This was everything I expected from Catriona Ward honestly! I think I paid more attention to this book than to any of my college classes and I think I was able to comprehend everything. While the audio was great, this book has a lot of small details that can be missed if you are a person that idly thinks about other things while listening to audio. I had the e-ARC as well for this and I was definitely following along there! I only recommend this on audio if you feel you would be able to focus on it!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one!

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward.

This book was SOMETHING! I felt like I just sat through a literary Inception, where with every turn, there's five more turns!

After experiencing a deeply traumatic event as a child, Wilder has a story to tell, and as an author, he is the right guy to do it. It also helps that his experience is a well known high profile crime that happened at Looking Glass Sound. But it turns out that a "friend" Sky, has beaten him to it and stolen his story. But now that the story has been released, the years go by and we get to find out what really happened at Looking Glass Sound all those years ago.

SUCH a rich and incredibly well thought out novel. It's got spook factor, romance, friendship, betrayal, and mind bends that you never see coming. I was hooked from beginning to end!

I don't even know where to begin! I understand why Ward receives the praise she does, because this book really blew me away. This is how you layer a plot, people. I was intrigued, I was confused, and ultimately I was so satisfied. I'm not even sure how to properly review this one, but if you've been a fan of Catriona Ward, pick up Looking Glass Sound as soon as you can.

Big thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian audio for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rating : 4.5/5

I loved this one so much. There’s something so unique and fascinating about Catriona Ward’s writing and her way of telling her stories. Each time i get sucked in with ease and i’m always so happy with the ride. This one is particular was so great. The atmosphere was incredibly immersive. It felt like such a experience to read this book because it mixed fiction and reality to a point where you don’t even know if whatever you are reading is happening or not. You don’t know who to trust, what to trust, and all you can do is accept the uncertainty. The twists were effectives, the horror elements creepy, and the characters interesting. I do think it got abit slow toward the middle which is stopping me from giving it a full 5 ⭐️ but this is for sure a book i’ll be thinking about for a while.

I recently had the pleasure of diving into Catriona Ward's thrilling novel, "Looking Glass Sound," and let me tell you, it was a rollercoaster ride that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Ward's ability to create a twisted and captivating story is truly commendable, and I found myself unable to stop listening. Thank you publishers.

"Looking Glass Sound" delves into a labyrinth of shocking turns and unexpected surprises, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The plot is masterfully crafted, seamlessly blending suspense, mystery, and psychological elements that leave you constantly guessing and questioning everything you thought you knew. Each revelation adds another layer to the narrative, intensifying the intrigue and making the reading experience all the more thrilling.

One aspect that truly stood out to me was the complex web of family and friends connections that the author skillfully weaves throughout the story. These relationships are put to the ultimate test, challenging the characters in ways that kept me emotionally invested and deeply engaged. Ward excels at capturing the intricacies of human dynamics, showcasing the complexities and hidden depths of her characters.

As I delved deeper into the story, I encountered numerous moments where the translation of certain twists became a bit challenging. However, this added to the overall allure of the book, keeping me on my toes and forcing me to pay close attention to every detail. I can imagine that having buddyreaders to discuss and unravel these intricacies with would have made the experience even more enjoyable.

Catriona Ward's writing style is both evocative and immersive, creating vivid imagery that brought the setting and characters to life. Her prose is elegant and engrossing, capturing the atmosphere of the story and intensifying the sense of unease that permeates throughout.

In conclusion, "Looking Glass Sound" is a standout novel that showcases Catriona Ward's storytelling prowess. With its twisted plot, shocking turns, and intricate character relationships, it's a book that will captivate and challenge readers in equal measure. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers with a touch of mystery, I highly recommend giving this book a read. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down.

Disclaimer: It's worth noting that individual preferences may vary when it comes to books, so what I found enjoyable may not necessarily be the same for everyone. Nonetheless, I believe "Looking Glass Sound" has all the elements that make for a thrilling and satisfying read.

I understood the beginning of this book fairly well. A coming of age story for a teen who doesn't look like others. A must have vacation to a deceased uncle's seaside home for the parents who aren't as close as they once were and are seeing their son quickly reaching the age when he no longer will be theirs. Then a barrel is found and a woman's body is found inside. The once idealic coming of age story becomes wrapped up in a mystery with some supernatural elements. At this point is where I got lost. Characters come and go all interconnected by the murders but hard to remember the connections and who was who. A part of the story is a novel being written by the older man who once was the young teen and I got lost at what was truth and fiction. Others write novels as well and I continued to find truth and fiction unclear. Twists were abundant and satisfying, however. I'm more a lover of mysteries that aren't so choppy and more linear so I struggled to get to the end of this one. The narrator does a good job of adding atmosphere without too much overemphasis and has a calm and easily to listen to voice. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

4.5 stars

If you loved “The Last House on Needless Street,” this book is perfect for you! It also has the same narrator who I loved for that book.

It’s hard to say much about this book without giving too much away, but it’s a chilling murder mystery and you are not sure what is true and what is maybe a hallucination. This is definitely a twisted psychological horror book with an interesting cast of characters. I did have a few moments where it took me a bit to process the twists, but they were very well done.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I often have a nightmare in which I fall into a massive mound of snow or plunge into the ocean, it's so abysmal and I'm dropping deeper and deeper, farther down, away from the surface, and I'm losing my breath, but I'm convinced I'll make it back to the top. What I don't understand in my dream is that I don't know which way is up or which way is down; I'm lost and unsure of which way to swim, desperately wanting to find my way out. THIS is how I felt after reading this book. The perfect horror atmosphere was created by Looking Glass Sound, a hazy beach summer vacation where the dagger man lurks in the shadows.

I have only read one other book by Catriona Ward, The Last House on Needless Street, and I really enjoyed that one too. Looking Glass Sound featured the same style, suspense, and mystery as LHONS, and it kept you hooked till the end. I know I've said it before, but lately I’m not a fan of thrillers and mysteries, so when I saw the captivating cover and description for this one, I knew I had to give it a shot, and I'm so glad I did. Looking Glass Sound is a dreamy, hazy fever-nightmare that grabs you and doesn't let go (at least not without throwing you around a little). Thanks very much to the publisher for this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read Little Eve last year and liked it well enough (though it was weird). I guess I knew to expect a supernatural element in this story but the circuitous route of the plot is confusing, overwhelming, and, at times, tedious.

Three friends meet on the wild shores of Maine as older teens. The descriptions skewed quite young, so I was surprised to discover they were meant to be 16-17 years old. Harper and Nat have been friends for years; Wilder is new to their circle but they accept him readily, if awkwardly. The friendship grows throughout the summer, as the boys admit their attraction to Harper and the three go on boat adventures near and in the titular sound (always with warnings about the strong undertow, which has been known to pull people to their deaths, specifically female swimmers, never to be seen again). There are times when it feels like Harper and Nat are not very nice to Wilder; they have an established friendship and he's a bit nerdy. Underpinning all of this is the lore of the Dagger Man, a person who breaks into summer houses and takes polaroids of sleeping children, each with his handcrafted knife near their unprotected throats.

In the second summer of their friendship, things start getting good. No spoilers, but we learn rather more about the Dagger Man. A lot happens very quickly, and then the next thing we know, Wilder is in college, where he meets and falls in love with Sky.

After this section, things get extremely convoluted. There's a novel within a novel, and then a novel within that. I found myself very unclear on what had actually happened, and what was reimagined by the NWAN etc. One of the NWAN features the same characters as the original novel. The other NWAN has similarly-named characters, as those characters are a fictionalized version of what happens in that second summer at the sound. If this sounds confusing, it's because it is.

Thank god this was an audiobook, because I would have given up otherwise. But there were some drawbacks to the audio as well (Christopher Ragland's version of a Maine accent sounded a lot like Aussiespeak at first several blushes). I can see where Ward wanted to create a layered multiverse of possible outcomes for her characters, but the result is such a mishmosh . It's a shame, really, because the sections that deal with the central crime are very enjoyable. She has great writing talent (aside from lacking an editor to make American teens speak like American teens, rather than Brits trying to sound American or whatever was going on there; I blame MacMillan on that one), but there's just too much weighing the story down, IMO.

welp, if this wasn't an ARC, I would have DNFd in the first 1/4.
If you want a book that is all over the place, time line jumping, and no likeable characters, then this is for you.
Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened. It had some promise when the polaroid was discovered, but that ended quickly. I was so disappointed by this book. I feel like I wasted my time.
The female narrator was good, but that male one almost made me DNF the book. I absolutely hate when narrators read in multiple accents as if we're too dumb to understand. I realize that's a me problem but still.
I would not recommend this book.

This book was confusing at times and hard for me to keep up with. I was not really interested in the storyline. I was not a fan of the narration. Some of the voices that are intended to be young sounded like the elderly.

Wow, I want to first say I thought the voice acting for this audiobook was excellent, it helped create a moody immersive mood while listening. Thank you MacMillan for the review copy and also to Tor publishing for so kindly giving me a ebook copy to review (both via NetGalley). I am torn which format was best, I listened to some and read other parts, particularly the later parts as I wanted to be reading Ward's work. I personally loved the story starting off in adolescence and using that time of awkward self discovery and change, and the theme of a summer that changes you, to move into a bigger story that involved really grasping what had happened and how magic and secrets and revenge and the messiness of adolescent friendships and hopes/dreams all became entangled in a search for The Dagger Man.

You likely have to be a literary horror fan to really like this one or a reader open to a meta horror, book within a book plot, that is I think what Chasing the Boogeyman wanted to be (side note, disliked that book a lot). This is perfect for Ward fans of course and readers who like Sarah Gailey (just like home), Chuck Wendig, Stephen Graham Jones, and other similar dark slow paced horror that unsettles the reader and unfolds slowly and eerily until a climax.

I really didn't know what to expect going into this book, and the number of times my jaw dropped was crazy! There were SO many twists, that you better be paying attention! I really enjoyed the characters and trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but good luck because it is never what you think.

4.5 rounded up to 5. Nearly a perfect experience for me. I couldn't stop listening to this book. I found the mystery and characters so compelling and didn't want to stop until I figured everything out. The mystery isn't so much one where clues are laid out for you to solve, but it's full of non-stop twists and turns. The rest of this is a little spoiler-y, but the main reason it's not a perfect 5 star for me is that I didn't love the ultimate twist at the end. I felt the story held up well enough on it's own and didn't need to be revealed to be as meta as it was, though I do know that that was a major point of it all. Catriona Ward masterfully weaves a great mystery and instantly is added to the list of authors whose books will be a day one purchase from me from now on.

I’ve heard so much great reviews about this author and her previous novel. The novel just grabbed me and I knew I had to read/listen to it. The plot sounded great but however I did not enjoy the book as much as I really wanted to. It started off real great and then it went stale (for me). it just went haywire from there and unfortunately not in a great way. Struggled to finish it and contemplated if I should DNF it. Not my type of novel.

This book gave me whiplash. Although the narrators did a fabulous job with the audio, I don’t think this was the best book to listen too. I was confused often and not following along with what was happening. This book requires 100% attention which I find hard to do with an audiobook

As with The Last House on Needless Street, this is a book you need to fully commit to. It’s not an audiobook that is easy to multitask while reading. The payoff for being patient is well worth it though. The writing is superb as is the narration by Christopher Raglan(The Last House on Needless Street) and Katherine Fenton(Sundial). Catriona Ward is a brilliant and unique storyteller. As with her other books, I found myself getting lulled by the beautiful writing and realized I needed to reorient myself and catch up with the storyline. There are many times when reality gets fuzzy and I had to wait for the story to play out. This is a beautiful and horrifying tale all at the same time.

Wilder’s parents inherit an old beachside cottage in Maine and while taking a vacation he becomes friends with Nat, a fisherman’s son and Harper, an English girl vacationing with her parents. In the background there is a serial killer of women and apparently also taking Polaroids of little children sleeping in their beds with a dagger near their throats. They call him The Dagger Man of Whistler Bay. What happens the following summer when the friends reunite will change their lives forever. The book within a book theme throughout the novel makes it tricky to say much more without spoiling the story.

The novel is a dark and disturbing story of friendship, magic, secrets, betrayal, revenge and redemption. Thank you @netgalley @catward66 @macmillan.audio for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s difficult to leave if you are surrounded by the things you love.” ~Harper

Pub date: August 8, 2023
Pages: 352

Marked as DNF @ 20% on 5/7/23 | Why do I never seem to click with horror? I always feel like horror & thriller vibes should be so similar but horror seems to annoy me.

So firstly, the first 20% so far is just the kids as teens and it has a very YA feel. I am not in my YA era and don’t want to read young adult so it bothered me. I was just thinking how I’d like a book that doesn’t have flashbacks and that backfired on me because I wish these teen episodes were flashbacks and not the first part of the book to really break it up. I’m stopping at 20% so I don’t know for how long that continues and I just made it to the second summer and seems like it'll keep going.

I decided not to push through it because most (negative/critical) reviews seemed to say they loved the first half and hated the second half. If I’m not enjoying the first half, it seems like there’s no hope for me. I wasn’t interested in the other scary aspects of the beginning either so… eh. Not for me, I guess. Maybe I need to stop trying horror because I get annoyed with the spooky stuff. I just want non-magical thrills and have had enough of serial killer books.

Book Title: Looking Glass Sound
Author: Catriona Ward
Narrators: Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Psychological Horror
Pub Date: August 8, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 352

I was drawn to this story as I read and actually liked "The Last House on Needless Street" – the other is this great cover. (I know one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I honestly cannot resist a great cover!)

Back in the summer of 1989 Wilder Harlow’s uncle Vernon died and left his Maine home on Whistler Bay to Wilder’s dad. His parents are going to put it on the market but decide it would be nice to spend the summer there before it is sold. It is a creepy old place but a summer on the beach seems like a nice get away.
Wilder is sixteen and looks different and acts a bit strange; he is constantly bullied by classmates.
While at Whistler Bay Wilder goes for a swim and meets a boy and a girl -Nathanial (Nat) Pelletier and beautiful Harper. Wilder is hopeful of having new friends however, they are like his classmates and aren’t nice to him. But after a trick goes wrong both Nat and Harper are truly sorry – and the three end up summer friends.
Wilder’s parents decide not to sell the summer home so they return the following year. There is a murder mystery going on at Whistler Bay – that has the three friends curious. There is a serial killer known as the Dagger Man of Whistler Bay; he takes Polaroid pictures (remember this is 1989) of children as they sleep, kills them with a knife and stores them in a storage tub – sometimes drops the tub into the sea.
Although our three friends help find the serial killer, it wasn’t intentional.
This summer turns out to be a disaster; in fact, later described as “The Bad Summer”.

The following year Wilder is accepted at the Liberal Arts College he has wanted to attend.
His roommate Sky is a good match as he is a bit strange like Wilder. He is in the BFA program as he wants to be a writer. They become best friends. Wilder tells Sky about ‘the bad summer’ and how he has written a short story about Dagger Man.

Story jumps thirty year where Wylie is a college professor, he is going blind from macular degenerate and still a struggling writer whereas Sky is a best-selling author.

I went into this story expect it to be a bit strange ~ yep author, Catriona Ward did not disappoint.
The first part was actually enjoyable and I honestly could not put it down.
So it was only a bit strange
However, the next part WAS strange - which I was expecting.
The Ending was – Hmmm that was strange!

The narrators were great at performing their characters.

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Advanced Audio
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 8, 2023.

5 stars

My goodness I am going to have a bit of a hangover from this book. It was great! I really enjoyed this story so much even though there were many times I was incredibly confused on what was going on. However in the end, there was many A Ha moments, I get it now.

I am really happy also chose to consume this in audio format. The male narrator is the same as the House on Needless Street and he was perfect. The woman narrators were also great. I really enjoyed hearing both point of view and they did a great job sucking me into the story. I would highly recommend this audiobook.

There is the main point of view of Wilder, a teen boy, with a group of friends living on a bay. Women have been going missing and there is a notorious serial killed that the community is afraid of. After the killer is revealed early in the book, we follow the story of Wilder and him trying to move on. We also follow the point of view of Pearl and her story is mysterious and as a reader you are trying to figure out what her deal is.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book a lot. They were mysterious a bit confusing at times, but I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

I have read other books by Catriona Ward and this one reminds me so much of Last House on Needless Street. I also loved that book. Ward does such an amazing job with keeping the reader guessing and having great shock value.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced reader audiobook. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.