This was my first Catriona Ward book. Sundial is one heck of a twisted psychological horror novel filled with dysfunctional family drama. It won't be for everyone, it is dark, speaks to generational trauma, and includes a lot of animal abuse.

I won't go into too much detail on the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but as a general overview: The story is told through dual timelines. In the past Rob and Jack are twin sisters being raised at Sundial by their father Falcon and stepmom Mia. Experiments are conducted on bad dogs there in order to try and temper their aggressive side. In the present, Rob is married to Irving, their relationship is completely toxic, but they've stayed together for their two daughters, Callie and Annie. When Callie starts to exhibit some startling behavior, Rob takes her out to Sundial to get to the bottom of what is going on and maybe even to "fix" Callie. What does fix mean?

I found myself having to put the book down and circle back to it, whether that was due to the triggery content or the pacing of the plot itself I am still not sure. The ending was left vague and open to interpretation, which is not my favorite way to leave a story. There were odd mini-chapters of a book written by the mother interspersed throughout the story which were didn't add much and were distracting to me. On a positive note Ward's prose was unique and I found myself with a lot of highlighted passages from the book. I still plan on checking out The Last House on Needless Street, but I can put Sundial down as a "miss" for me personally. I'll end with, this is not my go-to genre, so please feel free to take it with a grain of salt if you are a psychological horror fan!

Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, NetGalley and author Catriona Ward for this ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Rob created the perfect life, or so she thought. Her husband cheats on her, her younger daughter Annie has medical issues, and her older daughter Callie, well, Callie is getting odder by the day. Her solution is to take Callie to Sundial, her parents home in the desert and to tell her the story of her own upbringing. Heads up warning to animal lovers about this one. Rob's parents were, to put it mildly, not good for her or her sister but how has that trauma affected Callie? Or is it genetic? This moves back and forth in time and perspective. And there's a book within the book thing which doesn't add appreciably to the plot. There's good world building and it's horrifying in spots. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This asks the reader to contemplate how they would response to an impossible choice. An interesting read.

I’ve been looking forward to this book all year and it didn’t disappoint me one bit. It was amazing.

This story at times had a bit of the same feel of Zoje Stage’s “Baby Teeth”, in the way you had a miscommunication between mom and daughter that didn’t stem from deliberate maliciousness but from misplaced emotions and intentions that ended up with both parties completely misunderstanding one another with disastrous results, but thankfully this book didn’t end up with me sick to my tummy. This book took that idea of miscommunication between mother and daughter and elevated it, intertwining it with little white lies and tall tales we tell to our family members to obfuscate the horrible truths from them in order to preserve their minds, and sometimes even our own. Sometimes we sacrifice our own sanity just so our loved ones can sleep safe for once. As a mom, I can own up to that one myself.

This book also makes clear in both word and deed that nothing truly stays buried forever. Sundial may be the title of the book, but it’s also the book’s mantra: everything comes full circle in time. It’s the nature of the beast. With the majority of the book being set in the Mojave Desert, the bleak climate and its eroded landscape also serves as a terrific atmospheric metaphor for how the land will both destroy and reveal secrets: from abandoned mine shafts to shifting sands to desperate predators, the desert both keeps and reveals secrets in tandem and you never know if ghosts will stay where you put them.

With a frighteningly interesting story, compelling characters, and chilling atmosphere, this book is completely worth the read and a page-turner for sure. I highly suggest you check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you so much to NG and the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Last House on Needless Street so I couldn't wait for this! I can't give too much away without spoiling but once again Ward scared my pants off. I love her writing and she really messes with your mind!

Last year ‘Last House on Needless Street’ was one of my favorites, so I was so excited to read ‘Sundial’ and it Did Not Disappoint! I absolutely Loved it!
Sundial by Catriona Ward is sad, horrifying, dysfunctional, & creepy with psychological twists! I highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This is a true psychological thriller/horror so please not the following triggers: animal abuse, child/domestic abuse, infidelity, and graphic scenes of violence.

There’s not a lot to say about this without spoiling the plot other than trust no one and nothing is as it seems! On the surface, Rob, Irving, and their two children look like a normal family. Rob is a 4th grade teacher and Irving a professor. But, lurking just beneath the surface are secrets from the past that are about to reach a fever-pitch.

Desperate, Rob takes her oldest daughter, Callie, back to where it all started: Sundial. Here, the past, present, and future collide in ways you won’t see coming!

Sundial is a truly horrifying tale of what it means to be a parent and sibling; and, what happens when we can’t escape the truths of our past. A must-read for horror fans everywhere!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy!

Thought it wasn’t for me- a bickering toxic and abusive couple with kids, but then I reread the book description, and I knew I just had to continue.

Rob is a hard working teacher-mom with a strained relationship with her eldest daughter Callie. She also has a strained relationship with her husband, who is Callie’s favourite parent. But Rob is worried that Callie might hurt her sister after there is an incident with animal bones and a container of pills. Rob then whisks Callie away to the compound she grew up in in the desert- Sundial. As Callie and Rob stay in Sundial, we learn more about its strange and abnormal history, as well as the dark secrets held by the desert.

Rob is worried about her daughter, Callie.
~
Callie, who collects tiny bones & talks to imaginary people. Callie, who harbors a darkness towards her family. A darkness that threatens to escalate. Callie, who fears the shades of her mother's past.
~
Down in the Mojave Desert, the relationship between mother & daughter will be tested, bent, & pushed to break. Because the sun sets low in Sundial, & the things that surface in the moon's wake are deadly.
~
SUNDIAL is the newest offering from Catriona Ward & while I'm sure it'll be compared to Ward's previous release, THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, the two are vastly different entities. SUNDIAL stands on its own, a ravenous machine winding its watch & letting it tick, tick, tick into high-tension oblivion.
~
Ward is truly exceptional when it comes to the slow-burn novel. The story unravels slowly to start but it's always entrancing, always moving forward. She lights the fuse & we follow the sparks down, down, down the wick, where realization dawns, & we learn just how many sticks of dynamite are duct-taped to the underside of this narrative.
~
SUNDIAL is an incredibly engaging, character-driven thriller. It's a beating heart in the cool darkness of the midnight sun; a piston pumping life into its complex, fractured characters. It cuts slow but sharp, steady, & deep.
~
It’s solidified Catriona Ward as an auto-buy author for me, & is unlike any thriller I've read so far this year.
~
Thank you to and for sending me an ARC copy of this novel! Look for this one when it comes out this coming Tuesday (March 1st)! Rob is worried about her daughter, Callie.
~
Callie, who collects tiny bones & talks to imaginary people. Callie, who harbors a darkness towards her family. A darkness that threatens to escalate. Callie, who fears the shades of her mother's past.
~
Down in the Mojave Desert, the relationship between mother & daughter will be tested, bent, & pushed to break. Because the sun sets low in Sundial, & the things that surface in the moon's wake are deadly.
~
SUNDIAL is the newest offering from Catriona Ward & while I'm sure it'll be compared to Ward's previous release, THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, the two are vastly different entities. SUNDIAL stands on its own, a ravenous machine winding its watch & letting it tick, tick, tick into high-tension oblivion.
~
Ward is truly exceptional when it comes to the slow-burn novel. The story unravels slowly to start but it's always entrancing, always moving forward. She lights the fuse & we follow the sparks down, down, down the wick, where realization dawns, & we learn just how many sticks of dynamite are duct-taped to the underside of this narrative.
~
SUNDIAL is an incredibly engaging, character-driven thriller. It's a beating heart in the cool darkness of the midnight sun; a piston pumping life into its complex, fractured characters. It cuts slow but sharp, steady, & deep.
~
It’s solidified Catriona Ward as an auto-buy author for me, & is unlike any thriller I've read so far this year.
~
Thank you to Tor Nightfire & NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this novel! Look for this one when it comes out this coming Tuesday (March 1st)!

The beginning was ROUGH. I didn’t understand half of what was going on, who was who, or what was what. There’s Rob, a mother who is trying to do the best for her children, Callie and Annie, and Irving who is THE WORST. However, no one is a reliable narrator. Every viewpoint has their own truth and you have to decipher who to trust. The book took turns I DID NOT expect and it had a very strong finish. I preferred the second half to the first because the voice of the plot got stronger and the plot points bwcause clearer. It was almost like it tried too hard to be vague in the beginning and things were tangled. There’s also plenty of triggers for dark themes here that were shocking. I did end up enjoying the discussion of nature vs nurture and was surprised at the journey it took. It definitely kept me on my toes but I hoped for a more linear story. But in the end it was weird and creepy and odd and interesting.

Sundial is one of the best horror/thrillers that I've read in ages. A sharp blade of a novel that gets more and more cutting at each twist and revelation. It's scary and complex, with a depth of character that is breathtaking. I loved every minute of reading this book, even as it was tearing my heart out.

The Last House on Needless Street was one of my favorite horror reads of 2021. Thus, I was really looking forward to reading Sundial. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed! Catriona Ward has created yet another page-turning thriller with unexpected twists and turns. This book has so much to love: dysfunctional family relationships, a vivid setting, & nerve-wracking suspense. If you like dark psychological thrillers, then be sure to pick up a copy of Sundial!

I do want to note that there is a major plot point involving animal experiments that I found really difficult to stomach. I can handle a lot in horror but animal cruelty deeply upsets me. Perhaps as a vegan, I am overly sensitive to the topic. If you're at all similar to me in that way, you may not want to read Sundial. However, it was truly a thrilling story and I didn't let my own discomfort affect my rating of the story itself.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is by far one of the best books ice read so far in 2022. That's saying alot as I've already read over 100 so far. (The vid got me) and lots of short stories 🤣 been home alot. But that's besides the point. This was fantastic, thrilling and has me going wtf alot. 4.5 to 5⭐

Jshdrhdk ejdrue dufieiffjfkfsk dkfgidjfhd!!AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I can’t describe in proper words how much I love Catriona Ward’s books!!! Her previous work, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, was my favorite book of 2021. So of course, I had to read 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥 which definitely does not disappoint one bit! Where the previous book had a bit more of a convoluted story, Sundial is more straightforward. Both books are very different from each other but both require the reader to patiently *read the book till the END* to grasp what’s going on. I actually found the ending of Sundial even more interesting because it raises a lot of realistic questions on where our humanity is going. I can’t say a whole lot more without spoiling.

To be brief, the story centers around Rob (the wife), Irving (the husband), and their 2 daughters, Callie and Annie. Callie does some creepy things and Rob decides to take her to Sundial, Rob’s ancestral home in the Mojave desert, to have a “talk” and explain Callie some things she needs to know. In the process, we also learn about Rob’s family, who is atypical, to say the least. The book is split between Rob’s and Callie’s POVs in how they deal with their peculiar situations. In between, we also have very short chapters titled “Arrowood,” which is an unpublished story that Rob writes in her free time. I personally found the Arrowood chapters unnecessary but I suspect the author introduced them as breaks from the otherwise heavy topics in the book. In any case, Arrowood did not deter me from enjoying the book.

This book contains trigger warnings, in particular, animal abuse and death. There is also domestic abuse/gaslighting. However, again I can’t disclose much, but these triggers were specific to certain contexts and were treated with finesse. You’ll understand what I mean once you read the book. Honestly, I think this was psychological horror at its finest, particularly because the ending had me thinking important life issues despite being the horror genre. Sundial is also easily a contender to being the best book of 2022 for me!

I have already shamelessly plugged myself to the publisher for Catriona’s next release, 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞, that comes out October 2022. Have I mentioned Catriona Ward is my all-time favorite author??

Thank you to the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Sundial.

If you’ve read The Last House on Needless Street, then you know what to expect from Ward! Lots of horror, wtf moments, and a killer twist ending!

Sundial is told from the POV of Rob and her daughter Callie. Rob and Callie have a rough relationship, ever since she was born. Rob’s abusive, cheating husband, Irving, is a big reason for the wedge between her and Callie.

One day, Rob’s younger daughter, Annie, comes down with the chicken pox, which can only mean one thing - Irving is cheating again. And when Annie somehow ends up ingesting pills from the medicine cabinet, Rob decides it’s time for her and Callie to take a little trip out to Sundial together.

Rob is noticing things in her daughter, strange things, and that can only mean one thing. She decides to finally tell Callie the truth about her past life living at Sundial, and with that comes terrible realizations, ones that will alter their family forever. Will they be able to move forward, or will it destroy their relationship for good?

I absolutely loved everything about this story. The twists are crazy, and the ending was completely unexpected! Ward is a pro when it comes to writing well rounded characters with an amazing setting and even better twists. Without giving too much away, this is one you definitely need to check out!

Sundial will be available March 1st!

TW: Abuse (spousal, child, animal) miscarriage, cult-like themes

Catriona Ward is a master at crafting utterly absorbing dread and characterizations that twist and stretch like taffy. This is a disquieting, compelling horror story about how intergenerational trauma manifests, with a climax that made my heart beat so hard I mistook it for the sound of an intruder in my house. I’m still in awe of Ward’s terrifying, illuminating prior novel, The Last House on Needless Street, and this one deserves a coveted spot right alongside it on any horror or psychological thriller lover’s shelf. Gratitude to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the arc.

This book clearly tries to be a lot of stories at once: the abuse at the hands of a narcissist husband, generational trauma and its impact on children, cultish family dynamics, genetic testing, psychopathic serial killers, ghosts. However, Ward manages to find the path between them that joins each of these elements together into a cohesive novel. The book keeps you on your toes and has plenty of twists. My only complaint is that the final twist seems rushed, as if Ward wasn't sure how to end the book and wanted to have it end on a suspenseful note. Other than that, the rest of the book was engaging and exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second book my Catriona Ward and I couldn't wait to dig in! I was not disappointed in the least and really enjoyed this one more than her first book I read, The Last House on Needless Street.

Starting with an unreliable narrator this book takes you to the dark places in your mind. The ones that make you wonder "am I a bad person?".
Rob is living the suburban housewife dream , with her beautiful family and home with great friends and a backyard to entertain. But life is not all it seems... Soon Rob begins to see her oldest daughter Callie demonstrate odd and macabre behaviors and she feels compelled to take her back to her childhood home, the desert. Slowly this story unfolds , bringing secret after secret as you turn the figurative page. This one is a winner for all fans of psychological thrillers ,horror , mental illness and mysteries.

I will put some warnings out there, if you are highly sensitive to animal cruelty you won't like this book. I love animals but found I was able to step back and enjoy the fiction of the story. If you can't do that , move along friends.

This is a haunting and dark psychological thriller that explores the complexities of trauma and abuse. Compelling characters and a harrowing ride through memory lane combine for a devastating story of love and loss. Absolutely brilliant storytelling.

This is definitely not for the faint of heart but Ward’s writing is not to be missed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I'd never read Ward before (yes, I know, Needless Street was everywhere, but it's still in my TBR pile), but man, what an amazing intro.

At first, this seems like more of a domestic/thriller novel -- Rob, a mother of two children, has an emotionally (and occasionally physically) abusive husband, a sickly younger daughter, and an older daughter who has some very dark tendencies. When she thinks Callie, her older daughter might threaten the younger one, she takes her to spend some time at her old childhood home, Sundial, a desert estate where her hippie parents conducted assorted experiments to tame wild dogs.

Told mostly from Rob and Callie's POV, there's a lot more going on, and I'd rather avoid too many spoilers. There are some fantastic twists, some horrifying moments, but also a huge amount of emotional stakes. This isn't always a pleasant novel to read, but it's engrossing and powerful and just one of those "read this now" books we so rarely get these days.

Huge bonus to Ward for pulling off one of the trickiest things in writing: Having a character write deliberately-weak prose that's also good enough to read in small stretches for serious plot purposes (instead of Vogon Poetry). It's a very tough tightrope to cross, but Ward manages it.

Catriona Ward continues to blow my mind with this new psychological thriller. Ward has a way of completely twisting things so you never know what's coming until the end. The ending itself with throw you into utter shock and awe. I don't see how any book will be able to top Sundial in this genre for this year. I give this author a huge round of applause for being so creative, and giving her readers stories that are just so twisted as well as addictive. Once you dive into Sundial, you will get losts in it's pages of horror and gore.