Every second used to read this review is a second that you aren't using to read Catriona Ward's latest, Sundial. This is a problem, because she can freakin' WRITE, and I can't.

For those that have read The Last House on Needless Street, I can say this: SHE HAS DONE IT AGAIN. All of those things that made that book magnificent are here again. This is all you need to know.

Get it.

I was blown away by The Last House on Needless Street, so I was pretty sure I'd love Sundial. I had no idea what I was in for though! This gives "psychological thriller" a whole new, intense meaning.

Right from the start, we realize that something isn't quite right with Rob. She's rightfully concerned about her two daughters, Callie and Annie, but we soon find out that her past is extremely disturbing, and nothing is as it seems. This book is horrifying and dark - and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. As we learn more about Rob's childhood when she returns to Sundial, her childhood home, with Callie, it becomes clear that there really aren't any "good guys" here - we've got horrible parents, an abusive spouse, manipulative siblings and it just gets worse from there.

What you need to know about Sundial is that you will think you have everything figured out right before Ward flips everything upside down and you realize you know nothing. That is the best kind of thriller and Ward is an expert at it!

You also need to know that there are gruesome scenes of animal abuse, animal death, physical, emotional and verbal abuse of adults and children, infidelity and drug abuse. I loved it and could not put it down, but it is extremely disturbing on many levels.

Holy crap, this was disturbing!

Fair warning to those who like their horrors on the light side, this one isn’t for you. Every little thing that happens in this book is wrong. Every character is wrong. Every situation is wrong. And just when you think the author’s given us the most wrongness she can give, hey, there’s more!

The author handles this well and with a deft touch. While it’s evident from page one that things are skewed with our little family, each chapter adds more and more ugliness to their situation – all described in deceptively beautiful narrative or, in the case of children, childish phrases that belie how terribly horrific the truth really is.

I loved the book, but warn that it may not be for everyone.

5 Stars!

*ARC via Publisher

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the chance to read this arc!

Having read Ward's other work I knew that I enjoyed it but Needless Street was just not for me. Sundial was a chance to try out her work again and WOW it didn't disappoint.

Rob seems to have her life together - a home, a family, a husband - but behind closed doors her husband is abusive and her eldest daughter is showing troubling signs like collecting bones. To protect Callie from her husband she decides to bring her back to her childhood home Sundial.

This book was full of twists and honestly just delivered so well on the promise of psychological horror. It was such a delight to piece together any of the twists before they came but still managed to be surprised by pieces I didn't see coming.

And you thought YOUR family was dysfunctional!

It’s official. I am a compete Catriona Ward stan. After being bowled over by the incredible The Last House On Needless Street, I could not wait to get my hands on her next book. I am happy and excited to say that Ward’s sophomore effort did NOT disappoint. Glittering, dark, shocking, horrifying prose - Ward is an heiress to Stephen King’s throne. (It was King’s recommendation that got me to read Needless Street, and I couldn’t be happier to have found this wonderful author.)

Ward’s writing is hypnotic and totally immersive. You forget where you are reading her work, and just become a part of her mesmerizing and horrifying world. It sucks you in and holds you there when it’s beautiful and also when it’s completely uncomfortable and horrifying.

This book will not be for everyone but oh man, was it ever for me. The book is about a pair of female twins named Rob and Jack. The disturbing nature of their lives, particularly their upbringings by a weird pair of parents on a cult-like compound called Sundial, creeps into the story bit by bit until you are totally immersed in the crazy. I was immediately and totally fascinated with the narrating twin Rob, her husband Irving, and her two daughters from the start. Rob worries that one of her daughters may be a psychopath in the making. This sounds like a simple plot that you’ve read before, but I promise you, it is not. The book then delves into an incredible and horrifying story of nature vs. nurture, the significance of the so-called psychopath or “warrior” gene, bizarre psychological experiments, horrible parenting, weird twin relationships….and that’s not even the half of it. This author knows how to do multiple narrators: slightly different from Needless Street, this book has way fewer narrators but man does it pick the right ones.

I really cannot stress enough how haunting, beautiful and unique Ward’s writing is. This author has an incredible dark gift. Her style is so individual and this story is so creepy that I think you will either love it or be repulsed by it. I definitely loved it (and as evidenced by Needless Street, many others do too).

I had a great time savoring, being stressed out by, and reveling in this super creepy book. The ending was sufficiently insane and perfect, with a totally unforeseen yet perfect twist. This is the kind of great horror book that really goes deep on the nature of evil - what makes a horrifying person that way? Can anything be done about it? Is it always completely evident who the true psycho is?

Yep, so, I loved this book. An easy five-plus stars from me. I sure hope Ward writes fast because I am ready for another book from her, like, right now. Creepy, spooky, gross, but also beautiful, in that way only a few horror authors can really do. Get ready to watch Catriona Ward because she’s just getting started, but already one of the greats.

Thanks to Macmillan Tor Forge, NetGalley, and the author for this totally immersive, awesome, and creepy reading experience. I plan to read it again soon.

“Kids are mirrors, reflecting back everything that happens to them. You’ve got to make sure they’re surrounded by good things.”

Catriona Ward has done it again. She’s built another creepy house of mirrors where so much of what you see isn’t what you think it is, and even the parts that you think you’re seeing clearly change with each step. By nature, I’m not one who devours books in a day, and I’m no joke the wimpiest person I know when it comes to horror, but I stayed glued to these pages for hours, even when it was genuinely disturbing … and it IS. This is top notch psychological horror that will get inside your head and make itself at home for awhile.

As with The Last House on Needless Street, there’s very little I can say about the plot that won’t be too much, but I’ll give the bare bones premise. Rob is a teacher, married to Irving, an English professor, and they have two daughters, Callie, twelve, and Annie, nine. On the outside, they’re a normal family living the suburban life, but inside their walls lie secrets, betrayals, and threats … and for Rob, a long-buried past at Sundial, her Mojave Desert childhood home, that she’s forced to confront when circumstances with Callie bring it screaming to the surface.

The story is told in the past and present, mostly by Rob, with scattered chapters told by Callie and even some book within a book chapters. Callie’s chapters were 'chills up my spine' creepy and Rob’s were like a Pandora’s box that I was never sure I wanted to see inside of - each lift of the lid unveiling new horrors. It’s provocative, with content warnings galore, but it's also an extremely thought-provoking book about human nature and how much we can control it.

It’s a solid 4.5 star read, and I’ve debated whether to go up or down (it may still change), but for now I’m giving it 4 stars, due to some upsetting content and not being a huge fan of the book within a book chapters. I found them confusing and didn’t feel they added much to the story, but that’s just personal preference. All-in-all, it's an amazing follow-up to her last book. It's much more straightforward and less ‘mind-bendy’ than The Last House on Needless Street, but the wickedly good twists (and there were some doozies!), as well as the ideas about human nature, still blew my mind and leave me eagerly waiting for her next book!

★★★★ ½ ❤

A fantastic and twisted tale by Catriona Ward.

I read this book in a single day because I just couldn't put it down.

Readers will think they know what is going to happen, but will be WRONG.

This story contains family, cults, physical and psychological abuse, violence and implied threats of violence. Obviously this is a horror story and as such should be avoided by those who are sensitive to the above topics.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. It is a startlingly original take on the age old question of whether nature or nurture are more important in the formation of a child's mind.

I will be recommending this book to the readers and followers of my blog and social media accounts.

I rate SUNDIAL as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

✨ARC Review✨

“Callie is so gifted, but she has no talent for life. Her shelves are stacked with books about psychology and serial killers.”

Rob has the perfect life…perfect husband, perfect kids, and a perfect home. Or does she? She has a husband, Irving, who is physically abusive and cheating. The two of them are an incredibly toxic couple. They are constantly threatening one another and both are verbally abusive, all while in a loveless marriage. They have two kids, Annie and Callie. It’s apparent that there are some psychological issues with Callie. She is a collector of tiny bones, and talks with imaginary friends. She is cryptic and dangerous. Callie attempts to kill Annie, and it’s then that Rob decides to take a trip back to her childhood home…Sundial…just her and Callie. Rob has a past from Sundial with regards to her upbringing, that she isn’t sure she is ready to unearth….

What I Loved:
-The writing! This book had me hooked from the beginning! It’s graphic, twisty and keeps you on the edge of your seat! The book shifts to multiple POV and also shifts timelines from present day to events in the past that lead up to the present
-Callie! She is very creepy, but she is one of the reasons I loved this book! Her actions, thoughts, words…it’s all disturbing!
-Seeing everything unfold from Rob’s past, there are TONS of twists!!!
-I felt like I loved to hate all of these characters at some point in the book. They all have some deep issues and pretty much no morals.

This book is full of twists, and messed with my head in the best way possible! Everything I presumed to be true is absolutely questionable, and I mean everything! Not only is it a psychological thriller, but it is a horror book too! There are depictions that are gruesome, graphic, and stomach churning. It’s one that is definitely not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it! I did knock this one down slightly from five stars because of the abrupt ending that somewhat irked me.

⚠️CW/TW: graphic depictions, animal death, domestic abuse (verbal and physical), child abuse, infidelity, mental illness, attempted suicide, drug abuse⚠️

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Scream Factor: 😱😱😱/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this eARC! Sundial is out March 1, 2022!

I didn’t care for this book I didn’t find it suspenseful, or creepy but sad and sick in a disturbing way. I couldn’t find anything redeeming about it at all.