Having read The Lighthouse Witches and loving it, I was excited to read A Haunting in the Arctic. Sadly, A Haunting didn’t meet my expectations. I did expect a slow paced novel. But A Haunting didn’t have the same impact as Lighthouse. A Haunting just wasn’t creepy enough. And the plot didn’t make much sense — was there possession involved?

The story unfolds through multiple points of view over multiple timelines. It got to be confusing at times as I kept wondering how the two different timelines and characters would connect. And in the end, I didn’t get how some of the characters were even included in the narrative. I’m still pondering the novel as there were so many unanswered questions.

There were quite a number of characters. And with so many characters, only a handful were fully developed. For the most part, all of the characters were so unlikeable. They were dark and somewhat sinister. It was fairly depressing to read about them.

With such a confusing story and a convoluted conclusion, I’m surprised that I managed to finish the novel. But that won’t stop me from attempting another go at Cooke’s other endeavors. Two stars.

I received a DRC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

The Ormen, a whaling ship from 1901 later outfitted as a research vessel in the 1970's and has since been washed up on the shores of Skumaskot's lonely Icelandic shore. Now, the Ormen is scheduled to be destroyed, hauled out to sea and sunk. Dominique is determined to find the Ormen and document it's last days for social media while living on the vessel and researching it's history. However, Dominique is not alone; Samara, Jens and Leo are explorers who also want to look into the history of the Ormen. Reluctantly, Dom teams up with them. Samara and Leo dig into the Ormen's history as a whaling vessel while Dom and Jen's look into the research period. In 1901, the daughter of the Ormen's owner, Nicky Duthie is attacked and brought aboard the Ormen to serve as collateral and as folklore tells, a selkie wife. Nicky's outrage at the situation knows no bounds and what is happening to her aboard the Ormen is even stranger. In the 1970's Diego Almeyda found himself not in his right mind, cutting his feet in half. When the Ormen washed up on shore, Diego's remains were the only ones found on the Ormen. The rest of the research team has disappeared. With so much mystery and tragedy surrounding the Ormen, Dom soon finds that there may be something sinister aboard the Ormen, something looking for revenge.

A Haunting in the Arctic is an absolutely immersive, atmospheric, historic, gothic mystery. I was hooked from the very beginning with Diego's experience aboard the Ormen. From there, the story focuses on the points of view of Dom, Jens, Leo and Samara exploring the wreck in present day and Nicky's experience aboard the Ormen in 1901 with snippets of the research crew in the 1970's creating suspense not knowing if the events are linked. Nicky's story drew me in with the immense trauma she underwent and how she dealt with her everyday realities of her situation and how she managed her interactions with the crew. In the present, the team is focused on getting to know one another and their separate research challenges, but there is a deeper knowledge of the Ormen between Jens, Leo and Samara. As the team stays with the Ormen longer, strange occurrences happen, dreams, sounds, and sightings that connect to their research. A Haunting in the Arctic is a surprising and haunting tale weaving folklore with the power that trauma holds over us as well as the fact that revenge doesn't always solve our problems or help us forgive and move on.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The premise to this novel sounded excellent and spooky, but the pacing felt off and the characters didn't feel like real people.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

A Haunting in the Arctic is very much a horror story and as such it’s difficult to read at times. There’s violence of all sorts, death and suffering, bewilderment and loss. It’s very much a story of grief. If you are in search of a book to deeply unsettle you, this is it.

I know I have to DNF a book when I dread having to re-open it. This book should have been right up my alley, but I can't get past all the rape. It's not even graphic, there's just a hopelessness about it, which I suppose is a compliment to the author. But I just don't want to read any more of it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author for my gifted physical copy and eARC to read and review!

Well now, that was intense!! I don’t want to oversimplify my little review blurby … but the best words I can think of right now is … that was one good story! I was glued to the pages from the very start! So many times throughout the book I had to stop a take a break because my heart was racing, my mouth was dry and I was feeling all the feels. The writing is so captivating … I felt like this book held me in it’s grasp the entire time! And the ending? Mind blown. Historical fiction meets gothic thriller equals all the stars for this one! Go read it now … but maybe not alone, at night. Just sayin’.

This book was fine.

What could’ve been better?
I wish there was better timeline switching, there could’ve been a lot more done with one of the past povs.

There needed to be more suspense.

The diverse characters were just thrown in and you could tell by how they were introduced.

I wanted to be more immersed.

What I liked?
It was fast paced.

The concept of this ship haunting and folklore that surrounded it was cool.

It had dual pov and two steady timelines going (though I think there should’ve been 3).

The ending and story idea was something I liked too.

Overall, I didn’t hate it and enjoyed some aspects of the book, but I think that there are other books in this genre that I would recommend more.

Review
If you missed the recent, rocketing surges of AI stocks such as Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices, you might be a bit late for the party. But not so Mark Greaney. Greaney’s 13th Gray Man novel, “The Chaos Agent” (Berkley) dropped just as things were heating up on Wall Street in late February with a thriller that couldn’t be more prescient.

With the premise of a tech company and its mastermind billionaire building on artificial intelligence platforms to create lethal autonomous weapons — complete with rocket-launching cyber watchdogs, humanoids and other artifices of destruction — the denouement was always going to be a HAL 9000-esque brain threatening to gain sentience.

Like the dozen Gray Man novels before — Court Gentry is the Gray Man, a covert freelance operative once trained by the CIA whose modus operandi falls somewhere between shades of white and black — Greaney handles all of this masterfully, moving us around the underworld with a … love interest (check) … best friend (check) … master nemesis (check) and … national arch enemy (check), in a cinematic scope that feels all too real.

The author is known for getting the details just right — guns in hand are real-world guns, boots on the ground are real-world boots — so the wonder isn’t that the novel brings us to today’s near-precipice of man versus machine — but how quickly we’re actually getting there.

Roundup
Other new titles worth your time (and dollars) this month seem to adhere to a theme (and you won’t need ChatGPT to help figure out what it is).

“Almost Surely Dead” (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar is part stalker, part ghost story and all psychological thriller. Akhtar is the author of the best-selling novel “Kismet,” and here offers a story about an extraordinary life that turns into a true crime podcast.

“The Lady in Glass and Other Stories” (Ace) by Anne Bishop collects shorter works set in the author’s most cherished, fantastical worlds, transporting us over a 25-year career of dark fantasy.

“A Haunting in the Arctic” (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke is a dual timeline story with the main thread taking place after an early 20th century, haunting attack aboard the whaling ship Ormen. The wreck washes up a century later on the remote coast of Iceland, bringing to the present a dark past of cruelty and murder.



“Ghost Island” (Berkley) is Max Seeck’s fourth book in Ghosts of the Past, a series that has been building suspense and thrills since the author’s 2020 U.S. debut, “The Witch Hunter.” An atmospheric mystery, the novel is a driving Nordic procedural from the first Finnish author in seven decades to make the New York Times bestseller list.

Reveal
Some the titles I’ll be working on for next in "Review, roundup, reveal and rewind," with the books' scheduled publication dates, include:

“Hello, Alabama”(Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock, March 4.

“The Unquiet Bones” (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White, March 5.

“I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar” (Ballantine Books) by Santiago Posteguillo, March 5.

“Murder Road” (Berkley) by Simone St. James, March 5.



“The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry” (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson, March 5.

“The #1 Lawyer” (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson and Nancy Allen, March 18.

“Lilith” (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad, March 19.

And, watch for a couple of interviews that are also scheduled for March, including “After Annie” (Random House) by Anna Quindlen and “Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood” (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides.

Rewind
Finally, in case you missed a few notable titles from earlier in the year:

“Unbound” (Blackstone) by Christy Healy is a tale of betrayal and unrequited romance, with the author bringing Celtic myths into a gender-bent reimagining of “Beauty and the Beast.”



“The Devil’s Daughter” (Blackstone) by Gordon Greisman is solid PI noir and gets a screenwriter’s touch — the author earned an Emmy Award nomination for his NBC mini-series “The Drug Wars: In the Belly of the Beast." Tempering period characters (Thelonious Monk, Marlon Brando) with private investigator Jack Coffey’s search for the daughter of an uptown financier presents a dark story about redemption.

“Masters of the Air” (Blackstone) by Donald Miller isn’t a new book, but it gets a new audio treatment with the addition of narration by veteran raconteur Joe Barrett. Not just for the World War II aficionado, you can find a visual complement to the story with a recently launched Apple TV+ series by the same name.

I randomly watched a show on National Geographic about Sir John Franklin’s lost Arctic expedition days before I was pitched this book. I was fascinated by the lost expedition and when this book made it onto my desk for review immediately following the show, I was super intrigued and couldn’t WAIT to read this one! I was so excited to read a new ghost story and one that featured shipwrecks, questions, and a rugged landscape that takes on a life of its own within the story.

I have really been on an Arctic kick lately, the Franklin expedition show was just the start, I got hooked on more series featuring Arctic climbing in Greenland and other extreme mountain sports shows on National Geographic. From the time I was a kid, I have been fascinated by Iceland and Greenland, these locations hold a certain amount of mystery simply for their remote locations and I am so here for it—it appeals to the adventurer in me! There aren’t many books that feature this kind of unfamiliar setting so when I saw this one I jumped to review it and the location did not disappoint!

This book is definitely more of a horror book than historical fiction, though there are elements of historical fiction and the Gothic but I felt like it was more horror in nature but because it included elements from other genres, I think it will appeal to more readers but just know when you pick this one up you are picking up more of a ghost story/horror novel than historical fiction! Side note, this book did make me go down a complete rabbit hole about whaling and Arctic exploration which both were fascinating to research!

Summary

A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches.

The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s just her, the freezing ocean, and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them…

Now, over one hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed up on the forbidding, remote coast of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels an inexplicable pull to document its last days, even though those who have ventured onto the wreck before her have met uncanny ends.

Advertisement

Onboard the boat, Dominique will uncover a dark past riddled with lies, cruelty, and murder—and her discovery will change everything. Because she’ll soon realize she’s not alone. Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge. (summary from Goodreads)

Review

This is my first time reading this author, based on what other reviewers have said about this book and the author, I think I would be open to reading more books by her. This book wasn’t what I was expecting. I knew it was going to be a ghost story and horror etc so naturally I expected some creepy things etc. But I wasn’t prepared for how brutal Nicky is treated on the ship crew and by her family. At some points I was like wow was this really necessary and did it really further the story in the way that the author had hoped? It did have relevance I suppose but I think that the same effect could have been achieved without so much brutality and trauma for one character. It was difficult to read Nicky at times throughout the book so just be aware that some parts were difficult.

I did enjoy the folklore parts! I don’t know much folklore about the selkies and I was really interested in the folklore elements of this book. I would actually have liked to see a bit more in the way of folklore for this book instead of all the trauma that was Nicky’s story. I think the author really did a nice job incorporating the folklore and the landscape into the book itself. The setting added a lot of bleakness and unknown to the story for me which is what I was hoping for and expecting in this book. I loved that it had hints of that Franklin expedition in it since I had so recently watch a documentary on that! It was exactly the book I was hoping to read after the documentary.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Dominique’s character (the modern day plot) but I liked how the modern and past came together in this one even if I didn’t love the characters. There is a sort of third plot happening in this book too which honestly I could have done without. It was the 1970s version of the ship that was a research vessel…..it was relevant to the story but also…..not. I think the story would have been stronger without this distraction. So where does that leave me with this book? Well I liked it—the setting, history, mystery, folklore, the gothic/paranormal elements—all great. I didn’t love the distraction of the ‘third timeline’ and I didn’t really care for any of the characters. In the end I went with three stars. It was solid and I would be open to reading more by this author but it wasn’t not the best book I read all year either. So a solid three it is!

Book Info and Rating

Format 352 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2024 by Berkley

ISBN 9780593550205 (ISBN10: 059355020X)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: horror, gothic, historical fiction.

A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches.

The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s just her, the freezing ocean, and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them...

Now, over one hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed up on the forbidding, remote coast of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels an inexplicable pull to document its last days, even though those who have ventured onto the wreck before her have met uncanny ends.

Onboard the boat, Dominique will uncover a dark past riddled with lies, cruelty, and murder—and her discovery will change everything. Because she’ll soon realize she’s not alone. Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

I’m a huge fan of arctic horror and Cooke is now on my list of favorites. I love the play with history and the back and forth is does with excellent mastery! Now, I know that this time of slow burn horror/historical fiction mashup isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it piping hot and so soothing. The atmospheric is so well done that I found myself shivering along with the characters and with three timelines, I was constantly being turned in every direction and kept on my toes and the edge of my seat to try and figure out what was going on. Additionally, there was an unexpected (?) beauty to this book and without going in too much detail, I was quite emotionally invested and moved by this novel. I cannot wait to see what Cooke does next and I just know I will be itching to get an advance copy of it!

A shipwreck off the coast of Iceland sounds pretty terrifying to me. This boat is set to be destroyed and believe me it should be destroyed. Instead, Dominique makes the huge mistake of wanting to invest the terrors that really occurred on this ship. I’m not going to say too much here but this was definitely a creepy one! I’m not sure you could pay me to step aboard this ship!
Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
.

A Haunting in the Arctic is author C.J. Cooke’s latest novel. As I’ve come to expect from this author, it is atmospheric and gothic. Ms. Cooke’s signature inclusion of local folklore is mesmerizing and definitely added to the darkness of the story. The inclusion of the Selkie wife added a lot of creepiness to the story.

The book is told in multiple time lines, and each timeline is presented by a different narrator. In 1901, Nicky tells the tale of the consequences of the demise of her father’s business, and in the present, Dominique is looking to tell the tale of an urban explorer investigating the abandoned and wrecked ship, Ormen. Nicky’s tales is told in a third person narrative which slightly defuses the violence she experienced after being abducted and held on her father’s whaling ship, Ormen. Dominique’s story is told in the first person and that made the experience a bit more chilling. It is chilling primarily because it feels like Dominique is losing her grasp on reality. Infrequently, there are other timelines randomly added in. These are told by unnamed Icelandic inhabitants. Their stories are ghostly and dark. They add atmosphere, but until readers reach the denouement, it is unclear how they fit into the story.

In hindsight, Ms. Cooke gave me plenty of clues to guess at the ending, but I didn’t. I enjoyed the gothic feel and the folklore. I found it difficult to feel involved in the characters’ stories. The pace was inconsistent (the beginning a bit slow and the end wrapped up a bit too quickly). The surprising twist is the part that really grabbed me and saved the reading experience for me. I didn’t find A Haunting in the Arctic a quick read, but it was good

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for my gifted ebook and audiobook. My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartners

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful tale which takes place on an old whaling ship. The timeline alters between 1901 and 2023, with occasional glimpses into 1973. The story unfolds through the perspectives of two women, Dominique and Nicky; and I was drawn into each tale.

NICKY  is the daughter of a wealthy shipmaster. She is also a wife, mourning her absent husband and the death of her young daughter. She cannot believe her fate when she is kidnapped and made to sail on the freezing waters of the Arctic, as the only female onboard the Ormen.

Over 100 years later, the deserted ship Ormen has washed up on the icy shores of Iceland. It is slated to be removed but before that happens, DOMINIQUE feels pulled to explore the ruins of the deserted ship. Once she makes her way onboard, she meets three other explorers eager to document the final days of the Ormen. But they soon realize there is an old mystery to solve!

This is a well-written, dark and spooky tale that sent icy shivers up my spine! The author does a fantastic job putting the reader right there on that deserted ship on the coast of Skumaskot, Iceland, with the frigid waters, biting wind, and the clattering of a chain that sounds eerily like footsteps climbing onboard… Though this story definitely has a spooky aspect, I found myself more disturbed by the experiences of Nicky and I wondered how it was all going to work out. The characters are well-defined, and the chill factor was just right! I will definitely read more by this author.

I recommend the print version of this book. The narrator on the audio version has a beautiful Scottish accent, but I had a difficult time understanding her, especially when I was multi-tasking.

Thank you @berittalksbooks and @dgreads for organizing such a fun read!

In 1901, aboard the Ormen, a whaling ship battling the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakens after being attacked and forcibly brought there against her will. She finds herself alone with the crew, each harbouring a demand that only she can fulfil.
Decades later, urban explorer Dominique ventures into the perpetual darkness of Iceland's northernmost tip, seeking the final resting place of the Ormen's wreck. Determined to unravel the ship's secrets, she discovers she is not alone. Something accompanies her, seeking revenge.

𝘼 𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘 is an unnerving tale filled with ghosts, selkies, and mystery, expertly utilized by the author to deliver not only the novel's frights but also an exploration of ideas surrounding grief and retribution. The result is a haunting story set against the backdrop of the Icelandic landscape, with vivid imagery capturing the desolate surroundings and chilling temperatures. I really enjoyed this story which was so atmospheric and steeped in folklore, mystery, and the supernatural. Also, be prepared for plenty of dark and haunting moments along the way.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel it was well written and overall good book. I loved the spooky/haunting vibes I got out of the book. It’s very atmospheric. There are some dark topics in this book, sometimes making it difficult to read. I found it a little hard to get into at first but it did pick up and can easily be read in one sitting. The story is told in 2 timelines: Nicky in 1901 and Dominque in present day. I feel like the story weaves the timelines together in just the right spots. This is a first for me by this author, but I will definitely be checking out her other books!

This was my first book by CK Cooke and I cannot wait to go back and read more! Creepy, intriguing, and dark, this book is so easy to binge - especially the audiobook! I flew through this one in half a day but the story still haunts my thoughts and will for a while.

Told in dual timelines, 1901 and 2023, this is a story of a whaling ship’s last voyage and the documentation of its final days before destruction. In 1901, Nicky is kidnapped and wakes on the Ormen in the middle of the ocean. The things that happen to her aboard the ship are truly horrible. In 2023, Dominique is drawn to explore the washed up wreckage of the ship before it is scheduled to be removed. Dom is in for more than she bargained for and quickly uncovers what happened aboard the ship over one hundred years ago. In this case, the line between past and present is blurred and she realizes she’s not alone on her quest to find the truth.

Lucy Goldie did such a wonderful job with her narration! She definitely added an extra layer of suspense with her delivery! I highly recommend this version if you’re an audio girlie like me!

C. J. Cooke’s latest atmospheric mystery, A Haunting in the Arctic, left me with chills. This haunting novel leans heavily towards horror. It’s not for the faint of heart, but those who like a dark, haunting story will find this gripping.

I haven’t read anything that disturbed me to this extent in ages. The setting was atmospheric, and it was eerie seeing the ship in multiple timelines. It felt like the ship and the sea were a vortex pulling everyone into dark places who encountered them. The present timeline carried more of the classic horror elements—a ghostly presence seems to be hunting the people on the ship. The past timeline plays on the psychological terror of abuse and assault in a horrifying way. This book will make you feel something, particularly women and thinking about how little they were valued in 1901.

“The only thing worse than a ghost, after all, is madness allowed to gallop unchecked.”

If that line doesn’t sum up this dark and disturbing mystery, I don’t know what does! This is a hard book to review because it’s gripping and I found it to be a good book, but at the same time some content was disturbing, and I didn’t always enjoy reading it. I also couldn’t put it down, though. The book primarily occurs in two timelines, though there are sprinklings from other ones.

In 1901, a woman named Nicky is being kept as a prisoner on board a ship called the Ormen. She’s the daughter of the owner of the ship, and the last thing she remembers was being attacked in the park in her hometown of Dundee. She desperately wants to return to her husband, Allan. Instead, she is repeatedly assaulted by the men on the ship, with only a few respecting her and trying to treat her with kindness. Unfortunately, they are bound by the hierarchy on the ship and a justice system that sees the captain as the sole judge and the crew members as the executioners.

In 2023, a whaling ship that turns out to be the Ormen has washed ashore off the coast of Iceland. A young explorer named Dominique has found her way onto the wreck, determined to document the ship and discover what happened in it’s final days on her tiktok channel. The ship is set to be destroyed in several week’s time, leaving her very little time to document her findings. When another group of researchers show up, they agree to team up on their research and documentation.

C. J. Cooke has spoken before on memory and trauma influencing her stories, but here these themes are more prominent and unapologetic than I’ve seen before. This is a dark book that explores topics that may be triggering for some readers. It’s a dark and somber portrayal of human suffering. At the same time, these elements aren’t included for the shock factor. In fact, I would venture to say Cooke presents them with gravitas and a bluntness that lacks romanticism or voyeurism. These themes are integral to the story and the message the book sends readers.

This is a story about trauma, resilience, isolation, and survival. Nicky and Dominique are distinct characters living different stories but are bound by their imprisonment—whether psychological, physical, or both. The story is tense from start to finish, and the ending was exactly what the story needed for the reader to leave with any sense of closure to the strange and eerie events of the novel.

A haunting, atmospheric story with elegance and brutality in equal measure.

This dark and spooky read was told in dual timelines in two POVs from 1901 and 2023. The daughter of a whaling ship owner is kidnapped and held hostage as the Selkie Wife on board in 1901. An urban explorer in 2023 is squatting on the whaling boat to document its story before it is officially destroyed and slowly uncovers it’s dark secrets from the past. I absolutely loved this book. This is the author for The Lighthouse Witches which I have read and enjoyed but this book was fantastic!

A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke  is a horror novel which takes place aboard a whaling ship.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Berkley Publishing Group and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

  
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
In 1901, Nicky is attacked, and wakes on board her father's ship, the Ormen, a whaling ship.  The crew of this ship are not pleased with Nicky's father, and she fears they are seeking revenge.

In 1973, the remains of Argentinian Dr. Diego Almeyda, are found in Iceland, aboard the old ship-wrecked Ormen, which is now a research facility for collecting ice samples.  His crew are not on board, and the ship has bloodstains on the floor. There are bullet holes through the sails.  Diego's face and feet were mutilated, but he was found behind a locked door.  His final note reads "She is on on board."

In 2023, Dominique, an urban explorer,  is determined to tell the story of the legendary ship before it is towed out to sea and sank.  She will not be alone in her endeavours.

The past and the present collide.


My Opinions:
The book centered on trauma.  Lost memories, flashbacks, the horrific kidnapping, rape, and torture of a young woman, and the haunting of a ship play a big part in that trauma.  It is also about revenge.

The story is alternately told in two parts...the era of the whaling ship from Nicky's point of view, and current times aboard the same vessel, from Dominique's viewpoint.  There was no confusion.  The pacing was good.

It is a very dark story, and a highly atmospheric tale.  The setting of a whaling ship wrecked in the Arctic in 1901, through to current day.  As well, folklore played a large part in this story, and definitely enhanced the overall creepiness.  The Selkie mythology was interesting.

Kudo's to the author for all the research she put into this book, both of the whaling industry and ships in the late 1800's, and the Arctic terrain.

Although I had guessed where Leo, Samara and Jens fit into the narrative it was still good.  My only disappointment was the ending, which seemed rushed.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining if somewhat complex book.  I will continue to actively follow this author.

A Haunting in the Arctic won't be for everyone, but for those of us that love the mysterious and unknown world of ghosts and legends, C.J. Cooke's latest will send chills up your spine. The multiple timelines, all tied together by The Ormen, a 19th century whaling ship, really works, and, after finishing the book, I almost went back and started again, this time knowing how it ended and seeing if I could fit all the pieces together. I loved the references to mermaids and selkies and the superstitions of sailors, like that a burial at-sea will "trouble the ghost". Lovers of all things gothic will devour this one.