Slam Dunk in the Bay! Ward is amazing...and this book is pobably her most stunning. The story folds into itself so many times that at the end of it you have the most amazing origami ever. I have a few authors of whom I want to climb right inside of thier brains, and Ward is definitely one of them.

Thank you to the author,the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the physical ARC and NetGalley for the eARC of Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward in exchange for my honest review!

This is the second Ward book that I have reviewed here and I’ve noticed that the author LOVES twists upon twists upon twists. If you are familiar with their prior work, you’ll have a basic idea of what to expect for this book. However, don’t let that lure you into a false sense of security. This book is confusing and requires your full and undivided attention to ensure you have any semblance of what is going on.

Ward is SO good at writing enveloping scenes and settings. The characters don’t always feel accessible, but you could walk right into her pages and experience the world she’s built.

The first half of this book is AMAZING. Like almost 5 stars amazing. The storyline about the Dagger Man and the three teens hit a sweet spot for me. However, my interest waned and my confusion rose through the second half of the book. I felt like we jumped the shark and then some with the ending. I think this one was just a little too convoluted for me.

I think huge fans of Ward will still enjoy this one, just make sure to have a notebook to keep track of who is who and what timeline/storyline you are working with!

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Catriona Ward
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: Told in a variety of timelines, Wilder Harlow attempts to finally write his book about a time in his teens when a serial killer preyed on the small resort town his family stayed in. Filled with rage over having his story stolen from him, the book jumps from the summer of horror, to his college years, and to his older self.
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 352
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery/Horror
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: Yes, absolutely
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭: Yes
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝: 1990s and other more current timelines
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

I received a digital copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having bought a couple of Ward's books over the years but never actually opened them, I decided to finally take the plunge when I was given access to the advanced copy. I had heard that the author's writing was beautiful, at times confusing, and that there would be many twists and turns, and boy did all of those turn out to be true.

It's really hard to describe this book without giving too much away, so I'll say simply that I loved it and often had no idea where it was going. Though classified as horror, I would qualify this more as a flowing mystery with some occasional scary elements. Definitely go pick up a copy when it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC. I really wanted to like this book. I really enjoy Catriona Wards writing. The first half of this book was ok. And then pearl was introduced and it honestly became way too much. The story within a story within a story was so boring for me and I’m honestly confused. Wilders story of the three friends when they were young is the only part I actually liked.

Yet another mind-bending horror story from Catriona Ward.

This novel starts out as a memoir, kind of a coming-of-age story of Wilder Harlow, a lonely 16-year-old boy who finds himself at a family cabin on the Maine coast. He befriends two young people his age, and they become companions over the course of the summer. Promising to meet again the following summer.

The next summer is the beginning of the end for this trio, as the boogeyman of the area is arrested and his crimes all come to light. Wilder will never be the same, but he's determined to write everything down and get his truth out.

I never knew what was going on. I slowly became invested in these characters and their relationships with each other, but as the book progressed I quickly realized that this author was once again doing what she does best... turning everything upside down and inside out. As new characters are introduced and storylines became tangled I didn't even know who was really narrating this story. I DID NOT SEE THE END COMING. Which is something I seem to find myself saying with every book I read by this author.

This author's storytelling style may not be for everyone, but it definitely works for me.

I’ve read several books by Ward, so I wasn’t surprised by such a smart, twisty story. I was confused, at multiple times throughout the story, because this is a story within a story within a story! Many times I had to go back and re-read something to try to find my place in the story. That’s not a bad thing, just know that this isn’t a quick read and if you try to rush through it, you’ll definitely miss things.

“In a lonely cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of his childhood summer companions and the killer that stalked the small New England town. Of the body they found, and the horror of that discovery echoing down the decades. And of Sky, Wilder’s one-time best friend, who stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a lurid bestselling novel, Looking Glass Sound. But as Wilder writes, the lines between memory and fiction blur. He fears he’s losing his grip on reality when he finds notes hidden around the cottage written in Sky’s signature green ink.”

I got off to a slow start with this book, because in the beginning it seems pretty straightforward – a typical mystery/thriller, albeit with a fascinating setting and interesting characters. But there’ s nothing straightforward about Looking Glass Sound! I am a big fan of horror and read a lot of it, and I don’t consider this to be horror. Dark, twisty, complicated, creepy, intense – it’s all those things, but not so much horror. Psychological thriller is probably the most accurate description – but even that leaves a lot out because there are so many layers to this book. A great story to completely immerse yourself in and enjoy.

OH MY GOSH, CATRIONA WARD, YOU FRIGGGGGGGGGIN WIZARD. I am so shell-shocked, and I have so many questions simultaneously, but thank goodness for buddy reads and discussion groups because I'm so excited to dive deeper into the murky waters with @thrillerfriendsunite on May 17.

I am so thankful to Catriona Ward, Tor Nightfire, and NetGalley for sending an advanced physical copy and digital access to the book before it's projected to publish on August 8, 2023. I've read so many of her books; I'm sure this is her best.

Wilder Harlow and his family are flying to Maine to inherit a family home after his estranged Uncle Vernon died. This sleepy, oceanside town is home to a series of folk-lore frightened townspeople who all believe in The Dagger Man, a cryptid-like stalker who photographs children as they sleep and then sends the polaroid evidence to their families... very welcoming.

One summer, Wilder and his two friends, Harper and Nat (Nathaniel), come across a cave that's said to possess otherworldly powers, coming alive and suctioning its prey to her depths -- a story to distract the fact that many women have gone missing from the waters. Soon the trio finds out the actual murderer of these women has been living amongst them all along, destroying their friendship and leaving Wilder with tons of PTSD and trauma to work through.

Flash forward to college, and Wilder meets a peculiar guy named Pierce, who goes by Sky that takes a liking to his well-being and life. The sky begins to help Widler with his night terrors and anxiety, helping him work through the Dagger Man's traumas. Still, Sky has alternate plans because he, too, was impacted by this islander drama and wants to claim his retribution. As Sky and Wilder grow closer, Sky whips the rug out from Wilder's stance, jets away, and steals Wilder's manuscript and research to write a plagiarized book about Wilder's childhood memories on the island. And for that, Wilder intends to kill Sky.

Later in life, when Wilder finally gets the chance to off his former friend, he finds himself back in Maine for a time-warped affair that will keep readers guessing and confused for time after time.

This is my favorite Catriona Ward book so far. I thought that this was excellently structured, written, and executed. I can't wait to go back and reread it now that I know more about the narrator(s) and the formal structure. I thought that the characters were well-written, complex, and realistic. I personally think that this toes the line well between horror and literary fiction. It's a great book for anyone who enjoys atmospheric, twisty, surprising, and satisfying novels. Can't wait to read it again and can't wait to read more from Ward.

I received this ARC on netgalley. This is an honest review and I receive no payment.

This book was ambitious and it fell flat. It is a book within a book, within a book. The story became much too complicated and I struggled to keep track of what what reality and what was part of one of the “books” in the book. There were also storylines left without explanation which was a bit annoying. Sometimes authors can pull these things off but this book did not. If the author had stopped at just one book within a book, it could have been so much better but it just didn’t work with the third book in this Russian doll of books.

I sadly just couldn’t get into it. Life to short to commit to an okay book when you could find one that provides a fantastic escape! I tried to as keep going and ultimately I know other will enjoy it more for books appeal to everyone in a different way! Thank you for providing this ARC for me to try reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC! Looking Glass Sound has a twisting, compelling narrative that will leave you feeling haunted. The book starts in the early 1990's where Wilder Harlow goes (along with his parents) to a Maine coastal town where his recently deceased uncle lived. His parents have a strained marriage and Wilder feels out of place. He ends up meeting handsome local boy Nat (Nathaniel) and Harper (a beautiful Brittish girl and instant crush for Wilder). The three share local horror stories and end up uncovering a brutal serial killer. Wilder attempts to escape the trauma of this past in college and his new friend and roommate, Sky. Wilder confesses the whole truth of his friendships, the murders, and the Dagger Man to Sky who then leaves him betrayed, and Wilder sets off on a quest for revenge. But this is where the story takes a wide turn and the questions of what is real and what is fiction take over. The characters are authentic, the voice is powerful and moving, and the twist is ground-shaking.

This is an astonishing book, most of which I could not understand. It starts out as a summer connection between three young people and descends into magic and witchcraft. Nevertheless, the writing is superb, the descriptions rapturous, and, in the end, the struggle between good and evil is the essence of this book.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Catriona Ward is an auto-read author for me, and this book did not fail to deliver. Ward really knows how to bring on the weird and unexpected twists. The plot was great. The writing superb. And the characters are my cup of tea. I highly recommend this title.

It much can be said about this book without giving too much away. While the synopsis is one thing that really drew me in, it’s a bit misleading… in a good way. I had no idea what I was getting into.

I will ALWAYS gravitate towards books set in my home state of Maine, so the setting was a huge note for me. Also, I love books within books, so this is right up my alley. Add in this speculative supernatural thriller element that Catriona Ward always does so freaking well and I knew that I was going to love this.

Set in a coastal town, with this fantastically eerie atmosphere, a teenage Wilder meets two people who will alter the fabric of his world, knitting them all together. Later, when his story of his time in Maine is stolen and published by a close confidant, Wilder begins to plot. Not only a book, but how to get back at this boy who took his story. But that is kind of just the beginning, though by the time you, as the reader, reach this point, you start to see that nothing is as it seems. As you peel back layer after layer, page after page, you’re fully immersed in this strange story within a story.

'Looking Glass Sounds' was equal parts weird and wonderful! There were times I wasn't entirely sure what was going on but my eyes stayed glued to the pages as one reveal turned the previous on its head and so forth! True to what I've come to expect from Ward, the twists kept coming until the very end! There's no way I could have predicted where this one would end up!

I’m torn- it’s a good story, well written, full of twists that I’ve come to expect from Ward- but also what just happened!? There was so much at the end and a touch confusing.

This is such a hard book to review. The plot is so multilayered that it would be difficult to write a full synopsis so here's a brief overview:

The summer Wilder Harlow turns 16, his uncle passes away and leaves his family a cottage on the coast of Maine. Wilder is an odd boy and hopes to spend the summer in the new town making new friends. Soon after arriving, Wilder meets and befriends a girl named Harper and a boy named Nate. Even though a serial killer is on the loose, stalking children while they sleep, the trio ends up having a fun and adventurous summer together. As summer ends, the trio part ways and agree to meet up again next summer.

When the trio meets up again the next year, everything changes. Horrifying discoveries are made, dark secrets come to light, and the bonds of friendships are soon broken.

In true Catriona Ward fashion, Looking Glass Sound contains an unsettling and disturbing atmosphere without being very descriptive. Her simplistic yet concise writing style creates a vivid world that's easily imaginable and exquisitely creepy.

Looking Glass Sound is not a fast and easy read. The story requires your full attention in order to fully understand what's happening. Even with your full concentration, you will still feel lost and perplexed at times but eventually, all of the pieces will come together.

This is my fourth read by the author and even though it's not my favorite by her, I still enjoyed it. Without giving anything away, I will say my only issue was with the repetition(if you've read it you will know what I mean).

There's no doubt that Looking Glass Sound will be another hit with fans of Ward’s prior books as well as horror readers. Looking Glass Sound will be available on August 8. Many thanks to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

Catriona Ward has written a hauntingly chilling novel with Looking Glass Sound; it is a page-turner that keeps surprising you right until the end.
I thought I knew what was going to happen in the first section, and then it left me speechless. I thought I saw what was happening in the second section, and it left me stunned. I at times had no clue what was going on in the final sections, but by the end I was speechless.
This book looks at inescapable childhood trauma that chases the characters into adulthood. It examines tragedy and the effects it has on all around it. It is shocking and devastating, and sticks with you long after you've read the final page.
I am grateful to have received an ARC of #LookingGlassSound from #NetGalley .

QIUCK TAKE: I think fans of Catriona Ward's SUNDIAL and NEEDLESS STREET will be underwhelmed by her latest, a quieter, more introspective and meta psychological thriller that I ultimately enjoyed, but left me wanting more. It's part THE PLOT, part STAND BY ME, there's definitely some dark moments and I liked the story-within-a-story plot device, but I think Ward's previous books had me expecting something bigger and more brutal. Still an autobuy author for me.

Let me begin by saying that I really enjoyed The Last House on Needless Street. Turning now to Looking Glass Sound, it contains something that almost every author wants to write (a book within a book that has powers). It’s also extremely ambitious. The problem, sadly, was that some of the characters and timelines become messy and disjointed.

This book about an author writing a book about the killings in a book by the killer’s friend (confused yet?) had the makings of another truly fantastic story, but it fell kind of flat for me. The writing skill is still there like in Needless Street, but it wasn’t enough to hold all of the parts together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.