Sundial
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- Create Date：2022-03-03 09:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Catriona Ward
- ISBN：1250812682
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Summary
“DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK。 Authentically terrifying。” —Stephen King
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick！
STARRED review from Publishers Weekly！
A Most-Anticipated Title in The Nerd Daily， LitReactor， GoodReads， CrimeReads， BookRiot， and more。
Sundial is a new， twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward， internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street。
You can't escape what's in your blood。。。
All Rob wanted was a normal life。 She almost got it， too: a husband， two kids， a nice house in the suburbs。 But Rob fears for her oldest daughter， Callie， who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends。 Rob sees a darkness in Callie， one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind。
She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home， to Sundial， deep in the Mojave Desert。 And there she will have to make a terrible choice。
Callie is worried about her mother。 Rob has begun to look at her strangely， and speaks of past secrets。 And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…
The mother and daughter embark on a dark， desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future。
"A story where nothing is what it seems—a thrilling hall of mirrors full of deeply disturbing twists。 This book will haunt you。" —Alex Michaelides， #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Sundial is a heart-in-the-throat smash。” —Joe Hill， New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick！
STARRED review from Publishers Weekly！
A Most-Anticipated Title in The Nerd Daily， LitReactor， GoodReads， CrimeReads， BookRiot， and more。
Sundial is a new， twisty psychological horror novel from Catriona Ward， internationally bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street。
You can't escape what's in your blood。。。
All Rob wanted was a normal life。 She almost got it， too: a husband， two kids， a nice house in the suburbs。 But Rob fears for her oldest daughter， Callie， who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends。 Rob sees a darkness in Callie， one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind。
She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home， to Sundial， deep in the Mojave Desert。 And there she will have to make a terrible choice。
Callie is worried about her mother。 Rob has begun to look at her strangely， and speaks of past secrets。 And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…
The mother and daughter embark on a dark， desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future。
"A story where nothing is what it seems—a thrilling hall of mirrors full of deeply disturbing twists。 This book will haunt you。" —Alex Michaelides， #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Sundial is a heart-in-the-throat smash。” —Joe Hill， New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman
Reviews
Diane Hernandez
，
Chilling！ Thrilling！ Sundial is a genuinely frightening tale of a family gone horribly wrong。 If everyone around you is mad， is the best response to go mad yourself？Rob is worried。 Her daughter， Callie， is acting strangely。 Her husband， Irving， is cheating on her…again。 Unfortunately， Rob can’t divorce Irving because he knows her family’s history and that knowledge ties them together like a noose。 After Callie tries to poison her younger sister， Annie， Rob makes a fateful decision。 She and Calli Chilling！ Thrilling！ Sundial is a genuinely frightening tale of a family gone horribly wrong。 If everyone around you is mad， is the best response to go mad yourself？Rob is worried。 Her daughter， Callie， is acting strangely。 Her husband， Irving， is cheating on her…again。 Unfortunately， Rob can’t divorce Irving because he knows her family’s history and that knowledge ties them together like a noose。 After Callie tries to poison her younger sister， Annie， Rob makes a fateful decision。 She and Callie return to her family’s abandoned campground in the desolate Mojave Desert。 There the truth will come out in all its hideous glory。Sundial is truly terrifying—especially when read alone in the dark。 While its plot is on the surface a psychological domestic thriller， it is also a powerful and all-encompassing horror tale。 But its monster is a genuinely surprising twist。 Even though， or maybe because， I still have the shivers， Sundial is my new favorite horror novel。 5 stars！Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Zoey Erby
，
*I was gifted an ebook copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*This book is the kind of book that makes you excited to read。 Every time I picked it up， I didn't want to put it down。 I'm realizing that Catriona Ward just has a way with thrillers that really vibes with me。 This book was just the perfect example of what a thriller should be。 Sundial is a multi-POV book that shifts between Rob in the present， past Rob， Callie， with the inclusion of some stories from Arrow *I was gifted an ebook copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*This book is the kind of book that makes you excited to read。 Every time I picked it up， I didn't want to put it down。 I'm realizing that Catriona Ward just has a way with thrillers that really vibes with me。 This book was just the perfect example of what a thriller should be。 Sundial is a multi-POV book that shifts between Rob in the present， past Rob， Callie， with the inclusion of some stories from Arrowood （written by Rob）。 There are part of this book that are shocking and parts that are downright frustrating。 Basically every time Irving was in this book I wanted to fight him， something about his blatant lack of violence combined with his smug attitude made him that much worse。 The twist was shocking， but fit very well。 Plus， the build up to the twist was exciting， there was never a dull moment。 It was like a constant flurry of action。 There was a clever interweaving of a science fiction kind of element。 Of course， the science incorporated into this book is of the biological science/genetic experiments variety， which is a unique addition to the story。 In the vein of uniqueness， the lack of a romantic plot line is also refreshing。 Gone is the trope of the heroine being saved by her love interest。 No， this is women doing it for themselves。 The characters in Sundial were flawed insofar as to be unreliable so you aren't even really sure who you can trust， but it works so well in this。 By the time the book is finished， you're still left with questions， but somehow the story overall still manages to feel satisfying。 Like， I didn't need more。 It was the perfect length。 But much like the Last House on Needless Street， I feel like Sundial is another book that you could read multiple times and recognize things that you missed the first time through。 There were just enough crumbs left so that the reader could follow the thread， but not so much as to give away the twist early on。 And quite frankly， there are a few twists， it's possible to guess one， but not all of them。 I think the inclusion of multiple twists is what I like about Catriona Ward。 It seems like most thriller authors sort of lead up to one big twist and then rest on that。 But Ward's use of multiple twists to add depth to her stories is just brilliant。 It never serves to disappoint。 This book also has a special place in my heart as a crime theory nerd。 If you've read any biological theories of crime or theories about human aggression and gene expression， that is a key component to this book。 The MAOA gene and it's impact is mentioned many times in Sundial。 Part of the interest is the studies that are going on in Sundial， but I won't go more into that at the risk of being spoiler-y。 You'll just have to read it for yourself。 But trust me， if you find biological science or genetic makeup interesting in the least， then you absolutely do not want to miss this book。 Just the thought of it makes my little biosocial criminology heart go pitter patter。There is very little that I didn't like about Sundial。 The only thing that really comes to mind is the inclusion of the Arrowood chapters。 I didn't really care for them。 For me personally， they didn't add very much to the story， plot-wise。 Although， as previously mentioned， I feel like if I reread the book， I might be able to understand what the purpose was。 I refuse to believe they were just thrown in for no reason。 Something tells me that there are hints to one of the big questions I have based on the inclusion of those Arrowood chapters。 Without close reading though， they just felt unnecessary。 Like a random break in the story with no real purpose。 All in all， when considering the story as a whole， this book was incredible。 It is hands down my favorite book that I've read so far in 2022， and is on the list of my favorite thrillers of all time。 I really have a hard time believing I'll read a better thriller this year。 The interweaving of character relationships， plot， and mystery was so carefully done as to be masterful。 Catriona Ward is truly fantastic at what she does。 She paints a vivid picture that changes when gazed at from different angles， but never fails to satisfy。 I really look forward to devouring whatever she puts out next。 She's officially joined Gillian Flynn as one of my top thriller authors。 。。。more
Taylor （Taylor Talks Tales）
，
Not only is Sundial my favorite book of 2022 so far， but it has one of my favorite book covers of all time！ I honestly can’t stop staring at my copy even after finishing it because the combination of the colors， the soft cover， and the imagery are just *chefs kiss*。 I’m so glad I took the plunge and actually pre-ordered this book instead of waiting for it at the library。 Since Catriona Ward wrote The Last House on Needless Street which was one of my favorite books of 2021， I figured it was worth Not only is Sundial my favorite book of 2022 so far， but it has one of my favorite book covers of all time！ I honestly can’t stop staring at my copy even after finishing it because the combination of the colors， the soft cover， and the imagery are just *chefs kiss*。 I’m so glad I took the plunge and actually pre-ordered this book instead of waiting for it at the library。 Since Catriona Ward wrote The Last House on Needless Street which was one of my favorite books of 2021， I figured it was worth the risk and I was absolutely not disappointed in it！ Seriously， I’m actually blown away by how much I loved reading Sundial。 Somehow Sundial was even more engrossing and engaging than The Last House on Needless Street which is impressive because The Last House on Needless Street was an absolutely fantastic reading experience for me。 Both are 5 star books for me。 However， Sundial kept me on my toes even more than Needless Street did and had more twists。 I even started working my job two hours late today so I could finish reading it because I just HAD to finish。 If I hadn’t done this， I’d have just been thinking about the book and would have accomplished absolutely nothing worthwhile。 Sundial is definitely the kind of story that keeps you up late into the night flipping the pages wondering what on earth will happen next。 The author also absolutely nailed the ending！ I’ve grown tired of crappy horror endings or books where the endings ruin the rest of the story， and thankfully that is not the case with Sundial。 I don’t really want to get into specifics about the plot because I think the less you know about this book the better。 All you really need to know is that there is a woman named Rob who is in an atrocious marriage with a man named Irving。 Irving is the worst of the worst husbands， the kind who doesn’t beat you but abuses and manipulates you in many other ways。 The two of them have two daughters， Callie and Annie， and Rob is growing concerned that her older daughter Callie has something very wrong with her。 After discovering what’s in Callie’s bedroom， she whisks Callie away to Sundial， her former desert home where she lived with her family in relative isolation。 The characters in this are very unique and engaging。 At times they are difficult to like but in a very compelling way。 No one is who or how she or he seems。 Everything is complicated and the plot becomes darker and twistier the further you read。 Just like with Needless Street， there is an underlying mystery and tension throughout the story as you put together what is happening as you get to understand Rob’s backstory and explore her relationship with her daughter， family， and husband。 Irving the husband by the way absolutely boiled my blood。 He’s a total POS and one of those characters you love to hate because they’re so despicable。 Rob is a main character you can root for even if she has her own problems and issues that clearly need to be worked through。 Plotwise， this book was fantastic too。 Every single page kept me engaged and I was filled with a compulsive need to continue on and figure out what would happen。 It’s been a while since a book completely absorbed and compelled me this way and I LOVED it！ I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster of some kind or being pulled along by some unseen entity who promises to show me something extraordinary。 The dualtimeline/backstory is done well， and I never felt jolted from past to present。 Instead the book flows seamlessly from chapter to chapter。 In addition， this book is the perfect length。 There is no filler or fluff but it also has enough to its bones too。 Plus it explores some very interesting themes， such as nature vs。 nurture， family dynamics， ethics in science， abuse， sibling rivalry and relationships， mother/daughter connections， and a ton more。 I’d say more but I honestly just recommend picking this one up ASAP and finding out for yourself。 In the end， Sundial completely blew me away。 I expected to like it， but I did not expect to be so thoroughly pulled into it。 It reminded me of being a kid again back when I used to pretty much obsess on certain books until I finished them。 Sundial is one I definitely recommend for horror fans， psychological thriller readers， and people who want an intense story focusing on dark family dynamics。 Catriona Ward is definitely an author to check out。 So far two of her books have become favorites of mine so I’ll be checking out more of her work for sure。 。。。more
Jillian
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Wow this was a doozy of a book。 I could not put it down because I just could not get enough of what was going to happen next。 It was twisted and with a lot of twists。 It was very dark and explored a lot of toxic family dynamics。 I must’ve thought WTF to myself every 5 minutes。 I will be thinking of this one for a long time。
Lorraine Douglas
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Sundial opens with a portrayal of family life for a fairly dysfunctional family: Rob， her husband Irving and their daughters， Annie and Callie。 Irving in particular seems to be a person with no redeeming factors; he’s given to sudden acts of brutality towards Rob， has lots of affairs and creates a home environment of unpleasant tension。 There are early hints that Rob has a problematic back story， and when elder daughter Callie starts to exhibit some seriously concerning behaviours， Rob takes Cal Sundial opens with a portrayal of family life for a fairly dysfunctional family: Rob， her husband Irving and their daughters， Annie and Callie。 Irving in particular seems to be a person with no redeeming factors; he’s given to sudden acts of brutality towards Rob， has lots of affairs and creates a home environment of unpleasant tension。 There are early hints that Rob has a problematic back story， and when elder daughter Callie starts to exhibit some seriously concerning behaviours， Rob takes Callie on a trip with her to Sundial， the now-abandoned desert home of Rob’s childhood。As was the case with Catriona Ward’s last novel， The Last House on Needless Street， there isn’t a lot that can be said in a review of Sundial without giving away too much of the plot。 We learn about Rob’s early life as she recounts events to Callie， all the while trying to figure out how to stop her daughter’s violent tendencies from escalating。 Sundial could again be described as a gothic horror， and the events Rob revisits are as unpredictable as they are terrible。 I’m not a huge fan of content warnings， but I think it’s worth saying that there are themes of animal testing and cruelty throughout Sundial， in addition to excessive human cruelty。 Catriona Ward’s horrors are so effective partly because they don’t over-rely on supernatural events or explanations; they are grounded in the kind of extreme events that humans can make happen。 I find this type of horror to have far more of an emotional impact than the more magical variety， and because of this I would say that Sundial is hard-hitting and probably best enjoyed when you are feeling resilient enough for a challenging read。 。。。more
Katy Budget Books
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Karen says: This is more of a psychological horror story about abusive relationships， dysfunctional families and severe mental health issues。The story is about the character， Rob and her current marriage to a bitter， cheating man & trying to hide herself behind the facade of being a normal family in suburbia California。 Raising two distinctively different daughters， Annie whose 9， pale and sickly most of the time & 12 year old Callie， whose obsession with death， skeletal remains & whispering to Karen says: This is more of a psychological horror story about abusive relationships， dysfunctional families and severe mental health issues。The story is about the character， Rob and her current marriage to a bitter， cheating man & trying to hide herself behind the facade of being a normal family in suburbia California。 Raising two distinctively different daughters， Annie whose 9， pale and sickly most of the time & 12 year old Callie， whose obsession with death， skeletal remains & whispering to imaginary friends。A near fatal accident at home involving Callie & Annie is the wake-up call that Rob needs。 Rob packs Callie up and hauls home to Sundial in the Mojave desert， where she plans to “fix” her daughter。 What does that entail？What does Rob hope to achieve in the desert that she cannot in the suburbs？ And what tragic events in Rob’s dark and twisted path shaped Rob to the person she is today？A very strange and dark twisty tale that will leave you gasping in many places and realize not all monsters are the ones that go bump in the night。 。。。more
K。S。 Thompson
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I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway but wanted to state that I don't enter giveaways for books that I am not genuinely interested in reading。This was a really hard read。 So much so that I wasn't sure I could continue but I found it next to impossible to put down。 I just lost my dog， so the fact that much of the story includes the deaths of the dogs on the property was really really difficult for me to get through。 There are layers upon layers to this story and as each is revealed， it gets m I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway but wanted to state that I don't enter giveaways for books that I am not genuinely interested in reading。This was a really hard read。 So much so that I wasn't sure I could continue but I found it next to impossible to put down。 I just lost my dog， so the fact that much of the story includes the deaths of the dogs on the property was really really difficult for me to get through。 There are layers upon layers to this story and as each is revealed， it gets more disturbing。 But again， it's told in such a way that I wasn't able to walk away from it。 。。。more
Mary
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I have to say， at the outset， that some readers will find the subject matter unpalatable but this is a horror story！The plot centres on Rob， her two daughters， Callie and Annie， and Rob's thoroughly unpleasant husband， Irving。 Sundial is Rob's late parents home in the Mojave desert。 For reasons that soon become apparent， Rob takes Callie to Sundial， leaving Annie with her husband。 The storyline moves between the present day and Rob's childhood at Sundial。 There are some deeply disturbing themes I have to say， at the outset， that some readers will find the subject matter unpalatable but this is a horror story！The plot centres on Rob， her two daughters， Callie and Annie， and Rob's thoroughly unpleasant husband， Irving。 Sundial is Rob's late parents home in the Mojave desert。 For reasons that soon become apparent， Rob takes Callie to Sundial， leaving Annie with her husband。 The storyline moves between the present day and Rob's childhood at Sundial。 There are some deeply disturbing themes in this twisty novel。 The characters are pretty toxic as are their interactions。 If you are looking for a dark and creepy read which will mess with your head， this is for you。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kerry
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Just like what I did for The Last House on Needless Street， I went into this blind and I completely loved it。 It started off like a ‘The Push’ （by Ashley Audrain） vibe but it grew into a teeth-bared beast。 There were twists that were eerie and spine chilling， and the characters were so well developed that I felt the hatred and love they felt。 Also， I couldn’t have asked for a better ending。 Superb。TW: domestic & animal abuseThank you Serpent’s Tail， Viper and Profile Books for the ARC in exchang Just like what I did for The Last House on Needless Street， I went into this blind and I completely loved it。 It started off like a ‘The Push’ （by Ashley Audrain） vibe but it grew into a teeth-bared beast。 There were twists that were eerie and spine chilling， and the characters were so well developed that I felt the hatred and love they felt。 Also， I couldn’t have asked for a better ending。 Superb。TW: domestic & animal abuseThank you Serpent’s Tail， Viper and Profile Books for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback！ 。。。more
Kath
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WOW！ This book。 Kinda freaked me out。 Not having read Needless Street （something I will change as soon as I get my hands on a copy） I really didn't know what I was letting myself in for with this author。 But I really wasn't disappointed。 It was all the freaky and then a slice of bonkers （in a good way） with a healthy dose of horror。 Be warned though， this book pulls no punches， especially with regard to animals。So， we start with Rob who is married with two young girls。 They live in a nice house， WOW！ This book。 Kinda freaked me out。 Not having read Needless Street （something I will change as soon as I get my hands on a copy） I really didn't know what I was letting myself in for with this author。 But I really wasn't disappointed。 It was all the freaky and then a slice of bonkers （in a good way） with a healthy dose of horror。 Be warned though， this book pulls no punches， especially with regard to animals。So， we start with Rob who is married with two young girls。 They live in a nice house， in a nice place。 But， as with many families， not everything is as it should be behind closed doors。 Long story short and Rob is so worried about her older daughter's behaviour， especially towards the younger one， that she decides that the only way round things is to whisk Callie off to Sundial， her family home， where she grew up， slap bang deep in the Mojave Desert。And so begins a rather strange tale that both shocked and thrilled as it proceeded。 Horrifying in places too。 Especially when concerning Callie's behaviour。 Woven in around the present day road trip are blasts from the past。 Of Rob's childhood。 Her family， her upbringing， her sister。 Is the past determined to interfere with the present， or will re-discovering it mean that certain ghosts could be laid to rest once and for all？Please， this is another book that it is best to go in as blind as you can。 There are so many delightful twists and turns， delivered in exactly the right moments for maximum impact that I fear prior-knowledge will ruin what is destined to be one heck of a ride。Imagine the most dysfunctional family。 Layer on some more dysfunction。 Add a side of secrets and lies and， well， you have Rob and her crew。 But nothing is always what it seems at face value as you will discover。 This being a very character driven story。 And being character driven it's also quite emotional。 Often also quite dark in places， scary too， it's all I could do to take a break before I got too involved at times reading the action as it played out in my minds eye。 Yes， it was also quite a visual book for me。 Unusual that。 It takes a good author to help me "see" what I am reading。 Doesn't happen much。Anyway， what I am trying to say is， well， stop reading reviews and just get the darned book。 Unless you hate horror that is， you probably won't like it then。。。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
K Sobolewski
，
The start of this novel intrigued me， but then it became a VERY slow read。 Entire chapters of this book could have been removed。 Some of the many scenes of abuse （child， domestic and animal） felt purely gratuitous。 Cool concept， but it never fully came together for me。E-book reviewed in advance via NetGalley。
Lata
，
Everyone in the family in this psychological horror story is messed up。 I mean， really messed up。 These are not people you would want to invite over for a relaxing evening， or， really， spend any time with。 Add in some domestic violence， abuse， animal cruelty， science and experimentation， drugs， sibling rivalry， a dangerous and secret past， and you've got a compelling book by Catriona Ward。Rob and her husband Irving are having trouble。 He's on his umpteenth affair， they do nothing but fight， with Everyone in the family in this psychological horror story is messed up。 I mean， really messed up。 These are not people you would want to invite over for a relaxing evening， or， really， spend any time with。 Add in some domestic violence， abuse， animal cruelty， science and experimentation， drugs， sibling rivalry， a dangerous and secret past， and you've got a compelling book by Catriona Ward。Rob and her husband Irving are having trouble。 He's on his umpteenth affair， they do nothing but fight， with Irving threatening and Rob escalating then deescalating， while their daughters have their own weird and worrisome situation going on。 When Rob finds disturbing evidence of a possible scary behaviour in elder daughter Callie， she decides it's time to share Rob's up-to-now secret past with Callie。 They travel to Rob's former home， a ranch/facility known as Sundial， where Rob begins sharing her childhood memories with Callie， who worries that her mother is leading up to killing her。Ward’s prose kept me riveted， even while she had me squirming during situations。 I liked nobody in this book， but could not look away from all the damage and escalating tension of a mother who is scared about her daughters’ future selves， and vows to do anything for them。 tFrom the book’s open， Ward had me wondering about who is actually responsible for what， who did what to whom， what’s past the fence， and， skull caps？！？tI was uncomfortable， worried， occasionally horrified， and could not look away， whether during Rob’s past or present。 This page turner is definitely recommended。Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for my review。 。。。more
Madeline
，
4。5 stars Between unlikable characters and animal abuse/experimentation， I had a tough time with this one。 But， once again， Catriona Ward kept me reading with the sheer “What the hell is going on”-ness of her story。 I kept shying away from parts of it， but at the same time I was hungry to find out where it all was heading。 Ward does an expert job in keeping you guessing and really piles on the dread - not only with story itself， but also with the characters and settings。
Jerrud （JD） Collins
，
Wow。 Just。 Wow。 Catriona Ward is unbelievable。 The twists， the turns， the heartache， the horror， that high pitched unease that keeps you scared even when things should be fine。 The off kilter camera view reminding you that something is wrong， Something is *terribly wrong*You truly won’t know all of the secrets until the very end。 And then you’ll be infer how you didn’t see it all along。
Rebecca
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Special thanks to #NetGalley #MacMillan and #TorForge for a #gifted electronic copy of #Sundial in exchange for an honest review。 I loved The Last House On Needless Street。 But dare I say that I liked Sundial better？ Either way， @catward books have placed her into the auto-buy category for me！ Told through a dual POV， Sundial weaves a mother’s cultish past through her daughter’s ominous present-day storyline。 Both past and present timelines tell a riveting yet deeply disturbing and twisted story Special thanks to #NetGalley #MacMillan and #TorForge for a #gifted electronic copy of #Sundial in exchange for an honest review。 I loved The Last House On Needless Street。 But dare I say that I liked Sundial better？ Either way， @catward books have placed her into the auto-buy category for me！ Told through a dual POV， Sundial weaves a mother’s cultish past through her daughter’s ominous present-day storyline。 Both past and present timelines tell a riveting yet deeply disturbing and twisted story that seriously made my head explode at the end。 A true WTF ending！ A short story called “Arrowood” is interloped throughout the novel。 I know critics have said they could do without those chapters。 And I， too， couldn’t quite figure out if this story is Rob’s （the mother） therapy to unload her trauma or an obscure way of retelling her history。 I would love to hear Ward’s perspective on these chapters because I’m sure there’s a deeper meaning that I haven’t uncovered。 As with most psychological thrillers， the less you know， the better。 However， I must add a trigger warning。 The story contains a significant amount of abuse - psychological， physical， and animal。 If you want to discuss the depths of this abuse， please DM me。 Otherwise， buckle up for a dark， creepy ride to a part of the Mojave Desert no one should see。 These people are messed up！ 。。。more
Neslie Nam
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She knows how to inflict doubt and fear。 Her raw description of hatred and frustration in things we can not change about our own self is absolutely masterful。 Love this book and will be remembered for a long time。
Becky。 ♡
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Sorry but I really didn’t enjoy this book。 Absolutely hated the writing style with flowery language and it was a really slow burn。 I haven’t read her last book yet which is raved about and would still like to give it a try to see if it’s just this book I didn’t like or just the overall writing style。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review。
Krista Hajjar-Nejad
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Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge， Tor Nightfire for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 WOW！ Blown away by this ridiculously well-written， brilliant book。 Dark， twisty， heartbreaking， creepy would best describe this powerful book by Catronia Ward。 I loved her style of writing --- just absolute perfection！For the life of me， I couldn't figure this book out。 It's so good you will want to stay up until 2am while drinking copious amounts of coffee （or beverage of your choice） and Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge， Tor Nightfire for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 WOW！ Blown away by this ridiculously well-written， brilliant book。 Dark， twisty， heartbreaking， creepy would best describe this powerful book by Catronia Ward。 I loved her style of writing --- just absolute perfection！For the life of me， I couldn't figure this book out。 It's so good you will want to stay up until 2am while drinking copious amounts of coffee （or beverage of your choice） and furiously turning the pages while desperately wanting to know what's going to happen。 This is the first I have read by Catronia Ward and now one of my favorites of 2022。Highly recommend！I will post my review on my instagram: @thrillersandcoffee 。。。more
Tales of a Succubus
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Happy pub day to what will surely remain one of my favorite books this year！What's it about？Rob got the normal life she dreamed of after a bad childhood - a husband， kids， suburbia， far from her roots at Sundial in the Mojave Desert。 Her oldest daughter whispers to imaginary friends and collects bones， reminding her of the past she left behind。 She makes one last trip to Sundial， determined to protect her family and the future of it。 Just like Needless Street， this is an utterly unique plot。 It Happy pub day to what will surely remain one of my favorite books this year！What's it about？Rob got the normal life she dreamed of after a bad childhood - a husband， kids， suburbia， far from her roots at Sundial in the Mojave Desert。 Her oldest daughter whispers to imaginary friends and collects bones， reminding her of the past she left behind。 She makes one last trip to Sundial， determined to protect her family and the future of it。 Just like Needless Street， this is an utterly unique plot。 It sucks you in immediately， making you question what is real and what isn't。 It'll do this intricate dance with your mind as secrets are uncovered chapter by chapter。 It's atmospheric， moody， changing pace here and there but never getting dull or boring。 It leaves you wondering what will happen next and I had no choice but to devour it in one day， considering I couldn't stop thinking about it！ Sundial is one hell of a place， with the desert playing tricks and the occasional cult-like vibes making you wonder what is actually going on。 Since Rob is a writer， there were chapters from her book sprinkled throughout but it is horror based and I honestly didn't mind it at all。 The ending in this was great y'all， and everything came together to form a conclusion in an eerie， spine-chilling manner。 The characters are extremely well-developed， often making you feel like you're watching a movie （okay and please， can we get one of Ward's books into a movie？）。 Rob is our focus， a mother with a dark past and secrets that she can't seem to escape。 Her daughter Callie is the troubled one， as she does concerning things that make you wonder what road she'll be going down in the future。 The younger daughter， Annie， is so sweet。 The husband， Irving， a complete prick。 Scare Rating: 6 out of 10。 I'd check trigger warnings， I'm not here to spoil anything。 However since you know Callie collects bones， you can make your assumptions from there。 This is an amazing horror read。 Catriona Ward has quickly become an auto-buy author since I love the way she writes。 I'd recommend this to fans of Needless Street， that want a desert setting， like the feeling of being pushed and pulled in a million directions， want unreliable narrators， and something with strong psychological horror elements。 Big thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending me a copy， I absolutely adored this book。 。。。more
Kelley
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It’s release day！ I’m never quite sure of my surroundings after finishing a book by Catriona Ward。 Which way is up and which is down。 Where am I？！ What a wild and dizzying ride they are。 But—so much chaotic fun。 I love them！It’s as if she weaves a chaotic spider web。 Like the web a Black Widow makes， total chaos and madness。 Suddenly， the web begins to smooth out into a beautifully formed masterpiece with the clarity of sunlight shining through。 Like the web made by a detailed and masterful spid It’s release day！ I’m never quite sure of my surroundings after finishing a book by Catriona Ward。 Which way is up and which is down。 Where am I？！ What a wild and dizzying ride they are。 But—so much chaotic fun。 I love them！It’s as if she weaves a chaotic spider web。 Like the web a Black Widow makes， total chaos and madness。 Suddenly， the web begins to smooth out into a beautifully formed masterpiece with the clarity of sunlight shining through。 Like the web made by a detailed and masterful spider builder。 Aha！ Now I see。 Wow。 That’s how her stories make me feel。 I guess I like being unsettled。 Once again， it’s nearly impossible to review her books without spoilers。 Once you mention something， you’ve spoiled the entire thing。 You honestly just have to read them。 All I will say is crazy family drama。 More importantly， her deeper character and relationship work is amazing。 So， I will say this， if you’ve enjoyed her work in the past， grab this book and savor it。 She is a masterful storyteller。 I’ve learned to just let the story flow and wash over me。 I don’t try to figure things out。 I know it will reveal itself in time and along the way I will be scratching my head in blissful confusion， savoring the beautiful writing， and allowing the tale to be spun before my eyes。 Read it。 You will see。 Check trigger warnings before diving in。 I won an ARC copy through a goodreads giveaway。 Yay！ 。。。more
Nadia Jonesy
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Thanks to NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge and the author Catriona Ward。 This was another good read from this author。 The book starts off seems like where exactly is this going but for a person like myself I am always ready to bail when reading and my thrillers do not give me something to enjoy quickly。。。but stick it out readers。。。stick it out。 It was not a long time after the book starts and it keeps going。 Well paced and well written。 She does not write thrillers that we are use to。。more strange Thanks to NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge and the author Catriona Ward。 This was another good read from this author。 The book starts off seems like where exactly is this going but for a person like myself I am always ready to bail when reading and my thrillers do not give me something to enjoy quickly。。。but stick it out readers。。。stick it out。 It was not a long time after the book starts and it keeps going。 Well paced and well written。 She does not write thrillers that we are use to。。more strange and eye jerking。。but fun。 。。。more
Janae （The Modish Geek）
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Rob has created the ideal suburban life with a husband and two daughters。 But as her oldest， Callie， starts collecting tiny bones and talking to an imaginary friend， Rob suspects the darkness from her past can't be ignored。Rob decides to take Callie to her childhood home， Sundial， where she'll have to make a terrifying choice。 But Callie has noticed the new way her mom looks at her。 With their relationship steeped in secrets and fear， Callie realizes both of them may not make it out of the Mojav Rob has created the ideal suburban life with a husband and two daughters。 But as her oldest， Callie， starts collecting tiny bones and talking to an imaginary friend， Rob suspects the darkness from her past can't be ignored。Rob decides to take Callie to her childhood home， Sundial， where she'll have to make a terrifying choice。 But Callie has noticed the new way her mom looks at her。 With their relationship steeped in secrets and fear， Callie realizes both of them may not make it out of the Mojave Desert。TW: Animal cruelty， child abuse， domestic abuse （physical & emotional）， drug abuse， death， gore。2。5/5This was one of my 2022 anticipated releases。 Unfortunately， I was underwhelmed。 I didn't hate it， but I didn't really like it either。 I DID enjoy the mystery and anticipation of figuring out what happened at Sundial and the family dynamics there。The writing was ok。 It was intriguing enough to continue， but there were multiple times when we'd go through a scene twice from both Rob and Callie's perspectives。 And there's also a book-within-a-book。。。for some unknown reason。The plot， reveals， and epiphanies felt heavy handed and the pacing was off。 The narrative slowly revealed what happened at Sundial and the current ramifications， but once I realized where it's going the story began to feel drawn out。 While there was time spent on Callie and Rob's relationship， the majority of the book was spent with Rob growing up at Sundial。There were also a few things I didn't gel with: Rob's repetitive thought tree， not getting the other perspective in the past （which would've been more interesting）， Rob's choices for her family （the toxic household did the exact OPPOSITE of what she claimed to want）， and Callie's personality。 ***** MAY BE SPOILER。 I felt some of Callie's characteristics were purposeful misleading as opposed to misunderstood。 MAY BE SPOILER *****There's a final act reveal that was objectively pretty cool， but by the time I got there， I was tired。 I liked the open ending。 。。。more
Julei Le Fay
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Awesome！ Happy Publication day！ <3 One thousand thankyou's to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC- and the early access to such a thrilling book。I have to admit， I requested Sundial on a whim。 I think this was around the time I was going through a horror phase。 I don't often read horror （I do love watching it）， and this is exactly the kind of book I didn't know I was looking for。 This is a SHOCKING book。 There are a lot of potential trigger warnings here， so I advise you comb through a few other Awesome！ Happy Publication day！ <3 One thousand thankyou's to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC- and the early access to such a thrilling book。I have to admit， I requested Sundial on a whim。 I think this was around the time I was going through a horror phase。 I don't often read horror （I do love watching it）， and this is exactly the kind of book I didn't know I was looking for。 This is a SHOCKING book。 There are a lot of potential trigger warnings here， so I advise you comb through a few other reviews before starting。 The main one that comes to mind is animal abuse。 JUST FYIPros: well written， good prose， well done execution of the 'creepy child' trope， gripping， interestingCons: a little clunky at times， slow， disturbing content （not for everyone）， and I said slow already- but at times it was just plain boring。3。8/5 stars， rounded up 。。。more
Cherlynn （cherreading）
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Having heard such polarising reviews， I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book。 If anything， I had super low expectations after hearing about the content warnings。 Hmm。。。This was disturbing and creepy AF to the point of uncomfortable。 While it didn't blow my mind or wow me the way The Last House on Needless Street did， I thought it was still a brilliant horror novel with plenty to offer。Yes， this was gruesome and fucked up and ？！？！？！？！？！ but beneath all that is a heartbreaking and haunting Having heard such polarising reviews， I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book。 If anything， I had super low expectations after hearing about the content warnings。 Hmm。。。This was disturbing and creepy AF to the point of uncomfortable。 While it didn't blow my mind or wow me the way The Last House on Needless Street did， I thought it was still a brilliant horror novel with plenty to offer。Yes， this was gruesome and fucked up and ？！？！？！？！？！ but beneath all that is a heartbreaking and haunting tale。 Something about mother-daughter stories always get me。。。When it comes to Catriona Ward， I've learnt to just keep reading even if I have no idea wtf is going on。 Just know that it'll be unlike anything you have ever read。 Favourite quotes:✨ "It's possible to feel the horror of something and to accept it all at the same time。 How else could we cope with being alive？"✨ "Moms are like the desert， too。 Sometimes you can't stop them。"Thank you Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Michelle
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TW: Animal violence and torture， physical abuseOn the outside， Rob has a perfect life: a loving husband and two beautiful children， but not everything is as it seems。 Rob recognizes a darkness in Callie， one that she knows all too well from her past。 Rob decides the only way she can protect her family is to take Callie back to where Rob grew up deep in the Mojave desert and reveal the truth of their family’s history。Happy Pub Day！！ WOW my thoughts were all over the place with this one。 I’ve re TW: Animal violence and torture， physical abuseOn the outside， Rob has a perfect life: a loving husband and two beautiful children， but not everything is as it seems。 Rob recognizes a darkness in Callie， one that she knows all too well from her past。 Rob decides the only way she can protect her family is to take Callie back to where Rob grew up deep in the Mojave desert and reveal the truth of their family’s history。Happy Pub Day！！ WOW my thoughts were all over the place with this one。 I’ve read Catriona Ward’s previous novel ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ and this one was written in a very similar style and had the same， if not more， creepy and dark setting。 The author has a fantastic talent of creating these strange settings and situations where you think you know what you are getting into and then in the blink of an eye， have no idea what is going on。 It kept me turning the pages and trying to connect the dots。 This is a really good book to dive into blindly and then just hang on because it is a wild ride filled with ups， downs， twists and turns。 I will stress the trigger warning particularly for dog lovers， the scenes are very graphic and I did struggle to get through them。 The book is mainly from Rob’s point of view from past and present along with some chapters in Callie’s point of view and also a book within a book reference which I did not think was really necessary to include and sort of distracted me from the main story。 I also wish we could have gotten more background on Irving to get a better insight on what made him tick。 This was a very strange book that I do not think will be everyone’s cup of tea but it is filled with detail that immerses you into the frightening world of what happens at Sundial house。 Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 This title is available for purchase now！ 。。。more
Christine
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This psychological thriller book was dark and creepy。 It was a dysfunctional family that I had to read more about。 I love Catriona Ward writing。 She writes in a way you don't want to put the book down。 I felt like I was there。 It was a disturbing story but I loved her first book a little more。Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC。 I definitely will be buying a hard copy。 This psychological thriller book was dark and creepy。 It was a dysfunctional family that I had to read more about。 I love Catriona Ward writing。 She writes in a way you don't want to put the book down。 I felt like I was there。 It was a disturbing story but I loved her first book a little more。Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC。 I definitely will be buying a hard copy。 。。。more
morbidmama_reads
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LOVED ITTT REVIEW TO FOLLOW
Cheryl
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Another wowser offeringAuthor Catriona Ward blew me away last year with THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET and she just did the same thing again with this horror offering。Rob and her sister Jack grew up at Sundial， a private scientific research facility run by their father in the Mojave Desert。 Rob is back at Sundial years later with one of her daughters， trying to decide which of her memories are real and trying to decide what to do with those memories and with her current life。This is one twist Another wowser offeringAuthor Catriona Ward blew me away last year with THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET and she just did the same thing again with this horror offering。Rob and her sister Jack grew up at Sundial， a private scientific research facility run by their father in the Mojave Desert。 Rob is back at Sundial years later with one of her daughters， trying to decide which of her memories are real and trying to decide what to do with those memories and with her current life。This is one twisty， turny， shocker of a book and I loved it。 I won't go into any more details because you， the reader， should go in as blind as I did。 Enjoy the reveals as much as I did。 I highly recommend this book to horror and/or thriller enthusiasts。I received this book from Tor NightFire through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review。 。。。more
Christopher Lesniak
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Book was received through a giveaway。I did not know what to expect when I opened this book。I don't know if Horror is the right genre for this， but maybe my idea of horror is different than others。The last few pages do get pretty horrifying， but nothing that will give you nightmares like some other horror novels I have read。During the read I had know idea what was going to happen at the end of the book。 I was expecting monsters or ghosts to pop out to attack。 Though there weren't monsters in the Book was received through a giveaway。I did not know what to expect when I opened this book。I don't know if Horror is the right genre for this， but maybe my idea of horror is different than others。The last few pages do get pretty horrifying， but nothing that will give you nightmares like some other horror novels I have read。During the read I had know idea what was going to happen at the end of the book。 I was expecting monsters or ghosts to pop out to attack。 Though there weren't monsters in the literal sense there was a monster in the personal sense that came and tried to kill Rob。 This is when Callie and Rob finally seemed to bond and they both managed to survive this attack。 。。。more
Catherine （alternativelytitledbooks）
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**Many thanks to NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge， and Catriona Ward for an ARC of this book！！**What if an experiment in nature vs。 nurture went wrong。。。horrifically wrong？Dark， dizzying， disturbing， and dazzling， Catriona Ward is BACK to explore just that in Sundial！Much like Needless Street， you are GUARANTEED to leave this read with more questions than answers。 To start the story off， you have Rob， wife to Irving， and mother to daughters Callie and Annie。 She lived a sheltered and unique life g **Many thanks to NetGalley， Macmillan-Tor/Forge， and Catriona Ward for an ARC of this book！！**What if an experiment in nature vs。 nurture went wrong。。。horrifically wrong？Dark， dizzying， disturbing， and dazzling， Catriona Ward is BACK to explore just that in Sundial！Much like Needless Street， you are GUARANTEED to leave this read with more questions than answers。 To start the story off， you have Rob， wife to Irving， and mother to daughters Callie and Annie。 She lived a sheltered and unique life growing up in a mysterious community in the Mojave desert known as Sundial。 She is now settled into semi-normalcy with her husband and works as a professor， but has the darkness she was immersed in as a child followed her there？ It certainly seems to be popping up in daughter Callie， who displays an odd fascination with animal bones and talks to figures nobody can see。 Rob feels an urgency and a calling， driving her back to the desert and a desperation to protect her family at all costs。 Are the murky and muddy waters of her mind clear enough to save her daughter from herself。。。or is it Callie who needs protecting before she becomes just one more secret the desert keeps？Ward's books are deftly plotted， and Sundial is no exception。 The opening provides a quick hook， and chapters alternate between Rob in the present and past， and Callie， giving just enough from each perspective and gore at different points to peak your interest。。。AND turn your stomach。 The first 40% of this one whizzed by in a dizzying blur for me， as tiny pieces of Rob and Callie's worlds were brought to light。 Ward's writing is as sharp and crafty as ever， painting the scenes that let you get absolutely entrenched in her horrifying world。 She is an author who is dedicated to the craft， and this is ALWAYS evident throughout her work。 At this midpoint， however， things began to slow down dramatically for me， and several glimpses into Rob's past were revealed。。。。and went on for quite a while。 This sharp contrast to earlier chapters was a hit on the pacing and unfortunately， at the same time， the book started to veer into very dramatic animal abuse territory。 Many of these scenes are graphic， and although they aren't my primary animal of choice， if you are a dog lover: TAKE PAUSE before picking up this book！ You may be able to skip some of the content， but when it comes to Ward， details matter， and you won't want to miss much。 There is also some book-within-a-book content penned by Rob that could have been eliminated entirely。 My guess is that it was included to urge the reader to question further what was real and what was fantasy， but then again， that seems to be a recurring theme with Ward's writing anyway。 Like Needless Street， I CERTAINLY could benefit from a re-read。。。but unlike Needless Street， I can't say that I'd have interest in revisiting this one。 As hypnotic， poignant， dramatic， and artfully crafted as this book was， I just didn't love the plot。 I can't say too much about it for obvious reasons， but from about 40-80%， my interest definitely waned。 Luckily， Ward's trademark whopper of a twist popped up in the third act to carry me to the finish line， and it was quite the well hidden surprise， certainly enough to keep my twist-loving heart happy！There's a reason why many are calling Catriona Ward the heir to Stephen King's throne: she has the goods in spades and she can WRITE。 Honestly， there's something breathtaking and haunting about her prose， and the fact that I didn't love this plot yet I am still dying to read her next book really speaks volumes about the dynamic superstar Ward has already become in the horror genre。 I cannot wait to see what baffling， creepy， disturbing， and twisted tale she has ready for us next！ …or as Callie would say， Grinning Face！ 😉 3。5 stars， rounded up to 4 for PHENOMENAL writing！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Sundial
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Sundial&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Sundial&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0