The best way to describe this is The Book of Witching meets Stepford Wives.

This story follows the lives of three women from different time periods. They're stories interconnect through their struggles to "behave" in their cult-like community of Hawthorne Springs and the generational curse that plagues them. They are expected to maintain their appearance, obey the men, and follow The Path. There is a religious theme throughout with mentions of witchcraft, LGBTQ+, eating disorders, anxiety, and self harm.

The story line was easy to follow and each character's point of view was well written. Each woman has their own personality and the author was able to switch between them flawlessly.

There were slightly gory elements to this Horror novel, but it wasn't anything too over the top, in my opinion. I'm not typically a fan of Historical Fiction, however, given the Gothic nature this is one of my favorite books of the genre.

I would highly recommend to anyone who loves Gothic Horror and/or Historical Fiction.

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

I really loved this book!

It had all the elements of a great story and I thought the ending was tied up well. The unique perspectives of the women throughout the years added to the mystery and suspense. I thought that all plot elements added to the story well and that the pacing of the book was great.

Overall would highly recommend and would read other works from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchance for my honest opinions. The following review has been posted to Goodreads as of 07/03/2025, and will be posted to retail sites when requested.

The synopsis of this book has all the right components, as other reviewers have stated, but doesn't quite pull it together in practice. I'm all about feminine rage, dissecting religious values, misogyny and the fact that it's a horror novel was even better.

Right from the start, I had mixed feelings. I felt a bit guilty just coming off the heels of reading Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and being unable to stop myself from drawing parallels. I have a feeling, especially for the beginning of this book, other readers may do the same. 3 women, spanning across time but explored respectively and repressed by their cultures. Once I really settled into the book it became obvious that while the premise is similar, the two books have different things to say. Unfortunately that message was so heavy handed from page one it became suffocating by the final page.

If I want a really good antagonist, someone to really hate, they need to be rooted in reality at least a little bit. 99% of the men in this book are portrayed so cartoonishly villainous it was difficult to take seriously. I can handle one or two over the top villains, but not an entire slew of them at every turn.

I still was enjoying the book well enough until about the last 20% when I was really just finishing it to finish it. The final wrap up gets odd and gross, but not in the good way I typically enjoy with my horror novels.

It wasn't a hit for me, but best wishes to Kristi DeMeester and her future novels!

A witchy story about generational curses, misogynistic societal expectations, and the ways that the patriarchy feed off women, Dark Sisters falls into the rich horror tradition of They Drown Our Daughters, The Haunting of Alejandra, and Jennifer McMahon novels. Kristi DeMeester continues her trend of mixing horror with systemic patriarchal oppression in the best way possible.

Oh my this was captivating!

So many things at once. Horror, Curses, Witchcraft and forbidden love? Yes, and much more.

Three women bridge generations, all cursed. Anne, a healer, is accused of being a witch and to save herself she makes a bargain with the darker side.

But things begin to go horribly wrong. In the past, and in the present.

Mary is trying to be a good wife and mother. She isn’t succeeding at all. Then she meets Sharon and she is in love and happy.

Camilla is struggling as well. With an overbearing father and a meek mother, she hates it all. When she discovers a secret, it will blow everyone’s world apart. Some for the better.

Told seamlessly over three centuries, this was a wonderful story.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press December 09, 2025

** spoiler alert ** "Dark Sisters" is a feminist horror tale that takes on the puritan, patriarchal belief that men are men and women find fulfillment in keeping house and making babies. I found the story well written and entertaining, but there were some bumps along the way.

In many cases, this story reminded me of a pastiche of other feminist stories with similar themes. There's three timelines that are brought together - the mother-daughter story of the 1750s, who are the seeds of the Dark Sisters curse; the discontented housewife of the 1950s; and the young, entitled preacher's daughter of the present day. This structure reminded me very much of "The Hours," which also had this feminine lens, focuses on notions of female fulfillment that is tied to traditional ideology of the cult of domesticity, where women are most empowered as keepers of the home and hearth and crib. In particular, the middle story of both this book and "The Hours," the discontented housewife struggles with her position and seeks answers outside of the home. Suicidal ideation is a strong focus in this middle story.

There's a cult as well, which brought to mind visions of "The Stepford Wives" and other, more modern feminist dystopians whose titles are not coming to mind right now. The final storyline, that of the preacher's daughter, really focuses on this topic. It is in this story arc that I was most discontented as a reader, particularly because I wasn't very pleased staying in the head of this young girl for very long. Additionally, I had issues with the use (or non-use) of social media, and the stranglehold that the cult had over the females of the community. I guess I just had a hard time grasping this sort of brainwashing.

I liked the ending! Which I won't reveal, even though this review already contains spoilers. I'd like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me an early read of this book.

This was a fiercely captivating novel that intricately weaves horror with historical fiction, revealing the enduring legacy of feminine rage through the experiences of three extraordinary women across three centuries. Kristi DeMeester masterfully brings to life the struggles and triumphs of Anne Bolton, Mary Shephard, and Camilla Burson, each grappling with their own battles against societal oppression and personal demons.

DeMeester’s prose is haunting and evocative, drawing readers into a world where love, fury, and ancient power intertwine seamlessly. The novel’s exploration of the resilience of women in the face of adversity is both timely and timeless, provoking a deep emotional response and a sense of righteous anger.

Overall, I’d say Dark Sisters is a powerful read that challenges the reader to reflect on the historical oppression of women and to celebrate their enduring strength. With its rich character development and gripping narrative, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in feminist literature. I wholeheartedly recommend it to women everywhere.

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester

A historical and present day fiction that draws you into the story of each of the women portrayed through the centuries, as if you were the proverbial fly on the wall. It is a story rich with the telling of how men use their supposed power and influence to control and strip women of their own power and self-worth. The horror felt in each period of their lives, tells how the women lose who they are, who they hope to be, and what they hope to achieve is ripped away from them, all concluding within a storm of power and understanding of a bloodline and a most sacred lineage.
#stmartinspress

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of DARK SISTERS by Kristi DeMeester from a Shelf Awareness/Publisher's Weekly giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy summer!

I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this book. I liked that it took place across three different times, and I found myself wanting to turn the pages faster than I could read, eager to learn more about each woman’s story. However, the last chapter felt a bit clunky and thrown together. I don’t think the story ended as cleanly as it could/should have.

Three women from three time periods all living in the same town. Each story intertwines with the next to form a web that is filled with deceit and the pursuit of perfection. Overall, this story is about how there is good and evil in all of us, and until we accept both, we will not truly live.

Loved it! Dark, thrilling, captivating. Really enjoyed the characters from all the time periods. Very well written. A can't put it down book until the end, and then you want more!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

As l've said before, I always love a "good for her" book, and this one didn't disappoint. Dark Sisters delivers "we're the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn" with an intensity and ferocity that was so powerful, and hard to put down.
A little slow to start, and hard to initially keep up with all of the characters, but in the end, they all tied in so well.
Dreadful, fierce, and haunting, I recommend this book for a frighteningly beautiful look into the extremes of faith, and the feminine rage that binds their women together in the face of adversity

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. The story the author wove through time was put together wonderfully and there was a perfect level of creepiness. Having religious trauma myself, the author writes so realistically about the indoctrination that comes from the church, especially towards women. The overall message of being true to who you are and embracing all parts of yourself is very inspiring. I was very honored to be able to read this book as an advanced copy. I can't wait for the release date to be able to buy a hard copy for my bookshelf!

Such a good read, I'm still reeling from that ending!! I really enjoyed the three different timelines and how well they all came together in the end. So many strong female characters to fall in love with. Thank you to the author and netgalley for the arc copy of this book

When a young mother feels like life is tearing her down she gets Great story telling.

The author brings you through different generations of women and the experiences they face. All the while it is like the telling of folk lore from generation to generation. Something used to scare you into a false sense of yourself or to make you be submissive? That is up to the reader to decide.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read an early release. It was definitely a great story.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

From the summary, I was excited by this book. Starting off, I enjoyed the writing and setting, but it became very difficult to managed the 3 timelines as I read along. One character name overlaps, but I never felt like it was explained why this was - was it a family name, or was the author suggesting it's the same person in different time lines? It became very distracting and pulled my attention away.
This book began to bog down and feel overly long starting around the midpoint of the book, so much so that when the events come, I felt very little emotion for the characters, just felt glad to be able to move on from the storyline.

Maybe in an audio form it would - will - be more engaging, especially if it were a multiple narrator situation. Or even if I were able to easily flip back to sections and re-read them in a printed form. Overall, I am just feeling disappointed. But I would give the author another try.

3 stars.

I'm not entirely sure what I thought about this book. First the positive: it's an easy read. Sometimes it veers into YA territory with the naming of clothing brands worn by the protagonist. SHe's a rich girl with an all powerful preacher father. The entire wealthy community is overseen by the leader of the church and "naughty" women are sent for reconditioning if they don't toe the line. Of course, the main character is a teen girl, so rebelling is in her nature. There are 2 other subplots of a mother/ daughter caught up in the times of America's witch trials. The other involves a woman coming to terms with her homosexuality in this same repressive religious community. There is a building sense of supernatural dread in the first 2/3 or so of the book. Some women develop what seems like a very bad case of herpes which spreads and kills them. So far, so good. When it falls apart for me is the whole "solve" of the mystery involving a magical tree and secret rituals where the men prey on the women. Mostly I was annoyed that somehow (spoiler alert), the women prevail but the men have been able to use the women's magical powers for their own benefit for so long. It just doesn't feel true to the rest of the story and feels a little convoluted and un-empowering. I think that's the opposite of what the author was going for

This book wasn’t really for me. I didn’t realize it going in that it had a lot of themes and topics that aren’t ones I am interested in or like to read about it. It was a “do not finish” for me. I do believe that obviously it will be loved by the correct target audience. Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I connected with all of the characters in a meaningful way and felt so sad for them. They were very relatable, and the more current main character gave me a few chuckles throughout. I think the author did a nice job with the triple timelines, and it did not feel muddled at all. I did leave with a few questions at the end that I wish had been resolved, but otherwise I would recommend this book if you enjoy feminine rage and revenge.