Two sisters, strangers since birth yet bound by family secrets, are caught up in a century-old mystery on an isolated island.

Unfortunately, this one seemed a little arduous for me to get through. Slow burn mystery/paranormal. I was distracted often (which is not at all typical when my head is in a book) and I found myself struggling to turn pages. Idk, I just felt.....indifferent...
But it may have very well been just me and my current mood, lol...not sure.
Regardless, I've no doubt other readers will enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: 10.10.23.

"Daughters of Block Island" by Christa Carmen
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book. All opinions contained below are my own.

Daughters of Block Island is the perfect story to curl up with during spooky season! The perfectly described gothic setting made me feel as if I was in a crisp October day rather than the sweltering June heat when I was reading.
The story opens with a letter penned from a young lady, Blake, who we quickly learn is now dead to Thalia, whom she claims is her sister. This instantly sucked me in, wondering who this mysterious woman is and how Thalia will respond with this bombshell being dropped on her.

The first half of the story is told from the perspective of Blake Bronson, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who sets out to learn more about her family after discovering a copy of her birth certificate naming her biological mother. Tossed about the foster system Blake has had a rough life, surviving through reading, particularly classic gothic novels. And when she arrives on Block Island, she quickly feels like she is thrust into a real-life gothic setting. Constant rain, spooky old mansion that may or may not be haunted, and secret underground passages. Blake ultimately meets her death on Block Island, mere moments after a final effort to contact her sister, Thalia, through a letter.

Thalia is the narrator through the second half of the story. After receiving a letter from the sister she never knew existed and is now dead, she sets out to her hometown of Block Island to learn more about the circumstances surrounding her sisters death. With the support of long-time bff, Sarah, the two confront Thalia's mother, Maureen, who continues to deny the existence of another daughter. With no answers from Maureen, the two girls set off to solve the mystery of Blake's death with clues from other residents...from the kooky librarian, the mysterious B & B owner, the powerful town-selectsman, and the woman accused of killing Blake.


**Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced read and I would highly recommend. At first I was nervous due to how many times the novel seemed to hit on various tropes of the gothic novel, it felt a little 'campy'. But after Blake begins to craft her rules and it becomes more obvious that the author knows what she is doing and clearly using this as a plot device it did not bother me.

Absolutely loved this one! So utterly mesmerisingly atmospheric. A stunning, unique storyline and top quality characterisation. 5 stars 👏

Told from Blake Bronson and Thalia Mills’ perspectives, these two women will never meet.
Blake arrives on Block Island, hoping to meet her birth mother. She hasn’t had an easy life, growing up in one foster care home after another. But, she has reached a point where she might just be the heroine in her own Gothic novel. White Hall, the place where she is staying is just like a page torn from one of those novels she has always read. But before she can maybe find peace (and at least the sister she never knew she had);she is murdered. What she might’ve been dies with her in a clawfoot tub.
Thalia hasn’t been back to Block Island in years. A letter from the sister she didn’t know about, and Blake’s murder brings her home. She wants answers from her mother, but her lips as always are tightly sealed. As Thalia tries to unravel the mysteries from her mother’s past, and find Blake’s killer, she has no idea that her questions may lead to her demise.
The first part of the book tells Blake story, and she was my favorite character. She had such a hard life and her search for answers leads to her death. If I believed in ghosts, Blake would be the one I would want to run into.
Many of Thalia’s decisions, baffled me. I mean she knew that Blake was murdered, but she just forged ahead, making some very questionable choices and decisions.
I enjoyed The Daughters of Block Island and trying to figure out whether White Hall was actually haunted kept me flipping the pages. Everything wrapped up well, though I’m still sad that Blake could not outrun the ghosts from the past.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I've been trying to get into more gothic literature in the last while and this one came available for me. It seems there is an abundance of them. Although I'm not sure this particular one was for me. It was very short and I didn't always love the switch between narrators. It took me out of the story at times. I also felt like the story was rushed and short. The premise was an interesting idea but maybe if it had a better execution.

This book follows around some of the Love on the Island series’ characters, so I was a bit lost at first (and it’s slightly a romance book, which isn’t really my thing).

The characters are realistic, well thought. But there are way too many characters to be honest. And sometimes it’s a bit hard to understand and make your own opinion on the characters.

The ending was a bit underwhelming for me but I’m sure for fans of Carmen it would be a hold-your-breath kind of drama.

4 stars

In this gothic horror navel, and eerie island pulls in 2 sisters to this mysterious mansion. While at the mansion there and secrets, murder, and romance. Blake is brought to the island when she uncovers who her birth mother is and searches to get some answers. As soon as Blake settles into the mansion she begins to feel like she the main character of her own gothic novel, but before she can figure out the ending she is found dead. Thalia, Blakes sister, received a letter from Blake where she learns she has a sister. Thalia decided to get back to her home, the mysterious island to meet her long lost sister. Once her arrives she learns of Blake’s death. Thalia jumps in to figure out the pieces of the mysterious murder as well as other scandals on the island in hope to figure out the truth behind her sisters death

Gothic novels are not my go to genre but his book pulled me in and hand he hook from the start. It was spooky and eerie in all the right places! I enjoyed the change in POV between the 2 sisters and I felt like I was right there next to Thalia needing to find the answers to all the questions. The setting of this story was beautifully written and I felt like I was right there on the island. I thought the back story with the mom was a little unfinished and didn’t really tie into the main story until the very end.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic gothic horror with a murder mystery twist! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I would give this a solid 3.5 stars. There were many things that I enjoyed. I loved the atmosphere and the nods to classic gothic tales and classics, but the story did drag a bit for me. It wasn't a book I was rushing to finish.

"As silent and expressionless as a ghost who's lost the ability to haunt the living"
Many thanks to Netgalley and Christa Carmen for giving me the opportunity to read this well written book.
Blake and Thalia are two sisters whome each one doesn't know that the other exists. Till one day Blake who has been raised in Foster homes decided to find her birth mother who lives in Block Island. She arrives at Block Island during winter to find answers, but instead, she faced the biggest mystery in her life. Thalia the older daughter has received a letter from her sister that she has no clue about her existence, and discovered that Blake wrote her this letter the same night she was found dead. So Thalia returned back to her home land to seek answers.
This book is about hidden secrets, crimes, haunted mansion and ghosts from the past. The book is very well written, I really enjoyed the beautiful phrases that described different feelings as fear, mother's love, anger and true friendship.
But to be fair I got a little bored during the last three chapters as I've got the feeling that the author was padding a little in some parts to add more pages to the book. I can't also deny that I was expecting a real gothic story but I found a mysterious crime one instead.
I think this book will be perfect for any one who loves the dark winter mysterious realm or suffers from a reading,slump. But if you're searching for horror goosebumps story, this book won't be your cup of tea.

When I read, I want to be engaged. I want characters I can relate to, people I can care about. And I want a story that makes me eager to turn the page, to find out what happens next. Once I’m invested in the characters of a story, and they find themselves in peril, I expect to be on the edge of my seat, turning each page with both fear and anticipation. The Daughters of Block Island checked each of these boxes for me.

I prefer a good mystery over almost anything else. Whether it’s Conan Doyle, Daphne Du Maurier, Michael Connelly, Philip Kerr, or Cara Black — just a few of my favorites — I need to be intrigued. I need to wonder, “What’s really going on here?” And Christa Carmen leads off with a puzzle that only grows more complicated as the story progresses. And like the very best stories, the intrigue doesn’t just engage your brain, it touches your heart as well.

Any time I tell my wife about a new book I’m reading, her first question is, “Is it well written?” She knows I’ll put up with less talented writers if the book has a storyline that intrigues me or falls into a genre I’m obsessed with. With Christa Carmen, my answer was an unqualified yes. The Daughters of Block Island delivers on all levels.

In this gothic retelling. A mansion on an island lures two sister in, but they don’t know each other. The chaos and secrets start exploding into their lives, the truth and death. I was I. Edge the whole time reading this!

Suspenseful, Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Great novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in. Thank you Net Galley and Tor for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

As someone who vacations in Block Island, this one hit a bit close to home! Loved this. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an eARC copy of The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen.

WOW. It has been quite some time since I've read a good Gothic Horror story and The Daughters of Block Island does not disappoint. Christa Carmen does a wonderful job blending the tropes of typical Gothic Horror with family dynamic and struggles of the modern world. Not to mention, generational family struggles that seem to be overlooked in some ways here or there. The twists and turns keep you pulled into the story as when you think you have it all figured out, you don't realized that what you thought was completely wrong. I also enjoyed that the two timelines were broken up as well it made everything more interesting.

This book had ghosts, mystery, and friendship. I liked getting to hear both Blake and Thalia’s perspectives in the book. I felt like the book took me a little bit to get into it before I really got into it. After I got to that spot, I wanted to read until I was finished.

This isn’t quite what I was expecting. I thought it moved a little slow and I wasn’t always interested in the main character or invested in the story. It did pick up but it wasn’t super memorable to me.

Wow! This gothic novel is not for the faint hearted! Deeply athmospheric I highly recommend this book for an autumn thriller read! Loved the storyline and the plot twists! Wished it was a little shorter, but a great read still!

I was really excited about this one as a huge gothic horror lover, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I feel like it had the setting of a gothic horror without all the heart. I did enjoy the dual point of view, and I enjoyed watching the sisters both try and solve the crime.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book. Good read about two sisters unknown to each other who each go to Block Island to uncover their family’s mysteries. First half of the story is told from Blake’s pov and the second from her sister’s Thalia. Intended as a modern Gothic mystery it leans heavily into the style complete with a crumbling mansion, ghosts and unrelenting rain. Perhaps too much. Intriguing story and good writing but by constantly referring to Blake’s love of all things Gothic in a way worked against the overall Gothic-ness, too much in your face and pulling away from the moodiness. Could have been more subtle but was generally a fun page turner.

First, many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for making this available.

The Daughters of Block Island has the trappings of what could be a modern gothic tale, but falls a bit short for me. Our first narrator is Blake, a recovering addict who has come to Block Island with hopes of finally having answers from the mother who gave her up. She finds herself caught up in the gothic tales she has found solace in the moment she arrives, but then finds herself repeating the "rules" of the gothic tales.
Narrator changes to Thalia who learns of the half sister she never knew and her death simultaneously. Now she's looking to find out what truly happened and how a secret this big had been hidden for all these years.

Let me say, I think this is such an intriguing idea and immediately pulled me in. That being said, it feel short. This was a very slow read and I'm torn if it was the writing or just the overall pace. There were many times reading this that the third voice narration actually pulled me out of the story more than pulling me in. There are references and hints to the classic gothic tales and tropes, but it never really merged together. On one hand, it was meant to be more of Blake's POV than Thalia's, but it always felt like an aside reference that never merged together.
On another hand, it also felt like the small "townie" mentality was being pushed so hard, yet also kept at a distance. It also felt so tied up with the characters that it seemed like the end was so rushed.

An interesting idea and plot, but fell just off the mark for me.