I absolutely loved this engaging tale filled with fascinating family dynamics and a central mystery that kept me turning the pages to a satisfying end.

The writing is lush and lyrical, and the characters are both complex and compelling, especially the main character, JJ.

I also enjoyed the rural Australian setting- the dialect and description really drew me into the world.

"The Serpent's Skin" by Erina Reddan is a haunting and evocative literary crime novel that skillfully weaves together the past and present, exploring the lasting impact of family secrets and the ways love can both heal and harm.

Set in 1968, the story begins on a cold winter night with the mysterious absence of JJ's mother and her father's unexplained silence. Reddan's narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten-year-old JJ and her three siblings, as they navigate their father's lies and emotional turmoil. The atmosphere of the tight-knit community and the palpable tension within the family create a sense of unease that lingers throughout the book.

Fourteen years later, as JJ tries to move on with her life, the unsolved mystery of her childhood resurfaces, compelling her to confront her past. Reddan's exploration of male power dynamics and the weight of long-buried secrets is both gripping and thought-provoking.

Erina Reddan's writing is eloquent and emotionally resonant, capturing the complexities of family relationships and the enduring effects of trauma. "The Serpent's Skin" is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ways in which we grapple with our pasts to find closure and redemption. Erina Reddan emerges as a remarkable new voice in Australian fiction with this compelling and beautifully crafted novel.

i enjoyed reading this, it was a great crime novel with interesting characters and a wonderfully done plot.

Read like treacle, really hard to get through. The dialogue kept tripping me up and in some stages went from proper english to shortened, like it would be in text messages. em instead of them, etc. Do not recommend.

This was way too slow for my taste and I felt that the ending was not satisfactory. I also didn't like the characters and the relationships they shared. And I found it very unlikely that anyone would just be like "oh you know let's investigate a mysterious disappearance almost 15 freaking years later"

I had certain expectations for this book that were not fulfilled. While the summary promised a very exciting literary crime novel, I couldn't help but feel that The Serpent's Skin was a little lacking in several areas. Rather than having a smooth progression over the course of the novel, the plot seemed to tip-toe and really take it's time. Like other reviewers here, I was caught off guard by the slow pace that was followed by a truly questionable climax. In addition to this, the characterization and the relationships between the siblings were dry; I would have enjoyed this book a tad bit more if the author had taken the time to explore these bonds in more depth.

I may not have enjoyed the entirety of this book, but the craft has to be admired. Reddan deserves credit for constructing her story with vivid imagery of the Australian countryside, and although the prose was quite purple at times, her attention to detail and her poetic voice should not be ignored.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I was not as impressed by this book as I expected to be. It had a great plot, but somehow it turned out to be quite slow. To the point where I had to drop it and pick it up again much later. Somehow The Serpent's Skin was not for me.

What a lovely surprise of a book - it took me places I didn't expect and the writing was fresh and mesmerizing. I couldn't stop turning the pages, wanting to know more, becoming invested in a story that I didn't expect.

The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings when they are faced with the mysterious death of their mother. One day, JJ's mother leaves and doesn't return. The children are left in the dark about why she disappeared and why she died. 14 years later, JJ decides to find out the truth.

This was an interesting premise and I enjoyed the story, but I would have loved to dive a little deeper into each of the characters. Definitely a slower paced book, but not in a bad way.

Boring! DNF'd. Sorry but this book wasn't for me. I could not even get past 1st chapter. I haven't actually rated it but it's just compulsory to at least give a 1-star rating here.

The Serpent's Skin covers some pretty heavy stuff, so isn’t always pleasant to read, especially as you become closer to the characters, but is gripping and engaging. There are so many contrasts; violence and romance, friendship and death. The characters have very real reactions and make very real mistakes, despite you mentally screaming at them not to do so.

It is predictable in places, but only because, sadly, these awful things actually happen, and the book reflects that reality. But there are also places where the plot goes in more unexpected directions.

I opened his book knowing almost nothing about it, so had no expectations. But I enjoyed the ride and think most people would.

This book wasn't great for me. Slow. Hard to get immersed in. Boring. I honestly kept putting it aside to read other things. Can't enjoy every book, right? 🤷

Thank you to Pantera Press and Net Galley for this ARC.

Some of my favourite stories are quiet ones about desperate people in isolated locations. So reading the synopsis for The Serpent's Skin it sounded very up my alley.

It's 1968: Where did JJ's mom go? It's a cold wintery night and no one knows where she is. The freezer is stocked with a week of dinners, but there is no note, and she hasn't called, so where did she go and why?

JJ is a volatile and precocious child, blaming herself for her mother leaving. They fought the day her mother disappeared, so it must be her fault. But as the days pass things just aren't making sense. Why didn't she say where she was going? Why hasn't she called to check in? Why is JJ's father acting so strangely and why is his story constantly changing?

This book unfortunately, is impossibly slow and repetitive. The reader ends up being miles ahead of JJ as she's unraveling the story of what happened the week before her mother died.

I was hoping it would pick up speed when it switched to their adult lives, but it didn't.

JJ is a character that is impossible to root for, as she makes every situation she's in harder than it ever has to be. It was absolutely infuriating.

Not for me.

I found the premise of this book to be very interesting, it tugs at my interests!
Unfortunately, I felt that this one could have been edited a few more times to really flesh it out.
The pacing was a little too slow for my own personal likings, I felt as though I was waiting for something to happen, to get the ball rolling as such. That ball didn't start rolling though until the very last minute. The characters were a missed opportunity that could have really built this book. Diving deeper with relationships and personalities for instance. I do like this book, but a lot of things let it down. Will look out for more works though!

The tale is JJ’s and his truth and how his journey to finding the truth and making amends with everything that has happened. Set in Australia it is always great to read a book with a fresh voice.

This book was a little hard to get into as the dialogue was a little hard for me to interpret and understand. The pacing of this book was so slow though it was hard to get invested in. The story just wasn't there....it dragged and there was no thrill to the story. It was a disappointment.

4 stars - a tale of the impact of terrible secrets in a family

I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!

The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings and the mysterious diappearing and death of their mother. The story takes place in the late 60s and early 80s in Australia and centers on a family of four children to Catholic and poor parents, growing up on a farm. One day the mother goes away and after some days the news of her death reach the family home.
But why are the adults telling all sorts of different and changing stories about where mom went and how long she stayed?
All of this happens when the children are still young and have no way of finding out the truth.

The story picks up again 14 years later, the children have grown up and are trying to build their own lives. But this unsolved mystery, the shaken trust in their father and the other grown-ups have left their scars and they are dealing with them each in their own way - but they are all struggling. And it is JJ who takes matters in her hands and goes to find the truth. It may not be pretty but it might help the family to finally move on.

This book may be a crime story on the surface but what it really is about is the dynamics of relationships in a family. The trust that children put in the grown-ups and the impact of having to question or losing that trust. It also deals with the morals or lack thereof of "good Catholics" and that growing up can mean realizing that your parents are flawed.

JJ's narrative voice is very distinct and her own. The first half of the book was a bit slow for me, but once the mystery started unravelling it became a page-turner. You really connect to the characters, their struggles and hopes.

Definitely recommended for fans of literary fiction mixed with a mystery.

The mother of a family disappears, setting up JJ, the daughter, to eventually search for answers 14 years later. Tensions rise in the family, and when JJ organizes a finfal farewell for their mother, there's all kinds of intrigue to come. Sometimes it felt like the slang was close but not quite right. The story can grip you, but it loosens its hold at times until the climax.

This book was a little hard to get into at first - the dialogue was a little hard for me to interpret and understand. I also love a book set in Australia so the setting was enjoyable for me to read. The pacing of this book was so slow though it was hard to get invested in.

"An extraordinary novel about overcoming male power, the strength of sibling bonds and the secrets that can haunt a family. Most of all, The Serpent’s Skin is about the many ways we prove our love.

It’s a cold and wintery night in 1968 and ten-year-old JJ’s mother isn’t home. The cows are milked, the pigs fed, and her dad won’t answer any questions.

Sarah is the lifeblood of their family, and her absence throws everyone off course: Tessa takes charge, Tim gets in trouble, Philly retreats, and JJ blames herself. Their father works hard to keep up appearances, but something’s not right. It’s always been JJ’s job to cause trouble, and when she can’t leave the clues alone, her sleuthing wreaks havoc in their tight-knit community, and she swears off troublemaking for good.

Fourteen years on, JJ has a new life, a loving partner and a good job. But she puts it all in jeopardy when she stumbles across a chance to solve the big mystery of her childhood. While pretending to have made peace with it, she organises a final farewell for her mother so the family can all put the past behind them. Will the explosive truth finally set them free?

Compulsive, gripping and full of heart, The Serpent’s Skin ushers in Erina Reddan as a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction."

Oh, oh, oh, the compulsive need to answer the biggest mystery of your life? Yes please!