Thank you to NetGalley, Catriona Ward and Tor Publishing Group for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I gotta say, this is my first novel from this author and I was not impressed how there wasn’t really any chapters. As a mom, I need short chapters that I can leave off easily. The plot was pretty interesting and it kept me reading, but not one I’d recommend. But I have tons of Ward’s books on the shelves that I’m still excited to get to.

Somehow Catriona Ward manages to blow me away every time. This one has so many twists and turns and reveals, while staying entertaining and engaging the whole time.

I’ve had a very up and down relationship with this author and haven’t loved some of their work, so I was worried about this one.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. This is definitely a weird one, which is pretty typical for this author, but I liked the direction it went in and I found it to be super unexpected and unique.
I did think the ending was a little much, I think it could’ve been dialed back a bit because it became a little too wild for me. In the end, I really liked it and it’s definitely my second favorite from this author!

Okay. Okayyy.
What?
This book was insane and I've come to expect no less from Catriona Ward. This is the third book of hers I've read and each has left my mind completely warped, a little confused, but totally satisfied.
She has this beautiful way of writing, each character and setting laid out perfectly for you. You become so engulfed in these stories that you forget THE BIG WEIRD is coming. Because it's coming.
The book takes place in Maine (which I love), it's a coming of age story (partially), there's heartbreak and betrayal and revenge, and more than one incredibly unreliable narrator. I don't want to go into the plot because it is a crazy trip and I recommend taking that journey and seeing for yourself 🤭 so good

Thank you NetGalley, Catriona Ward and Tor for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Looking Glass Sound
Catriona Ward
Aug 8;
Tor Nightfire
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Wards writing is solid and mostly captivating. I just had trouble following this one and understanding it. About 50 percent in I lost interest. Very haunting.
3 stars

Book Summary:

Wilder Harlow was never very good at making friends. But the summers at a cottage are all it takes to change his life. First, he makes two friends, perhaps the best (and really, only) friends he's had in his life. Second, this time threw him neck-deep in a mystery.

As an adult, Wilder is trying to look back and understand everything that happened. Everything he went through. In doing so, he hopes to get a book out of it. But only time will tell how much of that novel is fact or fiction.

My Review:

Woah. Looking Glass Sound was such a mind-bender! This book had me all sorts of twisted up. First, there's that creepy crawly feeling. That started pretty much right away. But soon after, that feeling was replaced with something more – something deeper.

As it turns out, Looking Glass Sound is a layered horror/murder mystery novel. Whenever I felt like I had a handle on what was happening, something else changed, warping my perspective.

In other words, Looking Glass Sound is perfectly on point with the rest of Catriona Ward's writing. It's part thriller/psychological horror and part mystery, and it will send you into the deep end (pun slightly intended).

This is one of those books that will linger with you, for good or ill. So be prepared before diving in.

Highlights:
Spooky/Creepy/You Name It!
Layered Storytelling
Dark Murder Mystery

Trigger Warnings:
Stalking/Break-ins
Pedophilia
Suicide

I always loved Ward's writing, and Looking Glass Sound did not disappoint. I liked the concept of a book within a book, as it kept me on my toes in figuring out which story I was reading. Like Ward, the tension was up all throughout and I didn't see the ending coming.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND by @catward66 is out today! And you guys, what can I say that hasn’t been said already by reviewers? This book is something else.

Its almost 🤏🏽 like Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN where it’s a story within a story within a story, and you’re trying to figure out who’s the monster. (Yes, I know I sound like I’m reaching lol.)

Despite having read two different kinds of synopsis for this book, I still felt like I had no idea what the story would be about. And as I read it, I still wasn’t sure what to expect in the next parts. No lie, I got a little confused at each section, but the more I read the more I got it and it made sense. Then the ending came and it was kind of like when you finally get that one loose bit in a ball of knotted up thread and everything untangles. That’s how great my mental relief was when I understood the final story😂.

Stories of childhood friends, especially those bound by a traumatic incident, will always be a favorite of mine and this one made me feel nostalgia for experiences I never had. You can feel the yearning of Wilder for acceptance and friendship and love. And I really feel like he got screwed in so many different ways in all the stories. Ward really knows how to get undesirable characters under your skin. 🥲

I would highly recommend this if you’re a fan of (or don’t mind) mental gymnastics when it comes to stories. You don’t get a straight story from this author and I love that about her writing.

I was extremely happy when I got approved for this ARC since I love Catriona Ward's writing. However, when I read this book, I was so lost. Since I don't like giving away any plot/info on the story, I will not be able to explain why it was confusing. I gave the story a 3.5 stars as my rating.

Looking Glass Sound
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Catonia Ward

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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.

My Thoughts: Ward is known for mind bending fiction, as well as fiction within fiction and this latest novel does not disappoint. Wilder Harlow and his two close friends have the summer of their lives before Wilder’s parents divorced. Wilder is also working on a novel, which we get pieces of. This small town in Maine, also has a known serial killer, the Dagger Man of Whistler Bay. There are also a vast amount of women missing from this sleepy small town. Fast forward to Wilder’s college years when he is befriended by Skylar, does this friendship come at a cost? The cost of his novel that he has been working on for years? This coming of age story with ghastly horrors will have you second guessing your thought process.

This is a book within a book. Those are the hardest novels to write but Ward does it so well. There are two presenting mysteries here of the serial killer and the missing women. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, very twisty, mind bending, thought provoking, and suspenseful. You think the story is going in one direction, then boom it switches gears and throws your brain for a loop. Your brain 🧠 cells will get a workout in this novel. The terrors this novel outlines goes deeper than a slasher flick, the tragedies are more than a mire surface level, and the who, what and when will throw you for a loop over and over.

I had the pleasure of having both the digital book and audiobook. I think the audiobook was better, easier to follow along. The narrator chose for the audiobook was perfect, had amazing voice affliction, voice variation between characters, and really brought the characters and plot horror to life from the pages into your brain. This is a compelling, unique, unpredictable, tragic horror suspense novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. There are a vast amount of books that are one and done, you read once and it would not benefit you to read again. However, with this novel, I think it could be read over and over and each time, you would gain new insight into the mind of Ward. I would highly recommend picking up this book.

I have read and loved all of Catriona Ward's books by now and while this one has been my least favorite of hers, I still really enjoyed my time and would give it a solid four star rating. I can see how her writing has developed across her work as this was her first book, but I still got her signature vibe and atmosphere and although I'm not 100% sure I understood what was happening... overall .I enjoyed my experience.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor Nighfire for my review copy!

Thanks to the Publishers and Netgalley for the Arc! I've had a hard time thinking of how to review this book. The writing is AMAZING. It's clear that Ms. Ward has some serious writing skill & talent. The concept of the book was great. The thing I didn't like was how confused I was, but that was really the point of it! The spiral into madness, not knowing what's real, questioning if I missed something or if I read this part already. I did really enjoy this and would HIGHLY recommend others to read this one. I don't think there's been a book of hers that I didn't love yet!

Absolutely enchanting. I couldn't put it down. Catriona Ward knows how to spin a tale in a way that makes you know that something isn't quite right and yet, I never expect where her books will go. I enjoyed "Last House on Needless Street" and thought it was a studied and kind portrayal of an often mischaracterized illness.

Here, I knew something was off, but I really did not expect where this went at all. It felt like a cozy read that was speaking more deeply about narrative and stories within stories and who really controls the narrative. I loved the ending, but also felt confused and disoriented. Ward's writing style is perfectly plotted. She is playing with several storylines and expertly constructs in a way that I have never seen done so well.

I don't think I enjoyed reading the ending as much as I will enjoy seeing it made into an A24 movie. It is pure bait for some director looking to twist us up into a ball of mirrors. It's a really hard book to talk about, but it was enjoyable to read and get swept away inside.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get into the story and did not finish it. I encourage others to give it a try for themselves!

The narration of this one was great, but I don't think it's the best on audio. It's a really slow burn and jumps around in time. It was a bit hard for me to follow for those reasons. The narrator was great though and the story was fine. But just not the best for audio, in my opinion.

Nope. Did not enjoy. I really liked The Last House on Needless Street and its twists, I skipped Sundial due to animal cruelty on the page, I've heard not great things about Little Eve. But the twists in this book were just dumb. Sorrynotsorry. It started out interesting enough but got too weird and confusing and I just didn't jive with it.

I had difficulty reading and following what was happening in the book. The plot is layered and there is a lot going on. It starts as a memoir from main characters pov then shifts. It was full of love, murder, and betrayal. She had vivid descriptions and it transported me into the story but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Looking Glass Sound is another remarkably different shock/horror/thriller from the creative mind of Catriona Ward. Its creepiness is overshadowed by the disturbing narrative and storyline development, not knowing where the plot is going but then it all come together, for an extraordinary ending.

When Wilder’s uncle passes away, his parents inherit a cottage on Whistler Bay in Maine on the water. They decide to go on a vacation there during the summer before selling the property. Wilder meets Nat a local and Harper who vacations there every summer, both who it seems have known each other forever. As they begin to include him in their outings, Wilder feels there is something they are not telling him.

During the time he is there Wilder learns of Dagger Man, who was all the talk from the past summer who allegedly killed people and left polaroids of them. This topic seems to bond the three teenagers as they try solving who he is and imagine what he did and why. They also tell him about a victim named Rachel, the first to disappear. She had gone to the beach with her family and as they set out lunch she went for her daily swim and never came back. Some say she still haunts the Sound.

At the end of the summer, Wilder’s parents decide not to sell the cottage but rent it out and use it as their own vacation home. But the next summer will be Wilder’s last with both his friends. Dagger man is captured, and it throws the town into a chaos of which Wilder will not only ever be able to forget, but he will never be the same.

He goes to college and begins to write down his thoughts as to what happened during those summers. He can’t particularly function well but then he meets someone who helps him. But they have a terrible falling out which leaves Wilder devastated.

Years pass and Wilder decides to face his demons and goes back the cottage to try and write a story about what happened, what he witnessed and how it impacted his life. To his surprise he finds Harper living on the Bay.

As he tries to write, strange things begin to happen. He finds notes in the cottage he knows were not written by him. He smells things he knows he should not and sees things he knows cannot be there. He discovers he has written chapters of his story which he can’t remember doing.

This is too much for Wilder. His life was never the same after what happened, and he is not sure just how much more of life he can handle. Or even if he wants to anymore.

Looking Glass Sound has continuous suspense, mystery, despair and dysfunctional friendships and family secrets with so much more mixed in with such an incredible ending your only thought will be the need to read this again!

Thank you #NetGalley #TorNightfire #CatrionaWard #LookingGlassSound for the advanced copy.

This was my third read from Catriona Ward and my second five-star book from her! I am absolutely captivated by Ward's writing style and unique concepts, and Looking Glass Sound blew me away!

Looking Glass Sound is a slow, haunting story that creeps up on you, and it's far more character-driven than plot-driven, so readers beware if that is not your preferred style. I went into this story unsure of what to expect so I was just letting the story unravel before me and it was a spell-binding experience.

The story teeters on the edge of the real and surreal, which creates an atmosphere of tension and unease that continues to build with the story. By the end, you start to put together the main themes Ward is tackling with Looking Glass Sound and it leads to some really intriguing discussions around authorship and the craft of writing. I can't wait to see what Ward does next!

I held a book club discussion with my channel members here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIE91sPlmk

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise behind this book was oh so promising, and I rapidly consumed the first half. If it had kept to just that I would have loved it. But, half way through it takes a twist, and I struggled to stay invested in the story and the main character. He has nothing endearing to him, and it becomes a painful struggle to care about what happens to him.