When I looked at this cover I thought no way is this book going to be dark like some reviewers have stated. Wrooong.

This book is a book of generational trauma that had me shaking my head. It is a Appalachian story that feels older than the time period but then I know people who live like they do. I kept hoping good would come but you honestly feel like you are in this story trying to keep your head above water.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Daughter of the Mountain tells the story of a dysfunctional family in a small mountain town. We watch Lottie as she grows up, living with her grandmother and uncles, abandoned by her mother. The family struggles with poverty, abuse and multigenerational trauma, while Lottie tries to uncover reasons for her mother's disappearance. The book was full of emotional scenes and had a captivating ending, however, the first half of the book was quite slow-paced. Overall I enjoyed the read, it is a good book.
*received a free e-book on NetGalley*

This author has written an innovative story that reads like nonfiction. The characters come alive on the pages. The setting is almost a character. This is a story that is common. A young woman leaves her child with her mother. She wants a better life than living in the small town where she grew up. Searching for more. This is a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

Parenll's writing is really good. She's unique with character descriptions, lovely prose without getting too purple, and good with the pacing, although I felt like there was more backstory than actual story which made it drag. We get constant flashbacks to times that relate to what the character is going through in the present moment. I, personally, found the story of Effie's dog getting shot by her dad to be just too much. Not only because it was insane, but I struggle to wonder if it was necessary. Like if it was just to link Effie having the gun to shoot her rapist when she was 17, I'd rather Parnell leave it at there's high tension in the town because of the coal miners and her dad give her the gun to protect herself just in case. Wouldn't think twice about a young woman having a gun in a small, hick town. Again, I really don't think killing the dog was necessary. For the most part, it seemed like we just kept getting sad stories that feed into why all these characters are bitter, mean and lonely. I only really cared about Lottie's mission to find out what happened to her mother, since the diaries were really the only way we as an audience get to know what happened since every other character wonders too. (low key spooky that the day I started reading this book, August 21st, is the same day as Sarah's birthday, Lottie's mom) There were also times that I got the feeling that she was trying to hit that word count; for example the scene where Effie's opening the box from under the porch in Part 3. Felt like it took forever for her to actually open the box. 

It's a short story, heavy on the sadness but with a hopeful ending. I get uncomfortable reading about bullies and mean characters; makes my blood boil. The kind of characters that feel like their actions are above the law. That no amount of discipline or talking will get through to them. I think because they're realistic traits. Things that we've all seen in others. I will give her, though, she balances the bad and the good. Plenty of scenes make my stomach clench, but there's just as many moments of ease. Curtis is lovely to Lottie and seems to be the only good character. Well, him and Mr Goodwin, though we don't see too much of him. And it pains me that the only way Effie feels like she can look after Lottie is with tough love that can come off as all tough and no love.

Dark and sad and lonely. It was a hard life living on a backwoods mountain in isolation. This is a story of a family and it’s crushing pain as a result of a lifetime of evil people and bad decisions.

I couldn't put the book down. The plot of the story is encaptures us readers to feel a certain emotion like self discovery when reading this book. I would highly recommend this book to whomever love this genre that has made me a fan of this author.

I would give this book a 5 star rating.

I really enjoyed this heart-wrenching story about a grandmother, her daughter, granddaughter, and her three sons, living in the Appalachian mountains. Each living with their own horrific secrets. I like how the author draws you deep into their world as their secrets are revealed and they fight for survival.
This book will grab you from the first page and not let go until the last page. Sherry Parnell has a way of capturing one's attention by writing heartfelt and touching stories that keep you turning the pages and wanting more.
I highly recommend this book along with her other book, Let the Willows Weep, which is another wonderful book.
I am definitely looking forward to more books from this author. I will be watching and waiting!

I have a mild obsession with tales set in Appalachia, so was very excited for this one. This is a heavy read and suitably dark, disturbing, and dysfunctional for a book focused on a place that is associated with impossible hardship, poverty, and generational trauma usually impossible to escape from. The author does not shy away from anything, which I appreciate.

I was given an ARC of Sherry Parnell's "Daughter of the Mountain" by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Life on Talon Ridge is harsh and the characters in this novel are even harsher. Effie Bilfrey seems to be doing what she can to hold her family together in a world that is full of poverty, disappointment, heartbreak, and evil. The novel opens when Sarah, Effie's teenage daughter hands her baby over to her mother, saying she can no longer stand her life on the mountain and needs to escape. Effie takes in the baby, but her only ally seems to be her Uncle Curtis who is just five or six years older than her. Her oldest uncle Carl is a mean SOB and his younger brother Gene follows his lead in every way, even though he knows he is heading toward nothing but trouble. Lottie grows up, always feeling a hole in hear heart from her mother's abandonment. As the story progresses, the secrets that could tear the family apart begin to unravel and there is no going back.

There is nothing sugar-coated about this story at all, but the writing is excellent and the story is raw and honest.
But I'm glad that I never have to meet any of these characters in real life.

Daughter of the Mountain by Sherry Parnell

Talon Ridge, is a dying town in the Appalachian Mountains. Its home to Effie Bilfrey who is raising her granddaughter Lottie because her daughter Sarah has disappeared without a trace. Effie is trying to find Sarah and discover why she left in the first place. As Lottie grows up she begins to question her mother's disappearence as is desperate to escape the dusty, small town. This book is heavier than I thought it would be! The dark family secrets begin to come out and we see how this affects these three women.

Overall, this was a good read, but was not something I enjoyed. I was intrigued enough to finish to find out why Sarah ran off, but I found myself skipping sections and wanting to finish the book. Although this book isn't as dark as something like Prince of Tides, I got that same vibe. An example of an amazing, talented writer with content that is just hard to consume. For some reason that's how this book was for me. It provoked anger at the injustice some of the characters suffered... hate that. So much of that in real life and I don't love reading about that in fiction novels. I love it in my Fantasy Books, because its all make believe! lol. That being said, any book that provokes emotion or thought is always going to get credit for that.

Overall, I'd say the book was a pass for me, but I know this will be loved by many others.

Where to begin about this book. I can truly say this book put me all on my feelings. Finding the right words to adequately express how I felt took some time as I wanted to express The delicate way in which Sherry Parnell explored the role of intergenerational trauma was in my humble opinion both heartbreaking and necessary. This book will not disappoint and highlights grit and determination.

Daughter Of The Mountain


This tale of love and loss, pain and joy, as well as family secrets comes from an impoverished dying town in the Appalachian mountains. Lottie attempts to solve the dual mysteries of her father’s identity and her mother’s disappearrance. What she discovers is nothing less than life changing.

This evocative page-turning story will be remembered by the reader for a long time.

This book was no fairytale! It was raw in its telling, depressing and sad. While it is a work of fiction, I'm quite sure there are people living in the Appalachians whose lives are hard scrabble, who live from hand-to-mouth, and whose lives are difficult and hard. I would like to believe, however, that this novel was not a true description of families that come from that "mountain." Call me naïve!! That's why this novel listed under the genre "Fiction." This book was not an easy novel to get through, but I did (even though at times I wanted to delete it). I'm not about to give a synopsis of the novel and I'm not about to recommend it either. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of the Mountain is a beautifully written historical fiction with a strong and interesting female lead. I loved everything about this book and I couldn't put it down, although it is short I felt like there was so much character development. I especially loved seeing how different characters affect the future as we get to see multiple generations which was really interesting and unique. Overall if you enjoy female oriented historical fictions I really recommend this