptical at first I don't generally enjoy mythical stories, but I really liked this! Everytime I got to a point that I'd assumed what would happen next I was wrong. It kept me turning the pages because I had to find out the mystery behind lon haven.

Set on an island off the west coast of Scotland, this witchy Gothic thriller blends European witchhunt history with Nordic folklore, Icelandic sigils and grimoires, and motherly and sisterly love. Narrated by various characters over multiple timelines (1662, 1998, 2021), the truth of the disappearances at the heart of the novel comes into focus slowly, resolving in a deft and satisfying conclusion.

[Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book.]

All the witch books! I have been loving the trend of books featuring witches. This was definitely a more serious take on the trend. But I loved the history and family drama in The Lighthouses Witches. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I'm honored to get a chance to read this book. It floored me with how amazing it was. I'm hoping for a sequel.

Gave a shout out on Dew on the Kudzu in September 2021. https://todaysdeepsouth.blogspot.com/2021/09/new-books-for-all-you-awesome-readers.html

A town with disappearing children. Yep- sign me up for this read!

What a fun, creepy read! I wanted to read this during the Fall but just couldn’t get to it.

So even though it’s Winter, I loved this dark, suspenseful thriller/mystery. It felt a little bit gothic and was quite the page-turner. I stayed up late finishing this one as it grabbed me from page 1.

Readers that like a little bit of the paranormal mixed in with their mystery will really enjoy this one.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Berkley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down for a moment, the pacing was so on-point and the POV spot-on. I don't know how the author managed to not only juggle four points-of-view (and between multiple time periods too!) but also make each one just as interesting and enjoyable as the last. Every character was well-done: the mother Liv with her big secret, her rebellious teen daughter Saffy, her sweet youngest Clover, and Luna, the middle daughter all grown up in the present but haunted by the past where all three went missing.

C.J. Tudor is an absolute master at making the setting its own character. The Longing and the remote Scottish village it resides in have such a strong hold on the story, its history seeping into the present in terrifying and illuminating ways. I'm trying so hard not to give anything away but WOW there are some reveals in the storyline that absolutely blew me away but all the groundwork was in place for each of them. I thought the ending was great, all the puzzle pieces fit together to show the whole picture which left me satisfied as a reader.

I'd totally recommend this novel to any thriller reader but if you have interests in Scottish or Icelandic folklore and the history of witch trials you'll have something extra to look forward to. And, check out Tudor's other book The Nesting. That one was amazing too.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Thank you to NetGalley for this book!

I’m not a big fan of witch stories, but this one sounded like a lot of fun. It’s told in both 1998 and 2021, which is a really difficult way to write a book because you can’t give too much away in either storyline because the other plot will be ruined, but Cooke does a great job balancing them. Overall, this book was really enjoyable and had a fun twist at the end.

From Goodreads: 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.

While in the 2021 storyline, Luna will frequently think about the past, but it’s not always clear that is what’s happening. I was a bit confused at times and had to go back and reread. That might have been my fault, though, because I read quickly and easily could have missed the shifts. The wildling idea was nice and creepy, but the book isn’t really scary. This isn’t a complaint, but just to let people know what to expect. The twist at the end absolutely made sense, which is a must for me. I despise twists that exist just to throw the reader off. But this one was great. Overall, this book was a lot of fun and kept me reading and guessing.

I enjoyed this book! There were a lot of twists and turns, and the author did a great job at building suspense! I liked how it moved between mystery-fantasy-horror, depending on the place in the story and the character's perspective.
Speaking of perspective, the author excelled at developing each character as a separate, fleshed-out human, with her own motivations and thoughts. Sometimes this frustrated me as a reader, as I could see where characters could help or solve each others' problems if they just communicated, but at the same time I appreciated that that technique kept me engaged!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

If you're looking for a witchy, spooky October read, look no further! This book had all of the elements I love in my Halloween reads - a little haunted history, a little magic, a little supernatural, and a whole lot of creepy.

Fantastic, gripping read. I was captivated from start to finish. I want more - there is room for a sequel with some of the minor characters. I much preferred the creepy lighthouse here to the one in Annihilation.
Thank you

A mother and takes her daughters to live in a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island where she has been commissioned to paint a mural,. They encounter strange wandering children and are told stories of "wildlings" which are not real children but mimic human children and will bring disaster to a household that takes them in. This story alternates between the present when one sister--now grown and mourning the lost of her family--reunites with her seven year old sister who is still the same age as when she disappeared.

This was an intriguing premise, but kind of disintegrated for me into getting too fantastical and a bogged down by two many story lines. I did find the explanation for the wildlings to be pretty cool and imaginative.

This one just didn't work for me. Marketed as a horror/thriller with folklore elements, I found the book to be pretty slow-moving and lacking in atmosphere. Throughout the book, I struggled to remain engaged but I continued on hoping that the payoff at the end would be worth it. I just didn't enjoy it, which is a shame. I thought the premise was really intriguing, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

BOOK REVIEW: The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
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SUMMARY:When single mom Liv is commissioned to paint a mural inside a Scottish lighthouse, she jumps at the chance, uprooting her three daughters in the process: Sapphire, Luna, and Clover. On their arrival, the family learns that the lighthouse once served as a prison for women accused of witchcraft and that the witches supposedly cursed the island and its inhabitants. Twenty-two years later, Luna is searching for her mother and sisters who vanished from the island. When she receives a call that her sister Clover has been found, she’s initially elated—only to discover she’s still seven years old!
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This book is a strange one in that it defies traditional genre. What with witches and talk of fae/wildlings, I thought it might be a straight fantasy or at least “you think it’s a fantasy until a Scooby Doo-style reveal shows it was a hoax all along.” But it’s definitely speculative. I don’t even want to say ‘it’s like this book or that book’ because I don’t want to give anything away.
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I liked it! The beginning was slow, so it took me until about 40% to really get hooked. The characters all felt interesting/believable—even the sinister townspeople! And I liked the relationship between Liv and Finn, the local repairman, who seemed like the only two reasonable people around.
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If you like low-key spooky books with mystery and a sinister undercurrent, The Lighthouse Witches is for you. It came out in October, but the dark days of Jan/Feb could be the perfect time to pick it up. Overall, I’m glad I read it; it’s one that will stick with me.