Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward initially held the promise of an enchanting journey akin to a youthful adventure, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. As I ventured further into its pages, I found myself facing repetitiveness and an excessive length that hindered my enjoyment. Regrettably, I struggled to maintain interest, ultimately abandoning the book at the 75% mark after an arduous struggle that began around the 40% milestone.
While I am typically drawn to plot twists, in this case, they felt convoluted and poorly executed, making it difficult for me to follow the story's tangled threads. Despite its categorization as a horror novel, the intended sense of fear and dread failed to manifest within me. The book's attempts at inducing a chilling atmosphere seemed lackluster and uninspiring.
I usually appreciate the concept of a book within a book, but in the case of Looking Glass Sound, it failed to resonate with me. The execution felt flawed and ineffective, leaving me yearning for greater depth and originality. Although the narrator's performance started off on a mediocre note, I must admit that it gradually grew on me, redeeming some of the book's shortcomings in its early stages.
The story's repetitive nature, which involved retelling events from different perspectives, quickly became monotonous and lacked the distinctive flair needed to engage readers. Moreover, the inclusion of a word game throughout the narrative felt out of place, introduced at odd moments without sufficient integration, ultimately leaving me perplexed.
Despite its promising premise and initial intrigue as a coming-of-age tale, Looking Glass Sound ultimately lacked the depth and originality necessary to make it a standout read. With regret, I must conclude that it failed to deliver on its potential, leaving me disillusioned and unsatisfied as a reader.

Thank you to MacMillian Audio & NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for the ARC of the e-copy and the audio.

A coming of age horror about three young teens during a New England summer, and one, Wilder, who writes a memoir about the horrible events that occur.

I can't say much more because the novel should be read blind. Suffice it to say, in Ward's classic style; it gets weird and strange and compelling. I especially enjoyed the gothic elements.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND by Catriona Ward
LOOKING GLASS SOUND by Catriona Ward

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: LITTLE EVE, THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS ST

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781250860026

Release Date: August 8th, 2023 ( The same day as my book! )

General Genre: Horror, Thriller, Psychological, Suspense

Sub-Genre/Themes: Coming-of-age, friendships, coastal small towns, serial killers, college life, witchcraft, reads like a thriller, human monsters, mind-bender

Writing Style: intricately plotted, character-driven, skilled command of language, mood, setting

What You Need to Know: I think it’s best not to know too much going into this book. You can read my review. I always keep it very light on specific plot details and preserve reading discoveries at all costs, but be very, very careful reading other responses/reviews on Goodreads or other reviewing platforms. Holy hell, people give so much away. The review in GRIMDARK MAGAZINE is extremely revealing. The review at MEDIUM is even worse. The less you know, the better this book will be for you. I don’t even remember reading the synopsis to be honest. I read it just now, to be mindful of what details are freely given.

“Friendship and betrayal. Dark obsessions. Terrible secrets.”

That’s all you need to know. Oh, and also this: Don’t give up. Things will start to unravel and your brain will resist, you’ll be like, “Wait, what the fuck? I thought it was this way or that way, or whatever.” Just keep going. You will be rewarded. Trust me.

My Reading Experience: This book is like an A24 movie in the best possible way. A quiet, puzzle-like horror-thriller that creeps into your bones and unsettles you to the core.

My experience was extremely cinematic. As I type this, I can see images floating around in my mind of various scenes. I feel the mood that surrounded me and the overall tone of the work as a whole. Much like Little Eve, Ward expertly employs a distinct storytelling voice that wraps the readers up in a strong, character-driven narrative in order to painstakingly craft a path through a winding, twisting storyline EXACTLY how it is intended to be experienced.

I hope I explained that accurately. In other words, this story is very clever and Ward is able to manipulate her audience emotionally, almost scientifically (mindful of how our brain chemistry works) and works those things against the reader in order to reveal things precisely–landing every single punch.

I had actors picked out for the three main characters and even a few for some of the supporting roles. They just appeared in my mind based on their personality traits and physical features as they developed.

This is for sure a coming-of-age novel, the characters start as young adults and by the end, are much older. The story really unfolds in distinct acts: Childhood/Adolescence, College life, and Adulthood. The three main characters are bound together by an evolving mystery. And that’s all I will say about that.

Final Recommendation: I’m recommending this for readers that enjoy going on a journey. A multi-layered storytelling experience with characters you can invest in. Original, unexpected, and reads like a dark thriller but leans into some horror vibes too. This isn’t a thriller with thin, easy-to-digest plotting. It’s complicated. It has probably ruined me for all thrillers to come because I dove into a popular new thriller right after finishing LOOKING GLASS SOUND and was immediately put off. So that’s my big blurb/takeaway: Catriona Ward has just leveled-up to Gillian Flynn status for me. There, I said it.

Comps: Gillian Flynn Thrillers. Which is the gold standard, so.

I’ve enjoyed other work from this author, so I was excited to see she has a new book coming out. Though I confess, this one wasn’t wholly a favorite for me. The story gets retold in the middle of the story, in a bit of an inception style, and I 100% had no interest in re-reading what took me days to read because the pacing is slow.

Not relevant to my rating, but when Wilder reaches college, he’s called down to the principal, which stops being a thing in grade 12, so I found that odd.

I did have an issue with the dialog when everyone met for the first time. It’s very juvenile, and I had problems feeling like these people were just a few years from graduating. Mainly because before that, Wilder was using words that typical teens don’t use, such as “staved in by collisions.” His dialog fits a person who reads a lot, but then he meets Nat and Harper, and the dialog does a 180. Further, pretty much a hot minute after they meet, Harper and Wilder are fighting. And Wilder is declaring these people his closest friends, and he’s in love with Harper. Hello, you don’t know anything about either of them because you just met. But Wilder is starved for attention, so he’s latching on. It’s complicated.

I’m not fussed by the big mess of an ending like other people. It went a bit fantasy, which was a little odd, as most of the rest of the book was based in the real world, but it added an extra touch to an already complicated storyline. Between the pacing and the bulk of their younger years, feeling very much middle-grade threw the book off course for me. But I’ve read several reviews before writing this, and many really loved it. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt, and if it sounds like it could be up your alley, grab it because it could be your next favorite read.

My thanks to Tor Publishing for sending this over.

I feel like Catriona Ward books should come with a disclaimer at the beginning of the novel...something along the lines of the choice/warning Morpheus gives Neo before he commits to embarking on a trip to crazytown, ya know something like "This your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You close the book, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to. You flip this page, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.". And friends, the rabbit hole Ward creates is always deeper than you can possibly imagine. This story in particular maybe even more so than most! Just when you think you're on semi-steady ground and you've got things figured out, BOOM! The bottom drops out from under you and you have a whole new world to traverse. Although, the new world looks similar, like the one you were just figuring out but on slant. And there's always a surprise or two along the way.

I love the way this story unfolds! In Looking Glass Sound Ward really exemplifies how writing or storytelling is its own brand of magic. It can hurt or heal, it can right wrongs or create them, it can immortalize or eradicate. This idea is woven into the story through every twist and turn.

The characters are raw and flawed and compelling. They help draw you in but they also destabilize everything you think you know about the truth. Their grief, fear, pain, regret, wants, needs (etc.), blur the lines of what's fiction and what is fact. You not only feel for them but with them and that is more often than not overwhelming and disorienting (mostly in a good way!).

It also brings forward a haunting element to the story which I appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed this wild trip and as always look forward to the next mindfu*k tale that Ward dreams up!

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication. I have never read this author before, but the premise intrigued me. However, I have been working on this book for quite a few days and can't seem to make much progress. My e-galley has WAY more typos than I have ever seen in an e-galley, with passages sometimes repeated. The chapters are very long, so much so that my kindle is not telling me how much time is left in each chapter, only in the whole book. I did get 35% into the book, and I read fast but still have almost 4 hours left, and I am running out of desire to finish. I think this one is just not for me, but I do wish it was a bit more "finished" before it got to me.

I won't be writing much about this book. I didn't find it all that scary. I found the change in characters, what each was doing, and the timelines very confusing. I will not be passing along my arc for others to read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a book within a book. Wilder and his family go to the cottage they’ve inherited and decide to fix it up and sell it. Instead, they end up loving being by the ocean and decide to summer there. Wilder is a strange teenager, and he soon becomes friends with Nat and Harper. Pretty straight forward. The book takes a weird turn when Nat’s father is accused of killing women and hiding their bodies in oil drums in an ocean cave. Nat dies, or does he. Wilder gets old, or did he die by hemlock. Who is Skye or Sky who took WIlder’s manuscript? The book just got to be too weird for me. You might like it

Catriona Ward is an auto buy for me. I’ve loved all her books so far. I really enjoyed Looking Glass Sound and Ward’s way of writing the unreliable narrator.

Told from multiple POV’s and multiple timelines. We mainly follow Wilder as he navigates being an awkward teen, Wilder finds friendship, attraction and love over summer vacation. He meets Nat and Harper and the three are inseparable that first summer. Harper is a fun character, a wealthy teen witch who can identify hemlock. Nat and Wilder both fall for her but make a pact to not date her.

There’s lots of horror here: a serial killer, creepy local urban legend of a guy who takes pictures of sleeping kids, bodies found in barrels at the bottom of a sea cave; but it’s also very character driven.

My only struggle was a bit at the end. We switched up POV’s and timelines so much that I got a bit disoriented.

Great for fans of Last House on Needless Street (no animals though) and those that like thrillers/horror.

I just couldn’t get into this one. I was so excited to read it after “The Last House on needless street” but from the very first chapter it didn’t get my attention and it was very confusing. I decided to DNF it sadly. I hate writing bad reviews because I know how hard a author works to write books but this one just wasn’t for me.

This story was so freakin good! But I've enjoyed everything I've read by Ward. The creepy, mystery style of writing is always done to absolute perfection.

Is this a love letter to an author, possibly.... But with very good reason, and you should honestly check this book and her others out if you haven't already!

I loved the atmosphere of the Maine coast (that's where I'm from). But it's the characters, the blurred lines between past and present, and the magic of being a child mixed with the horror of what happened that made for a great story. All the elements worked so well together.

With this story, Ward weaves this web so intricately, giving just the right amount throughout to keep you on your toes. Waiting for the final piece to pop into place. It's one of those books where if you don't pay attention to every detail, you won't see anything coming. But to he honest, you probably won't anyway. And this is the way of Ward!

Would I have it any other way? Of course not. Because I love a good dark, twisty, mystery, and Ward is one of the very best at doing that.

*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for my gifted copies of this book.

Looking Glass Sound is a hard book to summarize. I went in totally blind and had a great experience with that! There are a couple of books being written in this book with a mix of a serial killer, a bit of witch craft, a bit of paranormal, and a whole lot of “WTF” moments. I loved it!

Just like Ward’s other books, a lot of the book you’re confused about what’s going on. Are we in another book or is it real life? However, that really works for this book and the confusion just adds to the reading experience. All of the characters were really well-written and strange. The setting was so vivid and I really loved the descriptions of water and the beach. I love books about books and authors and this one was great as well.

Catriona Ward delivers again with a strange twisty book that leaves you thinking WTF. I really loved it and I highly recommend! It was a definite 5 star for me!

Thanks so much to tor and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I can't decide if I loved this or was unbelievably confused. I think the premise was really cool and the writing was exceptional, and I think I would have been less confused if I was reading a physical book with chapter breaks and formatting.

The twists were great and I highly recommend reading this when alert enough to follow. The book within a book within a book concept can be a bit tricky but meta in the best way. I loved the spooky coastal setting and how quickly things went from quiet to horrifying in the first 30%.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a "Scary thriller" even if they don't normally read the horror genre,.

Thank you to @tor for letting me read this one. LOOKING GLASS SOUND publishes on August 8

The first 60% was amazing and I gobbled it right up but the last 40% hurt my brain in a way that made me mad, haha. I’ve really loved or really hated Catriona Ward’s previous books but this one belongs in a different column entitled, this hurt my brain. I think this will be a big hit and I can’t wait to talk about it with someone!

Looking Glass Sound is a hard book to talk about because it feels a bit like reviewing several books at once. It is a book about a book, but also that book is about a book. As a result, there are a lot of twisty layers at work, and honestly by the end so much of what we know or think we know has been called into question that it’s hard to say for sure which bits did happen in the story. Of course, part of the point seems to be asking us what makes up a story and how it is made up, so what did happen isn’t really the focus. The narrative begins with Wilder, Nat, and Harper and their youthful friendship in Whistler Bay, Maine. The characters are compellingly drawn throughout.
It took a while for Looking Glass Sound to take off, especially if you came to it for the spooky factor. It feels like it might be a coming-of-age novel for a pretty large first portion of the book. As the young people start telling ghost stories about a woman lost at sea named Rebecca (strong gothic throwback vibes here), it becomes clear that the novel will take a more sinister tone as it continues as we learn more about the Dagger Man of Whistler Bay. And then it gets even creepier from there…

I loved the depth of this psychological suspense drama/horror book as much as I hated it. Every time I thought I knew the who and what of it all, names changed that sent me reeling. Part coming of age, mixed in with some serious serial killer vibes, mental illness, lgbtq characters, and TOTALLY UNRELIABLE NARRATION.
I'm talking such unreliable narration to the point I had no clue who was who more often than not. So, I will chalk that up to trying to trade-off between listening and reading the book. Also, as a healthy does of the paranormal is included, I was questioning who the ghosts were too. Or were they ghosts? Or is that an hallucination? You get my point.
All in all, 3.5 stars. I just don't think it should be this difficult to follow along. If other readers had less difficulty, my hats off to you.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for access to an early e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The gothic, eerie, seaside Maine scenario did not hold much appeal to this reader.  There were many times that confusion reigned while I tried to understand the characters from their teen years into adulthood and their relationship with each other throughout. This spooky and complex tale required total concentration to keep the real and mystical apart.
   Loved by many, just not me.

"Looking Glass Sound," authored by Catriona Ward, is a captivating literary work that encompasses a multifaceted narrative. Initially, the book presents a coming-of-age atmosphere reminiscent of early Stephen King novels, such as "Stand by Me." However, the storyline swiftly undergoes a significant shift, incorporating a nested narrative structure with multiple perspectives and timelines. The novel intriguingly delves into themes related to mental health, small-town dynamics, and other intricacies, deviating from conventional horror elements.

While "Looking Glass Sound" proves to be an engaging read, it does not rank as my personal favorite among Catriona Ward's literary contributions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy.

I have heard great things about this author’s other works, so I was excited to give it a try. I really enjoy spooky, atmospheric coastal stories. However, I was very disappointed by this book.

To start, I really did not connect with the writing style. It felt very choppy at times, and there was no flow to the sentences. It also just felt really lackluster and almost emotionless. I felt distanced from the characters and everything that was happening, which made it really hard to connect to anything or anyone. I especially felt removed from the characters. They didn’t feel like real people. I felt like I knew nothing about them beyond the basic archetypes they represented, like Wilder being the awkward lonely kid and Harper being one of those disturbed quirky girls that every boy is obsessed with. I also felt like they came across a lot younger than the 16/17 years old they were supposed to be.

Additionally, I just felt very little interest in the story. The summary sounded really interesting, but as I kept reading, I was just bored. I felt no suspense or intrigue. There are a few major reveals sprinkled throughout the story, but I felt no shock or relief or any emotion when they happened because I just didn’t care about anything that was happening. Then the last half of the story just got so convoluted with all of the multiple points of view and stories.

I personally did not like anything about this book. It seems like many really enjoyed it, but this was not for me.

Thank you to Tor for the arc!

This is my favorite book of the year. there's no denying it. This story is horror mixed with a thriller/ dark academia and i loved every bit of it. Looking Glass Sound starts off as an innocent summer coming of age story than turns into something much darker and I couldn't get enough.