I tried several times to get into this book and it just didn’t grab me. While I was pretty excited by the concept and the cover grabbed me, it failed to make me want to continue reading passed the 15%.

Too many books in the world to waste time on the ones that just aren’t for you. Happy to see lots of others who thoroughly enjoyed,

Would consider trying again in the future.

“A hauntingly beautiful exploration of revenge, feminine rage, and the secrets that bind women across time... Frightening, subversive, and provocative.” – Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author The Lost Apothecary

I really enjoyed this! A book with multiple POVs/timelines and witches? Count me in! Not to mention this story is layered with religious trauma, female rage, and social commentary on the patriarchy. Definitely a win for me!

3.5 Stars
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this.
Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror
Descriptors: Witchcraft, Cult mentality, church themes, oppression,
Point of View: Three different time lines
Spice: No
Standalone: Yes
Would I recommend? Maybe.

Three different time lines. Women who try to live with a secret that spans generations. Crazy church leaders and all the men who go there who believe they need to save the daughters from evil.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Dark Sisters.

I had a difficult time feeling engaged with the story and after several tries I DNF. Although this was not the right fit for me, I do think it could be very good for the right readers.

Great story! I had no idea how it was going to end and I loved every second of it! At first the slipping between different timelines was confusing, but it all made sense in the end. A fantastic story from a fantastic author! It was a book that I couldn’t put down!

4.5 stars

Some books don’t whisper—they hiss. Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester grabbed me by the jaw and wouldn’t let go. This is a fever-dream of a novel, soaked in Southern gothic rot, religious trauma, and the relentless inheritance of womanhood. It’s lyrical, brutal, and wholly unflinching.

The story centers around three women—survivors of a cult that worshiped control more than any god—and how the past refuses to loosen its grip. DeMeester doesn’t just write horror; she writes hauntings. The kind that live in your blood and bones. The kind you inherit.

Think The VVitch meets Sharp Objects with a dash of body horror and a heaping spoonful of feminine rage. The pacing is slow but deliberate, the language rich and unsettling, the atmosphere so thick you can taste the mildew and incense. I could feel the weight of it pressing on my chest the whole time I read.

There were a few moments that drifted a little too far into dreamlike abstraction—beautiful but hard to grasp—but honestly, it didn’t detract much. It only made the story feel more like a spell: half-understood but wholly powerful.

📖 Devour or nibble?
Devour it. With the lights off and your boundaries braced.

If you love literary horror that cuts deep and leaves a bruise, Dark Sisters is a must. Just be warned—it doesn't let you leave clean.

**I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Dark Sisters is Kristi DeMeester’s third novel, following Beneath (2017), Such a Pretty Smile (2022) and her collection, Everything That’s Underneath (2017). This was my introduction to DeMeester, and Dark Sisters made such a knockout first impression, I already cannot wait to read more about the dodgy snake handling goings on in her Appalachian set debut.

Dark Sisters is a clever blend of historical fiction and horror with a powerful message of female empowerment bubbling in the background. This begins in an era akin to the Salem Witch Trials, were women who were skilled with herbs were persecuted for being witches, morphs into a forbidden fifties LGBTQIA+ romance, before jumping into modern times with a teenage girl struggling against her controlling Evangelical preacher father.

The three narratives are skilfully and beautifully intertwined with clues being dropped here and there, and by the time the finish arrives you may well be screaming encouragement. One might argue the ending was slightly low key, but I felt it fitted perfectly and revenge is most definitely sweet. DeMeester takes her fair share of swipes at the Evangelical Church (and they are very easy targets) but at the same time there is a strong whiff of cults or even a Stepford Wives vibe, particularly in the fifties narrative.

There were no weak links and the three stories were equally strong, with the plot frequently slipping between the alternatives. Even though they were set in completely different time periods this allowed the author to show the similarities the difficulties the three women faced, even if the circumstances were different. The common denominator is the patriachy, even if there are plenty of books out there that blame the woes of the world on men, their greed and selfishness certainly lies at the heart of this story.

The oldest narrative opens in pioneer times of the 1700s, where Anne Bolton is a skilled healer who faces prosecution for witchcraft. Fearing for her life, she relocates with her daughter and builds a new home in a forest, where she senses power coming from an ancient tree. Others from her original village follow and they begin to form a new community, feeding on the natural power of the tree. However, even though her daughter shares her own powers, has never genuinely shed her puritanical ways and this leads to tragedy which spirals down through the centuries.

We then head to 1953 and Mary Shephard, who along with her husband, is a member of a strict evangelical church called ‘The Path’. This was a fascinating story, as many is gay and has been hiding these feelings from everybody for years. She fears if it was revealed her baby would be taken from her and she would be rejected from the church bubble she lives in. On paper she has the perfect life but is unchallenged and frustrated of the expectation that her role is to have children and maintain the household. At a certain point her husband relents and allows her to take on a parttime typing job, through this she meets shop assistant Sharon and the attraction is immediate.

In the third superb narrative we stick with ‘The Path’ and in this instalment there are clear character overlaps with its predecessor. Camilla Burson, is the rebellious daughter of The Path head preacher, is sick of trying to be the perfect daughter her father can show off during church. Camilla’s family oozes money and power and in this sequence the author illustrates the greed involved in this type of Christianity, also examining the purity culture. The story revolves around how Camilla defies conformist expectations to uncover a power which connects the stories. Along the way ending up at a camp aimed at brainwashing wayward church members, which was uncannily believable and the teen voices totally authentic.

This book has a terrific plotline concerning generational trauma, but the most frightening element is the truthfulness in these women's experiences in a world dominated by the patriarchy or where religion has lost all true meaning and is used only for greed or self-fulfilling purposes. Historically the ‘Dark Sisters’ are used as a scary myth to keep girls and young women in line, but in this superb book their true meaning is revealed. Go girls!

I loved this book! The characters felt very real and it was easy to root for them, even when they were doing things I was yelling at them in my head to NOT DO!! The atmosphere was perfect. The multiple timelines worked better than I've seen in other books. My final rating is a 4 instead of a 5 because of a couple points that dragged and some sequences that didn't quite make sense to me. But overall, I definitely recommend this for someone looking for a book with witchy vibes!

What an interesting book. Watching the book slowly tie together each aspect of the story and how each woman, in some form, had experienced their tragedies kept my attention. The exploration of religious suppression of women and the cyclical toxicity of the church tied in with the mystery and grotesque consequences made this both an enjoyable and disturbing read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow...I cannot express how wonderful this book is! I am immediately a huge fan of Kristi DeMeester and will definitely be recommending this book to anyone I can...especially women and let me explain why.

The story itself follows three women through different time periods of the same city in America. Starting with a woman in the colonial times and ending with a woman in modern times, this story weaves a web that every American woman should read. History has been harsh on women and their "place" within the patriarchal societies of the world, but ESPECIALLY in the societies of the American churches that date back to the Pilgrims and their harsh views. This book is raw, emotional, and as a woman myself, INFURIATING in a way that only women would understand.

Kristi DeMeester is an amazing writer and you can truly feel the emotions right off the page. You want to cry, you want to laugh, you want to scream that deep, dark guttural feminine scream that women everywhere wish they could let out. It is a horror story that unfortunately hits too close to home even in these modern times. It is visceral what these women go through in this story and I already know this book will stick with me for the rest of my life.

If I could give this book 100 stars I would! A horror story all women everywhere know about, but this time ends in a success. I wish I could go visit the tree spoken about in this story and send my love and well wishes to it (and the women spoken about). 10000/10 !!

Three fierce women. Three centuries. One burnt-down legacy of vengeance, sisterhood, and witchcraft. 🕯️

From Anne’s devastating pact in 1700s witch trials to Mary’s forbidden love in 1950s faith cults, and Camilla’s fight against oppressive traditions in 2007—Dark Sisters binds them through a cursed lineage and whispered power. By the end, you’ll feel every flame of rebellion, sorrow, and resurrection. A generational horror epic that sears with emotional force and literary fury. 💀

Powerful, poetic, and unrelenting—this is feminist horror at its finest.

I was not expecting this book to be so deeply moving as it was!

Witchy, horror, feminine rage, and disgusting patriarchy. The author weaves three women from different times together in a story of finding your autonomy in spite of others. There was some gruesome scenes so please me mindful of that. Otherwise, I am a better person for reading this book and will be on the lookout for other words from Kristi DeMeester!

I'm a little on the fence with this one. It is a wonderfully written horror story about resilient women fighting the patriarchy butI also personally abhor the "down with the patriarchy" trope. With that said, this wasn't the right book for me as I couldn't really get past a lot of those things.

A fantastic story of resilient woman through generations! I really enjoyed the author’s prose and the pacing of the story. There was never a moment where I lacked interest in the story. Looking forward to what comes next from this author!

3.5 stars

My feelings are mixed on this one. I did enjoy the storyline and thought that the book was very well written. The separate POVs blended together seamlessly, creating an oppressive tale of three different women from different time periods. The author's prose spoke loudly to me and evoked my inner female rage. I'm not a religious person, but I strongly detest anyone who commits heinous acts in the name of God. And don't get me started on how men mistreated women. Like we're nothing more than pretty objects owned by them to do what they want with us. GTFOH!!! I was so ready for the women to enact their revenge on these entitled sacks of shizzit. I was expecting an epic showdown full of female power and rage, but when the time came, the persecution just wasn't enough for me. For all the feelings that this story stirred up inside me, the ending didn't even come close to satisfying my need for justice. I wanted more revenge! I was also a little confused as to why some of the women recovered from the illness while others did not. I think I understand, but it was never fully explained. I would recommend to anyone looking for an interesting horror story. Despite my lacking satisfaction on the revenge aspect, it was definitely worth the read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This is a phenomenal story of resilient women facing the challenges of womanhood and religious trauma across 3 different timelines.

Camilla, Anne, and Mary are all sympathetic protagonists, but my favorite character is Vera. This is a story full of heartbreak and slow, creeping horror. Absolutely loved it. A tad slow at the halfway point, but easily gobbled up once it gets rolling, and worth the world building.

This one had me screaming from both anger and triumph.

One of the best reads of the year!

DARK SISTERS by Kristi Demeester is a full on assault of patriarchy and fundamentalist religion, a swift kick in the groin to those who try to diminish women while also claiming their significant power for themselves. But it is also a rallying cry and siren call to all women who have betrayed or been betrayed as a reaction to the effects of abusive men and systems, to see the damage that is done when they feed the beast that harms them by the betrayal of other sisters. As great horror often does, DARK SISTERS explores a problem, accepts the good and bad consequences of choices that have led to this climactic moment, and then empowers the underdogs to unite and take back their sacred power. And in this case, to do it all while giving the bastards who abused them all that they deserve.

In short, I loved this book.

Synopsis from the publisher:

“In this fiercely captivating novel, horror meets historical fiction when a curse bridges generations, binding the fates of three women. Anne Bolton, a healer facing persecution for witchcraft, bargains with a dark entity for protection—but the fire she unleashes will reverberate for centuries. Mary Shephard, a picture-perfect wife in a suffocating community, falls for Sharon and begins a forbidden affair that could destroy them both. And Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, defies conformist expectations to uncover an ancient power as her father’s flock spirals into crisis.”

Kristi does an amazing job of crafting an old world, folk horror scenario that winds it way through the distant past and then becomes an opportunity to address the modern problems that fate and tolerance have brought us.

I am a refugee of fundamentalist religion, but as someone who was often a part of the patriarchy, my departure had more to do with a triumph of science, reason and empathy over ignorance, fear, and judgement. As Kristi explored they ways in which the faithful brethren brought pain and suffering to those that they claimed to love; As she explored the ways in which, with each passing generation, those women became more broken and compliant; As the women continued to deny their true selves. Through all of that, I began to go outside of the novel and into the real world, and to view the ways in which women in my life were diminished through my embrace of harmful beliefs. And that awareness has made me a better man.

Great horror builds our capacity for empathy.

And DARK SISTERS is great horror!

In the 1700s a mother and daughter are in danger of being accused of witchcraft. They run away and start a new life near a particular tree. Soon they are joined by others from their former village. In the 1950's new mother and wife Mary lives in an idyllic town with a perfect life, but she is deeply unhappy until she meets a new friend. In 2007, Camilla has avoided her purity ball for long enough, but something isn't quite right.

This is a great story. Wonderfully paced and told. The mix of horror and historical fiction with female rage was just perfect. The author hit hard at purity culture and societal control without letting it become a lecture. You see it, she doesn't need to tell you "this is bad". It came together with a satisfying ending that I think people will really like.

Very excited to see more from this author.