Beware the Dagger Man.

These were the words that echoed through Wilder Harlow's teenage years on the remote New England town of Whistler Bay. He's returned to the solemn Whistler Bay one final time to write one final book--a memoir of his childhood, the rampant killer amongst them, and the betrayal of his college best friend Sky, who stole Wilder's memoir & turned it into a bestselling work of fiction: Looking Glass Sound.

As time runs out to finally reveal the truth of Whistler Bay, Wilder finds that his grip on reality is slipping. Whistler Bay and Looking Glass Sound begin to take each other's form, and with them, Wilder finds characters from his past coming to life and haunting his present. What's worse: he's found notes around his lonely cottage on Whistler Bay that suggest some of his past refuses to stay buried.

Somehow, some way, readers, Cat Ward has done it again. "Looking Glass Sound" in many ways may be her most complex and most polarizing novel yet, but I would whole-heartedly consider it a literary horror masterpiece. With a coastal setting all its own that Ward breathes incredible life into, "Looking Glass Sound" is a completely new labyrinth that requires (like its predecessors "The Last House on Needless Street" and "Sundial") readers to devote attention to every last detail.

Marching forward with a suspense-laden sense of dread, "Looking Glass Sound" is, at its core, a story about stories and the perpetuity of words. Haunting, moving, and most of all, shocking, this is one for true Ward devotees. Enjoy the ride.

I'm definitely having "what on earth did I just read? what's going on?!" thoughts, but the experience of reading anything by Catriona Ward is just too enjoyable. Looking forward to whatever her brain dreams up next! Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Catriona Ward’s precious books that I have read so I was highly anticipating her newest books and even my extremely high expectations were blown out of the water.
Like any of her other books I would highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible. That’s mostly because I don’t think I could give a concise synopsis of this book that didn’t somehow spoil the fun of it. The only thing I will say is that this book is very self-aware and if you don’t like books that you really have to think about while you are reading them, you won’t enjoy this. It’s impossible to describe Ward’s writing style but just know, if you are somewhat confused through 80 percent of the book, you are doing perfect.
Reading a Catriona Ward book is like being given a giant paint by number but you can only fill it in while it is super zoomed in so you can no idea what it is and some of the colors don’t seem like they would fit in at all and once you finish it and zoom out, it the greatest thing you have ever seen.
I think any of Ward’s books could easily be studied in a literature class but this particular book opens itself to so many discussions. I could easily write pages about this book and still not run out of things to say. This is definitely going to be in my favorite books of the year.

WOW! I devoured this book in one day and have been thinking about this ever since. I think its best to go into this aa blind as possible.
This was an amazing read that I have added to favorites!

Having read & enjoyed Sundial & The Last House on Needless Street I was absolutely thrilled to receive this ARC.
What a beautiful, chilling & exciting novel. I did not predict all of those twists, and thoroughly enjoyed this. This is one of those books that you think about for days after reading it.
CW is an auto-buy author for me forevermore.

TYSM to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire Publishing for letting me be an ARC reader. Happy to do so again in the future. Also, I do weekly book giveaways on my tiktok page (@hauntedhousebooks) and will definitely be featuring this in a giveaway during it's release week to help promote it.

Everything I thought about this story was flipped around by the end. But, unlike with some books, where the twists are shocking because they don’t make much sense, in Looking Glass Sound, every twist and turn runs parallel to the original narrative.
I found this to be an excellent exploration of grief, queer longing, identity, and so much more.
There isn’t a single person that I would not recommend it to.
If there’s a word above brilliant, that is what this book is.

I have seen this all over tiktok. So many differing opinions on this and to be honest I understand everyone who hates it and I understand everyone who loves it. I'm kind of middle of the road in terms of how I feel.

The writing is fine, there is nothing wrong with the story. I just found it wasn't for me and I wasn't looking forward to reading anymore of this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with the ARC!
Catriona Ward has done it again. This book gave me thrills, chills, and then it fried my brain in the best way possible. Was it confusing? Absolutely. Did I understand where it was heading? Nope. The only way I can describe this book is by comparing it to a puzzle. Imagine you’re doing a 5,000-piece puzzle, and you think you’re nearing the end, but then you realize you’re missing a few pieces. Then you somehow find the missing pieces, put them in their places, and think, “I figured it out!” but then you look at the puzzle, and you’re like, “what the heck is this supposed to be?” It’s only then that you realize you’ve been putting the puzzle together upside down.
That was what the journey of reading Looking Glass Sound was like.
I can’t really talk about the actual plot of the book without spoiling it, so all I can say is that Ward has continued to masterfully craft a creepy, off-feeling ambiance filled with twists and mind games. Ward is one of the few authors that I’m automatically excited to read, and I can’t stop myself from rushing through her books. I have no doubts that Looking Glass Sound will be met with even more positive acclaim, and Ward will continue to be an iconic voice in horror.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Ward once again gives us creepy goodness and captivating story plots. "Looking Glass Sound" is a must-read.

I'm a huge fan of Catriona Ward. This is the fourth book oh hers I've read and she is seriously on top of her game.

To call this just a "horror" book would be insulting almost. It's got multiple characters, timelines, and story arcs yet it flows beautifully and you never see where this novel is taking you. As with her other books, reading Catriona Ward is like kayaking down a river blindfolded. It feels dangerous, exciting, and your focus is solely on the ride to (hopefully) safety. But you also feel exhilarated and don't want it to end.

This is easily on my list of top ten books of the year.

Catriona Ward has me in a chokehold! I have been anticipating this book for over a year and it did not disappoint. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The only way to describe this book is MASTERFUL STORYTELLING!!!!
Her writing style is unmatched, and her ability to create stories within a story will leave you questioning what is real. The twists in this had me immediately wanting to start it again, and the characters will stay with me. I laughed, I teared up, I was unsettled (ok, at times I was scared), and I read the last 10% with my jaw on the floor. I know this won’t be for everyone, but I do know that it will be a forever favorite of mine.

{Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the advanced reader copy}💕

Difficult to put down, but also very difficult to read. It's sort if a story within a novel with in a book.
By the end, I think I understood what was happening, but it was worth the time and concentration it took to understand.

Catriona Ward is one of my favorite authors and I always know I'm going to be confused through most of the book but getting to the end and the light bulbs going off, the twists and turns is always worth it!! Looking Glass Sound did NOT disappoint. Ms. Ward has a way of writing that guarantees the reader is going to go back and reread her books again and again. When this is published...I'm there! I've made sure she's on our library's Must Purchase list.

3.5 stars. This might have been due to the current formatting of the book, but I felt very confused through the entire story. I think I understood what happened at the end, but I was playing catch up throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

Wow, what a trip. The back and forth and changing timelines and perspectives, what's real what's fiction, I'm going to need more time to fully digest this story, but I was totally hooked!!

4 stars

Catriona Ward is a master at the strange and intriguing. I’m never quite sure where her books are going to take me, but I’m always impressed with the ride.
This book is no different, right when you think you have it figured out….you dont 😄

I found this to be more on the psychological suspense side than the horror side. Either way it’s an impressive read.

I had no idea what to expect with this book, and honestly, still wasn't sure what to expect as I was turning the final pages. It was compelling, beautifully written, strange, and uncomfortable. I have only read Little Eve from the author, and while I mostly enjoyed its confusing structure, red herrings, and narrative diversions, I feel she really perfects the style here. And I know it is being marketed as horror, but this will definitely appeal to readers of psychological suspense. Very much recommended.

Another instant classic from Catriona Ward! This book gave me whiplash with all the twists and turns but I very much enjoyed it! Would recommend to a friend!