The Souls of Lost Lake: A Chilling, Dual-Time Cabin Psychological Thriller (Stand Alone Novel)

Where to start? This was typical of all Jaime’s books that I’ve read so far. I wanted to put it down at the first chapter because I was already creeped out, but fully mesmerized so I kept reading. Her books are the ones that I have to have a free day for because I MUST keep reading until I find out how it ends. Otherwise I get zero sleep and startle at every sound.

I love how she blends history with modern day characters so you feel like whatever it is has lived through time for their story to be told. As always, the conclusion tied up all loose ends and was very satisfactory. I scare easily and this was not at all my original cup of tea but my reading taste has been developed for it since I first read her other book, the Haunting of Bonaventure Circus.

I will say this book does go to some dark places and could be a trigger for some. I was not surprised by that as I have read other books by her. But this was a different sort of darkness that made me really consider putting it down. I wanted to know the ending so I kept reading. Some of the descriptions and content matter was pretty gory and sickening. If this is your usual reading fare it may not bother you. As I’m a pretty tame reader, some of it was disturbing to me.

There were several troubling that I feel are worth mentioning that could possibly be a trigger for some. I get why they were in the story, but these are heavy things and I feel readers should be aware.
Multiple miscarriages.
Loss of a child.
Abduction.
Body decomposition.
Mental Illness. (Undiagnosed)
Poltergeist (this creeped me out)
I know several other reviewers were troubled by the way mental health was blamed for the murders. It is indeed troubling because there is a stigma around mental health. Some people are just wicked and it’s a cop out to use mental health as an excuse. So I can see why that would be troubling. Had I known this would touch on miscarriages and the loss of a child, I honestly would not have read one page. Those are sensitive topics with me. Once I had started reading it, I had to keep reading to learn the ending.

There is a beautiful theme of redemptive grace woven throughout the story. Because as one character eloquently puts it, aren’t we all a little lost? Fans of Tolkien and LOTR will enjoy the nod to his work. The romance was beautifully written and I was happy with how all of it concluded.

Three stars for the excellent writing & plot.
Negative two for the heavy content.

** “Some things couldn’t be captured but through the experience of pain. It was a wicked but essential way to understand the depths of perfection, the depths of God, more intensely. Pain either magnified faith or disabled it. For Patty, it only confirmed her belief that this world was broken, and her Lord was the One who brought beautiful redemption.” **

Jaime Jo Wright offers a deliciously creepy dual-timeline novel with “The Souls of Lost Lake,” a story filled with ghosts, scary folklore, missing children, murders and decades-long mysteries.

Almost 100 years ago, young Ava Coons was found stumbling out of the forest, covered in blood and carrying an ax. When her entire family cannot be found, everyone believes Ava must have killed her family. Now, six years later, Ava falls under blame again when tragedy befalls the town once again.

Arwen “Wren” Blythe lives and works at the present day Deer Lake Bible Camp. Growing up knowing the story of Ava Coons, when a young girl goes missing, everyone believes Ava is responsible for young Jasmine’s disappearance. As Wren joins the search for the girl, she begins to uncover her own past mysteries as well as learning to deal with losses in her own life.

As the stories of Ava, Wren and Jasmine start to be woven together, “The Souls of Lost Lake” quickly pulls in its readers to reveal its secrets.

Wright does an incredible job of putting together several stories that will all equally chill the spine of readers. She develops great characters filled with flaws and intrigue, including a doll named Redneck Harriet. And Ava is an especially great character, filled with pluck and courage.

She also fills her novel with several great themes, like redemption through pain; the power of suspicion when fed by a crowd; everyone needs someone to believe in them; lies have a way of creating deeper predicaments; sometimes a ghost story is easier to believe than the truth; the power of grace and mercy; and having a sense of home.

Fans of dual-timeline stories and gothic novels will love “The Souls of Lost Lake.”

Five stars out of five.

Bethany House Publishers provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

"We're all lost in our own ways. Some of us just hide when we shouldn't. We hide in our grief, in our minds, in our pain... in the woods... or in a story, like Ava Coons."

Once again, Jaime Jo Wright beautifully brings to life a dual timeline story of mystery, murder, and intrigue wrapped around a timeless theme of grief, sense of displacement, and a hunger for belonging so central in our human experience. Though the story starts out with a scary campfire story, it's definitely less eerie and chilling than the author's previous books. The suspense and mystery components in both timelines are really powerful with twists and turns in the plot that will have the reader perplexed and absolutely invested in figuring out the villain. It will keep you up way past your bedtime. This book should be made into a movie!

Told in third person perspective, but only in the women's voices, the narrative moves swiftly and pulls the reader in from the first page. Ava and Noah in 1930s are an interesting pair. Ava is uncouth in her backwoods ways and Noah is often conflicted regarding his feelings and actions toward Ava but they somehow complement each other. Wren and Eddie in the present time are best friends working at a Bible camp. Theirs is the story of a believer’s unfiltered grief and pain in losing a loved one even as they find each other in the midst of their suffering. Search and rescue for a lost little girl in the woods ties Ava and Wren’s stories together as the truth in the ghost stories of Ava Coons comes to light.

I received the book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

DNF

I read around a hundred pages of this but accidentally spoiled the entire mystery for myself. I decided to stop after that, but only partially due to the spoilers. I will explain the other reasons soon.

The Souls of Lost Lake was a book I was personally looking forward to because 1) it's written by a Christian author and published by Bethany House, 2) it's spooky, and I like spooky, and 3) I heard it's perfect for Tolkien fans, of which I am most certainly one.

However, while I was reading it, I don't think I was in the right mindset. I'm in a very busy time right now, and my attention span isn't as strong as it could be if I didn't have so much going on. Because of this, I wanted to find a book that was fast-paced and could pull me away from real life when I needed it to. The first chapter's prose was hands-down amazing, but things slowed down significantly after that. I realize that I'm accustomed to reading YA and that this book isn't YA, but I just found that I wasn't quite invested anymore. The Lord of the Rings references were also a little cringy at times, though not always (I laughed a lot at the Mordor/bathroom joke!).

Perhaps most significantly, this book felt too dark. I chose it because I figured it would be the perfect autumnal read, and I was sure I'd be able to handle the axe murder mystery and ghost story aspects, but instead, I found myself feeling significantly and unexpectedly depressed. In short, the cover of this book describes the actual aesthetic of the story perfectly. I'm not trying to scare all the prospective readers away because I know plenty of people have been just fine reading this. I just wanted to give a heads-up to readers who are sensitive to gore and/or who are already struggling through something dark.

In summary, if you're like me and enjoy reading pages randomly at times, you should try your best to refrain from the practice with this book. Personally, I was expecting to love The Souls of Lost Lake, but it didn't work out. Because of its high word count and its psychological aspects, I wouldn't recommend it as everyday reading. Of course, I can't attest to the story's entirety, so my review is only based on the parts of the book I read. You are free to disagree with my thoughts, but I hope that by leaving this review here, I will have helped a reader or two.

Wow! From the moment you start to read to the very end, you will be drawn in!



My first thoughts were “This is really creepy and I’m glad it’s morning and I’m not camping!!!”

I struggled to get through my To Do List so that I could just sit and read. 

The characters and storyline are deep and so well developed you feel like you are right there in the middle of it. Jaime Jo Wright will blow you away with her talent at weaving a tale that will keep you jumping at the slightest noise! You won’t want to miss this book!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was unde

he Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright is all the creep factor with the cleanliness of a good story. I love how she started the story like kids sitting around a campfire learning about Ava Coons. It was interesting. Right away, I wanted to know what happened to Ava’s family. Did she kill them? Did someone else kill them? I was intrigued and kept flipping through the pages. I could not put the story down. Of course, this story is a time-slip novel, so readers have two timelines to adjust to. I have heard that some readers have a hard time with keeping the two eras correct in the imagination as the story moves from chapter to chapter. With Wright’s stories, I do not, personally, have this problem. Most time-slip novels, I usually favor one time period over the other, but in The Souls of Lost Lake, I actually enjoyed both time periods. The past with Ava Coons ties nicely with Wren in the present. One of my favorite elements is Wright’s ability to craft a foggy lake with the possibly of dead bodies in the lake and a burnt-out cabin with a hidden cellar. The wording sets the tone. Nothing too graphic, but her word choices make goosebumps raise on the arms. If readers are interested in a good spooky story without all the blood and graphic details, then this is a book to pick up. I will definitely be owning this novel. I am glad that the world of Christian publishing is making a name for itself in the spooky genre, then the simple, play-it-safe romantic suspense novels. Not that there is anything wrong with them. I do read a lot of romantic suspense novels too. Anyways, I highly recommend readers who enjoy to be a little scared when reading but enjoy novels that must be read in one sitting to pick this book up.

I received a complimentary copy of The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

When a little girl disappears Arwen has a dream that compels her to try to find her. At the camp where she works the camp legend of Ava Coons who killed her family with an ax and still walks the woods waiting for victims is alive and well—whack, whack.
In 1923 a thirteen year old girl walked out of the woods covered in blood dragging an ax—whack, whack.
Six years later there’s another murder and Ava Coons is found guilty in the court of public opinion. She didn’t do anything, but with no memory of what happened to her family she doesn’t have a defense—whack, whack.
I am so glad I had the chance to read this book. It carried me through a gamut of emotions—sadness, angst, hope, love—including tears.
In each timeline the characters were written with depth and originality that made each one distinct.
Both Ava and Arwen suffered with haunting dreams and a deep desire to feel like they belonged. Each wrestled with God finding their own way to faith.
Noah and Eddie each had an abiding faith while wrestling with their own emotional baggage and relationships with Ava and Wren.
I was given a copy of this book with no obligation courtesy of Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group.

How this author can intertwine two timelines, a creepy campfire story mystery, and emotional romance is a wonder to me. It was a masterfully told story. I spent half the time being scared and the other half rooting for two people to find love together. Great read!

Jamie Jo Wright is a master of the dual-timeline novel. I’ve read other novels that try to employ the dual-timeline technique, and most end up over-complicated and fall flat. Not so with a Jamie Jo Wright story. And On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor is another intricately compelling novel that you need to read.

On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor was fascinating. The plot was taut throughout, fraught with intrigue, and wrought with skill. Her characters, as always, are beautifully complicated and easy to connect with. This story touches on everything from mental unwellness to Civil War profiteers, and it all comes together so smoothly you don’t even realize how disparate the topics should be.

This was a great read, and I highly recommend you grab On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor (and any other Jamie Jo Wright novel while you’re at it). 🙂 An easy 4 out of 5 stars for me!

Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own! 🙂

Okay, I’ll start with a confession. The Souls of Lost Lake is my first Jaime Jo Wright book. While I might need some post-completion therapy, it won’t be my last. Wow. This author is brilliant.

I don’t typically read straight suspense, and happily, there are small romance threads in this split time story, one in each period. I’m very glad I made the exception. The premise of this book intrigued me and so I decided to start reading. Confession: I began by only reading in daylight, because I am the easiest person to creep out. Weirdly, I didn’t find much to be concerned about and quickly switched to reading during day or night. The Souls of Lost Lake grabbed my attention and didn’t return it until The End.

TWO MYSTERIES, BUT HOW ARE THEY LINKED?

In present time, we have the staff of a Bible camp in the backwoods of Wisconsin helping search for a missing six year old. Rumor has it, she’s been taken by Ava Coons whose ghost stalks the woods after she appeared almost a century ago covered in blood and carrying an axe. Arwen (Wren) feels a strange compulsion toward the search and the story of Ava.

In 1930, Ava is accused once again after two locals from Tempters Creek are found dead. Only the pastor and his housekeeper believe in her innocence, and even Ava can’t remember how her family disappeared.

The two heroines, Ava and Wren are very different but equally lost and while their stories are so very different, their journeys share striking similarities. Both needed to summon up remarkable courage, both had to face tragedy and sorrow. And when they did, life was forever changed.

The story itself was compelling and clever, with a twist coming around ninety percent of the way through that I did not see coming at all, but yet it fit the narrative completely. Tightly written, cleverly conceived and compelling, I’d highly recommend The Souls of Lost Lake to anyone who enjoys suspense.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. The opinions are my own.