The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke is dark and creepy as hell.

Liv and her three daughters arrive on the remote Scottish of Lon Haven to paint a mural in the local lighthouse. The tension slowly built form the start and reached the point where it was almost unbearable.

The local myths and customs seem strange to the family who hail from York. Liv and her children aren’t sure what to make of the tragic history of the island. The lighthouse is built on the spot where men and women accused of witchcraft were held before being burnt.

The locals have legends of ‘Wildlings’, fae children replacing human children and killing entire families. Liv doesn’t believe any of it and then one of her children goes missing.

Year in the future one of her daughters is haunted by the island and the disappearance of her mother and two sisters but what really happened?

Everything added to the story including the description of the lighthouse.

“The lighthouse was called The Longing pitched amidst tessellations of black rock black as coal, thrashed for over a hundred years by disconsolate squalls, it needled upwards, spine straight, a white bolt locking earth, sky, and ocean together. It was lovely in its decrepitude, feathery paint gnawed off by northern winds and rust-blazed window frames signatures of use and purpose. I always thought lighthouses were beautiful symbols, but this one was more than that – it was hauntingly familiar.”

The multi-narrative perspective of the book really added to the suspense because the readers had to wait to find out what happened.

The Lighthouse Witches is one of the best books of its kind I have ever read but it also has a killer twist that is wholly unexpected.

The Lighthouses Witches is a phenomenal read. It is well-researched and the author’s note at the end of the book is well worth reading as well.

When Liv is offered a job to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse, she jumps at the chance for a fresh start, even if it means she and her daughters have to move to a remote Scottish island.

The island has its own dark history. Built upon the horrific historical witch trials of Scotland, the locals tell tales of witches and wildlings - beings believed to take on the form of human children.
When two of her daughters go missing, Liv is forced to consider whether such tales of supernatural creatures are tales at all, or if there is some truth behind it…

The story jumps between the different povs of Liv, and her daughters Saff and Luna.

The atmosphere was truly beautiful and haunting, and so well written.

Although I liked the ending, it did seem a bit rushed compared to the giant buildup in the rest of the book. I did also think there would be more ‘witchy’ business in it, but overall I really enjoyed this read!

Last year, I read and enjoyed C J Cooke's book, The Nesting, and thought this new novel would prove equally entertaining as I love gothic fiction. It has a strong premise - a Lighthouse in a remote place, a painting of an ancient mural, a family struggling to fit into the community, folklore and witches. These are all things that appeal to me in a book, and there are a few creepy moments, particularly in the first half.

However, I did find the differing time zones a bit confusing, and I'm still unsure about the ending.

That said, it leaves you with questions you want to be answered. It would be an enjoyable read on a cold, damp October day when you can nestle in front of the fire and get involved with all the characters, rather than how I read it, which was much more sporadic and which may have led to my confusion.

I’ve only just discovered this author, and very recently read “The Nesting”, which I loved.

I was very excited for this one, and it didn’t disappoint me at all. It’s dark, gothic, witchy, and the plot twists really surprised me!

Fabulously written, and thought through. A strong recommendation from me.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J.Cooke

This book has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, because I loved the blurb but also because I’ve had a lot of luck this year with books that have a lighthouse on the cover. The Lighthouse Witches was even darker than I expected and I enjoyed it immensely. In the late 1990s, artist Liv Stay finds herself homeless and without work so travels all the way up to Scotland and an island called Lòn Haven where a friend has recommended her to paint a mural. She travels to the coast, with her three daughters Saffy, Luna and Clover. There she meets Isla, caretaker of the bothy they’ll be staying in next door to the sea lashed lighthouse where she’ll be painting the mural. The mural is planned out on a large roll of paper and Liv is bemused to see a diagram of sorts, full of runic symbols she doesn’t understand. Getting this accurate in a circular building is her first challenge, and the second is to inject some of her own creativity in the design to make it beautiful. The girls are a bit shell-shocked to be brought to this remote and wild place, and there are certainly some unanswered questions as to why and how they ended up somewhere so remote and creepy. Liv carries a huge secret inside her, but the family are about to find out that Lòn Haven holds its share of secrets and ancient beliefs too, causing the whole family to disappear.

The story is told through different characters in three main time zones. Liv narrates the main section in the 1990s, then we meet her grown-up daughter Luna twenty years later, but we also go back into the history of the island and the witch trials of the 17th Century. The grown-up Luna is drawn back to the island when her sister Clover is found. However, to Luna’s shock, her contact Eilidh the social worker takes her to a little girl. Clover should be around thirty years old. Yet, Clover recognises her childhood toy and his name; she immediately squeezes Gianni the Giraffe like an old friend. Luna can’t understand why the social services haven’t noticed the anomaly in Clover’s date of birth, but her instinct is to protect her sister. So when asked, Luna fudges her date of birth and takes Clover away with her to the Air BNB she’s booked. At times, once they’ve settled, Luna does wonder if everything is okay with her sister. There’s the strange marking like a brand on her skin, which has four tiny numbers inscribed. There’s also a look she has, as if she isn’t present in her body and doesn’t recognise Luna. Over a couple of days she also displays some disturbed behaviour. Luna finds Gianni with his insides pulled out and his head cut off and then Clover floods the bathroom on purpose. Luna is desperately trying to find some sort of disease or syndrome that might have regressed her sister’s age. The only other explanation is a supernatural one and Luna isn’t sure she’s ready to accept the the local folklore she heard when she went missing all those years ago. However, she’s pregnant and alone with Clover in the middle of nowhere, so what if she isn’t her sister?

The author creates a brilliant atmosphere across all three time periods, starting with the name of the lighthouse, The Longing. Rather than full on horror, it’s a sense of the uncanny that starts to unsettle the reader. We all know that sense of rising tension when we feel so on edge, until anything would scare us. Here, it’s glimpsing a baby in the water that’s flooding the floor of the lighthouse, when it’s just a doll; a small child’s arm reaching out from behind Liv’s art materials; or opening a door to see your own double. As we delve into the past and the history of The Longing, we are faced with the real-life horror of the 17th Century witch trials encouraged by the first King of England and Scotland, King James I and VI. Women with skills such as herbalism or midwifery could come under suspicion, but more usually local disputes and grudges led to women being branded a witch. In this case the local midwife, her friends and daughters have been accused and in matters like this they stick to the rule ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’. Accused women in this time period were often checked for the Devil’s mark - a mole, birthmark or blemish of any kind - had their hair shorn, were stripped, humiliated and then burned. The history of the island shows that a burning happened on the very rock, that now serves as a foundation to The Longing. I wondered whether the old beliefs in the fae or fairies, witches, and strange children called wildlings still held sway in the present day. In the 1990’s narrative there is a definite undercurrent of ancient beliefs, with enough reach to influence the police and the richest man on the island, owner of the bothy and lighthouse. Liv comes up against it when she reports seeing a small boy who looks like he’s been living wild. The police don’t want to know and it feels as if they see her as a nuisance, someone who doesn’t understand the island’s way of life. When you drive onto Lòn Haven, as Luna does years later, there’s a sense of the ancient past existing alongside the present.

I did get a little confused at times, especially with the elements of time being manipulated, through the cave known as the Witches Hide. There is old magic here. I was trying to understand the marks and numbers branded on Clover and others, and match them to the different time frames. In the end I gave up and decided to go with it. I found this quote, from mother to daughter, very apt:

‘I’m not sure if I’ll make it, Luna. I’m not sure I’ll be able to hang on long enough to see you one last time. I’m going to try. But if not, if I slip away before I get the chance to hold you again, I wanted to write down the story of what really happened on Lòn Haven. As you’ll see, Cause and Effect in this tale do not fit easily together. The pieces are odd and mis-shaped because truth is messy and porous’.

I enjoyed the ending, despite feeling it was untidy. I thought it was a great story of women, and how their power and position changes over time. It also has a lot to say about mothers and daughters, how they communicate and the stories they tell each other to help navigate the world. I felt so much for Saffy, a very confused 15 year old who, in the midst of all the supernatural activity, is dealing with the usual teenage angst. Unsure of herself and this new place, she is lured into sexual activity and sending explicit pictures to one of the local boys. This is a girl who desperately needs her Mum, and isn’t getting any support or advice. There’s one occasion where Liv honestly has no idea where Saffy’s been for the last 24 hours. I wanted to give this girl a massive cuddle and help her set boundaries that she’s comfortable with instead of being coerced. The author mixes the present day perfectly with ancient folklore, supernatural happenings, and time travel, which is not an easy feat. Not to mention the historical research that underpins the more fantastical elements. So, it seems my attraction to books with lighthouses on the cover, has paid off again.

This was a disappointing read- I really enjoyed the tone of Cooke’s earlier work, The Nesting, and had hoped for a similar mix of creepy and irreverent. However, the multiple narrators in this book just came off as confusing and the plot was less ‘Dark’ and more ‘X Men’- except the main antagonist was barely in the book.

It’s a shame, because the book starts very strongly and I really wanted to find out what happened to Liv and her daughters- but it ended up not being worth the journey.

I absolutely loved this book. It gave me nightmares. It was so intense and filled with tension.

Definitely a must read

There were things I liked about this book - the setting was great and I was intrigued by the first half of the book. I just found that for me, the narrative jumped around slightly too much and was confusing at times. I'd still recommend however, as clearly a lot of other readers lived this one

An enjoyable read very much in the gothic style.
A good book for a rainy afternoon in front of the fire.

"The Lighthouse Witches" is described as a "Gothic thriller", but I'd lean towards "Gothic mystery". There's plenty here to get the chills going up and down your spine. It's written well, has some interesting characters, a gorgeous setting, and an interesting plot. I really enjoyed the way mythology was blended into the story, as it gave it an extra something. More please!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

All my regards to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts posted are my own

What is this book about?

1998
Olivia Stay, single mother of three girls, Sapphire Saffy, Clover, and Luna, arrived at the island of Lon Haven to paint a commissioned mural in its mysterious lighthouse, the Longing. Liv recently lost her partner, and she thought the mural would be the occasion to build a new life. However, some mysterious tales and even more mysterious people on the island turned out to be more than they seem. Things ended with Liv and her three daughters all disappeared.

2021
Luna Stay is the only survivor of the so-called murder of the Stay family. Now an adult, she has long forgotten the trauma she had endured on the island. Things start to get weird when her long disappeared sister, Clover, reappears, still seven years old. Clover was discovered with disturbing wounds on her body, and in an attempt to discover her past, Luna and Clover decide to return to Lon Haven.

My general thoughts

This book took me 12+ days when I could have finished it in two sittings. I went in without expectations, and I am still disappointed. I thought this would be a fun little gothic horror, but I was so wrong. There is literally nothing creepy or thrilling about this book. Everyone is annoying except for Cassie and Finn. Imagine being stuck in people who are so naive for 365 pages. The plot was so predictable that I knew exactly what would happen within the first 60 pages. The plot twists are plain, and some characters' actions are highly questionable (view spoiler)
I ought to give the books some credits for the Nordic folklore and legends. The tales about witch hunts were super interesting to read about. The setting is also very atmospheric, but I was so distracted by either Liv's, Saffy's, or Luna's internal monologues.

Overall not my best read, but I can get why people like it.
Find me on Instagram @delilahfcirchild or @irisdescenes

This is not the type of book I typically read but I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read it.
The storyline is instantly engrossing, with characters you could invest in and a writing style so perfect you barely notice it.
This is the story of Luna, after being moved to a Scottish island by her mother when just a girl, her entire family goes missing in a series of mysterious events, wrapped up in ancient folklore.
The narrative of the story is told through different character perspectives and the pages of an old book, these weave together seamlessly and the chronological jumps are easy to follow and well thought out.
Suspense, intrigue and eerie unease are created through the chapters of this book but I found the conclusion of the story really pleasing.
I would recommend this novel to fans of fantasy fiction and also to those who are not.

This was such a lovely fun read and it kept me gripped throughout. Lots of twists and turns to keep you reading, highly recommend.

An immersive, atmospheric lighthouse gothic: look no further for the perfect Halloween read! I Gripping from the start as we arrive at the ominous lighthouse with a mother who is looking for a fresh start and has been commissioned to paint a mural and her daughters. One of the first finding in the ominous lighthouse is a doll that looks like a dead baby under the stairs and cryptic drawings on the walls. Apart from being a superbly crafted thriller, it is part family saga part historical novel as it deals with the little known Scottish witch trials and contains superstitions, sorcery, disappearances, witchcraft and folklore, all elements well woven together with great characterisation, eerie atmospheres and wonderful storytelling. I won’t spoil your experience by saying more. What a journey!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've discovered Dr. Carolyn Jess-Cooke last year and I knew that I'll love every book of hers.

The Lighthouse Witches sounded like a proper creepy read and it exceeded my expectations.
It's a spooky, fantasy book, with sci-fi elements and a historical angle about the burning of witches in Scotland, which is a really bloody part of this country's history!

Luna, Sapphire and Clover travel in the middle of the night to an old lighthouse with their mother Liv, who is an artist and is going to create a mural in the building. Their mother run away from something and didn't give the girls a chance to say goodbye to anyone. In a small Scottish island they discover magic, wildlings and superstitious denizens.

The story is told in two main timelines - 1998 where they arrived on the island and 2021 where Luna finally finds her missing sister... but the girl is still seven years old, and she supposed to be over twenty...
Thanks to a journal left in the house we learn the story of the witches who cursed the cave under the lighthouse, the island and their people.

A sinister read, perfect for Halloween!

Even though it's based in 2021, there's no mention of pandemic and I couldn't be happier about it!

I enjoyed every chapter and I'm very grateful to Harper Collins for approving me to read the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this witchy tale! Available from 30th September!

It's 1998. Liv Stay, a single mother to three children, Saffy, Luna and Clover, has fled to a remote Scottish Island. The family find themselves taking up residence on the island and becoming embroiled in a mystery that has spanned centuries. All but one member of the family disappears without a trace.

Twenty years later Luna reluctantly returns to the island that robbed her of her family and finds that there is much she doesn't remember about those fateful few months. As the last sister left she must uncover the truth before more children vanish.

What a trip. This is a historical fiction combined with a mystery/thriller, complete with split timelines! I was utterly hooked reading this. Before I get stuck in, there are a couple of Trigger Warnings for the mention of: Miscarriage, Death of a Child, Assault, Murder.

Things I liked.:
- The Stay sisters. Cooke really captured each child and their age so distinctly. I really do think it is a talent to be able to write children so well. Saffy in particular was that perfect mix of teenage angst and insecurity we've all felt growing up.
- The creepy, witchy, cult-like vibes. There were times where I could literally feel my stomach flipping at certain points. The characters questioning themselves had me questioning myself!
- I really loved the setting for this and got a great sense for the location.
- The celtic folklore!!!! Love me a bit of mythology and folklore.

Things I didn't like:
- Honestly, it's a small issue and personal to me. Sometimes it wasn't clear when a certain MC was thinking of a time in the past and I mistook it for the present. I always prefer when flashbacks are clearly outlined.
- I felt like there wasn't enough of Amy and I feel like there was more there to explore.

Read if you like:
- Witchy vibes - Great halloween read to get you in the mood for spooky season!!
- Historical/ Thrillers/ Mysteries
- Folklore and/or Mythology

This is a great read and i would recommend you read this! This was a really fun read which I read so so quickly. I was kindly gifted an e-book in return a honest review.

I enjoyed this creepy tale very much. At times I shivered when my imagination took over, I could picture the lighthouse and it’s surrounding from the descriptions. I don’t usually read books like this one but I’m glad I did. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A woman flees to a Scottish island to paint a mural inside a disused lighthouse, taking her three daughters with her. Then strange things begin to happen and he whole family disappears. This is all linked to the fact that some witches were imprisoned and executed in the 1600s. Twenty or so years later, one of the daughters is told that her little sister has been found. But the sister is still the age she was twenty years ago. They go back to the island to try to solve the mystery. I found this to be a gripping read but I thought the narrative got a little confusing towards the end. It would have been better if it had been told in a linear way, instead up splitting it up into three different timelines. However, the author pulls it together in the conclusion.

"They bind our feet and ankles, tear off our clothes and douse us with alcohol.."

I found myself reading this book slowly at first, trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. Until the ending where I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. Every chapter seemed to unlock a clue for another character or timeline. C.J. Cooke has the mind of a poet and it shows with all of the intricate, haunting descriptions and the ominous atmosphere she casts on the story. If you are looking for a good spooky story, I definitely recommend this one. Definitely check trigger warnings, this book is dark and contains violence, including witch trials.