Beneath the Lighthouse by Julieanne Lynch

Posted 7 August, 2018 by Heather in Blog, Book Review, Heather, Heather Book Review / 0 Comments

Beneath the Lighthouse by Julieanne LynchBeneath the Lighthouse by Julieanne Lynch
Published by Vesuvian Books on June 26, 2018
Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary, Death & Dying, Ghost, Horror, Horror & Ghost Stories, Murder, Mystery and Suspense, Paranormal, Sexual Abuse, Violence, Young Adult
Pages: 305
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
4.5 Stars

Sixteen-year-old Jamie McGuiness’s sister is dead.

Sinking into a deep depression, he frequents the lighthouse where her body was discovered, unaware of the sinister forces surrounding him.

When an angry spirit latches onto Jamie, he’s led down a dark and twisted path, one that uncovers old family secrets, destroying everything Jamie ever believed in.

Caught between the world of the living and the vengeful dead, Jamie fights the pull of the other side. It’s up to Jamie to settle old scores or no one will rest in peace — but, first, he has to survive.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a great horror novel, and after reading the fantastic sci-fi novel It Takes Death To Reach a Star by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington and seeing that they were recommending Beneath the Lighthouse by Julieanne Lynch, I definitely had to check it out based on the cool, interesting cover alone.

Sixteen-year-old Jamie McGuiness leads a life of abuse and depression, his main goal to protect his mother and younger siblings. With the sudden and mysterious death of his sister three years earlier, his once loving father turned into a monster—an alcoholic, physically and emotionally abusive man who can’t provide for his family. The only respite Jamie finds is in the stolen moments at the abandoned lighthouse where his sister’s lifeless body was found, where he likes to sit in silence and feel close to her again.

Until his peace is shattered when he sees a wispy, tattered girl out of the corner of his eye, and something dark, malevolent, and cold follows him home.

Jamie is a kind and loving boy, but he’s struggling ever since his sister died. He has a great best friend that knows what he’s going through and helps him however he can. Jamie’s surprised when a lovely girl likes him back, and they start a sweet romance. His life is looking up, but his home life is worse than ever, especially since a vengeful spirit has attached itself to him and takes possession of him to get what it wants. Every time the spirit takes over, Jamie gets another glimpse of what happened to the spirit right before it’s death. If only Jamie can figure out what the spirit wants so he can finally get some peace, or will Jamie lose control to the entity all together?

I give Beneath the Lighthouse a 4.5 out of 5. Full of suspense, twists and turns, and heartbreaking situations that no one should endure, the characters were vivid, unique, and realistic. The sprinklings of Irish dialogue took a little to get used to, but it really added to the atmosphere. With chapters in the present and the past when Jamie’s sister goes missing, you get to see what life was like before and after. There are moments of physical and emotional abuse, alcohol abuse, rape, and murder, so this book delves into some heavy issues. Beneath the Lighthouse isn’t your run of the mill ghost story. While the deads’ tales do get told, it’s the livings’ bad deeds that also get exposed, and that makes for an emotional and suspenseful read. I really enjoyed this book!

Find BENEATH THE LIGHTHOUSE

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Julieanne Lynch

Julieanne Lynch is an author of YA and Adult genre urban fantasy books. Julieanne was born in Northern Ireland, but spent much of her early life in London, United Kingdom, until her family relocated back to their roots.
Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland with her family, where she is a full-time author. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University, and considered journalism as a career path. Julieanne has several projects optioned for film.

Connect with Julieanne Lynch

WebsiteFacebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Heather

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I'm a PhD chemist who loves sarcasm, music, and books-paranormal, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and romance. Most of my free time is spent at the martial arts studio these days--whether practicing Combat Hapkido or reading books while watching my son's Taekwondo classes, or even working up a sweat with Kickboxing for fun. Goodreads

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