Dark Sisters takes place in three different timelines, the 1700s, 1953, and 2007. Most of the women of Hawthorne Springs attend a strict Christian church, The Path, that has very clear expectations of how women and girls should behave. The principles of the church were established in the 1700s when women who didn't fit the mold were deemed witches. From that time to the 2000s, the pastors caution about the Dark Sisters who cause wayward girls and women to become sick, and the church established a retreat to bring them back to the fold. The three timelines flow really well. The plot is creepy at a few places and particularly dark at the end. Dark Sisters is one of the best horror novels I've read in a while. Thanks to NetGalley and S. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Three women's' fates are bound together through magic's curse. Anne is a healer on trial for witchcraft, and makes a deal for protection. But the result of that deal will carry on for generations. Mary lives a life of perfection, but eventually enters into a relationship with Sharon, shaking up their perfectly constructed community. Camilla, the wayward daughter of a preacher, learns of an ancient power.

This book has a great plotline, but the true "scary" element is the truthfulness in these women's experiences in a man's world or in a world where religion and closed mindedness rule. Though the stories of these women take place over centuries, they are all relatable in some way, and the author shows a maddening perspective that the issues they all faced continue on generation after generation.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b>4.5 Stars</b>
This was a fantastic piece of witchy horror and I don't normally enjoy that subgenre. However, in the hands of this author, I finally understand what makes these stories so amazing.

This story does a great job exploring the experience of these women as they push to break out of the lives and expectations that confine them. In addition, this novel brings in the role of church into these thematic elements.

This novel breaks the fierce feminist energy of the author's debut novel, Beneath, while adding the polished writing of their sophomore novel.

This author is one I will continue to watch and would highly recommend to readers who enjoy horror from a female perspective.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester is part horror and part thriller with a YA leaning. It tells the tale of three generations of women, all who were persecuted by men. It is a fresh take on the typical witch persecution stories. It is dark and troubling with a strong female character. It is a great story and quick read. It is chilling and gripping, showing you that the power of women cannot be controlled.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of the book.

In the early stages of this novel, I was prepared to dismiss it as nothing more than a young adult novel, for not going dark enough. however by the last quarter of the book DeMeester made it clear that she'd only been exercising restraint after that point and she took the book in a very dark direction.
While I'm not sure that I'm qualified to comment on the feminist themes in this book, I can say that the power dynamics are very clearly laid out in the early stages and yet manage to take some interesting and surprising turns towards the end of the novel.
By the end, when the separate storylines are brought together in a very satisfying way, the last few chapters deliver a horrifying conclusion that exploit a rising tension that the reader would have been unaware of due to the author's skilful use of language.
Couched in a somewhat simplistic writing style that would not have been at a place in, say, an RL Stine novel, the author describes a story of intergenerational trauma and abuse where supernatural forces serve as a thin allegory or real world situations.
DeMeester's writing style resists the temptation of sensationalism, going for the grue only when it serves the story. As such the horror is situational, described mainly in the social and moral frustrations of the protagonists.
For the well-read, there are echoes in here of past writers as diverse as Hawthorne, Poe and Jackson.
This is a book worth reading, not only for the compelling story it tells, but also as a lesson for aspiring writers in how to write a captivating horror or dark fantasy story without going over the top into the grotesque.
A thoroughly engrossing late night read.

Dark Sister is a chilling, gripping story that spans generations. The writing is strong and atmospheric, and the way the book is structured—jumping between different timelines—is incredibly effective. I loved how each chapter offered just enough to pull you deeper into the mystery, making you want to keep going to see how all the threads come together.

The way the author ties the different eras together is seamless, and the story builds with a steady, eerie tension. It’s dark, emotional, and at times unsettling, but it also carries an undercurrent of strength and resistance. Dark Sister is a powerful, unforgettable read that will stay with you long after the final page.

With the interlacing of three timelines, Author Kirsti DeMeester’s multi-perspective horror novel spotlights the generational horrors of patriarchal control over women’s bodies, the harms of purity culture, and the making of monsters out of “fallen women”. It’s witchy! It’s culty! And very relevant to the current times!

As someone who has her own personal PTSD with purity culture and the church’s need to control the female body, many parts in this book struck home for me. However, there were parts that dragged and I felt like I had to fight to push through. (But I might need to chalk that up to the headspace I was in at the time of reading.) All in all, I recommend this and readers should be on the lookout for it's release this December!

Every woman alive should read this book at, the very least, one point in their lives. I had the great pleasure of being able to read this ARC from NetGalley. This book follows three different lives of women whose paths weave through different times to become connected, much like a spider’s web. And like a web, the stories are intricate and complex, beautiful and unique, fragile, but also strong and powerful. This book doesn’t just use witchcraft as a horror trope. It also includes some of the day to day horrors women face. Whether it be expectations anchored in religion, societal inequality, or plain fear, it is covered in some way in this book. The characters were all relatable to me, especially having been raised in the southern United States. The fates of the women weave and bend to create an ending that is grotesquely satisfying. Kristi DeMeester has delivered a macabre masterpiece with this one. I am now intrigued about her other works and look forward to losing myself in her twisted imagination again.

This was my first Kristi DeMeester book, and I was really drawn in by the witchy horror vibes and the strong, complex women at the heart of the story. Dark Sisters doesn’t shy away from heavy or difficult topics, and I appreciated how layered and emotionally grounded it felt - the purity culture, ritualistic tones and strong feminist undercurrents were compelling. That said, the pacing was a bit slow for me, and it took some time to really get going. Still, the atmosphere and themes made it a worthwhile read — dark, eerie, and thought-provoking.

I really wanted to like this book because I love horror, I love religious themes and I love a good curse but overall it just didn't do it for me and I didn't end up finishing the book. I think it was a mostly me issue -- I was in a reading slump and not really interested in horror. Unfortunately it didn't grab me the way I wanted it to.

Feminism regularly finds its way into both contemporary and historical novels and women’s fight for their rights continues well into the 21st-century. Horror-writer Kristi DeMeester introduces a dark tale of women’s quest to rule their own lives centring on the town of Hawthorne Springs’ religious cult The Path. A black walnut stands’ Yggdrasil-like’ in Hawthorne’s midst, said to be the home of the Dark Sisters, or so the patriarchy would have you believe.
In 1953, Mary lives in the commune with her husband and baby, chafing at the restrictions of her tedious existence. She finds solace in Sharon, an outsider. By 2007, The Path has even more of a chokehold on its women. Camilla, the head cult preacher’s daughter, is about to find out first hand. In 1750, Anne tricks her daughter, Florence, into leaving the community where they are about to be named as witches. They make their home near the tree which is free with its bounty, but as time passes danger creeps in.
With echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale, females are kept in line by mythical stories of the Dark Sisters, who will punish them if they stray from God. DeMeester explores the early origins of this cult like behaviour in a triple-timeline myth-like story exploring many themes. Alongside its view of patriarchal control, it intersperses vampiric overtones, elements of horror, the supernatural, and graphic description into its pages. While not described as ‘enjoyable’ as such, the author has woven the disparate pieces together to craft an impressive tale. If I have any niggles, it would be that the story felt overly long in places. Other than that, a strong novel for feminist fantasy and horror lovers alike.

I tried to like this book. I started it several times. It seems right up my alley as an American history teacher and lover of historical fiction. I could not get into this book. I'm not sure why.

This book was very dark. It was well written and read quickly but the story to me was deeply upsetting. It was told from three different perspectives from three different time periods. The first was the 1700s and focused on a mother, Anne, and her daughter Florence. Anne is being threatened as a witch and needs to leave their town. She lies to convince her daughter to come with her and they settle in a new area with a tree that seems magical . All seems well until her daughter finds out the truth. The second was in the 1950s and focused on Mary a young mother. Mary wants more than being just a stay at home mother and the life that is laid out for her is not the one she wants. The third was the point of view of Camilla in 2007. She is raised in a strict home destined to just be a wife and mother.

In all three time periods the women had to be subservient to their men or risk catching a disease or possibly dying from a mysterious tree in the woods. I was often frustrated because I felt like the women could never get ahead and their lives were awful. I also didn't like everything that happened with the tree. I do think there is an audience for this book. If you love the horror genre you will probably like this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Kristi DeMeester’s “Dark Sisters” is a horror tale that addresses the relationship between women’s power and their duality. Themes of oppression and exploitation are explored through a traditional horror lens.

Camilla is the daughter of a very wealthy, very elite preacher who basically runs a cultlike country club. Women who don’t quite fit in are sent to “Retreat:” drugs, spa treatments, and prayer. As Camilla comes of age and plans to finally attend her Purity Ball, a mysterious illness attacks her mother. Through two other narratives, one at the founding of the cult and the other set in the 1950s, the reader uncovers the curse plaguing Camilla’s family and community and comes to realize the real threat to the women living there.

This was a great horror novel. I enjoyed the three-fold narration which didn’t uncover too much too quickly. The primitive lifestyle of the founders and the overly posh women in the future narratives offers a glaring juxtaposition which helps build the horror elements. Each of the women at the front of the different stories is flawed yet driven, likable and believable. The story as a whole was satisfying and creepy.

I look forward to more from Kristi DeMeester and definitely recommend “Dark Sisters” to fans of female-forward horror.

I received this novel from NetGalley.

💬 𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘺, 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘮…𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. I definitely enjoyed it!

With the interlacing of three timelines, Author Kirsti Demeester’s multiperspective horror novel spotlights the generational horrors of patriarchal control over women’s bodies, the harms of purity culture, and the making of monsters out of “fallen women”. It’s witchy! It’s culty! And very relevant to the current times!

Loved this book! Its one that will stay woth me for a while. Absolutely loved the three timeliness that it goes between. Has all my fav's.....witches, horror, and a cult. A def must read

Thanks again to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a wonderfully written novel. I really enjoyed the multiple timelines set in the 18th, 20th and 21st centuries. The author was able to pur an empathetic spark in these reader's heart for these multiple strong female characters. I can't wait to see what this author writes next. Highly recommended.

Dark Sisters
by Kristi DeMeester
Pub Date: Dec 09 2025

A 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.

This was a horror story with different time periods focused on three women. It was a well written book and if you enjoy horror stories then this book is worth the read.