Gain Access To The Lighthouse Witches Sketched By C.J. Cooke Disseminated As Pamphlet

LOVED this for Halloween! A mom Liv and her three daughters arrive on a remote Scottish island, She is commissioned to paint an old lighthouse, When they arrive the lighthouse is run down and there is history attached to it, The land was used to keep women accused of witchcraft and when the witches were murdered they cursed the island,
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There are tales of children disappearing and "wildings" taking their places,
Then Liv's two daughters go missing,

The story also has a present day version where Luna one of the daughters has grown up and is contacted that one of her sisters has been found.
The thing is she has not aged.

I loved the setting and back history of this book! And for a horror book the ending did not tick me off horribly, At first it did and then I remembered if I can forgive Stephen King a million times for shitting the bed on an ending that I can get over stuff.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

When I read the synopsis for this book I was so excited, I love witch stories and folklore and this story promised both, It's too bad that this one didn't work for me at all, It was painfully slow and anticlimactic, There was no suspense and I thought the atmosphere was lacking,
The adult characters made really idiotic choices at times, and it really annoyed me,

This could have easily been a DNF for me, but I made myself finish because I was hoping the ending would pay off, It did not. Based on how many glowing reviews this book has, I clearly have an unpopular opinion, Therefore, I would say if you were thinking of picking this up you probably should, Books are so subjective. I didn't love it but maybe you will, You must be careful not to take hands with your other self wildling If you dothe two of you will become one

: Liv, a single mom of three is commissioned to paint a mural in a decommissioned lighthouse, called The Longing, which was built over the grounds where women were held before being burned alive as Witches.
While thereshe and two of her daughters go missing,

: Twenty Two years later, Luna gets a call that her younger sister has been found but when she arrives to reconnect with herClover is still seven years oldhow can this be Could she be a wildling fairy that takes on human form with one touch of a child

Thenumbers branded on her would suggest so

The Grimoire magic spell book of Patrick Robertsfills in the history of the Witch Trials in Scotland.
The one alternating narrative in the book which didnt hold my interest despite the fact that the history is fascinating

No doubt that this was a UNIQUE and WELL WRITTEN story exploring Scotlands actual folklore of Wildlings, and the history of the Witch Trials in Scotland which took place in thes, and I can understand why it was loved by all of my Goodreads friends

I enjoyed learning what a Bothy is a basic shelter in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge and the Mareel Seas Milky Seasa luminous phenomenon in which large areas of the seawater glow bluebright enough at night to be visible from satellites orbiting the Earthplease Google them both they are gorgeous!!

But, the story itself

based on an enjoyment level was just okay for me.
.

.rounded up for the writing and the armchair travel to Scotland which was wonderfully descriptive and was the part that I did enjoy immensely, Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island, Twenty years later, one is foundbut she's still the same age as when she disappeared, The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting,

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in ayearold lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughtersLuna, Sapphire, and Clover.
When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic, She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft, The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge, Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed,

Twentytwo years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother, When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic, Clover is the sister she remembersexcept she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished, Luna is worried Clover is a wildling, Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family, But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her, .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 as an artist, 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 of these eerie tales, but it is clear her new friends wholeheartedly 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 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!!.