This story follows women in 3 different timelines as they encounter mysterious magic in the earth they live on. Think religious extremism, witchy connections to nature, generational trauma and coming into your own power.

I loved it but it absolutely did give me nightmares! The body horror was real.

This book has everything I want in a story - generational trauma, multiple perspectives, and religious criticism. This definitely falls under feminist horror (a perfect genre!) and I loved how DeMeester is able to tell multiple stories and effortlessly weave them into each other. It's not easy to do!
I really enjoyed the story and will pick up DeMeester's other work, but I do think this one could do with a little more backstory. I wish it explained more about how the town and society were built up, and had more information on what happened between Anne and Mary's timelines. When did the town start splitting? How did other descendants fare? How did the church end up with so much wealth and power? It's not really explained and kind of took me out of the story a bit, especially when we jump up to the present and meet Camilla and there's so many designer brands name dropped out of nowhere. I don't often complain that a book should be longer but I would love to be more immersed in this world.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester is a magical and deeply chilling tale.

The story follows the narratives of three women living in different time periods, though somehow connected. Anna, Mary, and Camilla live in vastly different times, but each struggles against the confinement of the narrow gender roles allowed to women in their respective societies. Anna’s story takes place during the 1750’s and explores the anxiety surrounding witchcraft during that time as well as her fractious relationship with her daughter. Mary’s narrative takes place in the 1950’s, where her personality and desires are at odds with the prevailing aspiration of the stay at home wife and mother. Camilla’s part of the story takes place in the 2000’s and follows her coming of age in a strict, fundamentalist religion. Camilla’s portion of the narrative is the largest and most plot driven. All three narratives alternate chapters so as the action takes place in Camilla’s story, the reader gets a sense of scale, clues, and backstory with the other perspectives.

Camilla is a young woman who was born into a fundamentalist religious sect. As the pastor’s daughter she is expected to be modest, submissive, obliging, and thin. From her place of privilege within the church, she is largely untouched by rumors of a mysterious illness which plagues only the women members of the church. This illness is said to be brought on by the “Dark Sisters” as a punishment for unrighteousness. These Dark Sisters are understood by the younger members of the church to be merely a cautionary fairy tale for children. Camilla believes the same until she is visited by horrific visions of these sisters who seem to be calling her, urging them to join them in death. To solve the mystery of the Dark Sisters, Camilla must delve into the dark foundations of her father’s power and her own.

This novel has elements of magical realism, horror, thriller, and historical fiction. There are heavy themes regarding oppression of women through history, and sharp insight into how society perpetuates and seeks to benefit from this oppression. I enjoyed the unflinching exploration of how women have been stripped of their power by society’s expectations, and the hope that they can reclaim it. I would recommend this book to fans of Weyward, and The Handmaids Tale who also enjoy horror.

A beautifully woven tale of what happens when generations of women are forced to become what is expected of them and made to ignore their true desires.

For a debut this is very impressive! I don’t normally enjoy books with a historical tone but this book definitely did it for me! The dual timelines was done so intricately, I never felt lost.

The author did a great job moving between 3 stories, in 3 different generations. That could not have been easy, however I expected more witchy, and less religious. I expected a slightly faster explanation of the dark sisters and their origin. Instead I was left wondering what is going on. So, needless to say, in that regard alone, I was in fact disappointed with the book on a personal level.

The magic of women, wrapped in a misogynistic world, with sorcery and betrayal is the backbone of the story of Anne Bolton, Mary Shephard, and Camilla Burson. Along with the hard life the women have lived, there is a curse that harms only the women in The Path, that is not only painful, but deadly.

I found myself cheering with the women, and frustrated by the actions of the men of The Path, and their treatment of the women they supposedly love.

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Words can not describe just how much I enjoyed reading Dark Sisters. Kristi DeMeester is a master at not only weaving a story, but weaving three separate timelines, and doing it well proves that she is an absolute master at story.
There are two main story lines. The first is set in the 50's and follows Mary. Mary is a follower of the path and has been raised to be the perfect god fearing wife and mother, just like every other woman that lives in Hawthorne Springs. They go to church, always look perfect, and never complain. However after having her first child Ada, Mary feels oppressed and held down by this life she was born into. There is also the small issue of Mary preferring women. When she meets Sharon, she finally feels she can be who she was always meant to be. However when her two worlds collide, not even her best friend Vera can help her.
Fast forward to 2007, and we meet Camilla. She, like Mary, is a follower of the path and just happens to be the preachers daughter. Camilla constantly feels the weight and pressure of her "title" but it isn't until an old tale of the "dark sisters" invades her life, does she start to question everything she knows. You eventually learn that Camilla's story is connected to Mary's. Mary's daughter Ada, is Camilla's mom, and Vera is still very much in the picture.
Hawthorne Springs is supposed to be this opulent, god fearing, male led society, but from time to time, it's women come down with a mysterious illness. There is no known cause and no known cure. The men feel it is because the women have strayed from the path of God, but this illness is indiscriminate. There is no rhyme or reason why some women die, while others do not.
And finally, the third timeline is set up as an interlude, part of the story, but not really part of the story. It's in this timeline that we learn just how Hawthorne Springs came to be and the history surrounding the "dark sisters."
If you love masterful storytelling, and can deal with the true horrors of mysongny, religious oppression, and homophobia, then pick this book up. It is a perfect blend of women reclaiming their power and understanding that they need to take the good along with the bad in order to do so.

Reality is the biggest horror. The information and reveals are paced well. The story has a clear pace and doesn't feel like it drags or moves too fast. There are three storylines that we follow. They connect well with each other. I felt that Camila's story took a while to get going. The other two hit the ground running. I was immediately interested and invested in their stories. It took me a few chapters to get into her story.

Three different women in different times have to endure social norms that devalue them. The story line pulls you in and demands you keep reading.

The women in Hawthorne Springs are not free. Although they live in a town that is filled with wealth and luxury, they’re virtually powerless. They must conform to the standards of their insular society and meet the expectations their fathers and husbands set for them. A malevolent curse binds them, keeping them subservient.

Kristi DeMeester introduces Anne, Mary, and Camilla- three women connected by time and circumstance. They are the product of a controlled environment where rebellion is met with punishment. The men of Hawthorn Springs devalue women, seeing them only as trophies, and victimize them with arrogance and greed. They emphasize outward appearance over the women’s wants and needs.

DeMeester writes Anne, Mary, and Camilla with three distinct voices beautifully. Her style is riveting and captured my attention right away. Shifting between time periods, the author tells a fast-paced and suspenseful story. It was heartbreaking to see the women forbidden from expressing their true selves. Oppression and feelings of powerlessness and fear were palpable throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, thrillers, or historical fiction. This book conjures fear about what could be. It was thought-provoking, and it wasn’t easy to put down!

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester. A fascinating read that kept me reading long past when I had other things that I needed to get done. I'm not sorry either. Timely subject matter combined with really good story-telling by the author.

Demeester masterfully blends horror and historical fiction to tell the intertwined stories of three women across generations. Anne Bolton, a healer accused of witchcraft, binds her fate to a dark entity; Mary Shephard, a constrained wife, embarks on a forbidden affair; and Camilla Burson, a rebellious preacher’s daughter, seeks ancient power. This gripping tale explores themes of love, identity, and resilience against societal norms. With vivid prose and compelling character development, this novel is a haunting yet rewarding read. Highly recommended for fans of richly layered narratives.

Reading Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester was an immersive and haunting experience. This novel weaves together the lives of three women across different time periods, each facing oppression, fear, and the weight of secrets that connect them in unexpected ways.

The story begins in the mid-1700s with Anne Bolton, a healer seeking safety for herself and her daughter as the threat of witch hunts looms over them. Desperate to protect those she loves, she turns to something dark, setting events into motion that ripple through time. In the 1950s, Mary Shephard is a young mother trying to navigate the rigid expectations of her conservative religious community. When she finds herself drawn into a relationship that defies those expectations, she begins questioning the beliefs she has always followed. In 2007, Camilla Burson, the daughter of a preacher, starts to notice a strange pattern of illness among the women in her town, including her own mother. Her search for answers leads her to a mysterious retreat and the discovery of a power she never imagined possessing.

Each timeline is vividly drawn, making it easy to become lost in the lives of these women. The novel explores the recurring struggles of women through history—oppression, control, and the fight for autonomy—while intertwining supernatural elements that add to the eerie, unsettling atmosphere. The writing is lyrical and immersive, creating a world where every whisper and shadow feels significant.

This book left a strong impression, lingering in my mind long after I finished. It masterfully blends historical fiction, horror, and feminist themes in a way that feels both unsettling and deeply empowering.

Kristi DeMeester’s Dark Sisters is a masterfully woven tapestry of horror, history, and generational trauma, steeped in a darkly lyrical atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. A haunting exploration of power, repression, and the enduring bonds between women, the novel spans three centuries, binding the fates of its protagonists—Anne, Mary, and Camilla—through an insidious curse and the defiant magic they dare to wield.

DeMeester’s prose is both hypnotic and razor-sharp, conjuring a world where the supernatural pulses just beneath the surface of reality. Anne’s desperate pact with darkness to survive the witch trials, Mary’s doomed love in a rigid, suffocating society, and Camilla’s rebellion against religious dogma each unfold with stunning emotional depth and an escalating sense of dread. The novel masterfully examines the ways in which patriarchal fear seeks to contain feminine power—only to provoke its most ferocious awakenings.

With an eerie, immersive tone reminiscent of The Year of the Witching and the unsettling psychological intensity of Marian Lane and the Midnight Murder, Dark Sisters is as much a horror novel as it is a reclamation of strength and identity. It’s a bonfire of fury and resilience, burning through time with an unrelenting force. DeMeester has crafted something magnificent—a story that is as beautiful as it is terrifying, as poetic as it is feral.

A must-read for lovers of feminist horror, historical fiction, and anyone drawn to tales of power that refuse to be silenced.

“You were told your entire life to want it. Finding the man. The romance. The storybook wedding. It was only after, in the quiet of your new domestic life, that the cracks started to show, and the voice you muzzled suddenly learned how to scream.”

This is a story of a generational curse of 3 generations. 3 women binded, in 3 different time periods wanting to break free from conformity. In the end they get their revenge.

This book was fast paced, and I enjoyed reading it. I was happy with the ending, I was not able to put it down. Gave women empowerment vibes!

This was a fabulous good for her story, that was impossible to put down. Dark Sisters follows three characters in three separate timelines. The farther you go you quickly learn that these characters are all connected. There’s Anne Bolton who sets off with her daughter for a new life, but the people in town are killing women who are accused of being witches. Anne makes a deal with the Dark Sisters. Then there’s Mary who is a perfect housewife and mother. She meets Sharon and the two of them fall in love. Lastly, there’s Camilla who’s a preacher’s daughter. The women of her congregation are suddenly becoming sick and dying, and now she’s pushed her father too far and he’s sending her to the Retreat, a place for troublemakers.

I loved the witchy vibe to this book, and everything is so well-written. The world-building of the Dark Sisters lore and the Path church is incredible. The characters are so realistic they seem to leap off the page, and your heart breaks for them. I wanted to see them have their revenge and get their happy ending.

Highly recommend checking this one out when it comes out in December. A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

Kristi DeMeester has crafted a novel that doesn’t just ask what it means to break free, it demands it. And in doing so, she’s created a powerful testament to the fierce, unstoppable nature of women who refuse to be silenced.