This is my second Catoriona Ward book! I am starting to think she is not for me. Her books end up being weird and confussing! Sundial is not any different than what I have come to expect from this author. I just have no fun with her books and I don't car.

This was just not for me. I don't want to bring the rating down on goodreads so I am not rating there I think the authors style and me just don't vibe.

I want to preface my review by saying that cover art is absolutely gorgeous! It grabbed my attention and had me eager to see just what this book had to offer.

I can't say for sure what I was expecting going in, but what I got blew my mind. This is such a bizarre story, and I mean that in the best of ways.

"It’s possible to feel the horror of something and to accept it all at the same time. How else could we cope with being alive?"

Rob wants nothing more than to live a normal life. She is happily-ish married, with two daughters living in the suburbs, picture perfect on the surface. But Robs oldest daughter Callie has some strange habits. Callie collects animal bones and whispers to imaginary friends.

"You can't escape what's in your blood..."

In an attempt to save her daughter from the darkness inside her, Rob takes her back to her home in The Mojave Desert. Will they both survive this homecoming? You're going to have to grab a copy and see for yourselves.

Ward has quite the imagination and did a beautiful job writing this story. There were great twists, the automosphere was spine chilling, the perfect amount of gore, and decent character development. I honestly have no complaints at all and highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique story.

As always, thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I honestly am a little torn in writing this because I’m not exactly sure how I feel. Catriona Ward clearly has a brilliant mind, which translates into her very well-sculpted horror fiction. There are an abundance of well-thought out layers and twists upon twists which make this very entertaining in a lot of ways. On the other hand, I had a little trouble focusing on the middle chapters, which were at times confusing. There were also some very disturbing scenes which were difficult to read. With that said, I am glad I read this and continue to be a fan.

After really enjoying the Last House on Needless Street I was excited to read this one. Sundial did not disappoint, I loved this! I found this story so unique and I really enjoyed the creepy vibes of the story. There is something so unique about Catriona Ward's writing and I look forward to reading her next book!

Ward’s exquisite writing is what really made this book shine for me. she has such a beautiful and haunting way of crafting horror stories. this one was quite a bit different than Needless Street but still captivating and unique

(thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.)

it's a signature Catriona Ward at her finest — mindbending plotting, horrors that will keep you up all night, and narrators you'll question, again and again.

From the moment I started reading this book, I was completely captivated by the haunting atmosphere and gripping storyline. The author, Catriona Ward, is a master of suspense, and she skillfully weaves together a complex web of intrigue that kept me guessing until the very end.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the way that Ward built the tension slowly, gradually revealing the secrets and motivations of her characters in a way that felt natural and realistic. The characters themselves are richly drawn and multi-dimensional, each with their own quirks and flaws that make them feel like real people rather than mere caricatures.

The story itself is suspenseful, wild and full of unexpected twists and turns. The author is a master at building tension slowly, allowing the reader to become fully immersed in the world of the story before unleashing a series of shocking revelations. I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eager to see what would happen next.

I will read every book the author writes. Highly Highly Recommend.

Thanks to the publishers and net galley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was just too weird for me. I tried her first book and wasn’t impressed but I thought I would give her another shot. She’s not an author for me. To paranormal for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a copy of Sundial in exchange for an honest review. If you are a fan of Last House on Needless Street or any kind of thrilling novel, you are in for a ride with Sundial by Catriona Ward.

'You can't escape what's in your blood...
All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind.
She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.
Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…'

This story is filled with mystery, intrigue, and supernatural elements that will leave you flipping the pages faster and faster wanting to know what happens next.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. It’s a story so unlike anything I’ve read before that there’s nothing to compare it to and it’s difficult to categorize.

This plot was easy to follow and I found myself sucked into the story early on. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Rob, with chapters in the present and many chapters that are part of a flashback story that she is telling her daughter Callie. There are also some chapters from Callie’s point of view.

The tale as a whole is very dark and twisted. I wanted to keep reading in order to see what happened and to get answers for things that were revealed as the story progressed. I was disappointed in the way a few things panned out, but mostly I didn’t care for the ending.

The setting was well developed and perfect for the horror aspects of the book. It’s definitely somewhere I have no interest in spending any time.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Nightfire for an eARC of #Sundial by #CatrionaWard - 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I did not finish this book. It was very much a me problem rather than the book. The writing and characters did not grip me into the story. I also found it too slow initially, which is another reason it did not grab me. I will definitely pick up Catriona Ward's other book to see if her works are for me.

Here's my review for the audiobook of Sundial. This one really disturbed me. https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/sundial-2149376

wow !! this book was too good !! This was my first book by Catriona Ward and it definitely wont be my last. I loved the characters- creepy kids in books are just the cherry on top for me. I also really love the atmosphere and how the author made you feel uneasy while you were reading it ! The character development between mother and daughter was also really amazing to watch unfold... over all a great story !

I love a good weird psychological thriller, but the pay off in this one was much more predictable and not as good as Needless Street for me.

Full review on my channel https://youtu.be/z9KtE9qD-Ac

Another fantastic tale woven by a master. While I liked Last House on Needless Street slightly better, Sundial held me captivated with every page. The characters were sympathetic and scary AND compelling all at once. The story had constant twists and turns that kept me intrigued and guessing. Unreliable narrators aren't my favorite because they're often not done well. In this book, we had two unreliable narrators and they were handled amazingly. The horror aspect was extremely haunting and got under my skin. It's going to be in my head for a long time. Can't wait to read more by Catriona Ward!

This is the second by the author that I‘ve tried out, and I think Ward’s books just aren’t for me. The story was fine, the cultish themes were fine, everything was overall fine, but I didn’t love it.

This was such an enjoyable read! Catriona Ward really knows how to suck readers in. As usual, the voice was stellar. Uncovering the mystery was fun and such a ride! I look forward to the next book of hers.

I had really high expectations going into this one. Unfortunately, Sundial felt more like a thriller to me than a horror novel. It started out with so much promise, but it ended up losing me after the first quarter or so and I found myself really having to push to the finish.

I loved how dark and disturbing this book was, but there was just way too much going on. Dysfunctional family turns abusive family and then we add in some unnecessary animal abuse, tons of maggots, and weird science experiments.

I really enjoyed parts of this story, but the middle slowed down, lost me, and then I feel the author tried to jam too much into the ending.

This was a really really difficult book for me to get through. And I honestly would not have finished it if I didn't have it as an ARC on Netgalley. There needs to be a huge trigger warning for the experiments on animals that occur in the book. As someone whos number 1 trigger is animal abuse, this is a hard pass for me. I love Catriona Ward's other books. But this one was just too much for me.