"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!

[digital arc provided via netgalley]

actual rating: 2.5

i was intrigued by this book's set-up and premise, but unfortunately i was let down by it. the pacing was slower than what i would've liked it to be, i felt like everything exploded at the end in that one scene. the revelation wasn't well-done. the writing was ok, i guess. there were some phrases i liked here and there but overall didn't catch my attention with overdoing it at some parts. also, we didn't get to dive deep into the characters and their dynamics and relationships. it all just felt very flat for me, i would've liked it more with better execution. it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book!

JJ's life has never been easy, but when her mother mysteriously disappears one day and winds up dead, she is thrown into a whirl of confusion. She digs trying to find answers, but will she like what she finds? The book is split between her childhood and her adulthood as she seeks for answers.

I don't have any complex feelings about this book. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't great. It was a fairly easy read, but it did bog down a little. There was never any real sense of excitement or build up. It was more as though JJ's outrage fueled the book and once it petered out, the book was over.

this book has earned itself a 4.25 out of 5 rating from me for multiple reasons. firstly, because the writing and the plot was so intricate and so full of secrets that i sat here believing jack's lies and thinking to myself, "what is jj's problem? can't she let it go?". i believed everything reddan wrote to the point where the moment of revelation has completely shocked me. i'll definitely be recommending this book to people once it is released.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with the e-arc!

The set-up is intriguing: A young mother of four dies just days after mysteriously leaving her family, leaving the children to cope and, instigated by the narrator, uncover the circumstances of her death. The Australia setting also attracted me, and the evocation of subsistence farming kept my attention. But the pacing was so slow; it was all I could do not to skip ahead to the end, where everything comes out in the open in one explosive, implausible scene. At times the writing was overwrought, with clever turns of phrase that drew attention to themselves but didn't really clarify anything. If this had been tightened up in parts, with the relationships among the siblings explored in greater depth—especially during the 14-year gap between the two sections of the novel—I'd have given this four stars. As it is, I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll recall it months from now.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pantera Press, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It took a bit to get into this book as I was unfamiliar with certain terms, expressions, slang. Once I figured them out, it was easier to read. I couldn't relate to any of the characters or their situation. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"JJ has a new life. But she finds herself being pulled back in to the unsolved mystery of her childhood, her mother's death."

I liked the characters and found them believable. Overall, an okay read but I struggled with the pacing of the story.

2.75☆

Started off excellently and pulled me into reading however I feel the transition between the mother leaving and the children fighting didn't flow smoothly. Not long after that, however, the sparkthat brought me into the book disappeared and I was left with disappointment.

The book was interesting and had a good premise. I initially had some issues with the writing but I ploughed through to see how it would turn out. Although I am happy with where the story went, because of how non-dimensional the characters felt, the impact I was hoping for was not made. the writing was a bit cliché at places, which in itself isn't a bad thing but added on the fact that the characters seemed like mere caricatures dragged the book down a bit. On the whole, it was a solid read with interesting plot twists and discussions, but if the writing were a bit more polished it would have been that much more impactful. I'm excited to see how the author progresses forward, because I see a lot of potential in their work.3.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received an e-proof of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about JJ, a daughter in a family of four who lives on a farm. The book is split into sections, first following JJ at a young age right as her mother disappears and then dies, and then as an adult when JJ decides to investigate her mother’s death. I thought the language in this novel was so beautiful. Reddan truly captures the voice of a young girl and what the loss of her mother means for her. I enjoyed the descriptions of JJ’s special connection to each family member, particularly her mother and their bond over flowers.

“Turned out we were just like snakes. Only they got rid of their skin every summer and we did it every seven years. And not just the skin like the book at school said. Every cell and every bit of us. All newed up every seven years. She’d better get back soon, before I changed up every cell and she wouldn’t know me.”

Great book! Engaging from the beginning to the end. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommended!

I really tried on this one but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I did end up DNFing it. The writing didn’t work for me and I didn’t care about the plot. :(