If readers loved The Last House on Needless Street, they don’t need to look far for another page-turner from Catriona Ward. Sundial boasts the same addicting storytelling with a completely unique premise.

Rob is a great main character. She is flawed and relatable, making her connections to her daughters and hateful husband stronger. After she notices Callie heading into the darkness she remembered from her own childhood and something terrible happens, Rob decides to take her to Sundial, her family home in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It is here that the bulk of the story takes place and Ward does a great job of having the desert itself become a character in the story.

It can be difficult to follow a story that traverses multiple time times, let alone one that also has chapters from different POVs. Sundial weaves these together rather seamlessly and the reader will find it easy to keep track of exactly what is happening. Some of this is because of the short length of the chapters and some is due to the way the story plays out. Our inner lives and outer lives don’t always take place linearly, and neither does this book. There are a few places in the middle where the forward motion seems to stall, but it really doesn’t harm the overall impact of the book.

It’s been said that reviewers shouldn’t mention if a book has a twist (no idea why - but that’s for another time), but when it comes to books by Catriona Ward, readers are best just to assume that the whole story is something they’ll never see coming. If you’re looking for a great summer read (or anytime really) this latest horror/thriller fits the bill.

This book was definitely unlike anything I had ever read. We follow a mother, Rob, who is married to an absolutely despicable man named Irving. They have two daughters, Callie and Annie. Callie is a very strange kid, there is a lot going on with her. We slowly find out more and more about her and her strangeness as the story goes on. Because of the way she acts, Rob takes Callie to Rob's childhood home, Sundial. Sundial is a weird place with an even weirder history.

Throughout the story we switch between present and past chapters. Initially I only cared about the present chapters. I was not intrigued by the past chapters, and I just couldn't wait to get back to the present and find out what was going on. At one point, towards the end, I was only interested in the past chapters and less interested in the present chapters. There wasn't a point where both chapters were intriguing at once.

As the story progressed I liked Rob less and less. This family and their history is extremely messed up. There are really no redeeming qualities about any of these characters. I am definitely the type of reader that unlikable characters can hinder my enjoyment of a story.

Although I did have problems with this book, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading and figure out what was going on. There were so many plots introduced and I was worried that not everything would connect and make sense. Fortunately, by the time the story ended, everything was connected and all my questions were answered. Overall, I enjoyed Catriona Ward's writing and am interested in reading more from her.

I read Catriona Ward's previous book and loved it. Sundial did not disappoint my expectations. Sundial is challenging and engaging and I could not put it down. Ward has created a fascinating set of characters that are put in insane circumstances. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one.

Well, Catriona Ward is now firmly on my must read author list. She is absolutely phenomenal with how she can take a story and have you questioning what you are reading and then flip it around into an absolute work of genius. She has done this again here with Sundial and just like her prior book, this one is best read blind. This is dark and disturbing, and will not be for everyone but it will be in my top reads of the year for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy to review.

A book that I can't stop thinking about deserves 5 stars. I think this is one of the freakiest books I've read, and that's saying a lot. Ms. Ward was so descriptive with her storytelling, I felt like I was actually in the desert. The story is told by 2 people, and it was so twisted. The ending was so unexpected. I can't wait to read more.

Very different from Ward's previous brainbender "Last House on Needless Street" but made of the same DNA - suspenseful, surprising, atmospheric.

This one was not for me. I read about half of this one and could not see a reason to keep reading. I was just bored and was expecting to feel scared and I didn't really feel that way when I was reading this book.

Wow! Sundial is crazy! Catriona Ward takes situations and adds so many different layers to them. Every page feels like a discovery. I was both freaked out and completely immersed.

Let’s start by talking about this cover. It is both beautiful and creepy in the best way. This cover had me adding the book to my TBR before I even read the synopsis.

Now on to the actual review:

This is my first book by Catriona Ward, though I do own a copy of her previous book (thank you to Tor for sending me a finished copy!) that I am excited to read. I’ve heard so many great thing about The Last House on Needless Street, that I had high expectations for Sundial. It lived up to most of them.

I wasn’t a fan of the time jumps, I wish we would have stayed in modern day. But it did do a good jumó of building up tension and the story had some good twists that kept me hooked.

This book is very violent, so make sure to check the trigger warnings if you decide to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!

"Sundial" is to "The Last House on Needless Street" as "Into the Water" is to "The Girl on the Train." Disappointed face.

"I believe that everyone has one story that explains them completely."

This one, told in the present in a dual narrative before alternating with the past and breaking five times within the story to tell what is stated as four fictional stories, is convoluted.

It begins as a domestic drama put to horror, with more family dysfunction than one can shake a stick—or, rather, throw a bowl of maggots—at. There's Rob, an unstable wife, mother, and fourth grade teacher in therapy for disassociation; Irving, her alcoholic, abusive, unfaithful husband ("making the bad monkey with" their next-door neighbor); and their tween daughters, Annie and Callie (who, among other quirks 👻, speaks in emojis. Eyeroll face). One of them is a bad seed.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, we learn, as the story progresses to Sundial, the farmland where Rob and her twin sister were raised. It digresses at points to Arrowood, a boarding school in the "private stories" that Rob writes (using the characters' names but in different relations to each other. Confused face).

Unevenly paced and covering far too much ground, it best can be summed it up as a spin on "Baby Teeth" (there's a Hanna(h) in this story, too) that turns "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" on its head, and makes the ending of "When No One Is Watching" and the whole of "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" seem tame. This tale lacks the emotional tug of the latter.

"Everyone has one story that explains them completely."

But not everyone's is as uncompelling and—save for its factoids, and life questions that are ripe for a book club discussion—as unsatisfying as Rob's.

💓🌟🔌🏜🕰🍎💭🦴🕳👨‍🔬🎮♟🌹🌳🥤
CW: not mentioned above: DOG ABUSE (a lot); domestic violence; self-harm; drug abuse; overdose; miscarriage; child abuse

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Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I will read anything Catriona Ward writes. This is absolutely brilliant and the perfect horror book. Sundial is truly absolutely perfection - blending psychological elements with horror and reminding us that humans are the scariest monsters.

I enjoyed some aspects of this book, but I felt like the twists were way too obvious and the main story dragged more than it needed to.

I loved The Last House on Needless Street but I've gotten 50% of the way through this and can't care enough to go on. I even got the audiobook version from the library and quit again after 50%. I think the flashback stories are too long for me and seemingly without a point. I wish more was happening maybe more explicitly stated what was happening since I wasn't getting it. I'll read Catriona's next book,but I was disappointed by this one.

I found this book incredibly slow and boring. I was looking forward to reading about a creepy kid (something I enjoy in horror), which I did get. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the build up or pay off.

Catriona Ward can do no wrong! The Last House on Needless Street is one of my favorites so I knew I had to prioritize this book. Not only do I absolutely love this cover but I absolutely loved the story. Her writing is beautiful and haunting. I will read anything she writes.

Sundial may only be Catriona Ward's fourth novel, but she isn't playing around you guys! Her prior book (and my first time reading her) The Last House on Needless Street was so twisty and engrossing, and that is exactly what this one was like as well. It takes a while to get to the twists, but it is totally worth it and the ride to get there is a RIDE. There are 2 viewpoints in the story, one being Rob and the other being Rob's daughter Callie, as well as parts of the book Rob is writing. The weirdest things for me were probably Callie's POV and Rob's book, and you better believe there is exceeding weirdness throughout this entire story. That is one of the things I love most about Ward's writing, and she never ceases to surprise me. As the story progresses, we also get Rob's backstory and that could be the most shocking thing of all.

Sundial is also a winner on audio and Katherine Fenton not only blew me away with her narration but completely enhanced the story as well. If you want to listen to someone do a kid's voice it is definitely Fenton, and I just cannot say enough great things about her. Ward is certainly not for everyone, but I am always impressed with her creativity and the unique stories she can weave. I don't know if I really needed the book within a book for this, but it also didn't take away from the general amazingness of the story for me. This is definitely outside of the box storytelling, and there are some parts with dogs that rather broke my heart, but don't worry because there is plenty of violence and craziness too. And I am saying don't worry in a totally facetious way. Another standout from Ward and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with after this.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In what I can now say is definitely Ward fashion, I had no idea what was going on for most of this book. There’s an insidious sense of violence, an undercurrent of instability, paranoia, and distrust. What’s real and what’s not?

The idea that a mother would be afraid of her child and for her feels so surreal and darkly alluring. At the same time, the idea that a child and her ‘imaginary companions’ would be afraid for and of her mother due to her mental health is equally unsettling. The psychological suspense and tensions are high, creating anxiety in the reader to try and piece things together.

While the reveals kept coming in waves around the 75% part, there never felt like there was a reprieve. This was a mind fuck from start to finish and truly, I never want to see Ward’s inner thoughts and nightmares. I can’t say I was wowed as much by this as by Needless Street, but this is still an example of pure creative genius. Truly no one is writing stories like this, and maybe that’s a good thing because….the horror and creepy vibes are real.

Cannot say enough how remarkable this novel was. Ground breaking, unique, horrifying, chilling, it gave me nightmares but in the best way. The mother-daughter relationships were vibrant and emotional, the blove and betrayal between sisters was palpable,p. We had a common enemy in our lead’s awful husband. The twist at the end was unexpected, but somehow also intuitive. I’ve never read anything from this author before, but I expect to stalk all additional novels and suggest their purchase at my library with overwhelming enthusiasm.

WOW!! I fell in love with Catriona Ward’s writing last year when I picked up THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET and SUNDIAL completely solidified her as an auto-buy author for me.

Let me preface this review with, SUNDIAL will not be for everyone. This book is dark and disturbing, but there is so much layered meaning within the pages that it makes it worth the journey. There’s a broad range of topics covered, ranging from interfamily relationships, abuse (both human and animal), and mental health, to name a few. Perhaps one of my favorite parts about Ward’s writing is her ability to weave psychology and the workings of the human mind into her stories. Through the eyes of Rob and her daughter, Callie, the reader experiences not just the events of their lives today, but the past and the effects that past can have on people. Nature versus nurture has long fascinated me and this book truly digs into that concept.

It’s way too hard to talk about the details of this book without spoiling something, but it’s one I’m going to be pushing on everyone. This book is an experience and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time. You’ll be seeing it again at the end of the year in my top reads stack.

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

4.5 stars. This was an exceptional horror novel that focuses on the psychological deterioration of two generations of sisters. There are twists and turns in this novel that I was not expecting because the synopsis gives nothing away. This novel is a fun romp that deconstructs many things in the concepts of trauma and being evil. There are triggers for animal cruelty- tons of it actually because Sundial was a dog testing farm- as well as domestic abuse and child abuse. I was pleasantly surprised and walked away loving it, but I needed 30 more pages and more from Callie's perspective to fully give this a 5 star. Review to come.