I really enjoyed the setting and the plot twist in this story but I found myself wishing I was in the other perspective every time it switched. I wanted to be in the past when I was reading the present, and I wanted to be in the present when I was reading the past. I did really enjoy the desert setting and the hints at the cult like family, but I wish there was more. Overall, I did really enjoy this book, I read it in one sitting, and I'm looking forward to checking out the author's other books.

Sundial was yet another strange read for me. I appreciate the creativity of the story but it just expands past a point that I can enjoy. I am glad that I finished it but it was definitely a chore. I think this is it for me and this author - two books and both were just too obscure for me.

Thanks to Netgallley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

“Kids are mirrors, reflecting back everything that happens to them. You’ve got to make sure they’re surrounded by good things.”

I think I almost loved this one. But I also almost hated it. It's confusing and a bit tiresome to get through. I loved getting to know the characters and try to untangle the plot. It's told with a then and a now. It gives us glimpses of Rob - both as a child growing up in an odd setting and her as an adult now with children and a husband. It's distrubing and violent and doesn't stop between either flashback or the now.

I think, ultimately, I was confused for so long that I grew frustrated. Rob wasn't consistent throughout the book and it's only in the last 50 pages or so that everyone starts actually talking with real words and emotions.

And the dog abuse is intense and a bit much. It's overwhelming at times and hard to read. I wish I'd loved it but I think, ultimately, it's a great horror novel. Just maybe not for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Catriona Ward is the best horror writer if you are looking for a very strange and confusing type of story! She's going to pack you in to the strange and unusual like nobody else can.
Sundial won't be for everyone, or the faint of heart. It's for the true horror lovers. It's a very dark and disturbing book, chock full of meaning.
The topics covered in the story may be triggering, so beware. Child abuse, animal abuse, mental health, miscarriage and trauma. I'm here for it. Ward gives just enough to pull you in and make you feel the tension rise. Next thing you know, you're shocked and appalled.
I don't want to say much more, this story should be read almost blind. Gird your loins and enjoy!
4 stars.

After not totally liking "The Last House on Needless Street", I wanted to give Catriona Ward another shot. While I didn't enjoy this initially, things got better as they got weirder. The story follows a woman named Rob who fears there's something wrong with her eldest daughter. To try and solve matters, she takes her daughter to Sundial, the small town that she grew up in, and from there Ward turns up the scary-factor. There's a lot going on with this plot, and I ended up liking the novel quite a bit.

Ward really knows how to write seriously messed-up characters!! I liked this book much more than "Needless Street," and I did not see the twist at the end coming. Mesmerizing book.

This one was not for me. I much preferred The Last House on Needless Street. The concept of the book was really great but I felt bored for the majority of it.

I’m having a really hard time putting my feelings into words with this one. I was 85% in before I kind of understood what was going. But I’m still not entirely sure what I just read.

I did really enjoy how dark this book was. The author was not afraid to go there and I can appreciate that. I also enjoyed the little twist at the end. I had no idea it was even coming.

I honestly just think that Catriona Ward writing style isn’t for me. It’s very complex and slow going. It had a hard time keeping my attention. I can understand and appreciate why people love her books. I’m just not a fan.

Overall I will definitely still recommend this book to a specific type of horror reader. I have many friends who would love this book. I unfortunately just didn’t and that’s okay. I can still appreciate the author’s point of view. 2.5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Last House on Needless Street was one of the most hyped up horror novels of the past decade. It definitely didn't disappoint, even though it was more gothic literature than horror.
Sundial is the next release from this rising star, and it features the same trademark prose and the same strange darkness as her former book.
The story was also a slow-burner, similar to her previous book. It can definitely be off-putting, because the payoff takes a long time to arrive. But the different writing style was enough to keep my interest, even if the plot was trudging along slowly.
If you like a different style of writing, and you enjoy a slow-burning book, check out Sundial.

Sundial is a complex, suspenseful thriller. There are multiple twists and many satisfying explanations. An intriguing story of a mother and daughter but also of twin sisters, it is full of depth and layers.

Rob wants to save her daughter, Callie. To do so, they must go to Sundial, Rob’s childhood home, in the Mojave desert. While there, we learn so many truths about Rob and her history. And we also learn, things aren’t always what they seem.

If you’re looking for an unpredictable but not unrealistic thriller, this is for you. I strongly recommend this novel. I will definitely be reading more from Ms. Ward.

What an upsetting and creepy book. I feel like the opening really focuses on being unsettling and making everyone no one you can root for. But as you read on you start to unwrap what the story actually is and that's the good stuff.

Wow!!!
This was a wild one and I had mixed feelings about it. What a dark tale that does include animal violence/lab testing. There were tons of twists, turns and things I did not see coming. I was close to loving it a full 5 stars, but some of the dog testing story line did not resonate with me. The end - chef's kiss!
I loved The Last House on Needless Street and couldn't wait to read this - I was not disappointed!

Full review:

Catriona Ward has quickly become an auto buy author for me. I will be straightforward in saying I am so grateful to have received her most recent books as arcs, and I loved them soooo much, I bought finished copies.

Now, as for for Sundial. Just WOW. Now this book won't be for everyone. It takes a lot to get under my skin, and there were times when I had to take a break from the book. It is a very dark and disturbing book, but it's dripping with meaning.

There are some topics covered in this story that may be triggering to some, such as child and animal abuse, mental health issues, indefinitely, miscarriage, generational trauma....

I'm a big one for going into stories blind, and I highly recommend it for this one. Ward is a master at introducing just enough to pull you into the darkness, building the tension, letting you feel it. So the less you know, the more you'll feel utterly sucker punched.

I'd you enjoy dark, disturbing, books that hold stories with meaning if you are open to them, and like totally flawed characters, and can handle the fact you may have to set the book aside on occasion....This book is for you.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the overuse of abuse.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for my digital arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Addiction, child abuse, animal abuse, unhealthy relationships and something sinister going on in the back ground. Think you have it figured out you have no idea. The twists and turns are amazing in this novel. Ward is quickly rising as a favorite of mine. Some people may have to let this breathe while reading it due to the graphic depictions of the before mentioned as well as attempted suicide. A definite must read for any horror fan! Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. Liked it so much I had to pick up a physical copy for my library.

okay so brother meets the push and the strangerville pack from the sims 4 😭 this had the messed up family dynamics and exploration of that isolated family with the evil child/unreliable narrator vibes or the push and the scientific desert testing of the sims 4 strangerville pack.

this book follows and mother and her child as they leave their home to take a hiatus in the desert at the mother's childhood home due to the fact that she believes her child, poisoned and virtually abuses her other child. the mother then begins to tell her daughter about her own childhood in the desert and is known to us as an unreliable narrator but we are unsure why for most of the book. we also get the perspective of the child but she is also a bit unreliable. the child take bones of animals and often see these animals and someone that is the pale version of her. they are like imagined friends but something feels off.

i really enjoyed the beginning where we are learning about the family and seeing why the mother takes her child to the desert, it gives classic domestic thriller/the push vibes and i was also really intrigued once they went to the desert but that part did start to drag for me a little bit and felt a bit long. this is similar to brother a bit with the slower family exploration. there is some animal testing on dogs which can be triggering for some but it didn't bother me personally. that part honestly interested me a lot and how that played out was so fascinating.

the ending was so fast paced and there was so many twist that kept me guessing what was going to happen next in both timelines and i love how everything aligned in the end. the writing was so good and you can really see the purpose of the slower parts to cause tension for the ending.

thank you to tor nightfire, catriona ward, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I’ll keep this short and sweet! Thank you to @tornightfire for this free copy.

#SUNDIAL by @catward66 is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read! It comes out on March 1, 2022, and mark my words, you need to preorder this baby now!

Rob is a wife and mother, married to Irving, with their two daughters, twelve-year-old Callie, and nine-year-old Annie. They witness some very disturbing behavior by Callie. Rob comes up with the idea to take Callie back to her childhood home deep in the Mojave Desert, a compound called SUNDIAL. Rob hopes this time away will help Callie deal with her demons. But Callie isn’t the only darkness in this family. There is much to learn here.

I don’t want to say more, because much like THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET it’s best to go in blind. Ward has quickly become a favorite author of mine and I’m already anxious to read more of her work. Also, if you haven’t read THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, run, don’t walk to get yourself a copy! It’s the perfect book to tide you over until SUNDIAL comes out!

The moral of this caption is read anything #CatrionaWard writes. She’s brilliant.

Chile this is got me feeling paranoid and makes me sideyeye a few family members from the start till the end I felt nothing but uneasiness and untrustworthy towards these people. This is my first time reading from Ward and I can't wait for more.

This was so unique! Sundial definitely had the same weird yet gorgeous writing style as The Last House on Needless Street. I think this would be a perfect book to pick for a book club because there is so much to discuss. I loved not knowing what the heck was going on the whole time till the very end.- just my cup of tea. I will say there are a lot of trigger warnings for this book so make sure you're aware of them going into it.

I don;t think there's anyone out there writing the kind of books that Catriona Ward excels at . I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's got such a subtly creepy vibe - okay sometimes not so subtle. The pacing is spot on and the characters are complex and relatable. Yet another solid horror novel from a writer I constantly look for,

I did not like much of this book until the end. I marked this as a DNF, but did listen to the audio when it became available through my library. Even though I could sympathize with our main characters, none of them were likable. In fact, they were mostly horrible to each other.

The writing was fine. It definitely was creepy and left you wondering what was going on, but I found myself not really caring too much about what was happening to the characters because I did not like them. I felt more for the wolves than anything else.