C.J. Cooke was born in Belfast and now makes her home in Glasgow. Her previous books are "The Nesting", "The Blame Game" and "I Know My Name". This new release is the fiction SPOTM f(Staff Pick of the Month) for October. The story is set on a small island off the coast of Scotland in both 1998 and 2021, with a small bit set in the 1600's. In 1998 we meet single mother Liv and her three daughters, Saffy (16), Luna (10) and Clover (7). Liv has taken a commission to paint the inside of a lighthouse with a mural and they have traveled to the remote island with plans to stay for a month. The island people have numerous stories of witches and wildings (supernatural children that look like their own children and are sent to end bloodlines). When Saffy and then Clover go missing, Liv is frantic and seems willing to try anything to get their safe return. In 2021 Luna is an adult now and expecting her first child. When her sisters and mom went missing she was raised in foster care, but has looked for them for years. When she is informed that that Clover has turned up on the island she heads there to reunite with her, but is shocked at what she finds. This is a fun read for anyone looking for something a little 'spooky' this Halloween season.

Not particularly my cup of tea, but I still finished it. I have patrons that will definitely eat it up from beginning to end, so I'll be purchasing several copies for the library. Thank you!

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke paints a chilling and atmospheric Scottish gothic that follows the lives of a mother and her three daughters across different decades.

1998: Liv is an artist hired to paint a mural inside a lighthouse on a small island off the coast of Scotland. She’s moves there with her daughters (Sapphire, Luna, and Clover). However, the mural she's been commissioned to paint includes strange symbols and she swears she keeps catching glimpses of a child in the lighthouse.

2021: After Luna's sister has been missing for 20 years, she mysteriously reappears—only she’s unaged. Luna’s baffled, so she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out if this girl truly is her sister or if some supernatural being is trying to trick her.

First of all, I really love the author really plays into the story’s coastal setting and sheds light on Scotland’s bloody history of witch hunts. I’m so used to American gothics set in haunted houses that I find a cursed lighthouse is a refreshing change of scenery

Also, as a fair warning, this is not a straightforward story. It’s a tad confusing at first and hops between different characters and timelines. However, the structure thematically reflects the idea that time is not linear and history and events echo across all of time. It’s twisty and turvy, but gradually the puzzle pieces fall into place with a surprise reveal that shocked me.

Overall, The Lighthouse Witches is a witchy mystery that kept me guessing throughout, and I recommend this book if you’re looking for an unusual haunt!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Scottish author C.J. Cooke brings us a tale of gothic horror, set against the backdrop of a spooky lighthouse on the Scottish islands. “The Lighthouse Witches” is creepy, magical and immersive, full of folklore and urban legends.
Single mother Olivia is looking for an oppourtunity to flee from her life, and when she is commissioned to paint a mural on the wall of a lighthouse in Scotland, she immediately packs up her three daughters and makes the trek in the middle of the night. But when two of her daughters vanish, Olivia is frantic. Townspeople tell her stories of the caves that lie underneath the lighthouse, where women labeled witches were held before being burned at the stake. Rumour has it these women placed a curse on the town- ensuring that children from the town would continue to disappear, leaving wildlings in their place, and the only way to abolish these shape-shifting demons is for their parent to kill them. Twenty two years later, Luna is the only sibling who survived, having been taken into foster care after her mother disappeared. Luna is desperate to avoid thinking about her past- until a young girl is found wandering who claims to be Clover, Luna’s sister who disappeared twenty-two years ago.
Unfamiliar with author C.J Cooke, “The Lighthouse Witches” caught my eye solely because of the Scottish setting and folklore, and the “witchy” component, and Cooke delivered on both in spades.
“Witches” is narrated in two time periods (1998 when the family moves to the Scottish lighthouse and 2021 when Luna returns) by both Olivia and Luna (with the eldest sister, Sapphire, taking over some narration in the 1998 storyline). Each section and narrator is clearly labeled, and the overlapping plot lines flow well and easily into one another. There is also a historical grimoire found on the island that is read by Sapphire, and covers the historical component of the island itself.
Initially, the novel had so many stories to tell that each chapter seemed to have enough to substantiate its own story. However, as the novel continues, and the components begin to connect with each other, and the plot merges into the intriguing and page-turning tale I expected.
“The Lighthouse Witches” has an Alice Hoffman element to it, which fans of “Practical Magic” will flock to, and the Scottish backdrop will have “Outlander” fans daydreaming of brocks and cairns (the city of Inverness makes an appearance). Both Olivia and Sapphire start out as difficult characters to like, but as their backstories are unveiled, it was impossible not to bond with them. All of the women in this story are completely charming and likable, regardless of their flaws. The heart-warming ending provides a delightful conclusion to the plotline. I was pleasantly surprised by Cooke’s writing skill and prowess, and will definitely have to check out more of her work!

The perfect thriller for spooky season! The Lighthouse Witches has, well, witches, ties to the witch trials in 1600s Scotland, and cursed magic. I was up late reading this one, worried about the potential nightmares involving cursed children, but I couldn't put it down. It took me a few chapter to get into it, but once I was sucked in, I read it in less than 24 hours. Between the alternating character perspectives and timelines, I was piecing together how this story could be possible until the very end. Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book as a physical arc, and it got me out of 3 week-long reading slump. I couldn’t stop thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. The multi-POV and different years worked together really well to lead the reader towards different conclusions and possibilities about where the story is going. It easily could have felt confusing but instead you get a really harmonious, but deeply haunting story about small isolated villages and people, and family dynamics. Highly interested in reading more from this author now.

DNF @ 50%

Oh my goodness, did I try to read this book. I tried reading this book so many times I've lost count. I tried both reading the ebook and then I bought the audio to try to get through it. There is a lot of break down so here are some times I liked and some things I didn't:

Liked:
- The atmosphere is great. The story takes place in Scotland and the audiobook really embraces that.
- The characters were likable and enjoyable to read about

Disliked:
- The book had too many things going on. In the book you're following 2 POVs from the past 1 from the present. There is also a book you're reading from in one of the POVs which is also almost like its own POV too. Overall, it was just too much. I couldn't keep them all straight and it made the reading experience confusing and frustrating.
- The book didn't really have a strong plot or pull from the start. It was unclear where exactly the book was going and with so many POVs, the plot was hard to follow.
- The story was forgettable. I will admit it took me a bit to write the review after I DNFed and I almost forgot I had read this one. Besides the atmosphere/setting, the book was forgettable.

To sum up my thoughts, even though I didn't love this one, I still think there is an audience for this book. People who love lots of details in their books about the characters and setting may enjoy the writing and format of this book. People who are intrigued by the witchy premise will most likely enjoy those elements in the book. People who are intrigued by the Scotland setting will enjoy reading about it in this book.

Lastly, my best recommendation for how to read this book is with book the audiobook and the book (physical or ebook). I audiobook really brings the story to life with the different narrators, but the changing character and timeline may get confusing if you are just listening on its own. Therefore, I think you should follow along as you listen.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one is a perfect read for October, spooky settings, eerie vibes and TONS of folklore! Definitely recommend picking it up.

In 1998, single mother Liv is hired to paint a mural in a decommissioned lighthouse in Scotland. She sees it as a new start with her three daughters Sapphire, Luna, and Clover. The cave beneath the lighthouse once held witches condemned to death, and there is a local legend of wildlings mimicking the children that had gone missing. Then the unthinkable happens and two of her daughters disappear. Twenty-two years later, Luna had been searching for her missing mother and sisters when her younger sister Clover is found. The thing is, Clover was found in Scotland at the exact same age she was when she went missing.

The Lighthouse Witches is fantastic and hooked me in from the beginning. Liv had a lot of difficulties in her life before accepting the job in Scotland, fifteen year old Sapphire was desperate to be liked and accepted, ten-year-old Luna felt invisible and seven-year-old Clover had no idea what was happening. The local legends are frightening, especially with stories throughout the centuries of missing children, calamities befalling the town, and the curse placed upon the town by the witches that had been killed there in the 1600s as part of the Witch Hunts spurred on by King James. The lighthouse is older and decrepit, and the mural Liv is asked to paint is one of runes. The spooky place hadn’t been kept up, and the locals tended to band together, keeping the newcomers at bay.

In this book are several threads: Liv in 1998, Sapphire in 1998, and Luna in 2021. Dovetailed along with this are sections from a grimoire that Sapphire found in the lighthouse that detailed what had happened during the witch hunts that set off the curse in the town. The stories progress with a greater and spookier outlook, especially when some of the past tales seem to be happening again in 2021. We don’t know why Clover is still seven years old and where she had been for twenty-two years, and Clover can’t explain some of her bizarre behavior when Luna sees her. The two go back to the lighthouse, knowing that they have to be there, and it’s only toward the end that we find out why everything had happened. It’s an enthralling story, one that had me racing through the pages to see what would happen next. The different voices and the timelines are richly done, and I enjoyed every moment reading this.

I love a good witch story and there is certainly no shortage of them in October. I liked the idea of The Lighthouse Witches- people disappearing and then showing up years later, completely unchanged? That’s the makings of a great supernatural love story. However, Cooke doesn’t try to lean into the paranormal of it all; much of the book attempts to be based in reality, especially with the history of the witches, that the reality and strange don’t mesh very well by the end

Liv is a single mother with three young daughters. In the middle of the night, Liv packs up her kids and their meager belongings to journey from England to Scotland. An artist, Liv has been hired by a mysterious man to paint an even more mysterious mural in his decrepit lighthouse.

The island of Lòn Haven is small, where everyone is involved in everyone else’s business. Mysterious- and creepy- happenings lead Liv into the arms of Isla, who divulges all sorts of folklore related to the witches that were executed on Lòn Haven centuries ago. At they’re execution the witches cursed the islanders, and wildlings became a common problem; exact copies of locals’ missing children.

More than 20 years later, Luna is the only remaining member of her family. Her mother, and her sisters, Saffy and Clover, are missing. Until she gets a call. Her sister Clover has been found, but she’s still a young child.

Luna is forced to face her past and the possibility that her sister is not who she appears to be. And maybe, just maybe, that the folklore of wildlings us more true than her family originally thought.

What I like most about the book is that the story is told nonlinearly and with multiple points of view. Liv is telling the story from 1998, along with her daughter Sapphire, while Luna is in the present, looking back and recounting current events on 2021. There are also brief interludes from a book Saffy has found in the lighthouse: the grimoire of one Patrick Roberts, from the age of the witch trials. All the different perspectives lend the book a certain air of mystery, but it also lends to some painful miscommunication. If this family just talked to each other this book would be a short story instead of a 300+ pages.

The characters are okay, but they were all very forgettable. I was having a problem keeping them all straight, just because they were all one dimensional. Even the side characters seemed to be there more for convenience than to add to the story, especially Cassie and Finn. I feel like they could have easily been given larger roles, but I understand that Cooke probably wanted this o be a story about one family. However, if that’s the case, why not limit the side characters? There seemed to be just as many side characters, if not more, than there were family members.

Sadly, I think my favorite parts of the book were the snippets of the grimoire. That book alone gave more insight to the story- and the ending- thanCooke maybe anticipated. She doesn’t change names, so is it just a coincidence that Liv is painting a mural for Patrick Roberts and Saffy is reading a biography about Patrick Roberts from the witch trials? One she found in Patrick Roberts’ home no less. How did that not send alarm bells ringing for any character?!

As for the ties between the witches and the wildlings, it got too magical. I get this is a book about witches and magic, but the whole thing about the witch trials was that there weren’t really any witches; they were innocent women who were murdered. Despite this touch of reality Cooke was attempting to touch on, reality and the magic didn’t go hand in hand well for me. I wanted an ending, an explanation, grounded in reality. It can seem magical, but I wanted a realistic explanation. In real life, science is more likely to explain things than magic.

The ending was satisfying, much more than the story was. All of the stories are resolved, which feels a little too easy, but I know I’d be complaining if there was nothing resolved, or, even worse, just a couple of things. Cooke does attempt to wrap things up nicely, even if the story was bumpy. The mystery of it all kept me reading and the desire to have answers is really the only thing that kept me interested, but I don’t think I’ll remember much about this book in a month’s time.

I went into this book blindly, only knowing it would be about witches. Once I started reading this, I couldn’t put it down!

It was descriptive and atmospheric. There was so much intrigue, and I couldn’t guess what was going to happen. The ending was a twist, and I loved it!

The characters were all well written; I’d thought having kids in the story would make me like it less, but they were great too!

The story itself was intriguing and fast-paced, with a shocking (and sad) plot twist in the end.

Rating 4.5

A great read filled with all the magic and creep you need for October!

Liv and her 3 daughters (Sapphire, Luna and Clover) travel to a small island in Scotland so Liv can complete a commission. When they arrive everything seems fine… until it's not. In the end, only Luna makes it off the island. Twenty years later one of the missing sisters is found… but she hasn’t aged a bit.

This one was FULL of creepy moments. I loved the multiple POVs and the time jumps. The writing and atmosphere were fantastic. The ending was well done, and tied everything up nicely.

I enjoyed this book. It's not my typical read, I don't read much paranormal, but I do enjoy it. The mystery was great, and I even enjoy the 3 different timelines. Perfect for spooky season.

This was just the right amount of spooky and had a decently satisfying ending/explanation.

Luna is 32 years old. Her mother and two sisters disappeared in 1998 when they were living on a small Scottish island and she has been searching for them ever since. One day, she gets a call that her sister Clover has shown up. But when Luna goes to meet her, Clover is 7 years old. The same age she was when she disappeared.

This book alternated between multiple timelines and narrators, but each chapter was clearly labeled so it was easy to follow. At first, it alternated between Liv, the mother, in 1998 and Luna, the daughter in 2021. Then Luna’s older sister Saffy was brought in and even a few chapters from the owner of the lighthouse. I definitely was more into the chapters from the past because I wanted to know how and why the girls disappeared, but the present is intriguing too. Child Clover definitely gave me the creeps.

Lon Haven, the Scottish Island, has a history of wildlings, a lore of children being stolen and replaced with fairies in their bodies. So when the first of the daughters goes missing, the town is immediately suspicious and warns Luna about the history of the island.

I loved how old folk lore was brought into this story. I’ve always found Nordic folk lore fascinating and the combination of the Scottish tales and the Icelandic tales was what brought me to this book in the first place. This book was just creepy enough that I couldn’t put it down once I hit about 40%, but wasn’t so creepy that I was worried I’d have nightmares.

While the ending was satisfying, I was left with a few unanswered questions. You will have to suspend your belief of reality. This isn’t a book where there is a true real world explanation. There is some magic involved. But I think this time of year, that’s a good enough explanation.

I haven’t read a magical realism mystery in a very long time and I’m glad that this was the one I picked up. Take the book for what it is and you will not be able to put it down. I highly recommend this to people who want to read something for spooky season but don’t want to be left with nightmares. I do feel like I need someone else to read this so I can discuss it though!

This was the perfect mix of paranormal and atmospheric. I loved the way the story went back to 1998 and then forward to 2021 in order to tell what happened to Luna's sisters and mother, who disappeared. The writing was solid, and I couldn't stop turning pages, because I was so invested in the story. I loved the witchcraft history that was interwoven into the story through a book that was being read by one of the sisters. Spooky, intriguing, and an ending that was great!

**4.5-stars**

After the death of her loving husband, Liv has it rough trying to care for herself and her three daughters. It's generally difficult being a single parent, but Liv is really feeling the strain on her resources. When she receives a commission to paint a mural in a historical lighthouse on a remote Scottish Island, she jumps at a chance for a fresh start.

Moving the girls there is a big decision, but unfortunately, she really has no other choice. Boarding the ferry on the day of their move, Liv, Saffy, Luna and Clover say goodbye to their old life. Once at the lighthouse and adjacent bothy, which will be their home, they realize it's a wee bit more dilapidated than they anticipated. Regardless, it's an exceptional location and they quickly settle in.

Saffy, as the oldest, definitely has the most difficult time with the move. You know how teens can be. As a result, she begins to distance herself from her Mom and sisters. Liv dives into her work and actually ends up befriending a few village women, who fill her in on the history and lore of the island itself. Some of the things they tell her are quite disturbing, most notably a witch's curse that summons wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children.

Liv doesn't know what to make these eerie tales, but it is clear her new friends whole-heartedly believe every word. When mysterious things begin to happen to Liv and her girls, however, she starts to believe there may be some credence to the lore. After two of her daughters go missing, Liv panics and is willing to do whatever it takes, turn to whoever she must, in order to get them back.

Y'all, The Lighthouse Witches gave me exactly what I was looking for. If you read the synopsis, and it sounds incredible to you, have no fear, that is what you are getting; you will not be let down. The atmosphere is freaking fantastic. Everything about the island, the lighthouse, the local history and lore, it is perfect for Spooky Season reading!

The narrative follows three different perspectives, over two timelines: Liv, Saffy and Luna, with past and present perspectives. You learn about the family's time on the island, the disappearance of the girls, and from Luna's present perspective, the aftermath of all of that.

My one small issue with this story was that I did find it hard to differentiate between the perspectives in the beginning. I was still learning everyone's name and their position in the family, so it was hard to keep it all straight at first.

Luckily, the chapters were headed with the person's name who you were following and the year, but I did have to page back quite a few times to figure out where I was and who I was reading from. Eventually though, I was able to settle into it and really enjoyed my time reading this story. There are some genuinely creepy moments and some quite interesting supernatural twists.

I found the entire thing to be original and chilling. It definitely kept me up at night. The atmosphere and lore of the town were my two favorite aspects, but really there is so much to enjoy in this story!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. After this and The Nesting, I think it is fair to say, I will pick up anything C.J. Cooke releases!!

THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES is a dark and haunting gothic mystery of witches and witchcraft that spans centuries. 1998 — Liv moves herself and her 3 children to a remote island where she is tasked with painting a mural in an old lighthouse. Things go downhill rather quickly when 2 of her children go missing. 2021 — the remaining child gets a phone call that her sister has been found alive, yet said sister doesn’t look a day over the age at which she disappeared. Both mysteries tie back to events that transpired a century earlier, where witches were locked up and hunted, and the witches vowed curses and created wildlings to avenge their deaths.

What a delightfully dark gem this turned out to be. Dark fantasy with touches of horror, and strong message of love and family that runs throughout. The world that Cooke created was so atmospheric and rich, the salty chill of the sea breeze and the dampness of the lighthouse just leap off the page. I absolutely loved the small town feel and the accompanying politics and stories that go along with small towns. Superstition and fear are still at the heart of this town, and the implications from that centuries-old witch-hunt still plague the town in present day. The world-building in this book was hands-down my favorite aspect, and this is definitely a book I’ll be rereading again in the future. Many times.

Bottom line — a dark and mysterious tale of witches, witchcraft, legends, and folklore that will appeal to lovers of dark fantasy and horror alike. 5 stars, and I can’t wait to discover more of Cooke’s books.


*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

“Forgiveness is a kind of time travel, only better. Because it sutures the wounds of the past with the wisdom of the present, at the same moment as it promises a better future.”

THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES
Thank you, C.J. Cooke, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book!

I will need to go back and reread The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke. It is an absolute crime that this happened to be the book that I had to read while moving and a staff retreat. On a normal day, I would have probably finished this book in one sitting. Because I was so busy, I had to read a chapter here and there. Olivia has three girls, Sapphire, Luna, and Clover. Olivia packs up her girls in the middle of the night to head to Lon Haven in Scotland for a job to paint a mural in an old abandoned lighthouse. Beneath the lighthouse, there is a prison that kept women accused as witches and burnt at the stake in the 1660s. Fast forward to the present day, Luna is the only one in her family left. Something happened 23 years ago and her sisters and mom disappeared. Now she is pregnant with her first child when she gets a phone call that Clover has been found. There is only one problem, Clover hasn’t aged a day. How is that possible? And it begs the question, what happened all those years ago?

This book is a beautiful mesh of history, folklore, and time travel with a stunning cast of characters. I am VERY picky when it comes to shifts in timelines and points of view, and I can say C.J. Cooke has done this seamlessly! Every scene transitions perfectly and it helped the pace move beautifully. I really felt for Olivia. Her husband was killed, and she starts having pain. It is seriously my worst nightmare having my kids grow up without their parents. I could feel her desperation and agony over this thought. I feel many could relate to Sapphire as well. She is a teen stripped from everything and everyone she knows. So some people may think her annoying, but I saw her anxiousness and desperation for a sense of normalcy. Then there is Finn. I LOVED him and Olivia’s conversations. Their chemistry is instantaneous.

Then there is the grimoire. It is a document that Sapphire finds that discusses the story of the 12 women who were accused and executed for witchcraft. I love how it discusses the terminology of a witch. Witch is a word that the world used to demean and subjugate women. It is a word that was meant to instill fear in society and women paid the price. Overall, this book is perfect for this season! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Was questioning my enjoyment when the novel started at a slow pace, but it started to rack up! All I know is that C.J. Cooke is very talented at writing gothic settings and the atmosphere alone should be enough to get you to pick up this book!

3.5 Stars

This was a weird one. We get four perspectives in three different time periods and I'm impressed by how well I was always able to tell who was speaking, even if I started in the middle of a chapter. The character work here was very well done. I quite enjoyed seeing the different perspectives we got.

The mystery of this was a little easy to guess from the time we see the sister reappear. I went "I bet xyz is why this is happening" and I was completely right. But I did enjoy seeing everything play out and the characters figuring it out to. There's a think Luna does toward the end of the book and I thought it was going to go hugely one way and it went a different direction and I was happy to see that surprise.

Overall, I think the plot did meander a bit and I'd have liked to see a bit more action, but I still enjoyed it. The mythos behind everything is pretty cool. I really like the idea behind it. I would definitely consider picking up more from this author.

Cover 2; characters 5; plot 4; pace 3; writing 4; enjoyment 3.