I had heard so much about this author’s previous book, that I jumped at the chance to read this one. I do not regret my decision at all but I might need to go & lie down quietly for a while. What a ride!

A sublime psychological thriller with added horror. I feel it right to point out that there are some triggers but particularly around animal abuse. I had to re-read parts to digest what it actually said - violence, mind games, multi-layered characters & a gut wrenching backstory.

I’m not going to discuss the story, you can read the blurb yourself & if you want to read the book, do so. But be warned, I have never read a book like this. My brain & stomach have been turned inside out. Brilliant!

Highly recommended.

Sundial is well written, creepy, and very different. It definitely kept me reading kept me guessing and kept me intrigued. However, I felt.it was lacking a little something - the fact that essentially none of the characters were that sympathetic (except perhaps maybe Mia) meant that I didn't care enough about their fates to make it suspenseful or dramatic. In addition, the sheer volume of twists, turns and revelations meant that for me, there wasn't the "Ah.... how did I not see that?!" moment of feeling the trial had been laid if I'd have paid enough attention. I like being able to attempt a guess at what was going on, I don't think Sundial lets you do that well enough.

Those quibbles aside, it's definitely a good read!

I loved the author’s previous novel so was excited to receive a copy of Sundial.
Over the last decade or so, I’ve fallen out of the habit of reading horror-based thrillers. However Ms Ward along with the incredible Christina Henry has rekindled my love of “horror” with their cleverly written, horrific yet non-gratuitously evil offerings. A magnificent and quick read that you won’t want to put it down.
I’d hate to give any spoilers away so won’t say any more, however I highly recommend this title along with The Last House on Needless Street. Give them a go!
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Sundial is such an unusual novel. Compelling, violent, at times quite horrific with some dark themes of child and animal abuse. Not for the faint hearted. Rob and Jack are twins brought up in an isolated part of the Mojave desert and we can feel the oppressive heat and almost taste the dust and smell the dogs. Their relationship is co-dependent and messy bound together by secrets and lies. Rob now has two children of her own and trapped in a toxic, violent marriage with Irving, she now sees signs of violence in her own children. All is not what it seems and the past is revealed in glimpses. Will stay with me for a while.

Twisty, creepy, horrifying at time and sort of whet-am-I-reading other times. This is not an uplifting read but it's one that drives you to unexplored territories of the mind.
You don't know where you are but you cannot stop reading.
I can't say if the characters are likeable or not, I know the are well developed but none of them is reliable and each of them could bad/good according to the POV.
Catriona Ward can write and is a fantastic storytelling. This is a riveting book that kept me enthralled even if I wanted to stop at times.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’m not even sure what I just read to be honest, this book was all kinds of crazy. I think this is the craziest book I’ve ever read. If you like authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz that write those warped types of books then I highly recommend it.

Firstly, I know this might sound a bit silly to say but this is one of those books where you must read the ending so the start of the book makes sense, even if you feel like DNFing.

I liked that you really have to question the character’s actions in this book. It makes you wonder why they do such things to each other and even after finishing this book a few days ago I'm still trying to work things out. It’s like a clock ticking over in my head.

Overall it was an enjoyable twisted read and I will definitely be going back and reading Catronia Ward’s other books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Viper, Serpent's Tail and Profile Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Book is out 10th March 2022.

A disturbing, confusing and violent psychological horror about buried secrets....

No plot summary for this one, I think if you're a horror fan, you should go in as blind as you can! But just know it's about a toxic, dysfunctional family, a creepy house in the desert and a woman running from her past.

How does Catriona Ward come up with this stuff?! Her mind is a dark place indeed!

I would be reading this and thinking that I had it figured out, that I knew the characters, and then it would shift and I would be surprised! Not sure why I thought that after being blown away by The Last House on Needless Street, but I was!

Like most horror stories, this has a whole list of trigger warnings, particularly animal abuse, so go carefully, especially if you are a dog lover.

Sundial slowly got inside my head and freaked me out. At times it was too much and I had to set it aside, at others I couldn't stop reading, especially the last 20%, which had twist after twist! The writing was so clever, and I didn't see many things coming, which I should have! It was haunting, and horrifying and yet I couldn't look away.

Most of the characters were definitely unlikeable and unhinged at times. I would feel myself raging at certain ones and then not, then incensed again. They were so well done. I particularly liked Callie's pov. Her strange emoji talk got stuck in my head, and now I can't help thinking like her *grinning face*

As much as I obsessed over this book, the middle part took me a while to read. It dragged, and the pace was certainly hit by the (in my opinion) unnecessary book within a book. I usually like these, but in this case, I found myself skimming these parts.

Similarly to Needless Street, I probably won't read this dark and disturbing book again anytime soon, but I am glad I read it. Although it shocked, horrified, repulsed and stressed me out in parts, I can't help admiring it. It didn't have the same wtf moment as that book, but it was well done, and that ending?! I almost threw my kindle!

A must read for psychological horror fans! Just push through that middle part, and the animal abuse if you can stomach it!

🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️

It was always going to be a massive ask for Cat Ward to match the mind-bending magic of The Last House on Needless Street. With Sundial she comes close, but not close enough.

All the hallmarks are there: the sumptuous, evocative prose; the unnervingly offbeat characters; the titillating elements of horror. And, once again, Ward creates a dark and utterly compelling narrative that pulsates with tension from the very first page.

As was the case with Needless Street, it’s a difficult book to review without revealing spoilers.

Married mum of two, Rob, is alarmed by the increasingly disturbing behavior of her elder daughter, 12 year-old Callie, and decides to whisk her off to Sundial, the ranch in the Mojave desert where Rob grew up. Husband Irving and younger daughter Annie stay at home. The why’s and wherefores of Rob’s intentions are unclear, but there’s an uneasy foreshadowing of sinister events to come.

What proceeds to transpire at Sundial, as shocking secrets about Rob’s unconventional childhood are unveiled, is as grotesque and wild a ride as I’ve ever experienced. Ward throws everything at this narrative: the supernatural, crazy scientists, dysfunctional family dynamics, lies, betrayals, the whole outrageous shebang. As if that weren’t enough, there’s even a discombobulating story within the story.

It is, without doubt, an exhilarating read. Twisty and horrifying, provocative and chilling. At times downright surreal. And this, for me, was the sticking point. There was just too much going on. An overkill. As if Ward didn’t know when to stop. The story within the story, in particular, brought nothing to the party but distraction.

My overall feeling on finishing the book was one of frustration. Too many loose ends and unanswered questions to give me any sense of closure. This has not, however, put me off Ward’s writing. I think she is an extraordinary talent, and I look forward to her harnessing and honing her skill.

"... [A] twisty horror novel..." - Erm, no.
Lots of animal cruelty and child torture? - Yes.
Did I enjoy the prose style? - No.
Did I guess the twist(s) beforehand? - Yes.
Would I recommend the book to anyone? - No.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved the first book I read by Catriona Ward (The Last House on Needless Street) so knew I just had to get my hands on Sundial when it was announced.

This book lived up to my expectations and if possible I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

I found Rob super relateable. Stuck in an agressive marriage, with two kids. One who is younger and the apple of her eye and the other being Callie. A daughter Rob just feels a disconnect from.

A trip to Sundial, Rob's childhood home brings with it twists, turns and revolutions.

As with Needless Street it is hard to explain this book without giving too much away, so I will just say that you will love this if you love thrillers with amazing environment descriptions, characters that you will love or loath and a story that will leave you shooketh.

I’m still processing what I’ve read here and once I have will do a full review on social media but WOW...

I read this over the last three nights, each night revealing a dark and dirty secret within the lives of the characters.

This is definitely a horror in the vein of Stephen King, possibly even darker. And there are some nice nods to King along the way, ‘The Shining’ in particular, a lovely tip of the hat to 11.22.63 and finally, Cujo.

There’s lots to digest over its 300+ pages. It’s certainly dark and disturbing with some truly spiteful characters, but it’s also a twisty and delightful horror novel and as mentioned before, hits you with revelation after revelation with an absolute corker of an ending in my opinion.

As one of the few readers who didn’t really connect with the author’s debut, this is a revelation for me. Startlingly good , with everything I want in a horror novel. It may even sometimes go too far and trigger warnings include domestic abuse, child abuse and animal cruelty. To paraphrase a famous tag line - Just keep reminding yourself, it’s only a novel, it’s only a novel.

3.5 Stars

My feelings about this book are very conflicted - I feel like I’ve been on a rollercoaster. There were parts of it that were brilliant, totally gripping and I couldn’t stop reading. But then I found other parts dragged and at one point I actually considered giving up completely.

I’m glad I didn’t though. It’s a pretty unique story and it’s not an easy one to read (rollercoaster pacing aside). It’s gruesome in places (it’s worth noting that there is a theme of animal cruelty throughout) and a also a little confusing but I didn’t mind that as it kept me thinking. Plus it’s got lots of twists (some I guessed but it’s satisfying to be right!).

To sum up, I liked it and I didn’t like it!

The hardback is released on 10th March 2022. I’d like to thank Netgalley and Viper for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sundial is a curious read, where I admit to feeling things were eluding me at key moments. This wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a mercurial read and I’m still not wholly certain that I fully understood some of the finer details of our characters’ situations.
Ward creates a delightfully menacing environment in which our characters exist, but there were too many instances in which I found myself puzzling over exactly what was happening to feel quite as enamoured of this as I did The Last House on Needless Street. However, it is a story that explores some troubling scenarios and definitely encourages us to consider how our environment shapes us.
Our main character is Rob, mother to two young girls - Callie and Anne. There are hints that she is in an abusive relationship and it appears that Callie has rather disturbing tendencies. As a means of trying to help her daughter, Rob takes her to Sundial…the home of her childhood.
Alongside the story of Rob and her family, we have flashbacks to Rob’s past. It soon becomes clear that Rob came from a less than healthy environment, and that there are plenty of questions about her family.
I found myself perplexed by the details given about Rob’s younger life. The horrors she experienced as a child seem to have been swapped for other awful things…and yet she seems drawn to the darker elements of her experience. Without giving crucial plot details away, I am still convinced that Rob is not who we think.
By the time we draw close to the end of the story it is obvious that there will be deeply unsettling revelations. There’s an attempt to misdirect us somewhat, but the details of Rob’s past hint at what might be happening. I liked that the ending remained ambiguous in some ways though I can’t help wishing we’d got other viewpoints.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before publication.

As soon as I read the blurb for Sundial by Catriona Ward, I knew I had to request a copy. A horror/psychological thriller set in the Mojave Desert featuring creepy kids and hints of supernatural elements? Sign me up.

Having never read anything by Catriona Ward before, I was not sure what to expect from her writing. And, I am delighted to say, it certainly did not disappoint. I blazed through this story in two sittings as it is one of those stories that has so many twists and hooks that kept me tearing through the story late into the night, right until the last page.

Sundial features morally grey characters and unclear motives which created a thread of tension throughout the story arc as gradually the reasons behind characters' actions are revealed. The author kept me guessing throughout and the horror of the book lies in its story rather than relying on gore or shock factor, which I absolutely loved.

This is definitely a new favourite horror book of mine and a top contender of 2022 reads so far.

Would I recommend?

YES, to fans of psychological horror.

Weirdest book I’ve read in a long time!

I didn’t DNF & actually enjoyed/wanted to read it but after getting to the end I’m a bit like - what the?!

Well written & kept me interested but I don’t really know what else to say about it apart from - confused face! - if you know you know.

This is my second Catriona Ward and I think I enjoyed it even more than the first (Last House on Needless Street). It did the same excellent job of building up the spookiness and suspense but the plot was a bit more straightforward and easy to follow. I loved the desert setting and the little supernatural touches. A really easy to read, and very original, psychological thriller/horror.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4538067998

This was unusual for me as I was hooked from the beginning, but this book started to drag hardcore from 40% onwards. It was a labour to finish, just very strange pacing? Despite the fact it’s clearly well written and an interesting and original plot, it’s just very strange. I didn’t like the flashbacks after a certain point, things got so slow once they arrived in Sundial despite the fact it had been such a good build.

Catriona Ward has done it again! After the tour de force of The Last House on Needless Street, comes the very bible black Sundial.
This is a book that feels as if it was written in a heat shimmer – distorted, twisting, evolving – it was a challenging book in some ways and that added to its strangeness.
It begins with Rob Cussen discovering that her 9-year-old daughter, Annie, has caught chicken pox which means that her husband, Irving, must be having another affair. Their marriage has become one of petty bickering, one upmanship and cheap wins at each other’s expense. She is nervous, almost scared of her older, 12-year-old daughter Callie and her fascination with dead animals and speaking in emoji language. But it’s not until her younger daughter, Annie aged 9, takes an overdose of Irving’s diabetes pills that she takes action. After having discovered the cap to the pills in Callie’s hiding place, she and Callie take the road to the Mojave Desert and Rob’s family home, Sundial. This is where it all began for Rob and her dead twin sister, Jack, and where it will end for either Rob or Callie.
Pale Callie and an invisible puppy keep Callie company and perhaps ghosts are easier for her to relate than her own family. But she’s not the only family member that is being haunted.
Sundial is deserted except for the graves of her parents, Falcon and Mia, and others. They lived with Pawel and the on-site dogs. Nearby is a derelict puppy farm, the Grainger place, which has a disturbing significance throughout the book especially near the end.
The twins grow up on Sundial, lost in their own world with their own language and trying to make their own separate way in life. Jack runs away but returns and Rob goes away to college. She finds it difficult as an outsider. As she says, ’ the pack wouldn’t accept me’. Mia conducts experiments on dogs which may be upsetting for some readers. Slowly, through flashbacks, the past is revealed in its heart-breaking cruelty and Rob begins to think that history is repeating itself and only she can stop it.
The House on Needless Street was such a tour de force in how it so adroitly pulled the rug out from under the reader and Sundial has the same quality. In Sundial the author creates a kaleidoscope world in which is constantly shifting. The characters are haunted; by their past, an inability to see what’s in front of them and the ties of family. The claustrophobic world of twins, nature vs nurture and the right to play God as well as toxic relationships and a really dysfunctional family with secrets that finally refuse to be buried any longer. It also has one of the scariest final paragraphs that I’ve ever read.
This is not a comfortable book to read at times as there is cruelty to animals and humans so it may offend some readers. But I admired the author for taking risks and creating a disturbing and extremely creepy book which will linger in my mind for a very long time.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Catriona Ward knows how to write horror!

I adored The Last House on Needless Street and the moment I saw Sundial, I knew I must read it.
It's much different but it definitely has this specific to the author vibe.

It's chilling, the story just keeps getting more f*cked up, up until the LAST PAGE. Honestly, the twists, the revealed mysteries, the idea behind the story!!!

Sundial is a bit cult-ish, with weird experiments on dogs, and complicated, toxic family relationships.

Deeply unsettling, uncomfortable and fascinating.

Every page brings you the new horror and you can't stop reading.

Absolute *must read*!

I was left slightly shell-shocked by Catriona Ward’s second novel Sundial, a state of mind that is rapidly becoming her trademark as a writer after her mind - meltingly strange and clever debut The Last House on Needless Street. When people ask me what it’s like to read her novels I liken it to the early films of M. Night Shymalan. Remember when you first watched The Sixth Sense? I remember sitting in the cinema as the final credits rolled thinking ‘what have I just watched?’ Then wondering if I could simply stay for the next showing and watch it again, knowing what was actually happening. They’re novels that won’t immediately show up as film or TV adaptations, because directors would be scratching their heads, wondering how best to tell the story visually, while keeping the revelations under wraps till the end. I’m waiting to see how someone manages the narrating cat.

I didn’t know what to expect in this second novel and whether the author would be able to deliver those WTF?? moments a second time around. Well it turns out she can and she has. At first I was reading what seemed like a normal family drama and I wondered if we were going to have a change in style. Then there was a moment, everyone who has read it knows where I mean, where the everyday and mundane became strange and distorted. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Rob is mother to two daughters, Annie and Callie, and wife to Irving. They are a normal nuclear family, or so they seem. Rob finds out that Callie has the potential and the urge to hurt her little sister. She finds that Callie is collecting the bones of small creatures, including a puppy from a dumpster. She also whispers to imaginary friends. Rob senses that there might be a darkness in Callie that reminds her of Sundial, the home in the desert where she grew up. Rob resolves to take Callie with her to the Mojave, and back to Sundial which has lain empty since she and Irving became a couple. She thinks this trip into the past will give her answers, but once there she is overwhelmed by memories of the past. Might she have to make a choice between her two children?

The author lets Rob start the story in the family home, establishing the dynamic of their family and the way we view them as readers. As we change to Callie’s narration, things seem very different. We realise that Callie is actually scared of her mother and this ‘mother/daughter’ trip they’re taking. She thinks Rob is looking at her differently and is worried about being alone with her. Consequently, we’re on edge with both narrators. I was never sure which one was telling me the truth of events or whether there is even is one established truth. The author is so brilliant at creating a ‘hall of mirrors’ effect where each reality becomes distorted, but in such a different way that I was struggling to get a grasp on who was dangerous and whether anyone would be leaving the desert in one piece.

With such complex books that are dependent on the scary location and unexpected revelations it’s very hard to know what to tell. I feel that Rob thinks she will shock Callie into a different path by telling her the story of her upbringing, even though I’m not entirely sure she has the ‘true’ version of events. We find out that she lived with her adoptive parents at the ranch, where dogs were kept for scientific experiments into behaviour. I’m not a huge believer of trigger warnings, but if you are genuinely upset or angered by this type of experimentation on animals then maybe this isn’t the book for you. I found this element disturbing and it definitely added to the dark atmosphere of their home. When we drop back into her childhood we know Rob believes that her father and stepmother, became a couple after the death of her mother who she only has fleeting memories of because she was so young. She doesn’t mind her stepmother, but feels an obligation to dislike her out of loyalty. However, slowly we slip through versions of this story rather like a set of never ending Russian dolls until I didn’t know who to trust. This is a perfect psychological horror where the supernatural elements may be real, or may be a delusion or hallucination formed by an unstable mind. There’s a truly sad moment where I can see Rob’s world could have become wider and full of life experiences we want for our children like friends, education and travel. Can she break with Sundial or will she be pulled inexorably back into her past?

It’s fair to say that no one is what they seem in this story. I was very interested in whether the family would be reunited again, but this seemed to become further and further away. There are believable elements; as a lot of people with horrific childhoods do, it seemed as if Rob may have replaced the ranch with another house of domestic horrors. Or had she been so tied to her past she had recreated it? There was manipulation and abuse evident alongside the hauntings. It would maybe be a stretch to say I enjoyed this book, because if it were possible I’d have been reading with my hands over my eyes! I didn’t always want to see or know more. Yet I can see that it’s a brilliant piece of writing that stirred up so many emotions from fear to hope, back to being completely terrified again.