I'd loved The Lighthouse Witches so I knew I was in for a great new novel. It was everything I expected and more- dark, twisty, beautifully atmospheric and hauntingly chilling. I will be recommending it to friends and family for sure

“I have a ghost in my knee. There’s a small pocket just behind the kneecap and she’s hiding in there, all tucked up in the soft mattresses of cartilage. She is very small and terrified so I’m sitting with that leg straightened so I don’t disturb her. I’ve not set a word about this to anyone. They’d think I’m mad.” - how is THAT for an opening line!!!

'The lighthouse witches' was one of my favourite reads of last year so to say I was EXSTATIC when I was approached by the publishers to read C.J Cookes newest book 'The Ghost Woods' might be an understatement!

The story itself is set around the creepy, atmospheric grounds of Lichen Hall in Scotland, which stands as a home for unmarried pregnant mothers to go have their babies away from the prying and judging eyes of the public of the time, and arrange for these children to be given up for adoption. It is told from dual perspectives, Mabel in in the 1950s and Pearl in the 1960s, following both as they navigate the mysteries of Lichen Hall, it's inhabitants and uncover the mysteries within...

C J Cooke is masterful at creepy atmospheric writing and capturing the Scottish setting (I am biased being Scottish but I LOVE it!) there was really some truly horrifying imagery throughout the book as well as body horror which made for such a spooky read.

Overall, a very enjoyable read - I would give it a solid 4 stars (my only negative was it involved some content/triggers that I try my best to avoid reading about but I understand for the plot why it was there)

Thanks again to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for offering me the chance of reading the ARC!

Another atmospheric, gripping story by CJ Cooke, a mix of horror and gothic that kept me on the edge till the end.
It's a well plotted and well written story, the storytelling is excellent and the dual timeline and the world building are well done.
I wasn't always a fan of the characters but I couldn't put this book down.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Having recently read The Lighthouse Witches I was pleased to be approved for this one. I was not disappointed. It was creepy and interesting and I just couldn’t stop reading until the last page. The descriptions were fantastic and I will be recommending this to my friends. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

🍄 Where to begin with this book ...

**please research for trigger warnings

🌟🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟🌟

I'm very late with my review of The Ghost Woods by C.J Cooke as I've been finding it impossible to express my love for this novel in just a few words!

Set in the Scottish Borders, Lichen Hall once magnificent, though now decrepit is the home to Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock and their grandson Wulfric. The House is surrounded by a prolific and menacing woodland, known as the Ghost Woods. An ancient wood that has been the centre of many myths and legends surrounding Witches and fairy folklore. Mrs. Whitlock offers assistance and her home to young pregnant mothers.

The story is split between two young expectant mothers, Mabel and Pearl. Mabel a gentle, shy and naive young woman leads us through her experiences in 1959, while Pearl an independent, fiesty, proud nurse arrives at the hall in 1965.

As the women try to adapt in this sinister environment, they soon learn that childbirth and giving up their child is not the most frightening episode ahead of them. 🍄

....................................................

Being that I'm adopted, I'm quite used to reading of the horrific things that occurred in Mother and Baby homes throughout the UK and Ireland in the past ,I'm glad I didn't realise this novel would be revolving around adoption as I may not have read it. I would have seriously missed out.

This book has it all, the strength of females mentally and physically when all is against them! Female relationships with male, female partners, parents, friendships and of course with their baby and body throughout pregnancy. The female characters in this book are incredibly powerful.The undercurrent of a malevolent entity surrounding the Hall and woods and the frequent twists and turns this novel takes, will leave you yearning for more reading hours in the day. This is a gothic thriller with so many added extras! My book of the year, five stars plus! I know I will be recommending it for a long time to come! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌟Thank you to #netgalley and the tagged author and publisher for this ARC to review! I also bought the hardback myself as I will be reading it again 😁

This is the story of two young pregnant women who stay at Lichen Hall, a gothic mansion that has a secret which the owner is trying to hide.

It’s a dual timeline story which I enjoyed as the stories weaved together and linked, giving just enough to keep me hooked but not enough for me to work out the mystery.

It’s an incredibly atmospheric (I mean creepy) read, one which I devoured over a weekend. Highly recommend.

My second novel from C J Cooke and I am still impressed. I am slightly less enamoured of this one than I was of The Lighthouse Witches, but I still recommend it.

I think part of what stopped me from loving this one is that it felt a bit obvious for the reader what was going on, and I think I would have liked more difference in the two time lines, although for the ending to work as well as it does I think they can't be too far apart either so it is difficult.

There are some key concerns of motherhood, the place of women in society and their desire to be independent that I found woven throughout this novel and The Lighthouse Witches. Similarly, there is a supernatural element at play here too. Cooke has referred to these two and The Nesting as a trilogy of sorts so I much get to The Nesting soon to complete my reading.

The writing in this is once again striking and the plotting solid. The characters are well done although I wish I had felt slightly more connected to them.

I look forward to whatever Cooke writes next.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A dark, beautifully written story, that still stays with me now, very haunting but would totally recommend

Rating 3.5/5

After reading the previous book by this author at roughly the same time last year, I knew that this would be a good one to delve into as the days get shorter and colder. The Ghost Woods builds a haunting and desolate atmosphere, where there is always a slightly uneasy feeling as you follow the girls’ story.

I really liked Mabel and Pearl, I enjoyed the dual timeline, that we got to hear from both of them and that the timeline converges by the end. Although at the start I did find it difficult to sometimes remember who I was reading about, as there is some cross-over of characters in each POV. I liked that even though the options for both of them in this situation were terrible and they weren’t too far apart in time you could see subtle differences in their outlook. They were both strong characters but that strength showed up in completely different ways and I enjoyed exploring the contrast.

There are a lot of big themes in this book that are explored in a quiet way; motherhood, sexuality (particularly its repression), and women’s equality; I liked that there were some that were more obvious and some that I didn’t wholly cotton on to until the author’s note at the end of the book, which was very insightful. I always admire a writer who can touch on these subjects in a story without them becoming overwhelming so that you can still enjoy the gothic and fantastical and C.J. Cooke manages to do this effortlessly.

I think the one thing that I found a little difficult with this book was the pacing, the very start of the book had my interest straight away and then as the first part continued it waned a little, there would be pockets of something happening that would again pique my interest but then I would find it a bit more of an effort to get through. Luckily the writing is so good and the author has crafted a setting and characters that kept me with the story even in the slower parts. As the book gets closer to the climax it did keep me hooked until the end, but it was a bit of a shame that it didn’t have a building momentum the whole way through.

Each of the books I have read by this author so far have a mystical element to them and I have to say I enjoyed this one because it is a little bit different to anything I have read before, I loved the involvement of the natural world and the hint of the other that adds to the story without taking it over. I don’t want to say too much about it, you’ll have to discover it for yourself, but it is clever and intriguing and it has me excited to see what kind of tale C.J. Cooke will come up with next.

The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke has a very woman-in-black-esque atmosphere. It’s secretive, illisible and very suspenseful. A perfect read for the transition from spooky to mushroom season. It deals with themes ranging from child birth, to female friendships and the burdens of motherhood, as well as some of the better aspects of it too. I feel like there was a lot of research done in the curation of this story, and it was really worth while when building the beautiful eerie prose, with the chapters and time lines intermingling, playing out like a film in my mind.

Cooke expertly blurs the lines between reality and dream, one of my favourite literary tropes. They outline all the feelings that accompany fertility ranging from, but not limited to, bravery, sadness, grief and joy. The narrator’s tone is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful, and this is probably one of my favourite reads of Autumn so far. I’m also very happy I read it while I was in Scotland, and exploring forests in the beginning of November too, it definitely helped me immerse myself in the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did like parts of this book but i think it just missed the tone overall for me. The premise and characters were originally set up in a way that was exciting and interesting but as the novel progressed, the product worked less and less for me. I liked the slightly spooky vibe it had but it could've been pushed much further than what was delivered.

Historical Gothic Horror Mysteries are absolutely my favourite genre(s?), and CJ does not disappoint. Lichen House is a wonderful setting; isolated and unnerving, and provides the perfect backdrop for what turns out to be a hugely eerie and atmospheric read.

This tale is woven in a clever and sophisticated way; leading you towards the revelations but with beautiful subtlety. The writing is lush and descriptive while also being hugely readable.

I absolutely recommend this one for any Gothic literature lovers. You'll have a fun (slightly creeped out) time, I promise.

This is a Gothic tale set in the 1950s / ’60s in an isolated house in the Scottish borders. We meet Mabel and Pearl, two young women who are sent to Lichen Hall as they are both young, unmarried and pregnant.

Lichen Hall is owned by the Whitlocks, a couple who take in young, unmarried, pregnant women and organise for their babies to be adopted.

Although Mabel and Pearl come to Lichen Hall at different times, their paths do cross in a very satisfying way. Both women are very likeable, Pearl is more confident than Mabel but both end up trapped in a situation totally out of their control as things at Lichen Hall are definitely not all they seem at first sight…

Parasite is such a horrible word but what The Ghost Woods does so well is use that to add to the unease and gore and draw links between unwanted pregnancies and other things with a parasitic nature, such as fungus. Mushrooms in their many forms are essentially another character in this book. It’s fascinating learning a bit more about them and they’re used very cleverly to create a terrifying tale.

Alongside the fungus, mix in the legend of Nicnevin, the local witch who lives in the ghost woods that surround Lichen House and you have a very spooky read on your hands indeed.

As with any great Gothic novel, The Ghost Woods makes some really interesting points that run deeper than thrills and gore. It explores women’s rights and repressed trauma really well, in a way that adds true depth and heart to this read.

I love a spooky house story and when I downloaded this ARC I realised I had CJ Cooke’s previous novel The Lighthouse Witches on my kindle, as the clocks were going forward and it was Halloween I read both novels in order.

You don’t need to read both her novels in order though, I was jus delighted that my TBR list had synchronised for once.

I live in Ireland but am Scottish so initially I thought this was a novel about religious mother and baby homes of the 1950s up until the 1980s. And was particularly interested as the Mother and Baby homes are largely thought to be an Irish concept, but they did exist in other countries. This is not not one of those novels, in fact for me the unmarried mother’s home was the setting only to take the protagonists to the setting of the gloomy manor, with mysterious owners.

The claustrophobic atmosphere in the manor is the perfect setting for this wonderful gothic novel. The feminist protagonists., are wonderfully portrayed cleverly unfolding the few choices women had compared to the fathers of their babies. Pearl must give up her nursing career to enter the mother and baby home, whereas the father of the baby has no such stigma.

All set against the crumbling house and its mysterious inhabitants, especially the odd grandchild whose father was apparently resurrected after a road traffic accident. The supernatural elements that are hinted upon but come to the fore in the last third of the novel.
All is all the Ghost Woods is a clever, atmospheric gothic novel, and a definite for fans of this genre.

I had really enjoyed reading The Lighthouse Witches, so couldn't wait to read this gothic horror from C. J. Cooke.

A dark tale with twists and turns, told by the main characters, Mabel and Pearl.
Their stories intertwining to a terrifying conclusion, this story was hard to put down.

A great read, it didn't disappoint!

5/5

The Ghost Woods by C. J. Cooke

The Ghost Woods. The author definitely put a lot into this gothic book: spookiness and mystery, legends, and a bit of supernatural and wove it together with women’s rights and LGBTQ+ issues, in particular so visible in the twentieth century. While there are a couple of very serious, and one could call even political topics in the book, they don't take away the charm from the dark and creepy atmosphere the author carefully builds up throughout the book. The tale leaves the reader guessing what is really going on until the last chapters, as there are few possibilities for how the story may unfold.

It's a dark, somewhat ruthless and intriguing read.

Oh, also, I loooved the characters names. Do check what one of the boys name means. Smart!

P. S. It's kinda weird and I'm unsure how did that happen but... I started reading right after I watched GAIA movie. Yea, I know. Fungi. And no, I haven't planned it!

In The Ghost Woods we follow the two timelines of Mabel and Pearl, both are sent to a home for young women who have fallen pregnant and pressured in to giving their babies up for adoption during the 1960's. The owner, Mrs Whitlock seems to have a split personality, at times being kind, at times acting strange and never asking for help from doctors or the police. There are rumours of a witch living in the woods, sightings of unexplained creatures and an abundance of mushrooms growing both outside and inside the house, plus a cast of characters with strange personality traits which make for an incredibly eerie atmopheric read.

At times I found it extremely difficult and upsetting to read and I really felt for these poor girls who were living in a time when having a child out of wedlock was one of the worst things that could happen you.

This story was beautifully written, I've adored every C.J. Cooke book I've read and this one didn't disappoint.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the chance to read The Ghost Woods.

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

Wow what an amazingly atmospheric book - had the perfect amont of creepyness vibes. So much so it had me wanting to read on and do nothing else! Strong characters and keeps you guessing. A mystery that is so worth your time.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/11/01/the-ghost-woods-by-cj-cooke/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Sad, creepy,gothic horror story

Without doubt CJ Cooke is a master of atmosphere and a deft hand at creating unsettling stories packed with myth and emotion and the Ghost Woods is a fine example of that and my favourite book of hers to date.

Here we have a remote setting, Lichen Hall is nestled deep in the woods, the woods are steeped in myth and avoided by the locals and the Hall is now a retreat (although I use that word begrudgingly) for young single women who have fallen pregnant and, at a time when this was deeply frowned upon, have taken the decision (or more often than not been forced) to have their babies adopted.

The Ghost Woods has a split timeline. The year is 1959 and we learn of Mabel, only 17 years old and pregnant although she insists she hasn’t had sex. She is sent to Lichen Hall and we follow her progress as she starts to make friends eventually and relax a little. Jump to 1965 and meet Pearl who has also come to the Hall to have her baby. Pearl was a nurse but lost her job and the love of her life when she revealed her condition. Not to put too fine a point on things but Lichen Hall is a rather sad place. Young, vulnerable girls come to have their babies and offer them for adoption. There are tears and sadness. The setting is lonely and added to that there are rumours about the encroaching woods and a number of girls have witnessed something scary out there.

I enjoyed this. It’s very atmospheric, the Hall is a cold and unwelcoming place run by a seemingly cold hearted woman (Mrs Whitlock) hellbent on making a profit from the desperation of others. The setting has evil vibes and it’s clear that something dangerous is beginning to grow in strength. Strangely, and I found this a fascinating aspect to the growing horror but there seems to be an invasion of fungus, in fact part of the house has had to be closed due to the overwhelming spread. Lichen Hall really played into the gothic vibe. Here is a once glorious, but now fallen into disrepair manor house. There are elements that still shine but more than that there are creepy cellars, creaky floors and doors and many secrets.

The characters. Mrs Whitlock is almost a split personality. She can be warm and endearing but only in very brief spurts. Her husband has become bed bound and her grandson is an unusual boy, detached, prone to outbursts and often difficult. Of the two main characters, Mabel is very vulnerable, she falls into the trap of becoming, effectively, a slave to the Whitlocks and simply does as she’s told. Pearl is much more assertive and determined to find answers but likewise she has more or less been abandoned by her family. There’s an awful feeling of being trapped.

There’s a real sense of horror here and that’s not just reliant on the myths attached to the area. You feel so terrible for these young women, caught in a time and place that was so unkind to their plight. Added to this are a number of elements that could feel disparate but thanks to the strong writing instead come together in a very cohesive way. Not to give too much away there is a strong and vengeful spirit, the spread of the fungus is linked and helps to demonstrate the invasiveness of what’s going on it also brings with it a couple of twists that are both unexpected and scarily and awfully plausible.

In terms of criticisms. Well, there was nothing here that spoiled the read for me. There’s a slight slowness to the set up initially but probably about a third into the book things begin to hot up and the horror becomes more apparent. There is also a kind of busyness going on but, whilst this definitely had the potential to become a little too much, surprisingly I didn’t find that to be the case.

As it happens I found this very easy to read in terms of pacing and desire to press on. I liked the double aspect to it – not just a supernatural horror of sorts but also a real life horror and a look at the struggles of young women and the awful circumstances they were placed in. I liked the twisted nature of the story and the shocking revelation of what’s actually taking place. Very dark and foreboding, creepy and a great read for this time of year.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I absolutely loved this book, it was creepy with witchcraft and folklore, dark and unsettling but also hopeful, full of love and friendship. We meet Mabel and Pearl and learn something of what life was like for unmarried women, shunned by society and sent to mother and baby homes to give birth and give up their child. However, this is also a story of witches and spirits. There is the real life horrors of what these women were made to suffer and also the darkness that surrounds Lichen Hall and the secrets within. I really enjoyed The Lighthouse Witches by the same author and I think I enjoyed this one even more, beautfully written. Highly recommend.