The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
After the death of her loving husband, Liv has it rough trying to care for herself and her three daughters. It’s generally difficult being a single parent, but Liv is really feeling the strain on her resources.
When she receives a commission to paint a mural in a historical lighthouse on a remote Scottish Island, she jumps at a chance for a fresh start.
Moving the girls there is a big decision, but unfortunately, she really has no other choice. Boarding the ferry on the day of their move, Liv, Saffy, Luna and Clover say goodbye to their old life.
Once at the lighthouse and adjacent bothy, which will be their home, they realize it’s a wee bit more dilapidated than they anticipated. Regardless, it’s an exceptional location and they quickly settle in.
Saffy, as the oldest, definitely has the most difficult time with the move. You know how teens can be. As a result, she begins to distance herself from her Mom and sisters.
Liv dives into her work and actually ends up befriending a few village women, who fill her in on the history and lore of the island itself. Some of the things they tell her are quite disturbing, most notably a witch’s curse that summons wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children.
Liv doesn’t know what to make these eerie tales, but it is clear her new friends whole-heartedly believe every word.
When mysterious things begin to happen to Liv and her girls, however, she starts to believe there may be some credence to the lore. After two of her daughters go missing, Liv panics and is willing to do whatever it takes, turn to whoever she must, in order to get them back.
Y’all, The Lighthouse Witches gave me exactly what I was looking for. If you read the synopsis, and it sounds incredible to you, have no fear, that is what you are getting; you will not be let down.
The atmosphere is freaking fantastic. Everything about the island, the lighthouse, the local history and lore, it is perfect for Spooky Season reading!
The narrative follows three different perspectives, over two timelines: Liv, Saffy and Luna, with past and present perspectives.
You learn about the family’s time on the island, the disappearance of the girls, and from Luna’s present perspective, the aftermath of all of that.
My one small issue with this story was that I did find it hard to differentiate between the perspectives in the beginning. I was still learning everyone’s name and their position in the family, so it was hard to keep it all straight at first.
Luckily, the chapters were headed with the person’s name who you were following and the year, but I did have to page back quite a few times to figure out where I was and who I was reading from.
Eventually though, I was able to settle into it and really enjoyed my time reading this story. There are some genuinely creepy moments and some quite interesting supernatural twists.
I found the entire thing to be original and chilling. It definitely kept me up at night. The atmosphere and lore of the town were my two favorite aspects, but really there is so much to enjoy in this story!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
After this and The Nesting, I think it is fair to say, I will pick up anything C.J. Cooke releases!!