Actual rating 4/5/5 stars.

So, I'm quickly finding that Catriona Ward never fails! There is a vaguely unsettling miasma that permeates throughout her creations and it is often impossible to tell where it stems from. The horrors come from those places least expected and nothing can be trusted as fact so nothing can be anticipated. Her writing is jungle lush, but full of the same prowling beasts and thorns to snag upon. I don't want to deliver any of the facts concerning this synopsis just hasten you to explore this writer as she is a master storyteller!

If you loved The Last House on Needless Street then you will love this dark thriller Sundial from Catriona Ward. No spoilers here but I highly recommend this spiky, twisty, disturbing psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. Set amidst the sweeping vista of the Mojave desert the book expertly engulfs you in the heat of this blistering and stark landscape and plunges you into a tale of sibling rivalry, infidelity, the strained bonds of motherhood, genetic experimentation and secrets stacked on mystery. Holiday poolside reading at its finest.

If you like your thrillers dark then this comes highly recommended four out of five

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.
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.

This. book. is. wild.
Like, completely wild.
It's honestly everything you want from a horror book - and when I say that, what I really mean is: whatever horror trope you can possibly imagine WILL BE IN THIS BOOK.

It definitely kept me guessing and crept me out big time - but I do have the feeling that you should not sit down and think about it too much or what you found so scary and creepy will go up in smoke in no time.
If you want a good read for spooky season though: Sundial is the book for you.

Sundial is definitely the type of book that reminds you that monsters aren't always found in just dark and scary places but also in the brightest and shadowless places.

Told in different time periods and POVs from mother and daughter, you see two different facets of the story but still somehow not the full picture, as for much of the book both of these characters are very unreliable narrators.
I think this narration style really fit the tone and atmosphere of the novel, and added to the creepy sense of "nothing good can come of this". It was a great example of a quiet and slow building of unease.

Partway through I did feel a little disconnected as it jumps to a very different place and because we're in the POV of a main character, we're seen as an insider to the world so nothing is overly explained to the reader. I don't think this overly detracted from my reading experience however, and questions were answered by the end.

Speaking of the ending, I think this is where it lost me a little. Not that it was inherently bad I just think two much was happening. Too many plot twists were put into too little space for me.

***SPOILER WARNING***
I really enjoyed some of the plot twists, I think there was a decent amount of breadcrumbs that the reader could perhaps infer what was going to happen, but it was one of those train wreck situations where even though you can guess the outcome you still are morbidly drawn to see it to the end.
What tipped it over into the "too much" for me was the reveal that Annie was behind many of the things Callie was blamed for in the beginning. I think it was much more genuine and more mature writing to leave it at the point of Rob removing Irving's influence over her daughter, because he was where this infection of cruelty and toxicity was coming from and trickling down into their daughter's behaviour. Instead, the addition of Annie suddenly being responsible for many of the things and somehow a master manipulator before the age of 10 somewhat cheapened it for me.
***
As I've stated above, I just think the author perhaps tried to make too many plot twists fit into one space, between the puppy farm, the husband, pale Callie, Annie etc. Some of which I enjoyed singularly but together it made a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. At least for me.

However, I thoroughly did enjoy Catriona Ward's writing style and underlined many of the descriptive passages. It wasn't overly flowery, it was more stark yet still evocative. I'll definitely be looking into other work by this author.

Sundial, much like its atmospheric veracity, blew me away. I stood in the desolated desert and allowed the dust and the sound of longing carried by the wind to scratch at my skin. I’ve never been one for extremes, especially the heat but this novel made it more claustrophobic, more suffocating, and felt myself clawing for the cool.

Sundial had everything that I love in a horror story…oppressing sense of dread. A threat that is entirely human. A will to protect and survive. Horror isn’t exclusively about ghost stories, the supernatural, and things that go bump in the night. Horror examines just how the humanity (or lack thereof) of our species can become a danger. How the tides can turn and instead of protecting they can quickly stab you in the back. The confines of the law won’t stop some. We know the formulaic makeup of humans and anything that deviates away from that is inherently frightening. It is for this reason that Sundial works so well.

If you are looking for the most emotionally devastating prose in company with an unsettling, potent, and menacing storyline then Sundial is the perfect novel for you!

Rob, teacher, mother to two little girls, Callie, and Annie. Wife to the respectful and charismatic professor. Nope, he’s ruthless, he’s a cheater and abuser and he showcases it for his family daily. The family dynamic is toxic, and Irving has no hesitation in gaslighting his entire family. He has turned their eldest daughter against her with whisperings of her inability to be a good mother and how she isn’t mentally stable. Irving is the worst of the worst. His ploy was to crumble their relationship, but he is also trying to manipulate Callie’s reality. The worst kind of parent.

When Callie starts to display behaviour that is not only strange but incredibly worrisome, Rob acts. What little girl keeps the bones of dead animals and talks to ghosts that aren’t there? She decides some one-on-one time is needed so she takes her out to Sundial, her inherited home in the desert. Expect Sundial has a past. Rob is hesitant but she needs to reveal the past to Callie, to protect her, to stop her from walking a path that has no end.

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

The story is told in dual timelines, Rob Then and Now, Callie, and the fictional world of Arrowwood. Rob’s POVs are poignant and sad. You feel all her emotion pouring onto the page and you would need to be made of stone not to feel for a past that has determined her actions in the future.

The story takes no effort on the reader’s part to be fully absorbed. The characterisation from the start is unyielding and it is easy to understand why the characters are behaving in the way they are. Are some scenes and backstories difficult to read? Yes, but you keep reading because Ward has created a world that you can’t look away from. The vivid scenes and pictures are almost painted on. I held my breath as the storyline had a chokehold placed upon me. Ward has some magic enraptured in her readers and she led me down a road I wouldn’t have been able to tread on my own.

Sundial is the very epitome of a must-read. Ward is at her atmospheric best with this hypnotising tale of grief, pain, and family. It is a stark warning that nothing haunts us as much as the shadows of the past.

WOW!!! This book mesmerized me! It was definitely another memorable read!

When you pick up a Catriona Ward book you do it at your own peril. This was a slow-burning horror story with a creepiness that will give you chills down your spine. It conjured up images of Cujo combined with a bit of The Shining. I had all these different images flashing through my mind as I was reading it and there was an eerie normality to some of the scenes which actually made it more horrific but oh so believable. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Profile books, Serpent's Tail, Viper for this special treat in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having not yet read any other books by Catriona Ward I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm still a bit overwhelmed and can't decide if I liked this book or not. But I can't deny that it is a well written, complex, twisty story so I've gone for 4 stars.
The first half was a little slow and confusing with the weird and toxic relationships between the family of 4 I thought I was going to struggle to make it to the end. However, the second half picks up a lot and things start to make more sense. Although it does also raise a lot of questions, some of which don't really get answered properly and as a person who tends to prefer endings wrapped up nicely, this irritated me slightly.
My biggest negative is that the Arrowood sections felt completely unnecessary to me, I often found myself skipping over them. I do also think there needs to be some warnings attached to this book as the issue with the dogs is not clear until it's happening as well as all the abuse that is mentioned throughout.
I think maybe this is a book that needs to be read a second time, once you understand more of what's going on in general, I think the smaller details laced into the story will shine through more. I raced through the second half as I just had to know more about Rob's story and what Callie might do next. It would also be a good buddy read or book club book as there's a lot to take in and to be discussed from this story.

Thank you to Serpent's Tail/Viper and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow, what a twisted, strange, messed up story this one was.

I’m a huge fan of The Last House on Needless Street, it is still one of my favourite reads so I was super excited to dive into Sundial.

I’m still trying to process my thoughts because it really was disturbing but at the same time brilliantly written.
Rob and Irving are married with 2 daughters, but things don’t quite seem right in the household and when eldest daughter Callie starts doing some messed up creepy things Rob decides it’s time she spends some one on one time with her daughter.

Rob grew up in the Mojave dessert and decides to take Callie to her family home, Sundial, for some downtime.
The storyline intertwines between how Rob and Irving met, their past lives, Rob’s childhood growing up with her twin sister at Sundial and some seriously messed up sh*t.

All the relationships in this book are seriously toxic, and that’s probably the understatement of the decade and I felt like I was saying WTF to myself every few paragraphs, but it still hooked me in.

There are a lot of trigger warnings in this one so I would strongly suggest you do your research and read some other reviews before going into this one, even if you were a huge fan of Needless Street.

I can normally separate myself from the content of what I am reading but I did find certain areas of this book hard to digest and to be honest there were more than a few paragraphs I had to skip for that reason.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and even though I got a little lost in places the last half had me flying through the pages.

Catriona Ward is definitely a go-to author for me.

The Last House on Needless Street blew me away so when I saw this one coming up I jumped at it like a rabid dog.

My reading speed has reduced drastically over the past couple of years - just too much to fit into each day, so while this may have taken only a few days to get through in the past, it actually took a month to read. Although the story flowed quite well in how it takes us along the ride to the finish, it was slow-paced and I lacked the motivation to continue reading. However, once I got past the halfway point, something clicked, and I found it hard to put down. Indeed, the ending of this hit me almost as hard as the last book did and once I'd finished I felt like I needed to read it all again to help understand the feelings it left me with.

On the whole, this book, in my opinion, is a worthy successor to Needless Street, and will undoubtedly be another big hit for the author. The pacing, in the beginning, is too slow for my liking, but it builds the story well enough to want to keep going and if I was reading as much as I used to I don't expect it would even be an issue.

This book is absolutely brilliant for any fans of horror, thriller, mystery or a combination of both.
Catriona Ward has a very unique style of writing that always ensnares me at the first point of reading, I enjoyed her first book a lot so was looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. It was creepy and uncomfortable but in the way you want a book to make you feel as you know it’s really impacting you. I think this will be a big hit!

Catriona Ward is fast becoming one of my favourite authors! This story is haunting, twisted and gripping. After loving the last house on needless street this had a lot to live up to but I think it might have even surpassed it in my eyes. Wards writing style is so different to anyone else around and I love it! Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you for my Arc but unfortunately life has got in the way and I haven’t been able to read it before publication day. I’m hoping to get to it soon and will leave my review in the usual places

A tense and bewildering read that leaves you unnerved and frankly unsettled. Catriona Ward is fast becoming a master of disturbing horror tales. Whilst disturbing, it is a compelling read and will have you addictive turning the pages to uncover the truth. Rob lives a suburban life with her family, but she grew up in the Mojave desert- a unique upbringing that housed darkness. Now her daughter Callie is displaying unusual behaviour and Rob is worried that her past is infiltrating the present; that the darkness has followed her. Rob is drawn back to the desert, desperate to free her family from the murkiness of the past. Glimpses into her past show some horrifying fragments. Graphic scenes leave us reeling. A hypnotic, twisted and haunting story. #sundial #catrionaward #netgalley

I really enjoyed Last House on Needless Street and Sundial is no less dark and disturbing and has the same sense of brilliant writing. Told in different timelines there are plenty of twists and turns, I did find I needed to try and keep up at some points, the plot was quite complex. Some great twists and the ending comes together well. Very immersive, the writing flows so well, so much tension and altogether unsettling, exactly what a horror story should be.

Sundial is quite possibly a marmite book, there have been a raft of reviews both loving it and others that haven't been so keen. I still cant decide which side I fall on - so a middle of the score 3/5 stars

Its definitely a book you need to commit to and invest some time in, there are complex storylines and narratives dancing around, enmeshed with supernatural thriller elements which raised the hairs on the back of my neck with their spooky foreboding. There is also a strong mother daughter storyline, which I can never get enough of in a book; the relationship between them is enigmatic and complex on both sides.

There are themes that are going to put off some readers including what happens to dogs in the book, its quite graphic in the way that its told and isnt necessarily something you'd pick up from the cover blurb.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it.

Okay, so this book is pretty out there. I thought that it would be a regular thriller in the same vein as 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', and it does start out with very similar vibes but it goes waaay out there and I loved it. This story dips into the supernatural and sci-fi as well as being a thriller that goes into horror elements throughout.

I don't want to say too much because part of the thrill of this novel is discovering all of the twists and darkness that lurk in the pages. But as even a dog-lover, I won't forget the click of claws on floorboards, chilling!

*Many thanks to Catriona Ward, Serpent's tail, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Having read Ms Ward's previous offering, I jumped at her latest novel and ... it turned out it was not as gripping for me as I had expected. I struggled through pages, feeling tired of the characters too weird and complex that I just was unable to relate to them. The idea behind the novel seems intriguing, however, I was not probably the target reader for this book. I am afraid I have already forgotten most of the plot ...

Upon reading Sundial. I realised this author is not for me. However, I was still able to see great aspects of this book that will appeal to many, if not me.

There is no doubt that Ward can write superbly. The way she crafts narratives and plots to confuse and create a kind of sensory overload is unlike any other author I’ve read from. The intention in both this book and her previous title to confuse the reader, having them be unsure if what they’re reading about is actually happening or not is always executed, and she is very talented at this.

The characters in this book are also brilliant. I was finding it increasingly hard to support any of them, because they were either deeply flawed, scary or just a bit weird, but again, I believe that was intentional!

For me personally, and I guess this is a testament to the talents described. I was too confused to enjoy this book. The dual timelines left me unable to truly immerse myself in either part of the story, to the point where neither hit the mark. I’m realising I personally prefer books to be very cut and dry, with little uncertainty or confusion, so reading from an author who thrived doing just that is not going to work for me.

Although Ward as a writer is not for me, I firmly believe she will be a legendary author that thousands come back to continually. She offers a new style of writing and plot that bridges the gap between literary fiction and horror, meaning many readers will be able to enjoy her work regardless of personal taste.

I was beyond excited to read Sundial as The Last House On Needless Street was one of my favourite reads of 2021. Like with TLHONS I went into Sundial completely blind and I think it definitely paid off.

Ward has an innate ability to completely engulf the reader within her writing and immediately the darkness and unease begins to claw it's way out of the pages from the very first chapter. There are so many layers within this story that it would be easy for a reader to get lost among them but Catriona harrowingly and flawlessly ensures every single enmeshed strand has a place and a purpose.

The story is told with alternating POV's and dual timelines which works perfectly to ensure the reader is left hanging on every word waiting for that gnawing tension to subside (spoiler alert, it doesn't).

I can't write this review without mentioning trigger warnings as frankly this book in itself is almost one. There are large sections to do with animal deaths and experiments on dogs. To be honest, this is normally a hard no for me and I will often DNF a book with animal abuse but to be fair none of it appeared gratuitous or overly descriptive so while it took me aback it wasn't overly distressing. There are also many mentions of multiple forms of abuse (adult, child, physical and emotional), mental illness, pregnancy, infant death, self harm and suicidality.

Overall, Sundial is an engrossing, dark, sinister and twisted psychological horror meets thriller which will send shivers up your spine and leave you haunted for some time to come.

Giving 4 stars as I’m hovering between loving and hating this book. I could give it three stars, I could give it five.

It’s gripping, original, chilling and unputdownable. It’s also confusing in parts and full of unlikeable characters. The Arrowood segments seemed unnecessary. I would read it again though, and I’d love a friend to read it so we could have a chat about it.