This was an enjoyable read that kept my attention the entire time. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the character development. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

The Blackhouse literally starts on a dark and stormy night and really doesn't let you go easily. The story of young woman who as a child was pushed by her mother to believe she was the reincarnation of a man who was murdered in a small coastal village in Ireland, returns to try and close the chapter of the ghosts that haunt her life.
As she grows to learn about the people who live there she realizes that many do not want her there and that they have many secrets they want to keep within their small community.
The story is told from two different perspectives, that of Maggie, our protagonist, and Robert from 25 or so years ago. As their stories start to overlap, Maggie comes to realize that some truths are best left alone.
Overall a really good read, I loved the touches of Norse and Irish mythology that were used throughout the story. I actually enjoyed this book more than her first book, Mirrorland.

I wanted to love this book and so much, and at the beginning I did, but the ending fell flat for me. The explanation of events was so unrealistic and the resolution was unsatisfactory and a little weird. The characters, the back stories, the setting, the tone and pace of the novel...all of it worked so well together. It was the conclusion of the book that was the downfall for me.

Atmospheric and unsettling, dark sinister story that was evenly paced and held my attention from start to finish

This was a very well written atmospheric book, it was just a little too slow for me. Reincarnation is fascinating to me, and I was curious if Maggie was a reincarnation of a dead man.

Some of you might remember a while back I had reviewed Carole Johnstone’s Mirrorland as part of a blog tour, and I absolutely loved it. The Blackhouse hasn’t stuck with me quite as hard, but I definitely still devote a little bit of mental real estate to it. This one is still pretty dark, but it doesn’t quite hit the same level of omgwtf. Which as far as I’m concerned is a relief. I love-love Mirrorland, but it is a pretty tough read, emotionally speaking. I found this one to be a little bit more user friendly. Like, more Se7en than Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer if you get my drift.

Ok, I’ll try once more to explain myself like an adult with a writing degree: the focus of The Blackhouse lies in the mystery of what happened on Kilmeray all those years ago. I feel like the focus of Mirrorland was more on the absolute shit-terrible things that human beings can inflict upon one another, and the endless cycles of horrific abuse we sometimes are forced to endure. Does that make more sense? I hope so…I’m running on empty here.

In the prophetic words of Blackhouse’s Charlie,
“Aye, well. Sometimes, awful’s part of living.”

Yet again Johnstone has created a story that is as beautiful as it is terrible. She certainly doesn’t write happy stories, and for that I applaud her. You can always count on a cast of flawed and deeply interesting characters in her stories. Nobody is too good to do something almost shockingly vile, it seems. Which is not to say that everyone in these stories is evil – that is certainly not the case. I just think that Johnstone has a firm grip on the unique capacity humans seem to have to completely disregard their own morals in the name of preservation of self, or of family, or of community. Whatever the case may be, she digs into the very heart of just how far into the muck a seemingly average person or group of people might be willing to go in order to save what they hold dear.

If you like a well crafted gothic tale of suspense and mystery in a setting so masterfully described you can almost feel the bone-deep chill of salty Scottish air I strongly suggest that you visit The Blackhouse. Will you learn things you’ll wish you didn’t know? Absolutely. But I promise you that you’ll love every gods-forsaken minute of it.

Another winner from Carole Johnstone! Anyone who enjoyed Mirrorland will find similar unsettling, creepy yet emotional vibes with this novel. Her settings are so well done - I truly feel immersed in the story. Johnstone blew me away with both the novels I've read and she is now an automatic buy for me!

A bit too slow for me. The atmosphere of the novel was intriguing, but it felt like nothing was happening and there were several people to keep track of.

What a perfectly moody and atmospheric story to curl up with on a cold night. I didn't know much about the premise of the book going in, and I really enjoyed the way it pulled me in and immersed me in the mystery of an unsolved murder from the past and what connection our protagonist has to it. This is a slow burn of a thriller that requires a little patience at times, but I really enjoyed it.

I will basically always read anything if Scotland is featured in it. If it's a mystery, even better! I enjoyed the author's previous book, Mirrorland, and this story was excellent as well. It is written so elegantly, and had me hooked from the very start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the chance to read this book!

Johnstone pulls her memories from time in this remote part of Scotland to create a compelling and eerie backdrop for this paranormal gothic mystery. I was a huge fan of Mirrorland and so I was very excited to read this author's latest book. It did not disappoint!

The novel pulls from a timeline in the 1990s when Robert Reid moved to the island, hiding his secrets from family and friends. His sanity slowly begins to unravel, as secrets start to come to light. Then twenty years later, Maggie MacKay returns to the island to solve a mystery from her childhood. When Maggie was five years old, she claimed that a man had previously been murdered on the island - an island she had never before been to - and a man she didn't know.

Now Maggie must confront the islanders, and put her own life at risk to uncover the secrets from the past. The images are vivid, and take you right to this island in Scotland, and the characters are multidimensional and compelling. Bravo to Johnstone for her latest masterpiece. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I enjoyed this one a bit more than Mirrorland but maybe Johnstone is just not an author for me. this story works well in theory but it felt a bit all over the place

TW: Death of parent, depression, anxiety, murder, mental health

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Robert Reid moved his family to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides in the 1990s, driven by hope, craving safety and community, and hiding a terrible secret. But despite his best efforts to fit in, Robert is always seen as an outsider. And as the legendary and violent Hebridean storms rage around him, he begins to unravel, believing his fate on the remote island of Kilmeray cannot be escaped.For her entire life, Maggie MacKay has sensed something was wrong with her. When Maggie was five years old, she announced that a man on Kilmeray—a place she’d never visited—had been murdered. Her unfounded claim drew media attention and turned the locals against each other, creating rifts that never mended.Nearly twenty years later, Maggie is determined to find out what really happened, and what the islanders are hiding. But when she begins to receive ominous threats, Maggie is forced to consider how much she is willing to risk to discover the horrifying truth.
Release Date: August 4th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 322
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. The cover is beautiful and creepy
2. I thought the idea of this book was interesting

What I Didn't Like:
1. So boring
2. The characters are not interesting
3. The insta-love *gag*
4. Sexy Will.... Used too many times!
5. Too slow

Overall Thoughts:
I loved Carole Johnstone's previous novel; Mirrorland but this one was just not good. I was bored to tears. I got 50% into the before I decided this book was just not it for me. The characters all felt one dimensional and they had zero interesting qualities to them. I hated the insta-love that happened so quickly between Maggie and Will. One minute she comes to town and the next she was hooking up with Sexy Will.

I don't know why but I keep writing down that this book is called The Bleakhouse. Looking at the definition of bleak though I feel it pretty much sums up my experience with this book. It's so unfair when a book has that kind of cover on it and it ends up being a dud.

Another story about a women who is being asked if she's taking her medicine.

This book crawls and I never really felt like anything happened despite things happening. It's boring and exhausting trying to care about what's happening.

I also feel like like we meet way too many characters to keep track of and who they are.

Final Thoughts:
That romance killed it for me in the end. Why does a author have to throw in a needless romance? It just felt like since she has mental health issues she needed a man to come help her sort things out.

I will say the author does a fantastic job at setting the atmosphere and you feel as though you're on the island with her.

I'll continue to check out the authors books. I love the tone and style she writes in.

Recommend For:
• Slow burn book
• Secluded Island
• Pagan tones
• Multiple pov's

Title: The Blackhouse
Author: Carole Johnstone
Narrated by: Joe McFadden and Eilidh Beaton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 13 hours and 41 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

Do you believe in reincarnation? If you could be reincarnated, what would you like to come back as next time? I’ve always thought it is an interesting concept and love to read books about it.

Maggie Mackay has moved back to Kilmeray in Scotland to try to solve a mystery from her past. When she was five years old, she announced that she was a reincarnated man who had been murdered on Kilmeray. "I am Andrew McNeil, and I was murdered." The problem was, no one of that name had died on the island. As Maggie investigates, she starts to uncover many secrets on the island. Will she find what she is looking for?

In the 1990’s, Robert Reid and his family have moved to Kilmeray to make a fresh start. Robert grew up on the island, but after his father’s death at sea, he has decided to be a farmer and to forget the past. The past hasn’t forgotten him though. What will his fate be?

I liked this dark and gothic novel. It had many twists in the storyline. Maggie and Robert were both narrators of different chapters and both were unreliable narrators. I loved the atmosphere of this novel and the terrific setting. I also enjoyed getting to know the community and all of the characters in town. The buildup of the way of life on Kilmeray is a large part of the story and the reveal which I don’t want to spoil. This book had a bit of everything – romance, thriller, suspense, grief, revenge, and a bit of the supernatural. I enjoyed it.

"Ghosts are just unfinished business. Unspoken Truths. Guilt hiding under rocks, inside rabbit holes..They don't know need to follow you because they are you."

Oh Carole !! you are such an amazing story teller. I first fell in love with Carole Johnstone when I read her debut novel Mirrorland !! The Blockhouse was such a great sophomore novel and it did not disappoint. This book is told with alternating POV and timelines with Maggie in the present. and Robert in the early 90's. The setting... omg ! This book takes place on the isle of Kilmeray, witch is part of Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Carole has a beautiful and dark way of describing the atmosphere in a way you can actually feel the air around you... so amazing. I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook while reading- this added so much more to the experience because the narrators were Scottish, so it really added more depth and reality to the story.

The main thing I love about Carol's books is her use of paranormal elements. The main idea of this book was that Maggie was a reincarnated Robert... ummm what ?? it was so great to experience this story especially through Maggie's POV, and going through what she was feeling as Robert... or maybe not as Robert?? This is definitely a slow burn thriller but her writing is so beautiful, the character development with Maggie and even Robert was so magical, and the secrets and twists this island held were just breathtaking and epic. I will read ANYTHING she writes.

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone was an intriguing read. The atmosphere really projected as creepy and immediately threw us into the story. The only thing that would have helped the story would have been a consolidation of characters. There were a bit too many and I found it confusing. Otherwise, this was a great read.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric read, look no further. I loved the dark, cold, eerie setting of this small secluded quaint village in Scotland. I thought the writing was beautiful. The story captivated my interest throughout the 300+ pages. There were parts of the story that I found to be endearing, sad and creepy. I loved where this book took me. The author’s words were so captivating that I could smell the sea & hear those waves crashing against those cliffs. I loved the eerie elements and the folklore behind the dead crows being mummified and left throughout the Blockhouse. The story also holds mystery as we navigate trying to find out what secrets the villagers hold……..

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. My review is voluntary, and my opinions are my own.

Twenty four year old Maggie arrives in the Outer Hebrides to solve a mystery - her mystery. Claiming to be Andrew MacNeil in a former life, as a child she had gone with her mother, a self-proclaimed psychic to the islands, complete with a film crew. Asking questions and claiming that Andrew had been murdered, the locals were less than enthusiastic to help solve the mystery. Years later, she finds the locals frosty but slowly chips away at their resolve to get to the truth.

I love a good pyschological thriller and was very excited to get my hands on this novel. I must admit I have never given much thought to the Outer Hebrides before. However Ms. Johnstone does a very fine job of describing this wild, windswept land, to the point where I found myself gravitating to Google Earth to see for myself how desolate the island is.

In terms of the plot, I do want to state that I enjoyed it; at times it could be very creepy and very gothic, but the storyline had a lot of twists and turns. This was a double edged sword; on the one hand it kept me up way past my bedtime wanting to see what came next, but on the other hand I would feel dissapointed by the number of perceived red herrings sprinkled through the story. The character of our protagonist Maggie was fairly well developed, however I felt that the other characters could have used a little more fleshing out. I also found that there were too many extraneous characters.

The novel's finale was a surprise ending; one I did not see coming. Nevertheless the last chapter was slightly anti-climatic for me. That being said, I still give this novel 4 stars.

Ｍｉｎｉ Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 by Carole Johnstone
Published: January 3, 2023
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: eBook ARC

⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for gifting me this eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 40% for me. I had such high hopes and I was so excited when I was approved for the ARC — mostly, I was looking forward to the setting — a quaint Scottish island village, with fishermen, sheep, and lots of secrets. It ended up being the slowest slow burn I have ever experienced — to the point where it took me from January 18 through February 10 just to get through 40%.

I was really thrown off by the plot - she’s got a ghost inside of her? She thinks she’s a dead fisherman? The setting was great but between all of the Scottish slang and names, it made it incredibly heavy but the plot didn’t even drive it enough to make me want to keep reading.

In the end, my TBR is too long to keep trying with a book that just isn’t doing it for me, so I decided to move on.

I thought this book was rather confusing and I’m not sure I understand what all happened. Nonetheless, I thought the author did a good job painting the scene and creating an atmospheric novel. But I did not particularly like this novel and found it hard to follow. 2.5 stars ⭐️ rated down. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for review.