The Lighthouse Witches is a fantastic and original novel full of myths and intrigue. Liv is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet. When she’s offered £5000 to paint a mural in a lighthouse on a remote Scottish Island she takes along her three daughters Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. The locals tell Liv of strange goings on; children called wildlings who mimic real children who have gone missing. Liv then finds herself in every parent’s worst nightmare when two of her children go missing.

The story flips between this era and twenty years later when Luna is a grown woman, still seeking answers to what happened to her family on that island.

I really enjoyed this novel and found the explanation of the missing family to be both magical and completely satisfying. The majority of the book is based around the relationships within Luna’s family and her current relationship. There’s just a touch of the unbelievable making up the rest of the story.

4.5 stars.

the lighthouse witches is an enchanting and thrilling tale, bristling with magic and inspired by Nordic folklore and gothic tales, weaving together a web of compelling characters going through harrowing events that will leave you aghast.

the story is told in multiple perspectives through 2 different timelines; it tells a story of a mother (olivia) and her 3 daughters (sapphire, luna and clover) so we follow liv and saffy in 1998 as well as luna in 2021. back in 1998, two of the daughters go missing, and years later in 2021, one of them is found frozen in time.

and i absolutely devoured it. this was such a spellbinding read, easily hooked me from the beginning and kept me entertained (and creeped out) through exceptional storytelling. few books satisfy me with the alternating timelines, let alone that plus multiple perspectives. this one hit just right! it was intriguing and i was never bored. the writing is really good and fits this story fantastically. it took me a little bit to get used to it, but the pacing quickly felt right and carried the story along.

the narration was fantastic as well, a great cast of Eva Feiler, Lesley Harcourt, Jess Nealing and Joshua Manning helped keep me entranced in the world of this book and i loved every second of it.

an atmospheric gothic tale that was so much fun to read — highly recommend for halloween season for the creepy horror vibes and lovers of legends, myths, witches and curses!

content warning: physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

— thank you to harper collins + harper collins audio for providing me with an e-arc and audiobook through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

1998. Liv arrives on a remote Scottish Island at the Lighthouse, known as the Longing, that she's been commissioned to paint with her three daughters, desperate for a new start for her family. She's trying to escape the past and find a new home, some light in their lives. But all she finds is darkness, as just a short time later her daughter Luna is found abandoned, her family nowhere to be seen.

2021. Twenty long years later, Luna returns to the Island of Lon Haven, the island that took everything from her, in search of the truth. She's grown up alone, and despite having a life and a family of her own, strange and unusual occurrences draw her back to the Lighthouse again.

But Luna soon finds her family disappearing isn't the only mystery around the Longing. It was once the site of a brutal and bloody witch hunt, and even now a hundred years later people are disappearing into the night without a trace. Luna feels like the ghosts of her past aren't the only ones clinging to the stormy Island, there's something more.

But once she manages to shine a light on the dark past of the Lighthouse, she's never going to be able to see the world the same again.

"It's named for the people who lost loved ones. Sometimes they'd visit the site where the longing was built and ... pay their respects."

The Lighthouse Witches is an enchanting Gothic mystery full of witches, fae, curses and magic. Taking inspiration from Scottish superstition and folklore, this story weaves a completely unique web of wonder for the reader that will leave you spellbound.

Told from multiple times and perspectives, this story remained so easy to follow and each perspective was distinct and with a unique voice as we slowly piece together the history of the Longing. The setting was perfect - darkly atmospheric, so visceral that you could feel the isolation of the island, the chill of the sea, the crushing darkness of the night. Each small detail was crafted so delicately to create the most immersive setting, despite some interesting choice of similes.

Slow burning and intense like fire, this wasn't the type of book that makes you scream and fumble for the lights, but with a subtle horror that leaves you with a chill in your spine and an urge to check over your shoulder just one more time.

With fierce commentary about the relationship between the persecution of witches and misogyny, this story had me ready to cast my own curse.

The Lighthouse Witches is definitely one to keep you up all night reading... and then keep you up the rest of the night too.

The narration of this audiobook was brilliantly executed - providing distinct voices for the characters and creating so much suspense during their reading.

This book is very deep. The story of the past is told throughout the book. Witchcraft is seen as evil and those accused of being a witch were so unfairly treated. This injustice ripples through time. Tales of wildlings unsettles a community, weird occurrences and missing people who reappear far much younger than they should be. The question behind who these people are hangs unanswered. Are they wildlings? Are they really who they say they are? The stories that are told in this book are magical, some things can’t be explained, these things turn in to the stories communities tell, they become local myths or legends.
A very enjoyable book- I listen to it as an audio book. The narrators really helped to bring the stories and characters to life.

Brilliant What more could I ask for witches and magic on a Scottish Island. I loved the multiple timelines and POVs. My only criticism is it was a little slow to start and I almost DNF but I am so glad I didn't as I was so invested in these characters by the end.
The audio for this book was so very well read and I enjoyed listening to the narrator.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have never read anything by CJ Cooke before but i will definitely be picking up all of her other works after reading this, I loved the characters, the plot, the setting. I listened to this on audio and having a full cast really added to the experience of this story.

Multi perspective stories mixed in with multi timelines normally get me confused as its always switching every chapter but what i love about this is each character gets a few chapters at a time which means we really got into each characters story.

I had many questions throughout this book and unlike some stories they all got answered and i loved the way everything wrapped up at the end.

Easily one of my favourite reads of the year and i cannot wait to get a physical copy. Highly recommend.

hmmm the premise of this book is awesome:
**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?

Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found--but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller**

However, the delivery was boring for me. I loved some of the detail and descriptions but felt there were too many different storylines fighting for the spotlight. The moment I got invested in one storyline and plight of the characters involved, I had a totally different one thrust upon me.

Although I went in with little expectation, I was still disappointed at the lack-lustre attempt at being a gothic thriller but kind of falling short at being a contemporary 'family-drama' fiction.
I did love the tales about Witch Hunters and reference to Nordic folklore, myths and legends but it didn't add to the real heart of this story at all.
I found my mind wandering and I would have to go back and re-visit passages because they weren't holding my attention.
The 'plot twists' were more frustrating than intriguing and some of the characters choices were nothing short of highly questionable. I do think that it takes an immense level of skill to blend the modern contemporary fiction with the historic/gothic style fiction and unfortunately - this one fell short of being triumphant of that.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this

This audio book is full of Nordic folklore and gothic tales and is filled with eeriness and atmosphere. Olivia arrives on a Scottish island with her three girls Saffy, Clover and Luna in 1998 to live in a Botha. Olivia has come to fulfill a commission of a painting in the lighthouse on the island. But then the unthinkable happens - two of her daughter go missing without trace - just like the stories of children that go missing on the island she has heard.
Fast forward to 2021 and Luna, the remaining daughter returns to the island as an adult - Clover has been found. But Clover has been frozen in time as a seven year old. Is this really Clover or a wilding?? Fabulous storytelling especially for the autumn season and with a great cast of narrators- Eva Feiler, Lesley Harcourt, Jess Nealing and Joshua Manning who make this a spellbinding performance. Not one to miss. Thank you to Harper Collins Audio and to Netgalley for my gifted copy.

Spine-chilling and unputdownable, I particularly loved the historical elements of this book. Told between several different points of view at different times, this added to the intrigue and I loved how all the threads came together. I’m always a fan of books about witches and the witch trials so this side of the story hooked my straight away.

Great narrators that worked really well for the different points of view made this one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to in a long time and a perfect read (or listen) for Halloween.