I’m so excited to be part of the TBR & Beyond tour for this book. Find the full tour schedule here.
About the book
The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction Horror
Publishing Date: May 21, 2024
Synopsis:
It’s an honor to bring light to the dark.
The whaling village of Warbler is famous for its lucky ship figureheads—and infamous for people disappearing into the nightly fog. In this murky locale, the lamplighter position is synonymous with safety and protection, and it’s a position Temperance assumes when her father is found hanging from one of the lampposts. Though Tempe proves competent, the town is still hesitant to let a woman handle this responsibility.
When a girl goes missing after two lamps go out, Tempe’s ability to provide for her mother and younger sister hangs in the balance. She scrambles for answers, hindered at every turn by the village authorities’ call for her removal. As more villagers vanish under her watch, Tempe discovers unsettling truths about the famous Warbler figureheads and her own beloved father. But her warnings of a monster are ignored, even by her own family. Now she must follow the light out of her own fog of despair, as she faces the choice to look the other way or risk speaking out and possibly dooming herself and her sister to be among the lost.
Content Warning: Murder, death of a parent
Book Review
Eerie and atmospheric, this book gave me a deep appreciation for a new genre mash-up: historical horror.
In a New England whaling town, something lurks in the nightly fog. Temperance, the town lamplighter, is haunted by the light post where her dad hung himself, but soon she begins to suspect that something worse than her memories is creeping around. It’s her job to keep the villagers and visiting whalers safe from disappearing forever into the fog. But when two of her lamps go out the same day a girl goes missing, she finds herself under fire in a town that resents her for being female.
After her father’s death, Temperance was allowed to take over his job to provide for her family, but the town still feels unease about the role being filled by a woman. Temperance is constantly butting up against society’s expectations with her need to be able to take care of herself. But standing out can attract the wrong kind of attention, in more ways than one.
I loved the relationship between Temperance and her younger sister, Prudence. Though they fought and disapproved of each other’s choices – especially Prudence’s courtship with the much older Gideon – they had each other’s backs in the end.
The ending was both unexpected and absolute perfection.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and TBR & Beyond Tours for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the author
Crystal J. Bell is a Colorado native who writes horror and fantasy with the intent to make readers both eager and uneasy to turn the pages of her books. When she isn’t drinking up autumn like the elixir of life, she can be found on the back patio with her laptop and a book, out on the reservoirs on her stand up paddle board, or cooking in the kitchen with her husband. Most likely pasta.
Need more to read? Find all of my young adult recommendations here.
