This book has gothic, paranormal, and psychological thriller genes all wrapped up into one neat book. Personally, I loved this book but I will say it is not for someone who likes thrillers but does not like paranormal phenomena in their books. But if you do, you MUST read this book. I have had Mirrorland on my TBR and now I am moving it up on my list to read sooner than later

Interesting book. If you like twists in the plot you will like this book. I’d love it in an audiobook as well.

The Blackhouse an Evocative Tale

I wanted to immerse myself in this book. The author captured the atmosphere of an island on the coast of Scotland. Maggie Anderson, who is bipolar, travels to the island of Kilmeray to discover who she really is. She believes she may be a reincarnation of Andrew MacNeil who was murdered the day she was born or so she thought. She rents an Airbnb, which seems haunted, from Kelly, who is a warm, single mom.

This trip took place after her mother’s death; there are, superfluous allusions to her mother’s relationship which made the characterization more confusing.

There is an entwined story of Robert Reid who brings his wife and son to live on Kilmerary in 1993 and become a farmer. He is tortured by memories of transgressions and cannot attain happiness.

There too many facets in this plot. Mythology, guilt and fear crash into each other. The plotting was bewildering and aside from the magnificent description of the island, I had to stop reading too many times.

The introductory chapter promised a story of mayhem and guilt. The plot remained confusing and not a page turner for me. 2.5 stars.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Scribner for this pre-published books. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a powerful, haunting, insightful, slow burn. Both a mystery and a love story and a coming to accept who you are and who you were. A woman comes back to the sea, where as a child, she said she was a man who used to live there and was murdered. She comes back to solve the mystery of his murder, if it even had happened. to understand and resolve her grief over her mother's death and her part in it To understand what is truth, what is guilt and what is responsibility. With parallel stories, hers and his. HIs guilt, his complicated relationship with his father. The sea, the community, doesn't welcome her. Is she in danger, Is she imagining things. what is mental health. Lots of themes explored.

A woman returns to the Scottish island that she visited as a child when she claimed to be the reincarnation of a man who was murdered there, but whom the residents claimed not to know.

This book is very descriptive, with vivid depictions of the island setting, the sea, and the weather. There are also several dramatic scenes and a creepy, oppressive atmosphere. But I found the storytelling to be muddled, primarily due to the main character's scattered mental state, and it took me a long time to get invested in the mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Blackhouse.

I was intrigued by the premise and the setting. I've been to Edinburgh but not the Hebrides, so I was curious to learn more about the locale as well as the story set against this incredible backdrop.

The premise was intriguing since it deals with reincarnation and a deadly secret on an isolated village.

Maggie MacKay was five years old when she claimed she was a man named Andrew Reid, a man who was murdered on an island she has never been to.

Her accusation drew media attention and caused anger and dissent among the locals, a fervor that has not dissipated when Maggie returns, after the death of her mother, to finally seek the truth behind her claim.

First, this is a fascinating premise. I'm always up for reincarnation stories, and The Blackhouse piqued my interest.

Second, I also loved the description of the location; its isolated and stark beauty, followed by the eccentric and unique locals, the secrets a tight community can keep for decades, and how far they will go to keep their secrets.

I also enjoyed learning about Scottish history, its folklore and superstitions.

Some of the characters really stood out, like Charlie. I don't think its a good sign when I liked Charlie more than Maggie, but I did. I didn't dislike Maggie but I couldn't connect with her.

Charlie's loyalty to his people and his land really resonated with me. I could understand why he did what he did.

I wasn't a fan of Robert's narrative, though I understood the reasoning behind it; to offer exposition on his time on the island and what led to his demise.

I found his story to be less interesting so I wasn't invested in what happened to him; also because I knew what would happen.

I also felt the romance between Maggie and Will was unnecessary; it seemed very fast. I don't not believe in love at first sight but this didn't feel crucial to the story.

More typical tropes include Maggie feeling like someone is stalking her or lurking in the Blackhouse, receiving creepy notes or (insert object).

None of these scenes added suspense or drama (in my opinion) but then I read a lot of these books in this genre so it takes a lot to surprise me.

There were times the narrative dragged, and it took too long to get to the end, where Maggie finally figures out what's going on.

I did like the ending, Robert's death is explained and how the community factors in; the fate of his wife and son; how Maggie reconciles with her mother in her heart and soul, and how she doesn't stay with Will because she knows she needs to keep looking for her true path.

New to me authors but won’t be the last time I read a book by them! Loved it! Kept me guessing til the end!

An atmospheric mystery told from two points of view, The Blackhouse is set in a remote island village on the wild Atlantic Ocean in the outer Hebrides. Maggie MacKay, arriving posing as a journalist wanting to write a story, is met with distrust by a village determined to keep a secret. The layers of lies and stories of Robert, a villager who is said to have died in a storm nearly 20 years ago, Maggie, and the village are slowly revealed with twists that kept me hooked. Occasionally the story got a bit slow, parts of the telling of the relationship between Maggie and her mother seemed a bit repetitive to me at times, but the story had me hooked with nearly each chapter introducing a glimpse of something that turned what you thought was true upside down. The island itself is a part of the story with its wild storms and rough beauty, the salt air and the weather that can change in a moment.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy, it definitely transported me to a rugged place where everyone needs to rely on their neighbors.

3.5 stars, rounding up. This is a dark and beautifully written story, set on a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides. Maggie MacKay is returning to Kilmeray twenty years after her first visit at age five. She and her mother stirred up the locals back then, and Maggie is hoping that hostilities have died down so she can peaceably investigate the story she's pursuing. Only a handful of the locals are welcoming though, and Maggie even starts to receive threatening messages. What are they trying to hide? And why will no one talk to her about the mysterious deaths of Robert Reid and eight-year-old Lorne?

The imagery and detail in this novel are absolutely stunning — atmospheric writing at its best! I enjoyed the story, though it was slow at times, and I didn't expect the main "twist" at all. I do, however, think maybe this book was just trying to do too much? The inclusion of bipolar disorder, mentally ill mothers, pagan rituals, ghost stories, shipwrecks, Alzheimer's, reincarnation, and probably other things I'm leaving out all seemed a bit overwhelming in the same tale. But, maybe that's just me. Reading for the landscape and vibes alone is probably worthwhile!!

Thank you to Carole Johnstone, Scribner, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

The Blackhouse is a novel that felt both too long and too short to me. The exposition and the thrilling moments were drawn out to prolong interest but the character development and ending were lacking in depth. I enjoyed it a little, although I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend unless they were looking for supernatural books set in rural Scotland.

Twenty years ago Maggie MacKay visited the Scottish island known as Kilmeray with her mother when she was five years old. She doesn’t remember why her mother brought her to this island. Although, she remembers being the reincarnated man of Andrew MacNeil. Her mother had psychic abilities and believed Maggie had these same special abilities.
She’s back on the island to get answers about this man who she believed was murdered on the island. Her presence back on island is met with concern and fear by the town folk.
The story follows the life of Robert Reid a man who moved his wife and son to Outer Hebrides. Robert tried to chase the demons of his past. He knew this island was a close knit community. He wanted to thrive and prove to his family that he could be a better man, but this place treated Robert as an outsider.

A gothic atmospheric read based on an isolated Scottish island. The Isle of Kilmeray (Eilean Cill Maraigh) in The Blackhouse, is based on the uninhabited island of Scarp off the west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. A Blackhouse is a traditional type of house which used to be common in Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, and the Outer Hebrides.

Even with its atmospheric setting I still found myself unable to get through the first few chapters. The introductions to this island were not what I imagined. The language is a skill that requires the assistance of a good narrator. I’d much prefer having the audiobook experience over reading. I’m doing a disservice to this book by trying to pronounce words I have no idea how to say. To truly understand this culture investing in the audiobook would enhance the experience of this book.

Carole Johnstone wrote an extremely detailed story. It’s a character driven story. Unfortunately, I’m not the intended audience for this read. The pace is much slower than I prefer. Sadly, it took me a week to finish with the assistance of skim reading. I required several breaks it just wasn’t calling to me. I was drawn by the beautiful cover design and the familiarity of Carole’s fabulous writing skills. This book just didn’t measure up to Mirrowland or capture my attention the same way.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone

The author had this wonderful descriptive ability to make a place both ghastly and ghostly; a place where I could hear the wind and the sea as I read the book or felt the fear and animosity of the townspeople of the island where this is set.
The local names did put the reader (me) at a definite disadvantage in the progress of reading the book…….it slowed my reading speed down as I tried to sound out unfamiliar words or look them up.
I am not a fan of the dark gothic genre but this was a good representation for anyone who is fond of this type storyline. There’s a town with a secret, a woman with a reincarnation memory that has driven her mad for years, deceitful people willing to do anything to keep the real facts hidden, and a hope for happiness.
Eerie and suspenseful read.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Maggie MacKay travels to a remote village on the outer Hebrides. She has been there before and needs to return to put her mind at rest. As a child she expressed the memories of a man named Robert who had lived and died there. The childhood visit did not resolve her memories so now she is back to investigate. This is a dark, atmospheric thiller with lots of twists and turns.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the chance to review this book.

The author of Mirrorland is back with a mystery that takes place on a rural Scottish fishing island towering over the sea.

Maggie Mackay is a lonely young woman who is mourning the recent loss of her mother. After her death, Maggie decides to get to the bottom of what happened in her childhood. When she was little, Maggie insisted that she was a man named Robert Reid. Her mother, who claimed psychic abilities, changed Maggie’s life forever when she decided to take her to Kilmeray, the town in which Maggie claimed was home to Robert. At the tender age of 5, Maggie claimed that she was Robert Reid reincarnated, and someone in the town had killed him. The problem is that the townsfolk said that Robert Reid was not murdered– he drowned in a big storm the same night as another little boy named Lorne. The residents of the island assumed that Robert had died while trying to save Lorne.

Now in her 20s, Maggie returns to Kilmeray in order to figure out why she feels a connection to Robert Reid. The residents of the island, however, are not as keen on a reunion as Maggie might hope. With nothing but time on her hands, Maggie rents Robert’s Blackhouse on Air BnB and tries to unravel the mystery of Robert Reid.

My first impression of this book was that the imagery was absolutely stunning. Carole Johnstone does an amazing job painting a picture of the powerful waves and the green farmland of Kilmeray. You felt like you could breathe in the lush sea air. Frankly, I want to vacation there. One afternoon in Tokyo makes you want to take a stack of books to a remote place like Kilmeray and bask in the isolation.

But, I unfortunately liked the idea of Kilmeray more than I liked the plot of The Blackhouse. The story moved rather slowly, and there was WAY too much build up to both Robert and Maggie’s backstories. The author kept including end-of-chapter cliffhangers, but she didn’t give the reader any morsels of information that would help them guess what’s next. It left me feeling frustrated and bored all at the same time. When the “big reveals” finally did come, they were a let-down. I think if more information had been fed to me earlier in the book, I would have felt more invested in the story. It wouldn’t have moved my rating to five stars, but it certainly would have helped.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

This was a very slow burn and it took a long time to really grab my attention. Once it did though, I really did want to read more to figure out exactly what happened. I’m a very visual person and I really like to visualize where a story takes place, it really helps me feel part of the story, and this one was really hard for me to picture. I even tried looking the location up on a map but wasn’t very successful!

Overall, this kept me interested, but the plot really dragged for me. The addition of paranormal forces in the mystery of the story was interesting but I wish the author had gone in to some more backstory. I do have to say that the revelations at the end really were surprising so kudos to the author for that! I’m rating this 3.5 stars (4 rounded up).

A big thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Good book, enjoyed with some difficulty with language differences. Hard to describe since I couldn’t really classify it as a thriller, mystery, ghost story or all of the above. Definitely gives life experiences as to mental illness, the dangers of secrets and lies as well as love of a community and friendship. Worth the read. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This was a slow burn that is often a little too slow, but I did enjoy it overall. The story centers on Robert, who moves to a remote Scottish island to escape a secret he is keeping, and Maggie, who insisted she was the reincarnation of a murdered man when she was a child and comes back to the island 20 years later to delve in further to the history. The author intertwines these storylines fabulously, and the POV shifts between these 2 characters.

The mystery in both Robert's and Maggie's story is sound and I found myself surprised a couple times as new truths came out. I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at the end of of the story but did really feel for the decsiions the characters had to make. I thought it was amusing that Maggie seemed surprised every time she found out someone lied to her, because pretty much everyone lied to her repeatedlyl. She finally gets there, though. This is an atmospheric novel and the author beautifully describes the surroundings, but sometimes I felt that these thorough descriptions slowed down the book a bit. There were also a lot of characters to keep straight and sometimes I had to reorient myself with who was who and how they all fit together.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but it is definitely not a quick read. Those who enjoy a slow burn, atmospheric,, and psychological mystery with maybe a hint of the supernatural should give it a try. I felt almost the same way about this author's other book and think if you enjoyed that you will llike this one too. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written and extremely atmospheric, this is a character-based ghost story about a Scottish town hiding secrets. Maggie was there when she was a child, telling stories about being the reincarnation of a murdered man. Now, an adult, she’s back, trying to find out where that tale came from. Was it a con instigated by her mother? As she finds out more about the town’s past, she gets to know the residents and discovers some of their secrets. Many readers will enjoy this delving into the characters, but I am more interested in action than psychology so, unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this novel. The plot is interesting, if slow. I liked the islanders, even when they act suspiciously, but there is too much detail for my taste. It’s not a bad book, I’m just not the right kind of reader for it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Scribner!