Catriona Ward is amazing at making you think you know exactly what you're dealing with and then completely turning everything you thought you knew on its head.

Sundial is haunting and atmospheric. From the very first page, you can tell something is very wrong with this strange family. As you get further into this chilling tale, the dual narrative ratchets up the tension until you can't put it down. The novel centers on Rob, a woman who thought she had escaped her troubled past. She’s built a life with a husband, two kids, and a suburban home—everything she wanted, except for one thing: her oldest daughter, Callie, is exhibiting unsettling behaviors that remind Rob too much of the family she left behind. Callie collects tiny bones, talks to imaginary friends, and Rob begins to fear that the darkness she tried to leave may have followed her into her new life. Desperate, Rob decides to take Callie to her childhood home, Sundial, a remote property deep in the Mojave Desert, in a bid to confront the past and save her daughter from the same fate.

But as they arrive at Sundial, things quickly spiral into something far more sinister. Callie, already worried about her mother’s strange behavior and cryptic talk of secrets, begins to suspect that only one of them will leave the desert alive. As Rob’s past unravels, a chilling truth about her family’s history—and her connection to the darkness in Callie—comes to light. The story moves back and forth between Rob’s present-day journey with Callie and flashbacks to her unsettling childhood at Sundial, slowly revealing the horrors that shaped her.

What makes Sundial such a compelling read is Ward’s ability to blend psychological tension with an eerie, almost otherworldly atmosphere. The desolate desert setting serves as the perfect backdrop for a story about isolation and the haunting pull of the past. The relationship between Rob and Callie is complex, filled with love, fear, and guilt, and it’s impossible to predict how their journey will unfold.

The twists are both shocking and tragic, leaving you questioning the true nature of the family’s secrets until the very end. If you’re a fan of slow-building, psychologically intense horror with deeply flawed characters and an unsettling sense of dread, Sundial will not disappoint. It’s a tense, thought-provoking read that digs into the heart of what we inherit—both good and bad—and asks whether it’s ever truly possible to escape our past.

It was very hard for me to get into this book. I think it was the writing style. It begins with a super dysfunctional family but goes way deeper (and weirder) than that. It was an interesting concept, and I ultimately liked how the story came together, but it took too long for me to get on board. The experiments on the dogs bothered me, but even that became interesting when I read the Afterword and how it was based on real experiments by the CIA. It was definitely a dark read, but it just wasn't one that I fully connected with.

Utterly fantastic! I didn't think Catrina Ward's "Needless Street" book could be beat, but it has. This was so twisted with pitch-perfect characters.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book. My fav this year!!

When her dysfunctional past seems the best option to "fix" her daughter's questional future, you may have entered the Twilight Zone. Rob escaped her past only to drag her family back to the site of her worst years. Definitely hits all the horror vibes. As the story morphs, the characters will too. A great follow up to THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET.

The pacing is too slow. A bit tedious to read and I’m not a fan of her writing style. I prefer books that have more extreme horror and move at a quicker pace. Perhaps I wasn’t the target audience for this one.

Unfortunately, when things start getting good and creepy, “Sundial” started to drag on a bit around the 30% mark. I figured it would probably pick up again soon but that wasn’t the case here. It stalled for a huge chunk of reading, from the 30% - 70% mark and that’s a huge no-no in my book.

This book was weird and kinda hard to follow. Not terrible but not my favorite either unfortunately. I got kinda bored halfway through.

"Sundial" by Catriona Ward is a haunting and atmospheric novel that delves into the darkness lurking within a seemingly idyllic community. Ward's writing is evocative, drawing readers into a world where secrets fester and tensions simmer beneath the surface. The novel's unique blend of mystery and psychological horror keeps readers guessing until the very end, while its exploration of themes such as family, grief, and mental illness adds depth and complexity to the story. However, some readers may find the pacing to be uneven, with certain sections dragging while others race by in a whirlwind of suspense. Additionally, the novel's nonlinear structure and shifting perspectives may prove challenging for some readers to follow. Despite these flaws, "Sundial" is a compelling read that offers plenty of thrills and chills for fans of psychological fiction.

Rob is a mother of 2, Callie and Annie, a husband and a house in the suburbs. One would think her life is perfection. But Rob is worried about her daughter Callie. She is collecting bones and talking to imaginary friends. Rob talks about past secrets. Rob decides to take Callie to her childhood home in the desert. Callie is worried about her mother, and she isn't sure they both will be returning from the desert.

This is a dark, twisty thriller. If you enjoyed The Push or The Perfect Child, you will surely enjoy this book.

Dark and twisty, with some scenes that will make your stomach turn, Sundial is a story about family trauma and the lengths that people think it's necessary to go. I'm a huge fan of Catriona Ward and I loved this book. It was so moody and tense. The atmosphere that was crafted was so immersive and creepy. With an incredible eye for detail and planting the seed of doubt, the story takes you on a journey.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Let me begin by saying I loved <i> The Last House on Needless Street </i> so I was excited to read more of Catriona Ward's work. <i> Sundial</i>, though, did not meet my expectations and has probably turned me off from seeking out more of her work.

I enjoy weird books, but I think this story needed some paring down. The multiple POV plus timeline jumps were disorienting and really inhibited the pacing. This may have been on purpose but the story's payoff (or lack thereof) made this more frustrating than a satisfying plot device. I also had problems with the characters, from the cartoonishly villainous Irving to the overly perceptive Callie (though I think having Callie's POV be omniscient rather than first-person would have solved this). By the time I got to the last page, the story told, embellished with so much violence (so much violence), left me questioning the point of it all.

Trigger warnings for animal cruelty, domestic violence, death, and general violence.

I blindly chose to read this book during a “mom getaway” staycation at a hotel. Stressed mom reads about an even more stressed mom with a daughter that is doing some creepy shit… I honestly don’t think I could have chosen a more fitting or better book for the situation.

What was supposed to be a night of relaxation and rest turned into me staying up until 3am devouring this book. Sundial was my first Catriona Ward book and it certainly won’t be my last. Although, I can’t imagine how she could top this! When I tell you that the ending made me squeal. The excitement I felt at that moment of realization of what she had done. I am truly blown away by how effortlessly weird this story was written. Bravo!

TW: This book is not for people who struggle with descriptions of animal experimentation and abuse. While the descriptions are not graphic, they are a large part of the plot.

This is, hands down, one of the most enthralling and addictive horror reads I've ever gotten my hands on. I plowed through this book in a matter of days, walking away only to work and sleep and sometimes shower and feed myself.

The story is modern, horrifying with a scientific element, and keeps you guessing till the last chapter. It is high-brow horror, a gothic tale that is mysterious and also unnerving. The plot will have you pondering the nature of goodness, how we are affected by trauma, and if we should try to fix our most broken parts.

Ward continues to shine as a force in horror with this dark thriller. SUNDIAL is a perfect blend of suspense and the deeply disturbing situation these characters are in. This book will scare you all the while pulling you into the web of this gothic mystery.

I read this in a single sitting! Although it's my third or fourth book by the author at this point, this is the first one that I just could not put down. I LOVED IT! I have a thing for complicated mother/daughter relationships, and the way the author wrote this one just hit the nail on the head. Also enjoyed the setting here!!

Straight up on the edge of my seat, read it in one sitting. Not sure it's a literary classic, but absolutely gripping. Very dark/creepy content. Definitely a unique take on the perpetuation of violence and any twists and reveals didn’t feel cheap, which is something I can say about both the books I’ve read by her
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Amazing. I read it in one day. Super tense, thrilling, frightening, full of twists and turns I didn't see coming. Plus, I'm a sucker for a mother-daughter story.

This is a difficult story about how the disconnect between parents can destroy the lives of the children.
A dysfunctional, controlling couple pulls two sisters apart -- largely because the mother is extremely suspicious of one's motives and intentions -- so she uproots the two of them to the eponymous Arizona land that was the home to her own trauma growing up adopted into a group trying to experiment on implants in dogs's brains enabling remote control. These experiments extend to the children and lead to a desperate escape...generally not the best plan!

I really enjoyed this novel although it was a depressing read. Nothing ever seems to go right or make the characters happy. A brief moment of joy is tempered with a lifetime of tragedy. That being said that's how life seems at times. Twists and turns in the plot will greet the persistent reader. Highly recommended for when you're in one of those moods.