Review: The Blackhouse

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I am rounding up from a 3.5. This was an interesting book. The author did a good job creating an atmosphere of harsh isolation in an extremely remote village by the sea in Scotland. Just before I read this book I finished The Unforgiven Dead, however, which deals with many of the same themes and is set in an extremely similar location, and in my opinion that book just did everything better. If I'd read this book first, my opinion about this book might be a bit more favorable.
But my biggest issue with the book were the twists, especially the "big one" at the end. I really was a bit disappointed with it--not that it wasn't a big twist, but that I really felt that Maggie's personal journey, and the book as a whole would have been much more profound and deeper and emotionally meaningful WITHOUT it. And this may be a spoiler, but I really didn't like what the "twist" meant for Maggie and Will's relationship. On many different levels. But maybe that's just a personal preference.
This book was good, but not great, and it was the ending that brought me to that conclusion. It felt like a "cop-out" with an unnecessary twist stuck in for shock value.
If you're looking for an atmospheric book about the isolated wilds of Scotland, complete with hints of otherworldly creepiness and vestiges of ancient mythology, this book might be for you, but I'd really recommend The Unforgiven Dead, as well.

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