“𝙂𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙐𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙨. 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

I read this in December but I’m just now getting around to posting a review because life 🙃

I fell in love with Carole Johnstone’s writing the minute I read her debut novel Mirrorland and let me tell you, The Blackhouse did not disappoint. This book is told in 1st person from alternating POVs of Maggie in the present and Robert in the early 90’s. It takes place on the isle of Kilmeray, part of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. This book is a slow burn (which I know is not for everyone) and it has great character development. The book was deeply atmospheric with gothic vibes and has once again made me want to visit Scotland. Johnstone’s writing is beautiful, descriptive and sucks you right in. This was definitely a gripping suspenseful read. I was hoping for a little bit more from the ending (hence 4 stars instead of 5) however I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what Carole writes next as she has become one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for providing me an eARC to review 🖤

I absolutely LOVED Mirrorland (in fact, it is probably one of my favorite books) and could not wait to read The Blackhouse because of it. Unfortunately, I stopped reading this about half way through.

It has such an amazing, eerie premise and setting, so I was really excited to dig into the story. But… it just drags on and on. It’s all dialogue and narration with absolutely no action whatsoever. I was bored out of my mind, which is so disappointing with such a promising reincarnation/ghost type story.

The thought was creepy, but the story was not at all.

I’m so sad I couldn’t finish this. Maybe I’ll come back to it another time. I will not add this to my Goodreads since I didn’t finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this book.I really wanted to like this book, but I ended up DNFing it because I just couldn’t manage to get into it. I can’t speak for everyone else though. The setting of this story is beautiful and dreary all in one. It’s definitely gothic and unsettling in some points. At least it certainly gave me that goosebumps on the back of your neck feel a couple times. I think that an audiobook would have helped me a lot when it came to the dialogue and different areas named.

The Blackhouse is a story tied to the past, and questioning the future. When she was five years old, Maggie claimed that a man she had never met was murdered at a place she had never been to. Now, as an adult, Maggie revisits that island to discover the truth about the mystery man, and the truth about herself. But with the truth may come events and knowledge Maggie will wish she'd never experienced.

This was a bit of a slow moving book, but this mimicked the slowness of life on the island, so it worked. Maggie is a complex character I was immediately drawn to, and she is surrounded by a unique and crucial cast of characters (sometimes it felt there were too many characters and I got a little confused with who was who). The mystery is compelling and unusual, and the reveals are powerful and shocking. I would recommend this book.

I read Carole Johnstone's suspense, thriller Mirrorland, and loved it. I was excited to get an ARC for the Blackhouse which didn't disappoint! It was an amazing book. The Blackhouse takes you on another twisty ride. This novel is quite dark and complicated. There are several layers and timelines interwoven that keeps the reader engaged. For those who enjoy a carefully laid out suspense thriller, this novel doesn't disappoint! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Looking forward to Johnstone's next one!

Johnstone’s previous novel, Mirrorland, was one I really enjoyed. It was dark, twisty and richly atmospheric. The Blackhouse definitely ticks those three boxes once again.

“A remote village. A deadly secret. An outsider who knows the truth.”

My favorite part of this book was the setting, hands down. It takes place in Kilmeray, a small and remote Scottish island. I could feel the driving wind and rain and hear the waves crashing against the cliffs. I also loved the additions of mythology, folklore and superstitions. They all really contributed to the mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

I had difficulty keeping track of all the characters, but after a time I had everyone straight. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was going on, the plot took another turn, which both drove me crazy and kept me turning the pages. I think I simply had trouble with the pacing. Still, I look forward to Johnstone’s next book!

If you are a fan of Tana French, you may want to give this one a try!

The Blackhouse was my first novel by Carole Johnstone, although Mirrorland has been on my TBR list forever! I really enjoyed this book and it had a very unique and interesting synopsis. The book is set on a remote island in Scotland and is very atmospheric. It’s an extremely slow burn, but I think it just made the ending better and more shocking!

Maggie has known her entire life that something is just not right with her. When she was 5 years old, she announced that she was a reincarnated man. This drew all kinds of media attention and bad allegations. Now, 20 years later Maggie has returned and she is wanting answers.

I enjoyed a great deal about this novel. The setting, the weirdness of Maggie and then roll in the past and you just have an all around good read. It does have a great many characters and that was a bit tough in places. But, that is just a minor issue.

Maggie really kept the story going for me. I wanted her to achieve her goal! I wanted to know everything. And the way the author kept me glued to the setting of this isle off Scotland…I felt like I was right there experiencing all the weather and the weird townspeople.

Need a creepy novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Twenty years ago, Maggie visited the island and claimed that she was the reincarnation of a man named Andrew, a man she claimed was murdered. When her mother dies and she and her fiancé breakup, she decides to travel back to the island to find answers. When Maggie arrives on the small Scottish island if Kilmery, she is immediately faced with hostility by the islanders. When Maggie starts to receive death threats she questions if she’ll find out the truth before it’s too late. This book tends to be on the slow side. Atmospheric, and well written, the first half was much better than the second. The second half bogged down in places and was overly long and confusing in others. A good read, but too slow for me to love it. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

A slow burn suspense layered with bits of gothic noir. The storyline is supported by an unreliable protagonist, alternating timelines, and is heavily atmospheric. Johnstone writes brilliantly, offering unique subplots and fantastic characterization. Highly recommended.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheBlackhouse which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

3.5 Stars

An atmospheric, slow burn novel about a woman who goes to Scotland's Outer Hebrides in hopes of confronting her past as a child that claimed she was a reincarnated dead man.

The book is told in dual timelines: present of Maggie, the woman, and past of Robert Reid, a farmer in the 1990s.
Maggie is an unreliable protagonist and messy at best. Robert's POV was good and helped set the pace and chilling tale.

There are multiple characters that are in both timelines but I was not confused and they helped move the story along. The characters and the isolated Scottish island setting added to the book, with the exception of Maggie's romance with Will. I felt Will would have been better as a friend.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but the ending wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be. However, I enjoyed Carol Johnstone's writing and I will for sure add her first book to my TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this eARC. The Blackhouse is out now.

While i found The Blackhouse to be sufficiently creepy and foreboding, i had some issue with Maggie doing something that seemed so very stupid. Initially I found her behavior annoying and felt "let's get on with it already!" I did love the setting though!

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone is an excellent follow up to her debut, Mirrorland. I am a fan of this author's writing style and atmospheric stories. Jonhstone uses settings so effectively, be it the house and memories in Mirrorland or the small island and inhabitants and again a living space and memories in the Blackhouse and she understands how to really engage a reader with suspenseful, slow burn writing that holds attention and offers rewarding pay offs as the plot unfolds. I again found myself waiting with suspenseful joy to see how the story would tie together the past and present lives on the island, how memories and secrets would once again weave a compelling story from this writer.

I am grateful once more for the chance to support this writer and her work, Thank you to Scribner for this review copy!
perfect for: fans of Mirrorland, gothic style mysteries (little eve but without the horror for example, mexican gothic

Maggie McKay has a lot of baggage she needs to unpack: the death of her mother and their twisted, manipulative relationship, her own crippling self-doubt, and a reincarnation which may or may not be real. She chooses to work through all of this in the place that once served as the hub of all her troubles: the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. A foreboding and unforgivable, yet beautiful and unique island, Maggie is both stonewalled in her search for answers to a decades-old mystery and rewarded in her search for self. While most of the locals seem to warm up to her (some more than others...), there is always a nagging pull in the back of Maggie's mind that she cannot fully trust her own experiences. There's also the small matter of someone or something leaving grotesque talismans on her doorstep and circling her house in the middle of the night, tapping, scratching. Watching? Warning?

I was all aflutter about reading The Blackhouse after having the pleasure of reading Mirrorland. But this one missed its mark for me somewhat. Johnstone is an undeniably talented writer and her descriptions of the Hebrides as well as the day-to-day life its inhabitants experience are evocative and extremely thorough. The plot itself is also intriguing and there were more than a few times throughout the book that I had to adjust my predictions for Maggie and her search for the truth.

Things fell a bit by the wayside in terms of momentum. Areas dragged and if I spent a couple days away from the story I really had to remind myself which character was which and in relation to who else. The ending was not dissatisfying, but also not astounding, which I attribute in part to the intermediate lag.

Overall, The Blackhouse is a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a casual mystery (thriller seems too intense) with refreshing subject matter to be read at a leisurely pace. For more high octane reads, you might want to move along.

The Blackhouse
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 1/3/23
Author: Carole Johnstone
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 336
GR: 3.76

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Scribner and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This is a slow burn psychological thriller novel. The story is narrated in an alternating timeline, the present mixed with the 1990’s by Maggie and Robert, in their POV. There are multiple characters in both timelines, in the beginning, it was a little confusing, but as you went along, you were able to tell who is who. The author does an outstanding job in creating an atmospheric, creepy, and desolate farm scene, you could feel like you are there on Kilmeray Island. Maggie is an unreliable protagonist, unlikable, and even at times, a bit frustrating, but makes the best character for this role. Robert is dark, disturbed, and even disgruntled. The supporting characters of Charlie and Kelly were my favorite, they added such a dramatic flare to the story. The characters were fleshed out with depth, very mysterious, creepy, and creatively built up. The author’s writing style was complex with multifaceted layers, suspenseful, thrilling, had a paranormal flare, and kept me needed throughout the story. The story starts with character building, delivers the plot in many twists at various points, and delivers an outstanding ending. I am a fan of Johnstone’s work and this was no different. The audiobook would likely be even better due to the atmospheric feel this gives off. Releases today and I would highly recommend picking it up!

This mystery follows Maggie MacKay as she returns to Kilmeray - a remote island off the coast of Scotland that she visited as a child after claiming to be a man named Andrew who had been murdered there. Now returning as an adult after the death of her mother, Maggie wants to find out the truth of if Andrew had actually existed and, if so, was he murdered. As Maggie begins her investigation, she receives ominous threats that have her questioning just how much she actually wants to find the truth. We're also following Robert, 20 years prior, who has recently moved to Kilmeray. He hopes that this new life on the island with his wife and son will give him the safety and community he craves. However, as he spends more time on the island, Robert starts to unravel and he believes his fate on the island cannot be escaped.

TW/CW: death of a child, drowning, Alzheimer's, suicide, death of a parent, mental health (bipolar)

The setting for this read was phenomenal. The remoteness of Kilmeray is established early and we're reminded often in many different ways which really added to the overall atmosphere of the read. We're told consistently about the dangers of the sea and since we're on an island, the sea is seemingly around all the time. We get a good sense of the small community there and we get a lot of important information while Maggie is walking around the island with various characters. The setting is so atmospheric and I loved how integral the setting is to the plot as well. So many of the plot points are directly connected to the elements and the sea that it just makes the whole story feel so cohesive. 

I loved the way the lore and supernatural elements were worked into the story. We get a whole range of elements from Maggie's mother being a psychic, Maggie's reincarnation claims as a child, Norse mythology, and the superstitions of sailors. I loved the way the different elements came together and overlapped in a way that felt very real. Like the people in these remote communities in these dangerous conditions don't necessarily care where the lore came from, only that they believe it will protect them on the boat when a storm blows in or will lead to a good fishing year. For some of these lore elements, the characters aren't entirely sure if these are good or bad things which I found really heightened the suspense of the story. I also loved how we do get some concrete explanation to some of the supernatural elements but others are left a little vague which made it feel overall more realistic in a way. Investigating the truth behind her childhood added an extra layer to the mystery because while Maggie was researching dates and facts and tracking down witnesses, she was also figuring out if her being the reincarnated Andrew was true or not. 

The mystery investigation was a little slow to get going but it paid off big at the end. Johnstone really took the time to lay out a solid foundation of this town and Maggie's own backstory and connection to this island. There are a lot of characters and places and they all play a role in the overall mystery investigation so it was good to get such a solid footing at the beginning. I really enjoyed following Maggie's investigation because she isn't like a lot of mystery MCs where they are super clinical or meticulous during the investigation. Maggie is coming to this island after some pretty significant changes in her life and as much as she wants answers, it is obvious that sometimes searching for those answers is also personally taxing so she isn't all go-go-go on the investigation. I also loved how we, and Maggie, think she has found the answer to the mystery about 75% of the way through the book but obviously there is more book to go so there is more to be revealed. The reveals in that last 75% are fantastic and I couldn't put the book down until I had finished.  

I wasn't entirely loving the dual timeline aspect until about halfway through the book for the simple reason that I just wasn't as interested or invested in Robert's timeline. We do find out the connection between Robert's timeline and Maggie's timeline fairly early on, but Robert's story was just not where I wanted to spend the time. It felt like his timeline was just following him around the island while he was being moody. But around the 50% mark, his timeline start to pick up and we can see some of the same interpersonal tension like we see in Maggie's timeline. I did enjoy how the timelines were only 20ish years apart which lets us see some of the same characters in each which is always something I find super interesting. 

Overall, this was a fantastic, atmospheric, and suspenseful read. I loved the way we get so many seemingly different pieces of this puzzle but they all come together so perfectly at the end. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. Publication date is January 3, 2023

Wow, I'm not even sure where to start! This one was extremely unique. There were times I was loving it an totally enthralled and times I was shaking my head!

I loved the small town setting and the atmosphere was described so well, I could imagine myself there. I also really enjoyed learning so much about all the townspeople and I really didn't feel like I could trust anyone in the story. The plot itself is actually so deep and layered, I've never read anything quite like it before.

The two closest comparisons I can make are Once There Were Wolves and Scarlet in Blue. And it's still not much like either, just similar vibes!

It definitely was a slow-burn until maybe about 70% and then it picked up and I couldn't put it down. The ending surprised me for sure! Although, I had no idea where it was going most of the time!

Overall, I'm glad I read it but think this will be very hit or miss for people.

Thanks so much to Scribner for the chance to read and review this book! It is available today!

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone follows Maggie as she returns to an island that she visited as a child while claiming she was a reincarnated man who had drowned on the island years earlier. On her return, she seeks to figure out whether her claims were true and what really happened to the man who died.

This book was beautifully written and extremely atmospheric. Set in an isolated area of the Scottish Hebridean islands. I thought Johnstone did a great job of describing the setting in a way that I felt I could really imagine it. Plus, the atmosphere seemed to take on a character of its own throughout the book, increasing the feeling of tension and eeriness as well as the distrust between characters.

This is an odd book for me to review and rate. The beginning hooked me, but I felt the plotline was overall slow. It felt like a slog at times and one that I didn't always enjoy. That being said, by the time I got to the end of the book, I was thinking I wished I'd read it more carefully as I enjoyed the ending and the overall message of the story. That being said, I still feel like it ended up being a 2.5/5 for me despite my enjoyment of some portions.

I would recommend this book for those who enjoy gothic literature or who prefer atmospheric slow burn mysteries. I also felt like this book may appeal to those who generally enjoy literary fiction on occasion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is one of the most atmospheric books I've ever read.

The story has dual POVs and timelines. Maggie is a young writer returning to an island where, as a 5yo girl, she claimed she was murdered in a previous life. Robert is an outcast farmer who disappeared under sketchy circumstances around the time when Maggie was born.

The first half of the book felt sluggish for me. The world building and atmosphere was amazingly eerie, but it felt like there was a lot of build-up to get to the point where the story started thriving. The twists, secrets, and characters were great. I enjoyed the Celtic and Norse mythology. The ending is bittersweet but left me wanting a little bit more.

The cover of this book grabbed my interest on NetGalley. I have a strong interest for stories that are based in Ireland/Scotland, this took place in a coastal village in Scotland. 'The Blackhouse' turned out to be a gripping read! Despite it being a slow paced mystery, it had enough complicated plot to keep me turning the pages. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptive writing of the Scotland setting. Another reason why I liked this read so much was the ambiance of the small town community. A great thriller read with some paranormal energy! Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. All opinions are my own.