"Smothermoss" was okay. The premise was interesting, and the magic and aliveness of the mountain were cool. The sisters weren't compelling though, and their perspectives were rambling.

In Smothermoss, the mountains are the main character. Truthfully, it took time for me to figure out how all the different parts of the story came together, and I was sometimes unsure as to what was real and what the two sisters were imagining. I particularly loved the descriptions and mentions of the tarot cards—even listening, I could envision them perfectly. This was a really interesting read that I will definitely be able to sell.

4.5 stars rounded down

Smothermoss is an ethereal atmospheric tale of two sisters - 17 year old Sheila and 12 year old Angie - who live in an Appalachian town with their mother and elderly aunt. When two city girls are found dead, Sheila and Angie find their lives shaken up.

This was such an interesting read! The visuals were amazing and this book is primarily vibes. The plot was minimal but the characters more than made up for it. I enjoyed meeting Sheila and Angie and the people they encounter. While I normally do not enjoy magical realism, this novel really worked for me!

I also adored the audiobook narrator who brought the characters to life with fun accents. I’d recommend listening to this one if possible

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia, and Recorded Books for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a weird one for me. I loved the setting and thought the author did a great job of creating an Appalachian family struggling to make ends meet in the 80's. I really enjoyed both Sheila and Angie and thought their relationship as sisters felt believable and raw. My issue was with the plot, or lack thereof I guess. The hunt for a murderer was very secondary to the atmosphere and strange happenings and too much was left unexplained for my liking. Overall, I would read from the author again, but this one wasn't my favourite.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An engaging combination of mystery and supernatural, this book thrusts you into the world of two sisters living in Appalachia. One has an interest in the occult, and the other just wants her family to survive. I enjoyed this wild ride, but the dark undertones might not be for all readers.

Set against the mysterious backdrop of the ancient Appalachian mountains, this story is a haunting blend of murder, sisterhood, and a touch of magic. Seventeen-year-old Sheila is burdened with caring for her aging great-aunt, looking after her Rambo-obsessed little sister, and managing the food and animals on their rural property. She also grapples with a secret love she fears revealing and a sense of suffocation in this rural life.

In contrast, her sister, twelve-year-old Angie, is a force of nature. She spends her days exploring the woods, searching for Russian spies and drawing graphic monster cards that, disturbingly, seem to communicate their desires to her. Their already complicated lives are thrown into turmoil when two young women are brutally murdered on a local hiking trail, sending the town into a frenzy. Angie is determined to find the killer, but she'll need Sheila's help—if Sheila can first learn to help herself.

The story weaves magical elements into the eerie setting of dense ferns and hidden dangers. With its tradition of viewing nature as a realm of malevolent magic, the American South is vividly brought to life here. The mountain becomes a character, exerting its will on the people who live there, with unseen forces seemingly controlling events.

I loved the vivid descriptions of the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountains, and Christine Bennett's narration was excellent, with different Appalachian accents and quite captivating.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook.

This book was wonderful! I have already recommended it to so many friends and rated it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. It is a deeply moving coming of age story of two sisters struggling to adjust to teenage life while living in Appalachia. The characters were unique and well rounded. Each sister's personality was realistic and believable. I liked that the audiobook narrator used different voices for the sisters.

Truthfully, I only kept listening because of the narrator’s beautiful Appalachian accent. The characters were intriguing, but the plot fell flat. I kept listening hoping the storyline would improve, but it just got more and more unsettling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books/RB Media for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and provide my honest thoughts and review!

Sheila and her younger sister, Angie, seem like two ordinary sisters on the surface. Living out their lives in rural Appalachia, we see how the growing pains of teenage girls have changed (and maybe not changed so much at all) as we view them through the lens of the 1980s. But the gothic elements really come into play when we discover that Sheila feels as if she always has a rope noosed around her neck that no one except her can see or feel, and Angie makes her own deck of Tarot cards that seem to have a mind of their own.

The prose really pulls you in and the descriptions of the mountains and the settings that feel as old as time are very lush and vivid, making you feel as if you can touch the flowers and trees on the mountainside. I also appreciate that the audiobook narrator has a Southern accent, which makes the characters seem that much more real and believable! While some parts of the plot seem to get a little lost towards the end, you can appreciate the book for what it shows about the nature of teenage girls, including the navigation of young love and the ways that girls see life and love as they mature.

If you are looking for a gothic story with elements of folk tales, queer representation, and just a little bit of the surreal, then you should definitely read this or listen to the audiobook!

Alisa Alering’s Smothermoss is a novel that promises an atmospheric dive into mystery and family secrets, but while it has its moments, it ultimately falls short of its full potential. The audiobook presents a story set in the eerie and fog-laden Smothermoss estate with it's tangled web of relationships and secrets, and though it has some compelling elements, it struggles to maintain consistent engagement throughout.

The premise is intriguing, and the novel does a commendable job setting up a dark, mysterious atmosphere. However, the story unfolds at a slow pace, with significant stretches that feel drawn out. This can make it challenging for listeners to stay fully immersed, as the buildup of suspense often feels sluggish.

The narration is one of the audiobook’s strengths, with a voice performance that adds depth and mood to the story. The narrator’s ability to differentiate characters and convey the novel’s eerie tone enhances the overall experience, but it cannot fully compensate for the pacing issues in the narrative.

Additionally, the resolution of the story may disappoint some listeners. The ending feels somewhat ambiguous and leaves several questions unanswered, which can be unsatisfying for those who prefer more concrete conclusions.

In summary, Smothermoss has a strong atmosphere and a capable narrator, but its slow pace and uneven character development might leave some listeners feeling less engaged than they had hoped. It’s a decent listen for fans of gothic mysteries, but it may not fully deliver on its intriguing premise.

"Smothermoss" by Alisa Alering is women's fiction with magical realism in it. I found it very confusing and a bit slow.

Two sisters, one 17 years old and the other 13, are both pretty unhappy. They live with their mother and great aunt in the Appalachian mountains. This is set in the 1980s. Sheila, the older sister, takes care of everyone and everything while harboring secret thoughts of a girl she has a crush on. Angie, the younger sister, is obsessed with thoughts of war and fighting the Russians. She also draws her own tarot cards and uses them pretty effectively. They mysteriously turn up and disappear at odd times. The mountain they live on seems to have magic the girls can tap into.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 3/5
Plot - 2/5
Pacing - 2/5
Unputdownability - 2/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 3/5 by Susan Bennett
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 23/8 = 2 7/8 rounded up to 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Alisa Alering for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really strange. It had some really unique elements to it and I was weirdly hooked to the story.

The two sisters had some serious weird vibes but the more the book went on, the more I appreciated their uniqueness and the beauty of their souls.

It has some really cool supernatural elements to it as well.

the writing is amazing and the narration really suited the tone of the book.

There are two murders in the wildness and the girls have very different reactions to it. I think the story is really about how these two very different girls come to appreciate each other during a dangerous time.

It was different but a seriously excellent read

4 stars

Smothermoss and Susan Bennett's narration made for a great listen. In 1980s Appalachia, Sheila and Angie, two very different sisters, both find ways to reckon with their family and the mystery surrounding the murder of two hikers.

Alisa Alering creates a claustrophobic atmosphere and brings the characters to life. Angie is precocious, if a bit paranoid, while Sheila struggles to appear more grounded and realistic. Their relationship is at the core of narrative as they fight with others and, more often than not, each other.

The description makes it seem like the murder mystery will be central to the plot, but it remains underdeveloped. As does, I think, the elements of magical realism that are woven throughout. Some lack of clarity is to be expected, but certain elements felt a bit too haphazard.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I think that probably a lot of important things get said in this book, but unfortunately they get buried by the style. At least as far as I'm concerned. I just didn't form a connection with the plot or the characters, although I really enjoyed the setting. This isn't really folkhorror - more literary fiction with a bit of magical realism as window dressing. Would have liked to enjoy it more than I did.

This was good!! A story of sisters, a story of not fitting in, a little mystery, a little magic, a lot of heart and grit in these characters. The audiobook was well read.

1.5 Stars
When I read the description for this book it sounded like something I’d enjoy but the majority of the time I was listening to this I felt dumb because I just could just barely comprehend what was happening. I feel like the invisible boy and even the rope was meant to symbolize something but I really don’t know what. Maybe this is a book I have to physically read for me to understand it but I will say that I did enjoy the audiobook narrators voice at least lol.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC!

Story based on the fragile relationship between 2 sisters until something happens that brings them closer together, finally revealing secrets. Throw in a touch of mystery and possibly paranormal activity...voilà!

The beginning of this book reads like a dark fever dream. All of it reads like a dark fever dream. I had absolutely no idea what was going on during the first four chapters, and then an event occurred that grounds the story the slightest bit. I have never read a story that made so little sense but evoked such intense feelings though. The whole thing left me with a lingering greasy, visceral feeling. The characters are dark and unhinged. The story was not for me, but the overall vibe and feeling was immaculate. Sheila and Angie are two children struggling with a reality that may not be as real as it seems. The magical folklore in Appalachia comes through in creepy abundance.

“You can’t win against the mountain. The mountain always finds a way.”

This book had me at “1980s Appalachia” and murder mystery. It's an odd, dreamy, and bewitching tale full of lush descriptions of the outdoors, just as I hoped it would be. Alering utilizes metaphorical and poetic prose that, albeit lovely, feels like it’s beating around the bush of what it really wants to say, making for a somewhat confusing telling. Lines between what is reality and what is fantasy are deeply blurred. Our two main characters, Sheila and Angie, are easy to sympathize with and this story ended up not really being about the “mystery” much at all but was rather a very character driven story about these two sisters and their daily inner struggles.

If readers are ok with a mostly nonsensical plot that has beautiful, rich, atmospheric prose of the rolling hills of Appalachia—a magical world easy to get utterly lost in—this is the perfect book. On the other hand, if readers (like me) are expecting an intense backwoods murder mystery with a satisfying ending, it’s a bit of a let down. There is a lot to love here but also a lot that I would have liked to have seen done differently.

Loved the narration by Susan Bennett who nailed the Appalachian accent.

Thank you RBMedia and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! Available now.

Two Sisters. A killer hiding. The woods. Imagined monsters. Rabbits. Some fantasy. These subjects seemed appealing when I first took the book, but as I advanced the reading, I got confused and really could not tie them together to really understand the story. As someone else said in a review, if you need things to be explained for you, this is not your book, which is exactly what happened to me. However, I could find that in the magic of the environment, the mistery of the plot, the relationship of the sisters, many would find this a great option to read or listen.