16-year old Wilder leaves behind his life in NYC for a summer vacation upstate with his parents. Lonely and bullied at his private school, he finds freedom and friendship with Nat and Harper.

Wilder gets involved in the hunt for a local prowler nicknamed The Dagger Man. When the Dagger Man’s identity is revealed, it changes all their lives, forever.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot because I don’t want to spoil anything. Twisty chapters jump between several versions of the story, demonstrating how the “truth” can be viewed through different lenses and appear different for everyone.

I did have a little trouble keeping everything straight while I was reading. The characters and relationships became tangled in my brain, the thread between them all twisted.

But this book had my head spinning in a delightfully unexpected way. The author plays with form in a way I’ve never seen before.

The characters float and form and reform around different perspectives and POVs, and what you think you know will be turned on its head by the end.

The story blurs the lines between friendship and romance, between platonic and romantic love.

Check out this book if you like twisty stories that explore themes of love and betrayal.

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC.

This was my Catriona Ward read though I have several books on my TBR. I loved the mystery and intrigue. I loved getting lot in the characters, thinking I understood their story only to discover by the end of the book that I was very wrong and very confused. But I love how all the characters were interwoven and their stories intertwined and practically collided with each other in the end. The setting was mysterious and eerie and it set the tone and mood of the book perfectly. There were parts were parts that I needed to re-read, towards the end simply for the fact that once they stories blended trying to decipher what was true, a characters perception, or figments of a characters imagination, or just lies, became more convoluted and harder to determine. Reading this has made me crave reading other works of Catriona Ward.

Wilder returns to his parent's summer home on the Maine coast to write about his time spent there with friends Harper and Nat and a local serial killer's legacy. As he crafts his novel based on his experiences, Wilder recalls adventures that led to gruesome discoveries and terrible secrets. The process makes him question his memory and sanity as strange occurrences plague his days and nights.

This one drew me in immediately with Wilder's tales of his childhood summers in Whistler Bay. The first third of the book had a deliciously slow and steadily building tension, and I loved the atmosphere and nostalgia. Then came the point where the story took a confusing turn for me, and I became a bit lost during the middle third of the novel. Things came back together towards the end, but I had some unanswered questions niggling at the back of my mind that made me feel that I needed a reread. Hmmm.

I'm a big fan of Catriona Ward's novels. I did enjoy this one, even with the disconnect I felt in the middle of the story. And to be honest, it could have been me missing something. The horror element is less intense than what Ward typically serves up, and I appreciated the focus on other elements of the story.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND is a marvel.

Unfortunately, it didn't really work for me. I was engaged at first and then the story turned into a weird fever dream. The reader isn't sure what is real and what isn't. Problem is, that for me? I didn't care what happened to any of these people.

Everyone has their secrets and ever since THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, I know that Catriona Ward likes to spring those secrets on you at the very last minute. In this case, though, I found the secrets to be disappointing. Plus, did I mention that I didn't like any of these people? I can enjoy a book with no likable characters, (WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN proved that to me), but for me, this particular book just didn't work.

The language used here is descriptive and lovely, I love Ms. Ward's style of writing. In this case, I just didn't care for or feel connected with anyone during the last half of this book.

It appears that I'm the standout here and that most everyone else loved this book. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt and try it for yourself, because your mileage may vary.

I remain a huge fan of Catriona Ward and will still be reading anything she puts out. I guess I can't love everything all the time from a certain author, but I cannot deny my disappointment here.

*Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it

It’s a #PubDay review for a book that I probably should have DNFed.
True story coming at you. I was about 40% of the way thru when I saw a friend get a copy of Looking Glass Sound in her stories and decided to DM. We chatted and I said, “this book is way less confusing than Little Eve” and then I continued reading…
What started out as a suspense-building summertime adventuring between new friends turned into a trauma-induced fever dream that left me scratching my noggin wondering who’s who, who is saying what, and why am I still reading this.

The newest psychological horror book from Catriona Ward is a true-blue mind bender. It’s a fictional memoir within a fictional memoir within a fictional memoir and packed with intention(I think) into this twisty-turny horror story. Here’s the synopsis in a sentence…
Wilder Harlow writes the story of his childhood summer spent in a small New England town where women disappear and the “dagger man” takes Polaroid pictures of children sleeping and about a college friend who steals his unfinished memoir and turns it into a bestselling novel called Looking Glass Sound, but then slips into a trauma incited mind riot and things get blurry real fast(and legitimately confusing).

Catriona Ward megafans might enjoy this story more than I did. There is the one sentence that I caught within the story that explained Ward’s intention, thrown in just in case the reader was truly lost. Overall by halfway thru I was invested in the plot, became disappointed with the repetitiveness and disjointed page layout, and celebrated the finish of a book I probably should have called it quits on.

In the past year I’ve grown to enjoy a good psychological horror, but Looking Glass Sound was not my jam. Hopefully it could be yours. I’m still looking forward to reading future books & the backlist books I’ve missed from Catriona Ward.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me the opportunity to read & review.

Looking Glass Sound is the latest release from one of my favorite voices in the Horror space, Catriona Ward. I respect her work so much and feel she brings her own unique brand to my favorite genre. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and damn, was it impressive.

I went into this novel without knowing too much about it and I'm glad that was the case. It was exciting watching it unfold without having many preconceived notions. I knew it was set in Maine, my home state, and involved a writer, but that was about it. I recommend you go into it not knowing much more than that.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe my time with this story, it's just something you need to experience yourself. It's definitely a bit of a mindf*ck; pardon the expression. I can't wait to read it again someday. I think upon reread, I could end up enjoying it even more. Ward is too smart and honesty, I'm in awe of her brain. I'm probably going to dream about this one for a while...

This delivered such beautiful Coming of Age Horror story vibes initially, it hooked me from the start. Eventually, it evolves into something a little more. It's Coming of Age Plus. Honestly, there are so many different elements contained within this story that are cause to celebrate.

For me, one of the highlights was the different types of relationships explored and the characters were all so well done. I did listen to the audiobook and recommend that format as the narration style fit the characters fantastically. I don't want to say too much more about the actual story, I think you can tell from my reaction that I really enjoyed it. You may be wondering though, with all the accolades, why I didn't give it a full 5-star rating.

I guess I would just say that in the second half, I did find some of the perspective jumps and overall narrative shifts a little hard to track. There were moments I felt I should have been having an a-ha revelation and I was having more of a head-scratching marathon trying to connect the dots.

I would absolutely read it again though, as mentioned above. I think I would pick up more the second time through and may end up enjoying it even more. There's definitely a lot of details I would like to revisit knowing what I know now; aka. having read the end.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys, well, a literary mindf*ck, featuring great atmosphere and nuanced characters. Also, this is a must for Coming of Age Horror lovers, or Readers who enjoy a book-within-a-book.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm very excited to see what other people think of this one!

This was just a little too weird of a book for me. I felt like I was on some sort of strange trip while reading it and definitely felt a little bit lost while reading it. This is most likely a case of this style of book/subject matter just isn't for me.

I just finished Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward and here are my thoughts!!


Whistler bay has its dark past and when Wilder Harlow returns to write his last book, it brings back memories of the past.

As a youth, the place where he met his two friends, Nat and Harper. The summer was the best and worst of his life. A terrible evil that they discover in the coves off the bay.

Problem is Wilder is starting to lose his mind. He is finding things in the cabin, things that shouldn’t be there and a woman who keeps calling out to him for help. Who’s writing the chapters he keeps finding upon waking?

Was coming back a mistake? Will it be the last thing he ever does?

This book was so weird. You know that feeling you get where you can’t trust what you are reading? I had this all the way through and when it finally got to the crux, I still felt that feeling. It’s one heck of a complex book and the journey was stepping into a building that is so dark you cannot see a thing and not know which way is what!

The character development was the saving grace for me. Each character story wove itself back onto each other and it was so intricate but it worked for me. I have never read such a mindF of a book before. I don’t know how I feel even now and I finished it a couple of days ago. I turned to my husband and said, what just happened! I even gave him the cliffnotes and he was like OMG!

I did really love the idea of the storyline but I was a little confused in places which I know was the point but it was hard to wrap my head around. I am not going to lie, I need more books like this. The kind of books that takes all the rules and throws them out the window. I’m sure others will hate it. It is not the kind of read that you can leisurely read, this is far from a beach read but if you like those complicated storylines that are beautifully written by an author with a gift for the unusual…. Grab this book right now.

Trying to rate it was a nightmare. This book had me second guessing myself!

4 stars. I couldn’t read books like this all the time but it was worth the read for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @torbooks for my gifted copy!

what a confusing mess. This book tried so hard to be meta and just ended up confusing the heck out of my. Rec: don't listen to this on audio.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND, the latest literary horror thriller by Catriona Ward (@catward66) drops today from Tor Nightfire, and I cannot stop thinking about this puzzle box of a book. Much like THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, there are so many unseen twists and turns to this story that I’m afraid to really say anything about it, in fear of unintentionally spoiling something.

Part coming of age story, part mystery, part ghost story, it is based in unreliable memory and is inevitably about how stories can haunt us, and how those stories can themselves be haunted; it’s just SO well crafted.

I believe that between this and NEEDLESS STREET, Ward has cemented herself as a favorite author for me, and I’m definitely going to be tracking down her other books.

Thank you to @netgalley and @tornightfire for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm not quite sure how to review this book. Catriona Ward has a way of telling a story that is both engrossing and a bit confusing at the same time. There were times I felt like I fully understood what was happening and others that I was a little lost. But the entire time I enjoyed the story, even when I was lost I was so fully invested in figuring out what was happening. At times it felt like the pace was slow, but I think that is completely necessary to weave such a multi layered story. And maybe that's the best way to describe this story, like an onion with many layers. It all comes together in the end and I'm still thinking through the layers of this story days after finishing.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @torbooks and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

When people ask me for psychological thriller recos, I used to point them towards Gillian Flynn. From now on, it will be Catriona Ward. From the first page she creates such an eerie atmosphere and puts you on edge. Nothing is real, everything is real.

Be warned there are 3 stories within this novel, very Inception-ey. As a reader I never knew what was real and what was fake, what were the characters' memories versus fiction. Ward kept me completely off balance! I was that Always Sunny in Philadelphia meme, you know the one I'm talking about, Charlie with the red strings everywhere....and I still got the ending wrong.

Pick this book up! Read it, then read it again! Thank you Tor Nightfire Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!
3.75 stars!

LOOKING GLASS SOUND is a prism, and the story it refracts shimmers and wavers. This book is a marvel; a maze that leads back into itself. Nothing is what it seems and ghosts linger everywhere, crying out to be heard. Catriona Ward has created a tragic, enigmatic, audacious wonder.

Looking Glass Sound will stick with me for the sole fact that it was an extremely frustrating read. It wasn’t scary, it wasn’t suspenseful, it was just muddled and unnecessarily convoluted (I cannot stress enough this enough). As someone who enjoys multiple POVs and stories within a story, this felt very poorly put together. It is not a horror novel; if anything, it felt more like a work of literary fiction with questionable pacing. I had high hopes for this one and was definitely let down.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Why would someone want to live forever in a book?"

"Maybe they don't. Maybe the writer keeps them prisoner. You can trap someone in a book. Their soul. Make a prison of words...a cage."

The ingenious warped mind of horror thriller author Catriona Ward has all the power in her latest brain hurting, mind bending, figure 8 twisty psychological thriller Looking Glass Sound. I honestly don't even know where to start because I'm still hyper ventilating from the end.

The beginning of this work of pure horror literature reads/sounds like a coming of age story as 16 year old Wilder Harlow spends what SEEMS like an idyllic summer with new friends Harper and Nat. Then...my brain stopped and I entered the metaphysical world of this needs her mind studied writer.

We find out about serial killer The Dagger Man who takes creepy pictures of his victims children while they are sleeping. At college, suffering from panic attacks from that summer, Wilder meets new BFF Sky who is truly not there in the best interest of Wilder. That's just the start before the veil is lifted and the falling over the cliff truths are revealed in a kaleidescope of unprecedented prose.

Reading and listening to narrators Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton perform this trippy, WTF just happened, unreliable protagonists, I don't know how to explain this much too smart for me story, was heart pounding, chilling, shocking and anything but a peaceful day on the sound. Maybe take a tranquilizer before starting this one.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @tornightfire for an advance copy of LOOKING GLASS SOUND in return for my honest review.

In his memoir, Wilder is an odd teenager with pale skin and bulging eyes who spends a summer in a coastal cottage in Maine. A windswept town where he makes his first ever friends.

Nat, a handsome local, and Harper, a British rebel with long fiery hair, claim Wilder as their new friend for a summer of wild and sometimes unsettling childhood adventures by the seaside. When they get caught up in a The Dagger Man’s path, they will uncover more than just the whereabouts of several missing local women.

💭 @catward66 has broken my brain with this literary horror story. The first long chapter could have been an entire book for me, but she continued to layer the plot with mysterious characters and haunting atmosphere.

As you read this book, you will feel the anticipation building… but to what? You’ll have no idea. So don’t go into this one trying to predict the ending, or you’ll just get a headache!

Not only are the twists unexpected, they are made to keep you as confused as the characters. It’s described as a horror story, but it’s a lot more than that - it’s a slow creeping tale of forbidden secrets in an ominous setting. The stones that make a dismal hooting sound in the wind, the claustrophobic sea caves, a nautical serial killer, and a little bit of magic.

I prefer stories, even horror, that are planted more firmly in reality. With Looking Glass Sound really need to let that go and allow the plot twists just wash over you. I had a hard time doing that, so I found myself feeling confused and a bit frustrated trying to sort things out.

I loved the atmosphere and the anticipation of the first third of this story, and I think it’s definitely worth a read if you like being physically affected by a book!


Read this book if you like…
🧟‍♀️ Literary horror
✍️ Books about writers
👦🏻 Creepy kids
👻 Paranormal twists
👨‍👦 Coming of age stories
🦞 Coastal New England
🪝 Serial killer plots
🌊 Eerie settings as a character

I struggled between rating this one at 3 stars and 4 because objectively, it was a 4-star book, but compared to Ward's other books, it was definitely 3 stars. Her previous books, especially Sundial, were just so buck wild that I realize it would be hard to top them, but this one just didn't really click with me. The premise was very compelling and some of the side plots are what kept me reading until the end, but the characters just seemed a bit underdeveloped. Again, I'd still recommend this book on its own, but I'd recommend Ward's other books first if given the option.

I have absolutely no idea what to say about this. I really liked the first half — it was creepy and atmospheric, and I loved the setup with the three friends and their lives unraveling as they discover a sinister secret.
*
But this takes the book-within-a-book trope wayyy too far. I was on board for the first time, and kind of the second, but by the third I just had no idea what was going on anymore.
*
It’s creative, that’s for sure, and great at character building and atmosphere. But I don’t think I can say I enjoyed it since I couldn’t even tell you what happened at the end, or really for much of the second half.

Cartriona Ward is an author to gravitate towards when you want something completely unique and out of the box! She does horror and thrill in the most unexpected way! Looking Glass Sound has a serial killer, a small town setting and so much psychological suspense. At times, the book was slightly difficult to follow but I find her writing style is one that you really need to pay attention when reading. Overall, this wasn’t my favourite book by her but I still really enjoyed it and felt myself being pulled to pick it up! 3.5⭐️

{2.5 rounded up to 3 stars}

It was a shock to the system that I didn’t LOVE this book 😩 I gave her previous books 4.5 (Sundial) + 5 stars (Needless Street; Little Eve).

The good: Ward knows damn well how to create and wholly envelope you in the eeriest atmospheres. The vibes, as always, were on point 🤌🏻

The not so good: her books are always weird af; I’ve come to expect and love that! BUT this one felt needlessly confusing and convoluted. 6 days later and I’m still scratching my head a bit 😳

It started off super strong—intriguing, spooky, and suspenseful—but she introduced too many layers and it got quite hard to follow.

At least there was a legit aha moment that made me want to flip back and read some parts with new eyes 👀