Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC of this book!

I was, and still am, super excited that I got to partake in reading this novel. It was very atmospheric and I enjoyed the whole seaside, portside town vibe that this story created. Furthermore, I enjoyed the author's writing style, characters (for the most part), and ability to write this story!

The only real problem I had with this book would be the main character herself. Now, that doesn't seem good, because who has a problem with the main character and sticks with the story? Well, me. My ONLY gripe is how Temperance cannot make a good decision to save her LIFE. This issue could've been resolved sooner, or maybe more people would be on her side if she had just shared the information with others. Keeping her sister and Josiah in the dark served no purpose, except some self-righteous tirade to protect other people. SHE IS 18! WHO CAN SHE PROTECT??? LET SOMEONE ELSE IN!!

Either way, I think this was an excellent debut novel, and I will enjoy reading more of her books.

This book was interesting, but missing something. I found that I was bored at points and my mind would often drift. I like the set up of the story, but I wished it had been fleshed out a bit more. I never felt truly invested with the characters which is an absolute must for me.

I wanted to like this book; the concept promises an intriguing premise with the mysterious disappearances, the significance of ship figureheads, and the struggle of the protagonist, Temperance. However, despite the potential, the execution falls short. The pacing was extremely slow, making it hard for me to keep returning, and it felt like a chore.

The Lamplighter has a captivating premise but struggles to deliver a cohesive and engaging narrative.

Following her father's suicide, Temperance Byrne has become the port town Warbler's lamplighter. Every night, she lights the oil lamps that keep Warbler's streets safe from the fog, and every morning, she snuffs out the light. On a night where one of the lights goes out, a young woman disappears, causing doubts to be cast on her competence. Between the drunken whalers who frequent the town and the wood carver who is wooing her younger sister, Tempe has suspicions in many, and few who will listen to her concerns.

I'm not quite sure what to make of 'The Lamplighter'. It's not a long book, but I wish it was shorter, as so much of the book focuses on the ins and outs of the lives of the characters who live in Warbler, who are relatively flat and uninteresting. Even with its low page count, it took me longer to read this book that a couple of 500 page novels just because the mystery at the core of the novel spent so long buried under a marital drama. I was much more interested when the 'twist' came into play, about halfway through the novel, but unfortunately I found it more silly than scary. There was some foreshadowing, but it felt like too much of a genre shift, and while I think horror and magic can go hand and hand, I'd be more accepting of it in a short story than in 200 page novel.

While it suits the time period, I found the gender essentialism a bit aggravating. Sexism is a big theme in the book, with Temperance being unable to confide in anyone about being wronged by the men in the town and her sister being at the mercy of a mysterious gentleman caller who turns out to be more than twice her age. Despite this, one of Temperance's confidants is her childhood friend and love interest, a chauvinist who is constantly treating her as a silly little thing with delusional thoughts. She's afraid to tell him about being taken advantage of by another man in fear that he'll reject her, and at one point he grabs her hard enough to leave a bruise. Despite this despicable behavior, Tempe sees him as the perfect man to spend the rest of her life with, and an escapism from the cruelty of drunken whalers. Similarly, while I don't expect modern gender theory from an 1800s small town, the villain's goals being rooted in 'women are more important than men because they can make babies' is deeply unpleasant. Sure, it fits the time period, but the 'all women are baby makers' seems so outdated for a book published in 2024.

While I think the ending is delightfully creepy, I can only give the novel a middling grade. I don't think it's bad, but I think trimming the fat would have made an average YA novel into a wonderful YA short story or novella.

It’s an honor to bring light to the dark.

This was so very good! Great setting, fantastic characters, wonderfully well-written! Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and Flux for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This was the beautifully haunting tale of a woman who is trying to have her voice heard while carving her own path into the world.
The gothic and atmospheric setting were what drew me in. I'm not usually into YA horror but this one worked so well for me, not just story-wise but also character-wise. I'm a huge fan of character driven stories and Tempe was exactly the type of character that immediately steals my heart.
The plot itself was pretty slow but gripping and dark and although I felt like it did drag on at some point, it kept me coming back to it, trying to decipher the mystery even before Tempe does.
All in all, a very enjoyable read for those of us into mystery and chilling tales.

I really enjoyed this book. It was maybe a bit slow to start, but then it had me completely hooked. It is so creepy and so atmospheric and I cared so deeply about the protagonists, and it was just agony to see them in this twisted tale – but, you know, agony in a good way!

The Lamplighter is a marvellously written, intense gothic YA horror and mystery book which instantly captivated me!

The story is set in the whaling village of Warbler, in New England. Its creepy hallmarks, its lucky ship figureheads, the enigmatic murky fog and, of course, the Lamplighter, carried me away on a spine-chilling journey cover to cover. The protagonist's name is Temperance which means moderation, self-control, or abstinence, and Tempe, craving equity in a strictly male-dominated society, chooses to exercise all three traits in her quest, against all odds, to support herself and her family and eventually fight to save them and their fellow villagers.

The writing style is absolutely fabulous, the descriptions oozing eerie atmosphere, the characters, main and secondary ones, perfectly fleshed out and the plot smartly woven together with spooky legends and fantasy elements. The book has an unexpected climax that will move you deeply and leave you feeling stunned, as if thunderstruck.

I highly recommend this novel as Crystal J. Bell has created an utterly riveting and terrifying world that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC. This is my honest and happily offered review.

First- shoutout to Grace Aldrich for designing this stunning cover. It is so atmospheric and gorgeous, and I hope you get a million job offers based off of the work you did here.
The story focuses on Temperance (Tempe) Byrne, the lamplighter for Warbler, a New England town known for its whaling enterprises and the impressive figurehead carvings for said whaling ships. After the death of her father, Tempe takes over lamp lighting duties, bucking 19th-century conventions. Under her watch, young girls start going missing from town and the story takes off from there.
This one sadly didn’t work for me the way I was hoping. The premise was so intriguing, and the setting quite unique but neither lived up to my expectations. My biggest problem with this book was the pacing. After the first two chapters it felt like a slog where I was just waiting for the final showdown with the villain. The villain was obvious so suspense was lacking, and ultimately I wanted more from such a rich atmospheric setting.
On to characters- Tempe frustrated me, but not in a satisfying way. Every decision she made was the wrong one. And while that’s understandable, it became tedious to read. Knowing that she is going to withhold vital information for the sake of keeping others safe or her fear of not being heard for then her mistakes to ultimately be found out regardless was consistent throughout the story.
I also found the feminist narrative in this one to be surprisingly heavy-handed. An 1800’s New England whaling town is a perfect backdrop to have Tempe discussing her frustrations with societal convention, but her internal narrative about men not believing her, not giving her a chance etc was so tiresome. Particularly when she never even attempted to get one of the men in town on her side first. Maybe I’m just old and growing weary of misogyny narratives.
I also think I needed to see deeper connections between Tempe and the other characters, rather than just being told they existed. Her romantic relationship with Josiah felt somehow cold to me, although we were reminded often that they had loved each other since childhood. Even after certain events (I won’t spoil here), I didn’t feel like Tempe exhibited the longstanding emotions you would expect from a woman deeply in love with her best friend. I had similar feelings about her sisterly bond with Prudence.
I am in the minority with this one. After reading the author’s note (she’s written six books and this one was finally picked up for publishing) I’m especially glad this book is finding the right audience. Ultimately the writing was beautiful, but for me, the middle was really slow, and all the punchiness coming in right at the end wasn’t enough to save it for me.

A simmering gothic horror, with lush, atmospheric writing, set in the 19th century. The historic time period perfectly sets the mood for the haunting whaling village of Warbler. The book cover is stunning and exactly right.

Temperance’s father was the lamplighter before his death, and despite the risk and relentlessness of the work, Tempe is granted the job (normally given to males) to help provide for her sister and mother. A job of great necessity to ensure the safety of residents each night as the dark and fog roll in. The fog, which seems to whisper at times, is known to take a resident or visitor among the shadows. When a series of girls go missing, Tempe’s competence as lamplighter is called into question. Tempe begins to put clues together and develops an unsettling theory of what is behind the missing people. But will anyone believe her before it’s too late?

Nothing goes as expected. There are surprises and turns, villains in abundance, injustices aplenty, and something else lurking. This story is gently absorbing; subtly pulling you in. The tension and intrigue remains steady throughout this expertly woven cross-genre of a novel (part cozy mystery, YA, and historical). I highly recommend this pleasurable read. 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Flux, and author Crystal J. Bell for an ARC copy.

My first Netgalley Advance Reader Copy and I am so happy I got this opportunity! What a great way to start my ARC journey.
I loved this story. The historical fiction mixed with this eerie creepy vibe was such a cool combo. The imagery was so detailed I could just about feel the fog swallowing me up! This was a great read for the winter while living in a coastal town in New England. I only gave this one 4 stars because it was a slow burn, which is not a bad thing, but I did find myself getting a bit antsy halfway through and I started dying for a plot twist. But when It happened I was not disappointed. A great historical fiction/ thriller/ light horror.

The Lamplighter begins with a miasma of unease and eeriness. We begin with Temperance's father's suicide and the haunting nature of Warbler. As the eldest daughter, Tempe is continuing her family's legacy as the village lamplighter to support her younger sister and semi-absent mother. Tempe's knows she carries an important job on her shoulders; ensuring the seaport village is lit in the foggy night, but when strange and alarming events begin occurring, she gets involved in something a lot more sinister.

The book progresses relatively slowly until about 60% of the book but all those chapters were totally necessary to create the tension and fear. Every time Temperance would have to start her lamplighting shift, I was worried something would jump out of the fog at her, but this isn't that type of horror story. The terror is a lot more shrouded and deep-rooted. There is also a lot of focus on misogyny and sexual assault as Tempe's strives to solve this mystery plaguing her village.

This is an incredibly atmospheric horror story that takes place in a seaport village in the 1800s. The author has a very unique writing style and The Lamplighter really reveals her skillset. I could really visualize the entire setting and many of the characters. The book exudes the same disturbing nature as The Yellow Wallpaper and I could point out many parallels. I really enjoyed the shifts in Tempe's perspective and dialogue as she gets entangled in the surrealness of Warbler. The epilogue was genuinely the most perfect ending to this novel. I am definitely going to reread this book when it is released in a few months.

𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻, 𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵. 𝓜𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴. 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓼𝓸 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮.

In the chilling backdrop of the whaling village of Warbler, an atmospheric gothic horror unfolds—a slow-burn mystery. After the abrupt demise of her father, Temperance steps into his shoes as the lamplighter, shouldering the responsibility to support her family. Amidst the haunting fog that envelops the town, Tempe's task of lighting the lampposts becomes crucial for the safety of the people.

However, the ominous atmosphere takes a darker turn when a girl named Molly vanishes during Tempe's watch. Faced with harsh judgment and intensified misogyny as the sole provider for her family, Tempe risks losing her job. Her relentless pursuit to find Molly peels back layers of the town's concealed horrors about the famous Warbler figureheads and her own beloved father.

This bleak narrative is a haunting and sinister journey that subtly infiltrates your senses, leaving an indelible mark beneath your skin. Tempe's struggle to assert her competence in a traditionally male role mirrors the challenges women face today, portraying a stark commentary on the power dynamics that seek to control and subdue women within the story and the contemporary world alike.

𝓦𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓾𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. 𝓘𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓰𝔂𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓰𝓷𝓲𝔃𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓿𝓪𝓵𝓾𝓮. 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓼. 𝓝𝓸 𝓭𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼. 𝓜𝓮𝓷 𝓬𝓮𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓪𝓼 𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓵. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓰𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼.

Tempe’s sense of isolation resonates deeply as she navigates a world where self-reliance becomes her anchor. In the narrative, light emerges as a profound symbol, embodying not only comfort and safety but also the elusive essence of hope, a sentiment Tempe finds in short supply because of her reluctance to trust those around her. My heart breaks for Tempe.

𝓗𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔁𝓱𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓵𝔂.

For fans of A Study in Drowning (like me hehe), I’d totally recommend this! Thank you Netgalley and Fluxbooks for the eARC! The Lamplighter will be out on May 21st!

Temperance is the town’s lamplighter. Every night she must go out and light the lamp post to provide light to the citizens to protect them from the fog that haunts the town. When women in the town start to go missing, Tempe’s creditable & competence is questioned. Gideon, the town’s wood carver seeks Tempe’s sister’s hand in marriage; but Tempe believes he may have played a role in the disappearance of the women and to protect her family, and the town, she is determined to get answers.

This was a really spooky atmospheric read! I really enjoyed the 1800s whaling community setting. I have never read anything like that before. Tempe was also a very likely character. She had a strong work ethic, and her love for her sister was admirable.

***spoilers start now***

I also appreciate that this book didn’t have a “happy ending”. I enjoyed the ending of this. It was memorable. It isn’t often you read a book where the villain wins.

My reason for a 3 star rating is slow pacing up until about the 60% mark. Up until that point I feel the story dragged a bit. Additionally, I feel we got no answers about Gideon or the woods. What actually is Gideon? How did he become that way? Why is he doing what he is doing? If we got the answers to those questions in the end my rating would have been higher. Just too many unanswered questions still in the end.

Overall, still a very enjoyable and spooky read!

Okay, This was just too creepy for me but I read enough that once we have it in our library I will know which kids need to read it. Well written and creepy.

5 plus
Amazing debut that made me a fan of future books from this author. Very well written I couldn't put it down. The vibe is perfect and it took me back to the first time I read my favorite book by Louisa May Alcott, (not The Little Women but) A Long Fatal Love Chase. That book stayed in my head since my teen days and this one will be in my mind now. Being also a fan of the musical The Phantom of the Opera I love a villain like Tempest (from Alcott's Chase) or a villain with a supernatural presence like Erik (the Phantom).

In The Lamplighter, Temperance (the older sister) takes over as head of the family after their father's suicide. She is brave and strong and loves following the family's tradition of being a lamplighter, but she is also the only one in town to feel that there is something dark with one of the most respectful citizens and wood carvers in their town. It becomes a game of chess between them.

A story of love for family, female strength (to survive in a world of men), and sacrifice. Tempe wants to protect her sister from Gideon but he insists on marrying her. The plot twists and gaslighting turns made me keep going and the end was unpredictable in some way. The end that made me furious... And I loved it.
This is one that I will reread again whenever I need to remind myself why I love reading.

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for the digital copy.

I give this book a 3.5 I would give it a 5 if it was a graphic novel. I don’t usually say that ,but the imagery sounds so beautiful and I feel like I would have been able to follow the story a bit better with the context of pictures. I feel that it started slow and finished way too rushed. I love thé concept and will recommend to fans of semi horror of mythical creatures but not just any student. I appreciate the arc!

Synopsis: The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell follows Temperance, aka Tempe, as she navigates the grief of losing her father, the troubles of her emotionally absent mother, and being the financial supporter for herself and her younger sister Prudence. After Tempe's father passed away, she took on his role of the town Lamplighter, which is especially important in Warbler, where the story takes place. Every night a dense fog emerges, making it impossible to safely navigate around the small town. Tempe goes from lamp to lamp as the sun sets to each one, keeping her community safe. However, even though she is doing her job to the best of her ability, there is still an evil lurking within the calm town of Warbler.

Review: I am giving The Lamplighter 3.5 stars out of 5! For the sake of NetGalley I will round this up to 4. I really enjoyed this story, which very much gave the pace of a horror story. There was a lot of learning about the life of Tempe, her inner turmoils, and how all of that while being a woman in this society took such a toll on her spirit. The eeriness of the setting is very important to the overall story. I found myself feeling for her so much when nail after nail was hit into her coffin (metaphorically speaking of course). The epilouge also set the story up well for a hopeful resolution. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a book with horror/thriller vibes that keep you on the edge of your seat!

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Crystal J. Bell for allowing me to read an advanced copy in return for my honest review!

Creepy, atmospheric and fantastically written. One hell of a debut, and I am looking forward to future works by this author. Thank you to the publisher, NetGelley and the author for the advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. It has not affected my opinion or review:

Tempe Byrne is the village's lamplighter. A job she's held for the past 4 years, ever since her father - the previous lamplighter - had committed suicide. She's the de facto head of her family, since her mother hasn't uttered a word in the interim, and her year-younger sister Prudence isn't of age. The whaling seaport has suffered a lot of disappearances in the past and two recent missing girls drive the novel's beginning. As the lamplighter, Tempe is expected to keep a watchful eye as she executes her duties, as an able assist to the thinly staffed guards that patrol the village.

Early on, we're told that Tempe's father had warned her to avoid Gideon, the village woodmaster who carves the female figureheads that the port is known for. Years ago, an early run-in solidified the wisdom of her father's advice, but Tempe has cause to dread him further. This is the impetus for the story of the missing villagers and sailors and Tempe's bound by necessity and desire to sort this mystery out.

The book was very well written and the winding path to the finale was very well handled. The dialogue was tight and believable, and the characters well-developed. The setting of a New England seaport could have used a little better fleshing out, as it's never fully clear where the town is, making it feel more like an author creation in a near-fantasy world, though they referenced real-world events and places on occasion, which made me wish they'd just have put a pin in where it was on the map, but that's a minor gripe.

Tempe and the supporting cast are fully realized, and developed to the point where they had me invested. The inevitable twists and turns you'd expect in a tale like this had me dreading and cheering at the lows and highs Tempe experienced. The book feels more mystery-horror hybrid than anything to me, but well-entrenched in the YA feel without feeling pandering to either YA or Adults, and never veers too hard into the terrifying or gory that it might've become off-putting.

I'm hopeful that we see a lot more from this author. I know I'll be watching for her new releases going forward.