First off, I enjoyed the narrator. Her voice had an almost hypnotic quality to it which worked quite well with this book.

Nina Treadway is an American woman who meets Lord Hugh Treadway on a ship. He takes her back to the beautiful idyllic Island of Lute where he was raised and has a home. Residents enjoy a life free of the war that rages around them. They have good fortune, good health, and good weather. To enjoy such good fortune, there is a day a.k.a. "The Day" every seven years. Nina has been told that unless you experience 'the day' then you don't know what it is about. But the day is different, it is not like the other carefree days on the island, this is the day the residents pay the island back. There will be tragedy and lives lost.

The author did a wonderful job of building her community and showed how they come together on 'the day'. Nina is an interesting character as she is an outsider and yet due to being married to Lord Treadway, she takes on a roll of leadership.

This book has an interesting vibe to it. As I mentioned, I enjoyed the narrator and her voice with the hypnotic quality really set the stage. The plot just rolls along. It's not very fast and I am not a fan of slow burns, but this book had such a pull to it. I just wanted to keep listening, to keep learning about 'the day' and the residents. There is some unease to the book. That what-is-going-to-happen-at-the-end-of-the-day feel to it.

Traditions, community, family, and survival are all woven into this book.

3.5 stars

This book is categorized as folk horror.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nothing really new here…rather predictable at points. The writing is quality, however and the atmosphere carries this tale along.

Readers to whom Lute will appeal:

- Family “black sheep”
- Displaced people, who are trying to figure out new customs
- Struggling parents
- People with cold, distant spouses
- People who have moved to a strange, remote island where every seven years, seven people die as a sacrifice to keep the inhabitants “safe”

We join Nina, an American woman, on the titular island of Lute, where she resides with her husband, and two young children. It is almost time for The Day, an event when every seven years, seven random Lute inhabitants die. The residents of Lute have been blessed with good fortune, and believe that the morbid tradition must continue for their luck to remain. A relative newcomer to the island, this is Nina’s first encounter with The Day, and she is skeptical, until the bodies start to mount up, and her family’s safety is placed in jeopardy.

In addition to the looming body count, there is also an on-going world war hinted at, as well as Nina’s mysterious past. Not to mention her strained marriage, and the generally overwhelming experience of motherhood, while the grim reaper breathes down your neck.

Lute is an absolute riot. The tension as the reader awaits the next unfortunate death is indescribable. I yelled to myself, “Don’t leave your kids on their own!” many times, much to the bemusement of my husband.

Lute is not another Summerisle. The people of Lute aren’t on the hunt for a sacrifice; they appreciate the outcome of The Day is mostly out of their control, and they lead relatively normal lives in the meantime. The humanity of these characters adds authenticity to the novel.

Huge credit goes to Victoria Blunt, the narrator of the Lute audiobook, for a sterling performance. Blunt switched accents with ease, wonderfully establishing an array of characters. It was a pleasure to spend those nightmare hours on Lute with her.

Lute is terrifying, suspenseful, and a hell of a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

Lute is a little book that packs a big punch. Thorne masterfully creates an impending sense of doom that's palpable and builds until the final pages!

If you live on the island of Lute you are blessed with a life full of ease. Good fortune graces this small Island, even the toils of war are kind to the residents. There's a catch though...isn't there always? Every Seven years, at midsummer, the island takes the lives of seven people in exchange. In Lute you will follow Nina Treadway, mother of two, wife of the the Lord of the island, as she begins to understand the strange and deadly traditions of the Island she now calls home.

Lute is a story of perseverance,found family and community, woven around traditions and lore that will test ones moral compass. I didn't find it to be a hair raising kind of horror, it instead offers a quiet and contemplative sense of doom that will grate on your nerves in the best way possible! It also, for me, had one of the most satisfying endings ever!

I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

Lute is a hard book for me to rate. It was a nice one day listen. I’d encourage people to give it a go. I wouldn’t listen again, and if I owned the book, I’d pass it on instead of making it a keeper. I listened to the audio book and while I kept the narration speed at normal for the first half of the book, by the second half I’d almost doubled the speed. The narrator has a unique, soothing voice and her choice of tone was languid and tranquil which drew me in initially, but mid-way that slow pace started to grate on my nerves.

My biggest complaint (suggestion??) to the publisher, however, is that the marketing device they used (telling us which genre specific movies Lute most closely resembles) both made me want to read the book, and, ultimately, ruined the story for me. Yes, we all went into Titanic knowing the ship sank, but that Bruce Willis movie (not gonna name in case someone on the planet hasn’t seen it) did not tell us in advance they were all already (you know what I’m going to say). That would have spoiled a great movie. I do not know how marketing strategies work for publishing companies, but Lute is cheated out of being a great book when we kinda know what to expect and hear the story waiting for the aha moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen in advance of the October 4, 2022 publication date.

Final destination with midsommer vibes, count me in! This book hooked me from the start and kept me interested every step of the way. Folk-ish horror, close-knit island community atmosphere. Any horror fan will love it!

Lute is the island I want to visit any day but THE Day. I loved the strange world that Thorne was able to create in this story. The focus on leading up to THE Day not actually knowing what is happening only finding out as our heroine does as well. This was a great quick listen and I loved it!!

I was immediately drawn by the cover which I thought was I catching. I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed it. The narrator was very good and was able to pull off several different accents especially well which added to the storyline. I don't want to give away too much of the storyline because I feel that it would take away from the enjoyment of the book. Needless to say it does fall into the English folklore horror/fantasy genre. I found it to be very well written and enjoyed it so much that I listened to the entire book in the span of a day. It takes place on a small archipelago island off the coast of Great Britain and is part of Great Britain in the somewhat near future. There is a war going on, and the US is involved, however the US is on the opposing side to Great Britain. The protagonist is young American from Florida who meets and falls in love with the heir of a very small island (a population of less than 300), has a whirlwind courtship and settles with him on the lovely island of Lute, where they marry and raise a young family. The story begins 7 years later when the Summer Solstice arrives. I'd love to share more, but I don't want to ruin it! Great read.