(thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.)

this was such an intriguing psychological thriller! it drags the reader down a rabbit hole of layered storylines, with so many twists and turns that will make you question your sanity.

This was my first book by this author. I was throughly impressed by how dark and gritty it felt. The characters felt genuine and the terror was palpable. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Another incredible story by Ward.
Amazing characters and developments. Superb evolution of their realities. Believable struggles and reactions to their traumas., She weaves a complex multi-layered tale into a tense and compelling read. Tapping into human natures and their travails... she creates real tension and has readers both wondering about who is 'good,' who is bringing chaos, and confounding us along the way as we race and crash to the ending.

Loved Needless Street.. and really enjoyed this next adventure!
Cannot wait to see what she brings next.

What starts as a seaside summer spent with teenage Wilder and his new friends Harper and Nat turns into a psychological, writer-infested series of plot twists full of betrayal, murder, and unease. I found the narrative within a narrative within a narrative to be disorienting more than engaging, particularly early in the story, but the setting was summery and the Dagger Man interesting.

Catriona Ward is an auto-read author for me and I am so drawn to her ambiguously creepy, "what am I reading?" storytelling that dramatically clicks it all into place for the reader. Looking Glass Sound delivered on this mood and energy, but it didn't live up to the hype of The Last House on Needless Street for me (hard to do!).

The story was slow at times and I was struggling to connect for almost half of the book, but when it did connect it was fireworks and brilliance, with her classic axis shifting twist. The author remains and favorite and I think fans of her other books will be happy with this one, too.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early copy, I am ever so appreciative!!

"Fucked up will save you. Fucked up will set you free."

Looking Glass Sound started off feeling almost nostalgic; Wilder, Nat, and Harper's relationship reminded me a bit of all the kids' friendships in Stephen King's 'IT'. And similarly, it got weird and unsettling rather quick.

No exaggeration here, I think this is one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. If it was possible to give more than 5 stars, I think this has more than earned it. It was twisty and horrifying, and left me with my mouth hanging open not even 100 pages in. As soon as I thought I had it all figured out, the story would take another twist and leave me questioning everything I thought I understood. Right up until the last page, there are mysteries to be solved and details to be revealed. I can see myself rereading this in the near future, but nothing will match the first read and uncovering all the secrets Looking Glass Sound holds.

Catriona Ward’s new novel is odd (as usual) literary, layered, and dark. We start with the unpublished memoir of Wilder Harlow whose story starts in the summer of 1989. What follows is a twisting shock of a story. Who is the Dagger Man of Whistler Bay? How will Wilder’s story play out? You couldn’t guess if you tried. This won’t be for everyone I’m sure, but Catriona Ward always manages to suck me in and hold me captive.

4.5 stars from me.

I devoured The Last House on Needless Street, but this one took me a little longer to wrap my head around. Although quite good, it couldn’t compete with Needless Street. Books that have unreliable characters who are “losing their grip on reality” are my favorite kind of books, so this one kept me reading. Great story and mystery.

Looking Glass Sound had a great opening sequence with a teenager going to live in a coastal summer home on the back of his parents having marriage problems and meets and makes two amazing friends. This was a great coming of age narrative which takes in a local murder/mystery/disappearance and love triangle, but quickly fell apart in the convoluted following sequences, meta fiction, time jumps, books within books and I completely lost interest as it descended into a mess and I completely failed to connect the teenage characters with the adult versions of themselves.

#LookingGlassSound #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel. DO NOT SKIP THIS ONE! Even if you do not like horror you must try this one out! You won't regret it.

One of the most unique aspects of "Looking Glass Sound" is its story structure. It's told from multiple points of view that occasionally seem to overlap and fold in on themselves, which allows the reader to piece together the story slowly, like solving a puzzle. This weaves together feelings of doubt and intrigue that build throughout the book.

Ward's writing is masterful, creating a vivid and unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the book is finished. The characters are well-developed, and the slow reveal of their backstories and true nature adds depth and complexity to the story.

"Looking Glass Sound" is a haunting and atmospheric novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and horror, definitely add it to your TBR list!

I was so excited to receive an arc of Looking Glass Sound. It is set along the coast of Maine, one of my favorite places in the world. The descriptions and details wrapped me up and transported me to this idyllic town. The briny, salty air filled my lungs, the crashing waves soothed my soul, the unique whistles float across the air as the wind blows through the rocks. The characters are well layered and you will instantly bond with Wilder. I had an incredibly hard time keeping the story straight, I had to keep going back and rereading to make sure I knew what was going on and who was who. I think I will be one of the few and it could be because I was distracted and unable to focus solely on the book.

Wilder is a bit of a loner, a little odd, with a heart of gold. He wants to be in love and to feel love and the summer they go to Maine is when it is going to happen. He meets Harper and Nat on the beach and from that point on they are inseparable. They love exploring the caves along the coast. The magical feel at low tide transfixes you. As the tide slowly rises, they become a death trap. The lazy summer takes a sudden turn when the Dagger Man of Whistler Bay begins to break into people's homes and photographing children sleeping. There is so much more occurring in this small seaside town. Horrible, unimaginable terror has been stalking the shores and these three friends bring it to light. Leading this to be the defining moment of their lives, everyone will know who they are, and what they experienced.

My head is still spinning and I am trying to work out all of the twists and turns in my mind. This hauntingly beautiful setting is the backbone of the story. Thank you to Catriona Ward and Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy of this spine chilling read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Looking Glass Sound.

This is my first book by the author and it was good and strange, but I'm not sure if it was good in a strange way.

The beginning was a great setup; Wilder is an awkward, sexually confused teen navigating puberty and the tension between his parents.

When he meets Harper and Nat one fateful summer at his deceased uncle's cottage, everything changes, friendships are made and shattered, and Wilder is never the same again.

I loved the inclusion of the serial killer, and if the author had just run with that and continued with Wilder's coming of age, I would have enjoyed it more.

But, the narrative got confusing. Fast.

There was a story within a story, and characters coming alive, I think, and now I'm not sure who is real and who is not?

I'm not a fan of meta themes, I find it confusing and distracting, but as I kept reading the story was disintegrating along with the characters (maybe that was the point), and when I got to the end, I didn't know who was what and what was going on.

I really liked the premise, but I'm not a fan of the writing style and how the narrative progressed.

This story was a haunting and riveting tale of youth and the loss of innocence. The characters were deep and interesting and the plotting was intricate and well-executed.

I love Catriona Ward! I think that she does a wonderful job of mixing thriller and horror. The way she weaves stories is magical. However, Looking Glass Sound was not my favorite. I'm not sure if it was the formatting of the arc or just the story itself but I felt more confused than ever (not in a good way) while reading this book. Reading a Ward book is an experience and you can always bet that you will be confused. However, there's a difference between a book being confusing because the characters are unreliable versus it being confusing because the writing itself doesn't make sense. I feel like Looking Glass Sound might fall into the latter category. I will definitely be giving this book a second read when the finished copy releases and my review might change at that time. But character wise, I felt disconnected from them and that may have been the point because the ending of course has a twist. But when the twist came, I didn't seem to care. I felt that it was a bit gimmicky and could have been better.

Overall, I think Looking Glass Sound is okay and deserves another reread for me.

I found this book to be so confusing that I could not finish it. I couldn't get a handle on the characters, because they sounded like young children but I don't think they actually were. I had liked another book by this author and would read her again, but this one was not for me.

Do you like onions? If you read this book, you probably should because there are LAYERS in this baby. It’s cleverly written with a ghostly, gothic feel which becomes a stronger element the further you read. This is my first Catriona Ward read and I’ll probably be reading more from her in the future.

The book is about Wilder Harlow who vacations with his family on the coast of Maine. He meets two other teens and is inserted into their joys of summer. There is also a killer on the loose around the same time and, of course, these kids find a body. This messes with all of them in one way or another. Fast forward to university where Sky, Wilder’s one-time best friend, stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a lurid bestselling novel, Looking Glass Sound. Wilder is determined to write his own book and kill Sky with his words. Fast forward again, I think 30 years? Wilder goes back to that vacation home in Maine to begin writing his memoir, but as he writes, the lines between memory and fiction blur. He fears he’s losing his grip on reality when he finds notes hidden around the cottage written in Sky’s signature green ink.

The story is quite an immersive read. It had plot twists up until the very last sentence and I loved it. The only thing that took me out of the story a bit was revisiting the same story from different POVs and it felt a little repetitive. The moment you start to think you know what is happening, ummm ya don’t. I found myself stopping to go back and reread to make sure I was tracking correctly. I did get a bit confused a few times but thankfully everything wrapped up by the end.

The mystery slowly becomes creepier as the story progresses and because it’s full of secrets, it can be a bit difficult to review without revealing too much. It’s a tale about murder that deals with the long shadow it casts. It’s about writing and witchcraft, unrequited love, death, and not being able to move on from things that happened, or things you felt when you were very young. For fans of gothic mysteries and the book-in-a-book thing, you’ll probably like this one!

Thank you to @netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this one by the cover, and it was my first time reading something by Catriona Ward. Lots of great characters, haunting story, trauma, loss, friendship. It will definitely stick with you after you finish it.

Catriona Ward is one of my favorite horror authors, so I was beyond thrilled when I got approved for this arc.
One of the things I love about Catriona Ward's writing is that it is 1. very atmospheric, 2. descriptive in the setting, sounds, and smells in a way that it feels like you are physically there with the character, 3. and of course the plot twists. All of the things I love about her writing were in this book.
In "Looking Glass Sound" we follow Wilder who at the beginning of the book is 16 years old and is struggling with being bullied at school. Over break, his family inherits his uncles house in a small town in May. While Wilder is there he makes friends for the first time and feels like he is finally accepted. Those happy feelings don't last forever because there are weird things and secrets going on in this little town.
I had such a blast reading this. I simply could not put it down. The plot twists in here I could have never guessed and when they did happen I got chills.
Usually when I read a Catriona Ward book, I don't really know what is happening for 50-60% of the book, but then when you hit that first plot twist, everything starts to make sense and it is absolutely genius.
I would highly recommend this book to someone who wants a book that will shock and surprise them in the best way, but also for someone who appreciates eerie, beautiful, descriptive writing.
Although this is not my favorite book by Catriona Ward, I still had such a fantastic time and am very excited for publication day!

Wilder returns to his family's cottage on the coast of Maine to write a book about the summers he spent there as a teenager. This story has already been told, by Wilder's one-time best friend, Sky, who stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a best-selling horror novel, but Wilder wants to set the record straight. Unfortunately for our man Wilder (and fortunately for us), this is a Catriona Ward book, so nothing is as it seems.

I absolutely love the way Ward writes. Her stories are always vaguely hallucinogenic and really uncomfortable, with a solid dose of creepy terror to make your insides feel extra squirrelly. Told through multiple narrators and criss-crossing timelines, this book was deeply unsettling (and, honestly, very confusing). Another reviewer who I trust said she read this in one sitting, which I think is the way to go. Keeping track of who is who and when whatever is happening is happening requires a lot of focus and allowing yourself to be fully immersed in the world Ward is building... and trusting that she'll lead you through to the other side. I feel like this is a book I'd like to read again when I can be uninterrupted (so... like maybe in July when my kids are both gone at sleepaway camp?) I did like this even if I didn't quite get it, and consider Ward an auto-read author. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!