This one just didn't work for me unfortunately. I found the characters irritating and their motives were cloudy. I thought that the pacing was a bit off, with the first two thirds moving at a slow pace that didn't engage me and then the final third was at such a breakneck pace. I thought the author did a great job of setting, with the Bothy and the island both well drawn. It's just a shame that I didn't enjoy the rest.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Solid story and great characters though found it difficult to understand and fely much left unexplained. Meandered quite a bit in pace so felt quite lengthy.

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke is just my kind of book. I love it when there is a paranormal angle to a story and this one sure has plenty of weird stuff going on, Both timelines are interesting to follow and I found myself taken with the story. I recommend this book warmly!

This is book that I could not put down. Filled with mystery and suspense and a touch of magical realism, the story captures you from the start. The setting was eerie and dark and totally set the mood. The characters were interesting and well-developed. I really enjoyed the ending and the explanation of events. Very creative!

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

Single mother Liv flees in the night, along with her three daughters, to a remote Scottish island. She has been commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse, which seems like an answer to the family's prayers but, when two of Liv's daughters disappear, it proves to be their entry point into a nightmare instead.

In short, this read was witchy, Gothic, haunting, and mesmerising. I had no idea what direction the contents would take but thoroughly enjoyed being pleasantly carried along for the ride, as I explored the rich natural beauty of the Scottish setting and was introduced to the girls and women who roamed across it.

Each member of the family, despite their differing ages, was crafted with the same exquisite attention to detail, allowing their unique personalities to sparkle from the page. I became just as enamoured with the four of them as I did with the slowly-unfurling darkness that was encroaching around them.

This latter portion was perhaps a tad too slow to reveal itself as I did wonder, at a few points, just what story I was immersed in. I need not have feared as Cooke swept me back inside the arms of her story no sooner had these thoughts appeared.

Past and present started to mix, as did different perspectives, leaving this novel to feel like a medley of alternative voices, times, and places at its close. It was a tragically beautiful creation, only made more so, I feel, for the way in which the reader was invited to succumb to the tides of it, just like the females who centre in it, vulnerable but never helpless.

CJ Cooke is one of my favourite authors and she continued to deliver excellence with The Lighthouse Witches. Her character work is perfection, I was so invested in that family and I felt like I actually knew Luna. She truly was a character that leaps of the page and and entices you.

I loved the lore of the wildlings that Cooke created in this book. I don't want to give much away, but it really read like a real folk tale that has been told through generations.

I feel that this is one of those boks that begs to be immersive read (reading as you listen to the audiobook), HarperCollins UK Audio production was gold. This is an ensemble cast and each one of the narrators (Eva Feiler, Lesley Harcourt, Joshua Manning, and one of my fave narrators Jess Nesling) brought the words to life magically with on point pacing, perfect emoting and authentic delivery. I purchased both the book and the audiobook and couldn't reccomend both enough!

THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES by C.J. Cooke is a thrilling page-turner steeped in gothic atmosphere. Set on a remote Scottish island, the setting of this book was a perfect backdrop for the unnerving story that unfolded throughout the book. There are three timelines threaded together throughout the book, which I did initially find confusing in the audiobook, however they came together in a very satisfying way once I'd finally worked out what was going on. I found the ending of this book incredibly bittersweet and emotional, and I couldn't have predicted where it was going to end. Every single theory I had throughout the story was absolutely wrong.

I found myself feeling genuinely on edge at several points throughout the book, and with storming winds outside I felt like I was following closely along with the characters as they tried to uncover the hidden history of the island. I loved Luna best, which meant I wasn't *super* invested in all the other POVs, but they were a really powerful way of telling each part of the story - and let me start furiously piecing together what was really going on in the book.

In 1998, Liv and her three daughters Sapphire, Luna and Clover go to live on a remote Scottish island so that Liv can paint a mural for a client in the lighthouse there. The family learns of the island's links with witchcraft and particularly, wildlings/changelings. Over the years there have been many disappearances and the more Liv learns of it, the more disturbing the story gets - but the family is to be the next one torn apart by the lighthouse's curse. All of them disappear without trace, except for Luna.

In 2021, Luna is called back to Scotland. Someone has found her younger sister, Clover. Now, finally, she has the opportunity to uncover exactly what happened to them all back then, and how it links in with the lighthouse's history and the alleged curse.

This is such a multi-layered story with so many plot strands that at times it got quite complicated to follow, particularly with how it jumps around in time. I liked the premise but I felt there were an awful lot of things about it which were not quite right - such as how easily the social services released Clover into Luna's care, or how neatly everything came together in the end. It also seemed quite obvious to me right at the start what the meaning of the strange injury marks was and it was frustrating to me that nobody commented on it earlier.

Overall this was an eerie and atmospheric story, intriguing but also confusing and while I could follow easily enough what was happening, I wasn't sure why it was happening, even after I had finished. Despite that, I still enjoyed it. I wonder if I might have enjoyed/understood it more had I read it rather than listened to the audiobook, although the narrators did a really good job of voicing the characters and breathing life into the story.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.

My simple mind couldn't quite handle the numerous plot threads (not all entirely necessary in my opinion) and narrations in the audio version of this, but phwoar, what a satisfying ending when the pieces finally came together.

If you're into witchy, changling, folk lore vibes you may enjoy this, but it had an overall YA vibe to it, which wasn't for me. The full cast narration makes this a very enjoyable audio book.

I’m so happy to have had the chance to listen to the audiobook of The Lighthouse Witches. I’ve spent the last ten days on the way to and from work entranced by the narratives of Liv, Saffy, Luna and Patrick. A truly gripping tale with great narrators.

Loved this storyline the book is about a mother with 3 young girls who end up on an island in Scotland,
The island has a lot of history with Curses ,Wildlings and Witchcraft

I usually read thrillers but will occasionally enjoy a good fantasy book and this certainly fit the bill with fantasy a bit of actual history and a mystery so overall a good read

I went into this knowing very little about it — I'd requested the arc on a whim (mainly because of the book's stunning cover), and I've got to say: I'm pleasantly surprised!

The Lighthouse Witches is a gripping gothic thriller, perfect for this time of year! The story constantly kept me at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.

And it also had its spooky moments! At one point, I was listening to the audiobook very late in the evening, and I had to stop reading it because I was getting properly creeped out lmao

C.J. Cooke's writing was very atmospheric and vivid. And the audiobook itself was absolutely fantastic, too! The audiobook has multiple narrators, and it was just an all-around amazing listen.

My only real complaint about this book is the ending. The way the story is tied up is heartwarming, yes, but it isn't very realistic — especially in the context of the story. If it weren't for the questionable ending, this would have been an easy four stars (perhaps even higher).

Although I do feel that The Lighthouse Witches is shy of a full four stars, I'm rounding up my rating to reflect my enjoyment of (most of) the book. If only the ending had been different...

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review***

1998 - Liv is a single mom to three daughters, she accepts a commission to paint a mural inside a derelict lighthouse on a tiny island off the coast of Scotland. She soon finds that the island is steeped in history of witchcraft, witch trials, disappearing children and wildlings.

2021 - Luna's mother and two sisters disappeared in 1998 whilst her mother painted a commissioned piece on the remote island of Lon Haven. She receives a call to say that one of her sisters has been found and is in hospital in Inverness. Luna immediately leaves her home in Coventry to be reunited with her 29 year old sister whom she hasn't seen for 22 years. Instead she is taken to the children's ward where she meets Clover, her sister, still aged 7...

This audiobook was absolutely superb. I am not normally drawn to novels about witchcraft but this caught my eye and I'm so glad that it did.

I was drawn into the narration from the outset, it was just beautiful. I found myself genuinely unnerved at times.

I would definitely go out out of my way to read or listen to novels by C.J. Cooke in future. This was well deserving of it's 5 stars.

2.75 stars

I liked the premise of "The Lighthouse Witches", I liked the eery atmosphere, and I liked the mystery. What I didn't like was the ridiculous ending that, in my opinion, didn't really work with the rest of the novel. If it hadn't been for the way too happy ending, I would have enjoyed this book a whole lot more.

“Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, Lòn Haven stands a lighthouse. A lighthouse that has weathered more than storms. Mysterious and terrible events have happened on this island. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing without explanation. Coincidence? Or curse?

Liv Stay flees to the island with her three daughters, in search of a home. She doesn’t believe in witches, or dark omens, or hauntings. But within months, her daughter Luna will be the only one of them left. Twenty years later, Luna is drawn back to the place her family vanished. As the last sister left, it’s up to her to find out the truth. But what really happened at the lighthouse all those years ago?”

I loved this book so much! The historian in me was drawn straight in at the first mention of witchcraft - I loved that incorporation of historical witch hunts into the storyline. I loved the characters in this book each with qualities that are equally as unlikeable as they are likeable, they were complex and vulnerable. The story is told on multiple timelines, from multiple perspectives - it’s not complicated to follow and it all slots together nicely, in the end, to reveal exactly what has been going on. It’s all so very well done, this book really gets that mix of history, magic and folklore just right to create a stunner of a story filled with atmosphere and mystery.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

On a remote Scottish island two sisters, Sapphire and Cover disappear. 20 years later one is found but when the third sister, Luna, pregnant and traumatised by the long-ago disappearances, arrives she is dumbfounded to find that Clover hasn't aged a day, she's still 7 years old. The story slowly unfurls through centuries, revealing a long history of witchcraft, murder, changelings and disappearances as well as what happened to the there sisters and their mother 20 years ago.

The atmosphere is consistently unsettling and Cooke created a disorientating uncertainty about what is real and what is lies, myths or folklore. Unfortunately, after a while this behind to undermine the narrative and it feels like the story is pulled from one direction to another with the author unable to settle on what she actually wants it to be. It's it a story about misogyny and the damaging power of superstition with a coming-of-age element for the teenage Saphy, or is it a story with a place for real witchcraft, real magic? The constant skipping of POV and timeframe becomes frustrating after a while as the storylines become murky and confused. When the truth about the changelings (wildlings, here) it is revealed, instead of resolving this conflict it adds another bizarre element that does little to untangle the plot in a satisfying way.

In the end, I struggled to finish. There's a lot of violence and implied violence, particularly towards children that was uncomfortable, particularly because of the uncertainty over who/what they are. This is probably intended as a warning against the terrible things superstition can cause but it wasn't done effectively. There's also an episode towards the end of Liv's story that was unbearably gory for me, I had to skip it. I was left frustrated and uncomfortable by the whole book, and not in a good way. It was trying to do and be too many things, and ended up doing none of them very well.

The narration is done well with the multiple choices capturing the many characters.

The Lighthouse Witches is an immensely enjoyable, engaging, eerie and atmospheric genre blender, most prominently an island mystery story with a clever spin on witches and the Scottish folklore. Its plot twists are somewhat reminiscent of Netflix's Dark but that didn't affect my enjoyment. I'd say the vivid atmosphere C.J. Cooke managed to portray in this book is its strongest point, I really did feel the characters' unease and relentless northern chill. The fantastically produced audiobook with multiple talented narrators for different characters added to the ambience and intrigue of this at times spine tingling story. As someone who doesn't read a lot of mystery or horror, I would recommend this to other readers looking for something mildly scary to read / listen to during the spooky season.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an audio ARC copy!

I don't read much horror, paranormal or spooky stories, but this one called to me and being October and Halloween around the corner, I thought I would give this one a go. Well, I am glad I picked it up. This was an atmospheric, mysterious story told over three timelines. The first was during the witch hunts when several women were put to their deaths and they cursed the island. The second was in 1998. Single mother Olivia or Liv, was commissioned to paint a mural on the walls or a 100 year old lighthouse. She and her three daughters head to the remote Scottish Island of Lòn Haven, where Liv and two of her daughters vanish. The third is 22 years later, when Luna, the remaining daughter gets a call that her sister Clover has been found. The thing is, Clover is the same age she was when she disappeared. Is Clover a Wildling? Luna had heard the residents of of Lòn Haven refer to the many Wildlings that appeared on the island years after children had gone missing and needed to be killed. What was she to do?

The Lighthouse Witches was a perfect read or listen for these cool and darker autumn nights. It is a story that takes history, legends and family and rolls it into an atmospheric, spooky story. The setting of an abandoned lighthouse on a remote island adds to that feel and the lighthouse becomes a character in itself. There were tense, ominous feelings while reading this one. With the family itself scarred and dealing with issues, it adding to that menacing feeling I got while reading. I do not want to give any of the plot away, so will tell you that this is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys a spooky, atmospheric, well developed story. All three storylines come together in a somewhat unexpected, yet perfect ending. I recommend this book will keep you interested from the first page until the last. The audiobook had a cast of narrators, Joshua Manning, Lesley Harcourt, Eva Feiler, and Jess Nesling. I always enjoy listening to books with a group of narrators who give the characters individual voices. Their tone and expression added much to my enjoyment and the atmosphere of the story. I definitely recommend this one.

This was a great spooky listen, a blend of contemporary and historical fiction, myth and mystery, set amongst the brooding Scottish coastal landscape.

1998, Lòn Haven: When artist Liv flees in the night with her three daughters to a lighthouse keeper’s bothy in The Black Isle, she expects the Scottish highlands to be different from their home in York. But what she wasn’t bargaining for is their lives turning upside down.

Having been commissioned to paint a mural in the old Longing, a disused lighthouse near the bothy, she has her work cut out as the plasterwork is flaking away, and bats have made their homes in the rafters. And why does she have a niggling sense of déjà vu?Meanwhile, her children are settling into life in the village of Lòn Haven and making new friends. Eldest daughter Saffy discovers an old book, a grimoire belonging to the owner of The Longing, Patrick Roberts, and secrets of this creepy place start to be revealed.

2021, Coventry: 32 year old Luna is about to start a family of her own, but she’s never given up looking for her mum Liv, and missing sisters Saffy and Clover. One day out of the blue she gets a phone call with shocking news that sends her back to Lòn Haven where back in 1998 her life changed forever.

I loved the time jumps and the voices of different characters in the audiobook version of this fantastic novel. The predominantly female cast is strong and powerful, and the story weaves a slow and satisfying tapestry, revealing secrets and taking twists little by little.
By the end there are some threads left untied… I liked this though. I had my own theories about what might have happened!

I also loved The Nesting by CJ Cooke when I listened to it last year. I actually only realised halfway through TLW that she had also written The Nesting. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for another atmospheric and slightly spooky read!
Another realisation came later as I’d never known it as The Black Isle, but I actually spent several family caravan holidays in the location around where The Lighthouse Witches is set, in the summers growing up, at Chanonry point and Rosemarkie. We didn’t see Basil the basking shark but we did see plenty of dolphins!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins audio for the chance to listen to this audio book.

I loved listening to this book as an audio late at night, curled up in a cosy warm bed, in the dark - it certainly added to the ambience!
This is another fantastically complex and creepy story by C J Cooke. The story flips backwards and forwards through the lives of Liv and her daughters Saphy, Clover and Luna, describing different moments in their lives, which can be a little hard to keep gelled in your head. They have 'moved' to a remote island lighthouse where Liv has a commission to paint a mural, but the mural has a strange design and the entire island has a terrible. Local legends of witches and changelings are told to the new habitants as well as warnings of children that have gone missing, but these warnings are ignored as unbelievable but lead to the utter destruction of the family…