This book was absolutely fantastic! As a lover of gothic stories it was wonderful to see how the books like The Castle of Otranto and Rebecca played into this book. I also liked that despite most of the characters being well rounded and interesting the evil characters were just plain evil. The story was intriguing and I loved the twists and turns and the reveals were brilliant. I will definitely be interesting in reading more by Christa Carmen!

REVIEW:
I loved this book. It feels like a very contemporary story on many levels, but it also has so many gothic strands which delighted me. I felt Blake was a very cool character. Christa’s short fiction is compelling, dark, and imaginative. Block Island is as well. Although you can spot many Gothic references, Crista Carmen has her own voice, and full disclosure that I am a big Gothic reader and fan, so this story really spoke to me. The setting is phenomenal and really intriguing. So, haunted house? Check. Characters who may or may not be embroiled in something highly emotional, and possibly supernatural. Big check. Creepy settings? Check. Mystery? Big check. I highly recommend it and it’s one of my favorite reads of the past few years, without doubt.

This review appeared in my newsletter DISPATCHES November 2023

This was a great gothic story! It's very atmospheric and well-written. I will definitely be checking out more from Christa Carmen. Thank you to Christa Carmen, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This is one of those books where I didn't feel all the pieces fit together properly. The first 1/4th of the book is told from one sister's perspective and immediately shifts to the other sister's. The mystery itself is not a mystery. It stares you in the face from the beginning. Also, don't take a drink everything gothic is mentioned. You won't make it. The author leans very heavily on this trope and keeps reminding the reader of how much a character loved gothic fiction. It got to be tiring after a while.

The Daughters of Block Island is perfect for fans of Gothic novels! We follow two sisters who never had the chance to know each other. A newly sober Blake has grown up in orphanages and foster care. She travels to Block Island seeking answers from her birth mother. Her search brings her to a very creepy B&B on Block Island's rocky shores. She manages to send a letter to Thalia, the older sister she never knew, but unfortunately dies soon after.
Upon receiving Blake's letter, Thalia returns home to Block Island looking for answers of her own. Why did her mother keep the pregnancy a secret and who is responsible for Blake's death?
The atmosphere in this book was so eerie, with the constant rain and isolated setting of Block Island. There were some genuine creepy moments throughout the story, as well as a solid murder mystery. I look forward to seeing what Christa Carmen has in store for us in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy!

{3.5 stars}

When Talia gets a letter in the mail from a sister she never knew she had, she is rightly shocked. As she starts to research this woman’s name, she finds out she was murdered just after the letter was sent. Now, to get answers she must go back to the isolated island she has fled from and face her mother, who she hasn’t spoken to in a decade. When she gets there, she realizes the island has more secrets than she knew and her reality is completely upended. The more information she gathers, the more danger she is in.

This was a like, not a love for me. I definitely liked the Gothic vibes and the old mansion house. But I didn’t really connect to Talia or Blake as much as I wanted to in order to feel their terror. I did really like their mother Maureen, but we didn’t get that many scenes with her. While I liked the vibes, I think in the end, it just wasn’t twisty enough for me.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above my own.

This book is told in two parts: in the first, we follow the story of Blake, who, having discovered the identity of her birth mother, arrives on Block Island, hoping to meet her biomom. But once on the island and checked into the island’s grand bed & breakfast, White Hall, finds herself surrounded by mystery and intrigue. Feeling pulled into the island’s past, Blake feels like she’s in the middle of a gothic novel she can’t get out of - and she doesn’t. But before she’s found dead, she sends off a letter to a sister she never knew she had, Thalia. In the second part of the book, Thalia returns to Block Island to face her and her mother’s demons and figure out happened to her sister. But some people are determined to keep the past buried, no matter the cost.

This book was really good. Like really good.

It has the perfect mixture of gothic atmosphere and present-day mystery, mixed with historic elements and creepiness. It was a great page-turner in that made me want to just keep reading and reading to figure out what was going on because there were a lot of moving parts, but they weren’t overly confusing. I could easily follow the plot and keep everything straight. The ending was really good and felt appropriate for the book.

I also liked the focus on female characters, as you can probably guess from the title. But seeing all the different characteristics of each character was awesome. Each character was unique and had their own struggles. It was nice to see that kind of range in female roles in a story, and not have them all just be wooden. The women took the lead and that was precisely the way it should have been.

I’m really glad I read this coming up into the Halloween season. It was a perfect atmospheric choice for the season. Anyone looking for a modern-day gothic thriller will enjoy this one a lot!

This book sounds amazing but I couldn’t get into it. I put it down over a month ago and have since read quite a few books while avoiding this one. It has potential and I think it’s worth trying if it feels like your type of book. It just wasn’t for me.

Grade: C

I am a sucker for a good old gothic novel, and the allure of the gothic drew me to this title. The problem was, no matter how many times I was told this was a gothic novel, it never felt that way.

We start with Thalia receiving a letter from Blake, who ends up being her previously unknown half-sister. Then, we find out what happens to Blake. Then Thalia goes to find out what happens to Blake. Hijinks ensue. There is a house, White Hall, that tries to be the central gothic building, but it just isn't.

To be fair, there were things that I liked with this one. Carmen does a good job with the pace and I did keep turning the pages. There are a number of crucial descriptive scenes that Carmen executes well and I could clearly see what she was trying to say.

But, ultimately, this book didn't work for me. Not only did it fail to live up to its gothic promises, I found the main character of Blake to be just incredibly stupid. She is supposed to be a lawyer and a lawyer should clearly know better than to make the choices she makes. Also, as a lawyer, she would know how to get the information she needs and accomplish the things she needs to accomplish through legal means. Instead, she's running around like an amateur sleuth with a death wish.

Christa Carmen can write, and I'd be open to reading something else by her. This, however, was not a success for me.

Huge thanks to Christa for sending me a digital ARC of her debut novel!

The Gothic novel. Ahhh… my old nemesis. Those dark corners, those subtle nods to the ‘otherness’ in the room… Much like Epistolary stories, Gothic stories can be a hit or miss for me, but having previously read (and greatly enjoyed) Christa’s work, I was very intrigued by what I’d discover on Block Island.

This novel reviews itself slowly, layer by layer as more of the story is revealed and it seems like the perfect October-curl-up-in-a-blanket-by-the-fire type novel, which I think will have fans of this type of story over the moon.

What I liked: The novel begins with Thalia receiving a letter from a sister she didn’t know she had. Blake has reached out from Block Island, a place Thalia told herself she’d never return to. After doing some digging, she discovers that Blake passed away not long after sending the letter – and that Blake was on Block Island, searching for her own mom she’d never met, having been giving up for adoption, as well as for Thalia, the sister she didn’t know she had.

Carmen does a wonderful job of keeping the complexities of this island and its inhabitants sinister, as though Blake (and later Thalia) and annoyances and intrusions, while being superficially friendly. It captures the feeling one gets well, when going on vacation and having those who wish you stayed away let you know they wished you stayed away.

There’s a delicate paint-brush-stroke-esque to the way Carmen reveals this story, a textured softness that belies the darkness that seeps into every cranny, a fascinating misting of the readers brain that says ‘don’t get too comfortable.’

This remains in place up to (and including the afterword) the very end, when the story opens wide and the reveals take place. While this novel does wear a lot of its influences on its sleeves, its that familiarity that keeps this grounded in a slow burning tension from page one until the very end.

What I didn’t like: Like most Gothic stories of any length I read, I do struggle with some of the pacing. Carmen keeps things moving and keeps the reader engaged, but for some it may possess a pace that is less than what they typically enjoy and will hinder their progression through such a wonderfully written novel.

Why you should buy this: This novel feels like a modern throwback to the classics, where a rain-soaked woman is illuminated by the flash of lightening, while she flees from the horror within the home.

Carmen has done an immaculate job of building the setting into the story as much as the characters drive the novel and throughout we get quick, sharp stabs of horror, which worked so well to keep the reader on their toes.

As for me, I enjoyed it, but still had to work my way through it, this type of novel not one I’d normally ever go out and choose. So, for me, this was a solid 3/5 read. For those who’ll eat this one up and are desperately waiting for this to arrive, it’ll be an easy 5/5. So, I’ll split the difference and go with a very solid 4/5 overall, and one I definitely suggest you grab if you love this type of book!

A great fall book! The story takes us to the East Coast to a small island where Thalia has grown up, and goes back to solve the mysteries surrounding a letter she receives telling her she has had a sister that was given up for adoption. The story was spooky, fun, and a little kitschy as well. I enjoyed the moodiness and ambiance that definitely helped me get into the fall season, and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery! The characters were really fun, the story twists were not predictable and the story itself touched on some real issues in our world - including addiction, which was portrayed in a very thoughtful way. I would recommend this book to someone wanting to get into a spooky mood!!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciated the intention behind this book but the overall outcome was just not my jam. I didn’t understand a lot of the decisions the characters made and it ended up coming off pretty cartoony.

3.5*

It's the perfect time of year to start reading creepy stories and this one gave me all the "feels." 🎃

This I believe is Christa Carmen's first full length novel and it's a good one! The story is gothic creepy and all throughout there are mentions of the great gothic novels of past. There's an old manor house (now a B &B) on Block Island that is owned by the Searles sisters. The creepiness of the house and strange happenings in there definitely added to the story.

The story is told in two parts by two sisters. The first part is through Blake. She comes to Block Island to try to find her Mother who gave her away at birth. While she tries to find the courage to confront her mother she takes a room at White Hall (the Searles' sisters B&B.) Some strange occurrences begin to happen....Blake writes a letter to her sister on the eve of her death (not a spoiler as this is told in the opening chapter.) In Part Two Thalia must return back to Block Island where she was raised because of that eerie letter she received from a sister she did not even know she had.

This is a good story. It has a great setting of Block Island in the "off season." There are no tourists and just a sparse population of only the locals. It's chilly and rainy season and White Hall is a gothic-style old manor with creepy boards, and hideaway places. Plus there just might be a ghost lingering about! It's not a horror but a spooky mystery. There's a lot going on but I still enjoyed this one!

A creepy B&B?
Count me in! I have never stayed at a bed and breakfast, and I really don't think I will.

This book is packed full of whodunits. Who did this murder? Who did that murder? Who is who? Who REALLY did it? I thought I knew, but I guessed wrong, don't hire me to solve any crimes.

The characters were amazing. I loved Sarah. You really rooted for them, or you didn't like them very much. I would say all in all Block Island is the place to be, but really it doesn't seem fun!

Loved it. The characters were real and creative, the plot was intricate and interesting, the setting was alive. Carefully crafted, and wonderfully written.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Christa Carmen's Daughters of Block Island is a pure triumph. Spooky, with unreliable narrators and fascinating ghosts. Great prose and characters, with enough darkness and emotion to be remarkably memorable.

What a great spooky, gothic novel to kick off fall reads. I loved the atmospheric setting of White Hall and Block Island. The ghost stories were creepy and the mystery kept me guessing! Will post my review on Instagram closer to pub date

Christa Carmen's The Daughters of Block Island toys with the conventions of gothic fiction often giving meta commentary to the scenes as they unfold. However, in many places, the concept exceeds the execution. There are references to classic gothic fiction - mysteries of udolpho, The Monk, Northanger Abbey, and Rebecca feature prominently - but their relation to the plot is left surface level. The description calls Daughters an "ingenious and subversive twist on the classic gothic novel," but it falls short, largely because it does not complicate its relationship with the source material or update the social commentary. It's unclear precisely what is meant to be subverted.

As a thriller, Carmen crafts a solid narrative that steadily builds through a dramatic ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.