Actual Rating 3.5

This is a book that I'm having a hard time rating. I loved the actual horror, almost Final Destination-type, elements. They were suspenseful, well-written, and downright chilling.

But they also weren't the most significant part of this novel. Our main character, Nina, is very poetic about how she feels about Lute and its inhabitants. This isn't necessarily bad, but it did feel like it took away from the anticipation of the horror elements.

There was also a weird romantic sub (sub-sub) plot that didn't feel organic and was basically cheating. I didn't understand why it was included and it turned me off of those characters a bit.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this haunting, atmospheric, beautifully written tale. It evokes ancient fairy tales while rooting its people and characters firmly in the modern world. A must-read.

Welcome to Lute –a small and tranquil island off the British coast. There’s something a bit special about this place; the weather is warm and sunny, more often than not, and the small village war memorial has yet to need a name carved into it. The residents even observe the solstice every year; but this year, like every seventh, is special. They call it The Day.

Nina Treadway, or Lady Treadway to the locals, married Lute’s Lord Treadway and moved to the island from America. She’s heard about The Day, of course – Lute’s a small island and locals have been ever so friendly and welcoming. But as it draws closer, she starts to realise this quaint superstition is treated with complete belief by the villagers she’s come to know; and she’ll soon have a chance to make up her own mind.

Described as Wicker Man meets Final Destination, I’m pleased to report that the blurb is accurate; though I think I saw a dash of the Swedish horror Midsommar in there too. Lute was a captivating read, taking place in a near future beset with water wars, providing the turbulent background this small island provides a peaceful refuge from. It’s the perfect setting for the folk horror author Jennifer Thorne quickly adds to the seemingly-idyllic location, allowing a current of unease to undercut every sunny moment.

It’s a masterfully paced book all round, actually. Nina is a protagonist that makes a great point of view for the readers; she’s intelligent, and capable, making connections and uncovering truth at a speed that kept me engaged and felt believable. There’s no denying obvious facts to drag events out, but there’s also no sense that anything was cut short to get to the action too soon. Lute was an excellent book, one I enjoyed greatly and would recommend to anyone looking to be thoroughly unsettled this Halloween season.

Part of why Jennifer Thorne’s novel Lute is horrific and compelling is the way it combines very human conditions such as loss and grief and supernatural horror. The story pulls you in straight from the beginning with touches of foreshadowing set up right away. The themes resonate around family, community, traditions and love. In addition, there is a very real mounting tension and fear set up, a dread that envelops you from the beginning. The small town atmosphere only adds to that element. 

I think the other reason I find it such an interesting novel is the main character Nina. As Nina embraces the ideas of the island and begins to accept what she’s told, she grows into a power, into herself and becomes something greater by the end of the narrative. Her character is warm, loving, and her voice is rich and compelling. 

If you want to read a novel that is a cross between The Wicker Man and Final Destination, I think this novel is both horrific and compelling. The themes will resonate with you and you will fall in love with Lute and the people.

Lute was huge win for me! First things out of the way: I admit to being a tad confused when the book started? But honestly that is such a minor thing that it doesn't even matter. Because legit, once I got into the story (which did not take long), I was into the story! (I tell you this in case you too find yourself a little iffy for the first few pages- it is just so worth it!)

I don't know how to describe why I loved this so much without giving too much away, so sorry if I am vague and/or short. You should just go into this knowing very little, so I will just explain a few things I enjoyed.

►I really enjoyed the main character, Nina. I also found her to be really relatable. She doesn't really believe in this whole "seven dead folks" business, which I would not have either. But she's also trying to raise her kids, and deal with her husband, and fulfill her role on the island, and everyone is losing their minds. So you can understand. I also loved the development she undertook during the course of the story. She comes to realize some things about herself, and I was a huge fan.

►The atmosphere is incredibly on point. I mean, I was creeped out by Lute from the start! Even when I was Team Nina, thinking that everyone had lost their minds, this island was still giving me the heebie-jeebies. And it only gets more terrifyingly atmospheric as the story builds.

►I legit just fell into this story and could not stop reading. It was one of those books that I lost all track of time while reading, and when I did have to take a break, I was mad about it. I just wanted to know all the things! It was so very readable, and intense.

►I liked the other characters, too. I feel like this is important, because when you have a group of people where some are going to maybe die, it doesn't bode well if you don't care if they die. But I cared about plenty of characters enough to absolutely worry about their safety.

►There are some great themes and some great twists that I want to talk about but can't so just trust me. Gah I hate not being able to say stuff but. This is for your own good.

Bottom Line: I devoured this book, simply could not put it down. Atmospheric, with great characters and great twists, I loved every minute.

If you haven’t heard about Lute, but you’re a fan of Final Destination and Wicker Man, you need it on your radar now! Seriously, whoever came up with that comparison was incredibly accurate. 

Here’s the deal: You know nothing about Lute and its traditions. You’re an outsider just like Nina and together we’re all going to find out. I loved this style of discovery and revelation. There are some nightmarish scenes in this book as the island hunts for its seven sacrifices, but there’s also a lot to be said about strength, survival, and being downright clever. Thorne’s writing style instantly sucked me in with a great cast of characters to strengthen this read to a five star winner for me! I want to gush about everything that happened, but this is very much a book you should go into knowing as little as possible. 

This book is perfect for spooky season and year round folk horror chills!

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

The nitty-gritty: Slow burn suspense, mystery and an atmospheric setting make Lute a thoroughly compelling read, despite uneven and puzzling world building elements.

This is one of those books that completely sucked me in, but after I had some time to think about it later, I started to have a lot of questions. Like many of the reviewers on Goodreads, I’m finding this difficult to rate. On one hand, I loved the set up: a remote island community cut off from the rest of the world, where people live idyllic lives, safe from the outside world. But every seven years, a tithe must be given to the land in the form of seven lives. I also loved Jennifer Thorne’s writing style and the sense of urgency and danger she conveys through her main character Nina. But there were some world building elements that felt off, for lack of a better word, elements that puzzled me and pulled me out of the story. Ultimately this was a mixed bag for me, but I’m still recommending it for the mystery/suspense/horror elements that were so well done.

Nina Treadway lives on the British island of Lute with her husband and two young children. Nina is an American, but she met her husband Hugh on a cruise and fell madly in love, leaving her life behind to start fresh. For seven years, Nina has enjoyed peace and happiness on Lute, raising Emma and Charlie on the Treadway estate, Hugh’s family legacy. A world war rages beyond the shores of Lute but never seems to touch them. Lute is blessed by good fortune, and Nina is about to learn the reason why. As “the Day” approaches—-the summer solstice and the longest day of the year—the people of Lute become more cautious. Nina has heard rumors about the Day, but she doesn’t really believe them. The townsfolk’s stories about seven random people dying every seven years seems more like a myth or a fairy tale, not something to take seriously.

When Hugh’s attempts to get his family off the island fail in every possible way, the family hunkers down to prepare for what’s to come. Nina isn't sure what to expect, but as her friends keep reminding her, she will soon understand, once the Day is over.

We know going in what will happen—seven people are going to die—but it’s the way Thorne’s story unfolds that makes Lute such a compelling read. I loved the subtle tension that builds as Nina begins to witness the horrors of the Day for herself, and because the reader sees the entire story through her eyes, we are witnesses right alongside her. Lute is a fairly short book to begin with, but the suspense and pacing made it an even quicker read, as I found myself glued to the pages.

There are also several mysteries that are drawn out over the course of the story, and these added to the suspense. Why would Nina drop everything to move to a foreign country with a man she barely knows? What is the meaning of Hugh’s secret journal with its list of Lute’s families? And why is Nina having strange dreams about rituals and sacrifices in the woods? I wanted to find out the answers, and that’s one reason I had a hard time putting the book aside. Thorne also touches on some weighty themes, like the fears of motherhood, the feeling of being an outsider, and the responsibilities of being part of a close-knit community with plenty of secrets. I loved that these themes added depth to the story and made the characters more relatable.

The eerie atmosphere also added a great deal to the mysteries of Lute. Usually the island is bright and warm and beautiful, but on the Day it turns ominous. People hide in their homes, hoping to avoid unnecessary risk. Nina’s dog Max gets out of the house and Nina decides to go after him, even though Hugh tells her not to. The feeling of dread is palpable, since you never know exactly where the danger is coming from. Thorne also delves into the history of Lute and describes how the rituals and beliefs came to be, an ancient pact involving Druid priests that adds to the sense of mystery.

But as I mentioned earlier, there are some very odd elements that tripped me up. My biggest issue was trying to slot Lute into a particular genre and not being able to do it. The idea that there is a world war going on made this feel like a dystopian (“The press dubbed the past four years of global conflict the Water Wars, not World War III, like they’re holding out that name for another worse conflict to come.”) Because Lute is “safe” from the war, the story has a fantasy vibe as well, as if magic was responsible for Lute’s good fortune. Then you have the more contemporary story about Nina, who was born and raised in Florida, but met a British man and decided to leave her country to be with him. It turns out Hugh is Lord Treadway, from a titled family, and now Nina has become a “Lady” because they are married. This “Lord and Lady of the manner” storyline gave it a historical fiction vibe. And finally, you have the horror aspects on top of all this, with sudden, random and violent deaths that felt almost like a slasher film. That’s a bunch of different genres, and I’ll admit the combination sometimes gave me whiplash.

And I’m still puzzling over the whole war backdrop, which just felt odd to me. In Thorne’s future, America and Russia have become allies, and the UK is now an enemy. That idea just didn’t make sense to me, and the way the islanders talk about their loved ones “away at war,” having to ration food and supplies and talking about the draft made me think I was reading a story about WWII. And one more thing. We’re told there aren’t any horses on Lute (more than once, so it felt important). I don’t think that was ever explained, and it’s still bugging me. If you’ve read the book and understand why, please let me know!

For me, the best parts of Lute were those focused on the characters and how they deal with everything that’s happening, their tangled relationships and the imminent sense of danger that threatens to ruin them. The bloody finale did not disappoint, and the build-up was worth the wait.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Thank you so much Tor Nightfire for giving me an eARC of Lute!

Nina married into an old family with deep roots to an island. One the island there is the day of Lute, a day where the island makes choices for anyone living on the island. In exchange the island gives seven years of good luck, weather and prosperity. Nina experienced her first Lute with us.

First thing first, I absolutely love the cover! The concept of the book is very interesting and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it. Something that stuck out was the author’s negative comments about America thrown into the book, which I don’t mind, but it was mentioned every other chapter at one point. I felt like I didn’t understand what was happening in the world outside of the island so I was confused as to why there was so much hate. I just wish there was more background about the war that was happening in the world. I did enjoy the spooky vibes and haunting folklore that was shown throughout the book.

*3.5*

This wasn’t bad, the curse of The Day is pretty prominent throughout the entire book. The island had a very cultish attitude about it but not like scary. Just, you feel like something is off the entire time ya know? Nina’s character was a good addition to Lute and I felt like she took the day in stride and better than I would expect an outsider to handle it. I did not care for the romance, from either of Nina's love interests. And I agree with the husband that on a day when anyone can die, is probably not the best day to take a stroll through the village. I will say when The Day finally arrived, like the countdown of the 7 people, that was pretty intense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nightfire for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was just ok. Not very spooky and frankly too predictable for me. The writing did not flow naturally and the main character was abysmal.

Lute by Jennifer Marie Thorne is a slow burn folk horror novel. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at nine and a half hours and is narrated by Victoria Blunt. We follow our main characters with a first-person point-of-view.

Every seven summers--on The Day--seven people die on the idyllic British island of Lute. Every seven summers, the island takes its tithe. The Treadway family helps to protect the island. Nina became Lady Treadway after marrying Lord Treadway, but she was originally born in America. She thinks The Day is just superstitious nonsense. But then it begins, and nobody who ever goes through it is ever the same.

This is the first horror novel I've read that I can describe as gentle horror, or slow-burn horror, or even minimalist horror. But I really dug the vibe and I'd love to read more books like this.

The narrator does a great job here. Her voice suited the character of Nina perfectly. I find it interesting that Blunt is a British actor using an American accent here, but in the book Nina describes herself as taking on some of the local lilt to her speech after living nearly seven years on the island, so that tracks for me.

I really enjoyed watching Nina grow as a character throughout this book. I also really liked the direction Lord Arthur Treadway takes in here as well. The community as a whole was lovely and I enjoyed getting to know everyone.

While this book is mostly character-driven, I listened to this book in large chunks because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next! The reader knows how many people are still to die so they go into each new scene with an "ok who's next?"

I could take or leave the inclusion of this all being set in the near future during WWIII where America is on the opposite side of the war from the United Kingdom. It didn't have much to do with the story itself and in my opinion was unnecessary.

I liked the epilogue, though I've seen that some other reviewers think it's more of a cop-out.

If you liked stories like The Lottery by Shirley Jackson or the Final Destination movies, you might like this book! This is a great spooky vibes kind of book for Spooky Season.

Tropes: oblivious American, fish out of water, small town, ancient traditions, local superstitions

CW: attempted self-harm, firearms, death, murder, grief, parent death (mentioned), emotional abuse, child death

The publisher provided a audio ARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I primarily chose to read this book based on how it sounded which gave me midsommar vibes, I live that movie. In many ways it did deliver but I found the start to be slow. As soon as “the day” starts to get closer and closer the book starts to get better and gives some good moments of horror and craziness. The main character despite living on the island for some time still is and feels like an outsider to everyone on the island which gives a good perspective to the reader as to what makes the place and the people who live their different. The book is well written and provides enough detail to make the island feel real. I don’t want to give too much away plot wise but once you get past that first slow bit it gets much better.

**3.5-stars**

On the mysterious island of Lute, every seventh summer, seven people must die. This doesn't necessarily sound like somewhere I would want to move to, but after Nina meets her now husband, a native of Lute, that's exactly what she does. She moves to the island and becomes Lady Treadway.

Lute is like a place locked in time. In fact, it's difficult to determine time in general. For a while I thought this was a story set in the past, but as it progressed, maybe it is actually set in the future?

Regardless, the feel of the island itself and the mannerisms of the locals feels very old-fashioned. Nina seems, in her thoughts and actions, like a more modern lady who is now trying to mold herself into these more old-fashioned ideals.

Nina has never been on the island on a tithe day and as it approaches she becomes more and more aware of the harsh realities of The Day. The locals believe that the deaths of the seven grant them luck and prosperity, as well as protection for the island from the outside world. Nina believes this is all superstitious nonsense, but is it?

I was excited for this book due to the comparisons to The Wicker Man and Final Destination. The Wicker Man comparison is definitely apt. With this being said, maybe dark summer solstice tales just aren't for me? I've never found one that has truly captivated me. Lute was good, the writing was strong, but I never felt connected with it enough to be gripped by the narrative.

Truth be told, I could have abandoned it at any point. I found parts of it confusing and honestly, I wanted more dark atmosphere. Just because something is murky, as in confusing, does not necessarily mean it is a strong, dark, creepy atmosphere.

Overall though, I am happy I read this. It kept me entertained somewhat and I would be interested in picking up more from Jennifer Marie Thorne.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. While this didn't quite knock it out of the park for me, I am sure that a lot of Readers will really enjoy this.

The story was very interesting; I like that the island is taking seven lives every seven years and everyone waits together to find out who it will be. I like that each death was different, they weren't excessively gory but you definitely knew the person was dead. Highly recommend this novel and I am looking forward to reading more books from Jennifer Thorne in the future.

I was super excited for Lute because I was thinking it would be folk horror in the vein of Midsommar or The Wicker Man. Instead, Lute is a little of that mixed with a whole lot of Final Destination. It’s not what I was expecting, but it worked for me. Lute is not one of those horror novels that will scare you to your core, but it is intriguing and it’s a lot of fun seeing where it’s going to go.

I was, however, majorly put off by one aspect of this book, and that is the introduction of a Third World War and politics. They added NOTHING to the story, and felt like an excuse for the author, who as far as I can tell is American, to insert her political opinions and complain about America. I can’t stand politics in books to begin with, but these were so pointless and so over the top it felt absurd. To be frank, it knocked off a full star for me.

Although the ending of Lute isn’t necessarily disappointing, I did want it to go a different direction. It sort of wrapped up a little too pretty for me, and I really wanted our main character Nina to have a total Florence Pugh at the ending of Midsommar moment, but alas you will not quite get that here.

Overall, Lute is a fun, well done folk horror that is light on the scares, but delivers some fun Final Destination-style deaths and it is totally worth a read.

Lute is a perfect read for spooky season. Although it takes place during the summer, the vibe of the story is mysterious, dark, and scary. I’m a huge fan of folk horror, and Lute does not disappoint.

Nina Treadway moved to the Isle of Lute seven years ago, and is soon going to experience her first “Day” on the island. The Day of the Tithe requires a sacrifice of seven souls in order to keep Lute happy, healthy, with good weather and good luck. With a war going on, it is imperative that they keep Lute and its residents safe.

There are many different parts of this story that I love and they combine to create a great folk horror. It’s a small town, where everyone knows each other. There’s somewhat of a cult, since there’s ancient pagan gods involved. There’s family secrets, because Hugh Treadway is exceptionally secretive about his past. There’s a strong female main character. Nina is a wonderful lead character, and she really grew into her role by the end of the book.

The story is told in time increments until the end of The Day. I think this really gave it another push towards being scary. It adds a layer of anxiety that really wasn’t there before. I always love a good countdown in a story. Add this to the generally creepy vibe of the book, and you have a perfect folk horror story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own. Lute releases on October 4th.

CW for death, fire, blood, infidelity, child death, suicide attempt, war, vomit, self-harm, emotional abuse, death of a parent, and animal death

Book Review: Lute by Jennifer Thorne

Lute is an adult paranormal thriller about a group of people living on a small isolated British island that have seven people die every seven years in a horrific event called “The Day”. It also has a slightly futuristic feel as the entire world is embroiled in WW3.

Nina has been Lady Treadway and the keeper of the island of Lute since her marriage nearly seven years earlier. She has heard of the event called “The Day” since her arrival but because it only happens every seven years she put it down to local lore that can be best explained as a series of accidents and coincidences. But now her first experience of “The Day” has arrived and despite her husband’s attempt to get their small family off the island they (along with most of the adult residents) will have to ride it out hoping the island doesn’t choose them to die.

This novel was an unexpected surprise. There was a lot of good character work with Nina and her history explains the why and how she ends up on Lute. And the sudden and jarring deaths throughout “The Day” keep the reader on their toes wondering who will go next. I enjoyed all the supernatural and historical aspects of Lute and would love to read more about Celtic traditions. The only part I didn’t enjoy was the war the rest of the world was embroiled in. It may have added to the sense of safety and isolation that Lute had but it took me out of the realism of the story.

I recommend Lute for readers that like supernatural thrillers and horror with lots of atmosphere and historical detail. I thought the character of Nina was well done and I was rooting for her the whole time.

4 stars

Thrillingly unsettling.

Lute is awesome for people who love a slow burning, horrific situation that gets increasingly gruesome and frantic scene after scene. Besides the sinister countdown that ratchets up the tension, Thorne writes this fatal, paranormal event like it's as natural as a sunset.

And you're just as powerless to stop it.

This was such a wonderfully creepy read! Perfect for Halloween, although I did read it in late September. I could feel the characters' dread and anxiety heightening as the Day went on, especially after the first death. Every time Nina went outside I wanted to scream at her to stop. Although the lore of the Shining Ones was interesting, I felt that it could've been explained a little more. The background of the island was so interesting and I liked the commentary on the power of tradition even at the risk of lives. The one real gripe I had was that not a lot happened for the first 30-40% of the book. It seems like that was supposed to build the suspense, but it really just made me tempted to skim until the action started, There was plenty of suspense and dread after the first death.
I'm also not sure why this had to be set in the future. It could have been set in really any time period, but the war going on and the politics involved seemed unnecessary, although the idea of the United States ending up on the wrong side of a World War, and how that affected the way Nina related to those on Lute, was an interesting thought.

On the British isle of Lute people march to a different beat. One that resonates particularly every seven years when a tithe of seven lives must be paid for the safety and prosperity of the islanders.
It’s an ancient tradition dating back to the Druids, but Nina doesn’t know any of it when she marries Lord Treadway and becomes the Lady of the island. She finds out almost the day off and by then, of course, it’s much too late to do anything but ride The Day out.
And yes, advertising the novel as The Wicker Man meets Final Destination works, lazy as it may be.
Folk is all the rage in genre right now and Lute is a solid entry into the realm. Not especially original, but quite well executed with almost live time intensity of the narrative and a tight focus on the protagonist’s fish-out-of-the-water perspective.
It isn’t without faults, chief among them women’s fiction undertones of Nina’s suddenly overexciting love life and a backdrop of WWIII aka Waters Wars with USA and UK on the opposite sides which seems to go nowhere and do nothing outside of providing the reason for the locals to be distrusting on Nina the American.
In fac, the novel kind of reads like it’s set during WWII and then texting is mentioned and you go, oh, modern time. Well, modern time with a. twist, but you get it.
As for the estrogen overload, well, you kind of have to look at the author’s oeuvre to know that should have been expected. In fact, all things considered, it is understated in Lute.
And then there’s the granddaddy of them all – the logic. Logically, would such sacrifices perpetuate in modern times? On an island THAT small? I mean, for a population of 200, seven sacrifices is pretty extreme. And everyone seems quite cavalier about it.
But the sacrifices themselves are written nicely, interestingly, and very creepily, so kudos to the author on that. And the ending does the underlying logic good service by introducing much needed modernization to an ancient concept. So overall quite a fun read, entertaining enough, not too long. The cover is underwhelming. Folks, what folks get up to on remote islands is a quite disturbing. But you already knew it. Likely from The Wicker Man. Thanks Netgalley.