Tideswell

by Phill Featherstone

Tideswell, once a thriving fishing village on England’s east coast, now lies broken, its cliffs crumbling, its streets haunted by suspicion and loss.

When Alice returns to clear her missing sister, Holly’s, cottage, she expects only dust and silence. Instead, she uncovers secrets buried deep in her family’s whispers of witchcraft, disturbing artwork echoing her own nightmares, and a community hostile to outsiders.

As storms gather and malevolence mounts, Alice is forced to confront not only the mystery of Holly’s disappearance but also the unraveling of her marriage and her sense of self.

Torn between truth and illusion, family secrets and manipulation, Alice must summon the courage to reclaim her life before she, too, is drowned by Tideswell’s shadows.

Reviews
"I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I loved the twist at the ends I honestly didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t!!"
"I knew that once I started this book, I'd have to carve out time to devour it, as I knew that I'd be immersed for the duration - and I really couldn't put this down."
"This story twists and turns in ways I never saw coming and this had me totally hooked right to the last page!"
"I thought I was getting a storyline that plodded along really well and then all of sudden things took a turn and the pacing picked up and I found myself hurdled into a world I was questioning.
"Tideswell was such a gripping read that absolutely hooked me, I ended up flying through it as I just could not put it down needing so badly to know everything."

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

Reviews

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Tideswell' by Phill Featherstone.

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AND GRAB THIS SPOOKY AND HAUNTING PAGE TURNER TODAY!! I CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

This may be the first book I have read by this absolutely incredible author but it most definitely will not be my last!! I cannot WAIT to get stuck into more books by Phill especially if this one is anything to go by!!!

OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GOTHIC AND PAGE TURNING MUST READ!!!

This book is extremely well written with vivid and evocative descriptions that really put you in the storyline, feeling the hair on your arms raise and putting you on the edge of your seat!!!

The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing author Phill Featherstone on creating such a unique and haunting masterpiece! Phil's evocative and vivid descriptions ensure the storyline, characters and tension came to life in front of my eyes!! I absolutely loved this addictive, creepy, claustrophobic, paranormal, tension and suspense packed page turner!!! It had the perfect amount of dread, tension, superstitions, twists, darkness, mystery, suspense and everything else that you could ask for!! I have absolutely no idea how this is the first time I have read one of this incredible author's books but I am so glad I have rectified that problem and I cannot wait to get hooked into more books by Phill. It is an extremely fast paced and gripping read and I devoured it in one sitting in the space of a few hours!!! I genuinely could not put this book down and was walking around with it glued to my hands at any chance I got, I just HAD to know what was going to happen next. Phill completely captivated my attention and I was completely invested in the storyline and Alice from the moment I turned the cover to the very end! This really is the perfect book to read for any fan of suspense, supernatural, paranormal, haunting, gothic and thriller reads!!! To find out more grab your copy of this fantastic page turning psychological thriller today and I guarantee you will not regret it!! With a gripping storyline ram packed with mystery, isolation, loneliness, witches, suspense, drama, danger, paranormal, legends, claustrophobia, deception, lies, shocks and everything plus more that you could ask for in a novel what are you waiting for? I absolutely love how unique this storyline is having never come across anything like it before!! The fact that the location of the book is an isolated, rundown and sinister seaside village is just perfect, it really brings the hair on your arms up. I am a HUGE lover of the paranormal, gothic stories, horrors, any haunting stories and that was part of the reason I chose this book to read, along with its stunning cover and this book does not disappoint!!I most certainly will be recommending it! It is such a fascinating and tension packed read and I was completely absorbed throughout. Phill's absolutely terrific and vivid writing skills and descriptions ensure the reader really feels and sees everything that Alice is seeing, doing and feeling through the pages. This truly is an absolutely addictive, action packed page turner with a unique storyline that will grip you from the moment you open the pages until the very end, and longer!! A huge well done to Phill yet again on the absolute uniqueness of this book!! With so many crime, psychological, gothic, suspense and thriller books out there it is difficult to discover one with a completely different storyline. I have read hundreds and hundreds of books so it is getting harder and harder to find books with a truly unique storyline but Phill has smashed it out of the ballpark. I cannot wait to get hooked into more of his books!!

GET COSY, CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AND GET READY TO GET HOOKED ON THIS EPIC, HAUTING AND GOTHIC PAGE TURNER!

I loved getting to meet all the different characters even though several I did not actually like. It is difficult for me to enjoy a book when I dislike several of the character's but, yet again, I had no problem with this brilliant read!! Although there were several I disliked there were also many that I really enjoyed meeting and getting to know such as our main protagonist Alice who my heart went out to. I also enjoyed meeting Amir, Tabitha and a handful of the other villagers although many were strange this just added to the eeriness of the story. The setting and creepy atmosphere is perfect for the storyline and the fantastic emotive and evocative writing skills really suck the reader into the story ensuring they can see the suspense and tension all around them and feel the chill up their spine. You have truly got to grab a copy of this fantastic gothic page turner today!!! Along with a creepy, masterful and haunting atmosphere and storyline Phill has also created an absolutely fantastic group of characters each with their own unique personalities. They were all very strong characters, realistic and sturdy with their own unique personalities, flaws, quirks, strengths and weaknesses. There is a wide range of characters and we get to meet loads of different characters !! I remarkably became very quickly attached and invested in Alice and loved seeing the dynamics and interactions between her and the other characters that she met. Well done Phill on creating such a memorable, unique, diverse and multi layered group of characters that will stay with me for a long time!! This is one of those books that I picked up and within a quarter of the book I realised I was wasting time lying to myself saying just one more chapter and I will do X, Y or Z as there was no way I could put it down!! Each and every chapter ended in a way that I had to know what was going to happen next so I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands and unable to take my eyes of the screen until I had completely devoured the book within a few short hours. I honestly loved absolutely everything about it from the characters to the settings and it was just one heck of an amazing read!!! If you love thrillers, crime, mystery, drama, psychological thrillers, gothic reads, paranormal, witchcraft, suspense, well do you know what if you love reading then grab a copy of this book today and you will not regret it!!! This book will suck you in and keep you gripped in the pages until your thrown out at the end with a racing heart!! A truly unforgettable one in a million page turner!!!!

Clear your schedules before turning a single page as this book is truly unputdownable!!!

Well done Phill on an absolutely addictive, haunting, gothic and explosive page turner! This is why I would like to welcome you to my favourite author list and I cannot wait to read more of your books!! If they are just half as good as this one they are guaranteed to be epic!

Overall an absolutely addictive, haunting, gothic, action packed, suspense filled page turner that will keep you turning the pages until you've devoured the book in hours!!

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[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my sixth read by this author and I can't tell you how excited I was to see this new release coming out.

I've loved every book so far despite them being different genres and this one, again, was such a brilliant read.

 

I was instantly drawn to the front cover image which certainly suggested a dark and brooding story was lurking inside and I couldn't wait to dive in!

 

We meet Alice as she first beads out to Tideswell to clear out her cottage ready for sale.

Her sister had been living in it but after going missing a year ago, the time had come to face that she was not going to be back.

Having never found out what happened to Holly, Alice holes that clearing the house out might uncover some new information, but I don't think she was quite prepared for what was to follow.

 

I absolutely love Phill's writing style and knew that once I started this book, I'd have to carve out time to devour it, as I knew that I'd be immersed for the duration - and I really couldn't put this down.

 

I loved taking a peek into Alice's life both at Tideswell and back home where her marriage was breaking down.

But I was also completely intrigued with Holly - even though we never actually meet her in person!

Although we do meet a few of the other Tideswell townsfolk, there's really a relatively small cast of characters here and that makes it really easy to be sucked into their lives and really get to know them inside and out.

 

I loved that Tideswell itself became one of the main characters.

Learning it's local history and the myths, legends and stories told about the town by others really gave a clear and vivid image of that creepy atmosphere, rugged landscape and overall feeling of it's decline.

 

This story twists and turns in ways I never saw coming and this had me totally hooked right to the last page!

I cannot wait to see where our next read will take us!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have already said this once before when I read Phill Featherstone's last book (Butterflies) that this one is my favorite, but this one (Tideswell) is by far my favorite by this author! I've been reading Phill's books for a few years now and let me tell you that they are worth it to just pick up and read them. Tideswell sort of hit home for me as I have a close ancestor that went through some similar things as the main character in this book did. I can only imagine what that must have felt like to have your loved ones turn their backs on you and make you think that you're one of the crazy ones. Tideswell is a fascinating read that will keep you thinking long after you have read it. I'm not sure if there will be a series with Tideswell but I do hope that Alice has a chance to make things right.

*Thanks to the author Phill Featherstone for allowing me to be one of his firsts to read his books. I so enjoy reading every one of them!

[Marcia - itsabookthing2021 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I wasn't expecting this, Tideswell definitely shaked a lot up and I was gripped whilst reading. I thought I was getting a storyline that plodded along really well and then all of sudden things took a turn and the pacing picked up and I found myself hurdled into a world I was even questioning if I read things wrong. Phill Featherstone did so well creating this novel and keeping the reader hooked, I loved how he created this village of Tideswell and the mystery surrounding it. The characters all had an air of mystery and there was an unsettling feeling, Alice was a great character and I really felt I was experiencing everything with her as the storyline unravelled.
I really enjoy reading novels by Phill Featherstone as he always has a way of giving you something you least expect, the twists and turns I never see coming and the reasoning behind them always blow me away. I highly recommend

[Fatguyreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read a few novels by this author previously, I had a good idea of what to expect, and let me tell you, it certainly did not disappoint.

We follow Alice, who returns to the once thriving fishing village of Tideswell only to find it a shadow of it's former self. Alice's sister, Holly, disappeared some time ago, so Alice arrives with the intention of clearing her cottage out. But she gets more than she bargained for when long buried secrets are uncovered, talk of witchcraft is abound, and the locals turn on her. Will Alice discover the reason behind Holly's disappearance?
Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.

So all in all, an enjoyable read that's thick with atmosphere with vivid, descriptive writing and a storyline that bobs along nicely.

It's haunting, full of suspense with a great gothic feel and characters that are believable and feel real.

4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[ericas_bookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tideswell was such a gripping read that absolutely hooked me, I ended up flying through it as I just could not put it down needing so badly to know everything. This was a slightly different type of read for me as there were some paranormal/gothic themes blended in with the psychological thriller premise, but it all worked so well & I loved it . The author created an incredibly eerie, mysterious atmosphere that made my skin tingle.

This was a well-written read with brilliantly portrayed characters who all seemed to have something to hide, I struggled to figure any of them out, which was perfect for the storyline. This was a fantastic read with so much tension, suspense and an uneasiness that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

I would highly recommend.

[Trina 🌻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙷𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚜, 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜, 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 & 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚃𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 & 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜.

𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔, 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚢, 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎.

𝙳𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚢 𝚟𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜!

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 to @phillfeathers & @lovebookstours for providing a copy of this book for my honest review.

[amanda_coffee_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading felt like I was right there with Alice, trying to find her sister and figure out why the townspeople wouldn’t give her answers. It reminded me of the movie The Wicker Man with Nicholas Cage.

I couldn’t put this book down; I had to know what happened to Alice’s sister and all the secrets she was uncovering in that small town. There was one part where I really thought Alice had dreamed it all, like her husband’s affair. This book has everything you’d expect in a mystery and witch story—things you didn’t see coming. (That’s all I’m going to say!)

I highly recommend this book; it’s definitely a page-turner.

A huge thank the author and lovebooktours for the opportunity

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride! I love that there are elements of both paranormal suspense and psychological thriller in Tideswell. There were some spooky moments, and a lot of mystery surrounding the seaside village, its inhabitants, and what happened to Alice's sister Holly.

The pacing is spot on. There are some great twists as well. And perhaps my favorite thing about Tideswell is the atmosphere Phill Featherstone creates. The feeling of being totally alone and claustrophobic is palpable.
__________

Thank you to author Phill Featherstone, Opitus Books, and Love Books Tours for including me on this book tour and for the #gifted digital copy! All thoughts expressed are my own.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tideswell is a beautiful, haunting psychological thriller set in a crumbling seaside village. Alice returns home to uncover her missing sister’s secrets but memory, manipulation and eerie whispers blur the lines between truth and illusion.

I really enjoyed how Tideswell builds its atmosphere so vividly. The decaying seaside village felt like a character in its own right, full of tension, history and unspoken secrets. I loved the way the story slowly unraveled, letting the mystery deepen as Alice’s memories and discoveries pulled me further in. The blend of psychological suspense, subtle gothic elements and emotional depth made the story gripping without ever feeling rushed. A great read!

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tideswell by Phill Featherstone.
I really did enjoy this book. I loved the cover and blurb of this book. I read a hanging moon and butterflies which I really enjoyed. I got into this book straight away. I loved the writing style and the story. I did like Alice. Oh my. I certainly didn't see that coming. Dark twisty and gripping. I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. This is a definite must read. I Definitely recommend this book.

[Tami Wylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love every book by this very talented author. This one was no exception. I felt so sorry for Alice as she searched for her missing sister only need to be met with silence from the town people. Tideswell is the perfect mystery book with an element of witchcraft mixed in. The stories pace is perfect, with a great atmosphere and some fantastic twists throughout. I couldn’t put it down and felt like I was living right beside Alice.