With The Daughters of Block Island, Crista Carmen has done what many authors have tried and failed to accomplish — written a true gothic novel set in modern times.
Thalia Mills receives a letter out of the blue which reveals that she has a sister. Shortly after this she discovers that something horrible has happened to the sister she never met.
Blake Bronson, the sister in question, has travelled to Block Island to confront their mother. She is also escaping, at least for a while, her own troubled past.
The story initially follows Blake, then picks up with Thalia as the older daughter returns to the island home that she fled a decade prior. While there, each daughter must confront the insular inhabitants of the small town and attempt to unravel the web of historical and modern tragedy which has ensnared so many of the people there.
Carmen does a brilliant job of invoking classic tales while putting her own spin on the gothic tropes. There is a large, weather swept estate. The characters are conniving, each trying to protect themselves or others, and the terrible secrets which have followed the families involved for generations. Ghosts, literal labyrinthine twists, and closeted skeletons abound.
The Daughters of Block Island is a well written, immensely enjoyable thriller perfect, perfect reading for a gloomy night. The twists and turns and final reveals will keep you up until the sun rises.

Love gothic novels,it’s creepy, got a great setting! The end felt a little too long but otherwise I enjoyed

I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

I really enjoyed this Gothic-style suspense book! It is a little different from the typical mysteries I read, but I’m glad I dove into this one! The setting & characters are well-developed and so descriptive, and I was eager to uncover the characters’ history and twists the story took!

This book was filled with twists and turns throughout, but the biggest one for me as a Brit was learning that Block Island is actually a real place. With all the components of a traditional gothic novel, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to them, the story mostly follows lawyer Thalia as she returns to her birthplace island to learn more about the murder of her biological sister. However, I definitely preferred the first part of the book which focused initially on the aforementioned sister’s quest to find her birth mother. The framing of the prologue meant we already knew Blake’s death was coming, so the lead up to it felt even more chilling. What came afterwards was definitely a satisfying murder mystery, but didn’t quite live up to the high bar that had already been set for me personally.

This was a book I was shocked about!! It truly took me through the wringer and I thought I knew the ending but I didn’t. I loved it soooooo much!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The atmosphere of this book really hooked me. It was creepy and interesting and just a really great read all around.
I liked the characters and the setting. This was a great read for me.

Thalia receives a letter from a sister she never knew she had that was posted a day after she died trying to visit their Mother on Block Island. Thalia then heads to the Island to confront her mother, who she hasn’t seen in 10 years. Her sister’s death has been ruled a murder and her letter implied ghostly occurrences were happening at the B and B where she was staying. Thalia is determined to find the truth. about her sister’s parentage and her murder.
Good gothic read with a creepy hotel, dreary weather, and ghosts.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I was fighting to get through this because the ARC was formatted oddly. But since it’s out, I’m throwing in the towel and just getting the book.

First, I love this cover. It's gorgeous and really helped give me a visual of this mansion that the mc's are visiting. However, I did this one as an audiobook and I would not recommend it.

I'm not sure why, but I found the narrator really pulled me out of the story instead of in. I'm not sure if it was the pitch or the tone, but I found myself rolling my eyes, getting impatient and really disliking half of the storyline. I did like Blake's a bit better but I didn't love it either. I found the reasoning for putting her life on hold and just rushing out a bit shocking. Did she even know it was all true? Anything can be faked. I think I would have done a bit more due-diligence.

But I think this might work better as a book and/or ebook. If you like gothic, spooky stories with the weather and the house being just as much of a characters they themselves, then you might give this one a try! Just maybe get a sample of the audio before you buy if you want to go that route.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Blake arrives on Block Island to solve a mystery, but when things go terribly wrong and she ends up dead, her sister (who didn’t know she existed) revives a letter from Blake and goes back to Block Island to finish what Blake started.

I wish the that the prologue was not included. I actually think it detracted from the overall story and I would have preferred to be surprised by Thalia’s existence and Blake’s death. I think it would be better placed between the end of Blake’s perspective and the beginning of Thalia’s.

I also found Blake’s portion of the story much more compelling than Thalia’s, unfortunately.

While I enjoyed the overall mystery of the book, I was lightly disappointed in the culmination of the story. I just… wanted more. I loved the ghostly aspect and I wish that more of that had been involved throughout. I think the end of the story was slightly rushed.

Overall, I found this to be a good read, but not a fantastic read. I would like to read more from this author.

Great spooky read! I admit it was a little predictable, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Thank you for the ARC and I look forward to more from the author

Daughters of Block Island follows two sisters, unknown to each other. Blake wishes to know why she was given into care; Thalia just wants to know her.

Blake Bronson arrived on Block Island convinced that she was entering into a gothic novel. The rain, the creepy mansion with a restless ghost, and a mother with secrets, what else could it be? Before Blake can get the answers, she is seeking, she’s murdered in the creepy mansion’s claw-foot tub.

Thalia Mills returns to Block Island because Blake sent her a letter before she died. Determined to confront her mother about Blake’s existence, Thalia soon learns that Blake wasn’t the first suspicious death at White Hall. Now Thalia is determined to find out what her mother is hiding, what White Hall is hiding, and all the details of Blake’s murder, too.

This is a novel that I would have liked to have read in October. The atmosphere is just creepy enough. The torrential rain description reminds me of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Brandy’s character saying, “If anyone asks, let’s not tell them it rained the whole time.” Then there are the suspects, everyone being weird and keeping secrets.

I will admit that I knew who the killer was right off the bat, but I did not know why. The ending made so much sense and tied everything into a perfect bow. I wanted to know how the rest of Block Island handled the revelations, but that’s just the sign of a good novel.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

This book combines two of my favorite elements in a thriller/horror novel: an island setting and a haunted house. Without leaning into tropes, this author does a great job of making you read on the edge of your seat. I loved how Thalia was written, she was a main character I could really get behind. I was frustrated with Blake at times, but she grew on me, and by part 2 I was looking at her very differently. I actually loved this book and will be recommending it to people. The only thing I will say is, skip the prologue until you get to part 2, then go back and read it. I feel like the "twist" in part one packs more of a punch that way.

Oh. My. God. The Daughters of Block Island has it all: mystery, isolation, tragedy, and everything else that makes a gothic novel so... gothic. The pacing is on point, the atmosphere is through the roof, and the characters just about leap off the page. I love this book and am recommending it to anyone who reads horror, mystery, historical fiction (trust me), gothic fiction, regular fiction, essentially everyone I know. There were times when I couldn't continue reading because things were getting intense but at the same time couldn't stop because I needed to know what happened. It's one of the best books of 2023. Thank you, NetGalley!

This book has too much to give a brief summary but what I will say is one sister goes to the island looking for answers and after her murder the sister she’s never met comes back to the island to find them. This is a great book a truly awesome read I think when reading any book and there is no eye rolling involved or suspending of belief it’s probably a pretty good book in this one had none of that it was truly awesome it is a Gothic current day ghost story but of course there’s ties to the past those that can’t be seen in those that can and it all makes for an awesome read.I loved it and can’t say enough about it what a great book! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Daughters of Block Island is written in two parts. The first part tells the story of Blake, a woman who grew up in the foster system and is currently struggling with sobriety. After doing some digging about her birth mother, she finds herself on Block Island trying to uncover the entire truth of why she was given up for adoption and who her family is. She meets a handful of people, some willing to help since everyone knows everyone on block island. Blake discovers she has a sister and writes her a letter in hopes of connecting. The letter is post marked the day after Blake dies on Block Island. Parts two is from her sister Thalia's point of view. Thalia returns to Block Island, a place she left a decade ago and never looked back. Thalia attempts to uncover what actually happened to Blake while on Block Island and quickly figures out that there aren't many people she can trust.

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a gothic novel that kept me on my toes from the start. The atmosphere is great (pretty creepy at times). The description of White Hall and the island itself were well done. I liked the characters. It was an emotional roller coaster that depicted some pretty heavy themes. I was left constantly questioning who to trust, if the ghosts were real, if people were actually going crazy, if Blake would relapse, if Maureen was as selfish as Thalia thought, etc.

I would definitely recommend this book. It was the kind of book I did not want to put down because I just had to know what would happen next. I am hoping to read more by this author as it was great!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read this book for free. This was my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how gothic and atmospheric this book was. It was so interesting to learn more about the history of this island and the trauma that was experienced here. Our main character goes through a lot and I felt compelled to keep reading her story. Definitely recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I was allowed to read for free from NetGalley and give this review of my own opinion with no persuasion. You will need some tissues with this one. #NetGalley

I had never heard of Block Island before reading this book. It is well written and keeps you interested after getting past the first little bit.

Two sisters who didn't know each other exist. One in a mental hospital. I found this story to be very sad but also a bit edge of your seat in parts.

Block Island is another place where women and young girls could be sent, against their will, at the whim of men.

Thank you for this ARC.