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.

First of all, Susan Bennett gets 5 stars for gorgeous narration of the audiobook. She does a perfect accent for the story, and she did great with a slight variation of tone to differentiate between the two sisters.

I both liked this story and don't. It's a coming-of-age and coming-out story that I found uninteresting. The mystery was okay and well built, but I would have liked it more had it been closer to the forefront of the story.

What I loved was the voices of the characters. We get a window into the imagination and dreams of the younger sister that I thought were fascinating and so like what I remember of being that age. There's a sort of paranormal aspect of the story with each sister, but ultimately, they come off as very messed up kids and aren't likeable all the way through the end, so any insights about their romantic attractions felt really weird. Despite some beautiful descriptions and creative situations, I didn't find anything noteworthy to highlight.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for an audiobook to read and review voluntarily and honestly.

Set deep in the woods in the shadow of the ancient Appalachian mountains, this tale is haunting, spell-binding and heartfelt. A tale of murder, sisterhood and a little magic.

Seventeen year-old Sheila has a lot on her plate, being caretaker to her aging great-aunt, Rambo-obsessed little sister, and the food and animals which they raise on their rural property. Further weighing her down is a secret love she fears sharing and an invisible rope, wrapped around her neck, that only she can see.

Twelve year-old Angie is, however, unstoppable. She spends her days roaming the woods, searching for evidence of Russian spies and drawing graphic monster cards which, terrifyingly, speak to her, telling her their desires.

This tale of sisterhood is shaken up when two young women are viciously murdered on a local hiking trail, sending the town into a tizzy over the murder at large. Angie is ready to take it upon herself to find the murderer, but she will need Sheila’s help, if, and only if, Sheila can learn first to help herself.

The story is full of magical elements that fit the haunting backdrop of overgrown ferns and hidden copperheads. I read once in the forward to Joan Didion’s South and West that the American South has a long tradition of regarding nature as a place of malevolent magic, a tradition which comes alive in this tale. The mountain herself becomes a character, enacting her will on her inhabitants, and invisible forces often appear to be pulling the strings.

I devoured this one in three mediums: physical book, ebook and audiobook, all of which were enjoyable. The audio recording brings the characters to life, and the physical book, with its chapter illustrations of Angie’s monsters, added a fantastical touch. Following the current trend of short chapters, you can fly through this one, or take your time and savor the symbolism (how many rabbit references can you find?)

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing the ebook and audiobook versions. I am so looking forward to what Alisa Alering does next. I can hardly believe this a debut novel.

5★

Picked this up thinking it would be a cozy fantasy to get lost in, but instead, I got lost. Halfway through the book, I still have no idea what it’s about.

The narrator didn’t help either. The audio was choppy in many places, and you could tell when the narrator paused and resumed recording.

I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook, and if you want to read it, it’s probably better to choose the physical book or e-book version.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook!

I will read any book about girls who are more than a little feral and situations that aren't quite real and definitely weirder than they should be. Angie and Sheila definitely have my heart and I'm so proud of them.

Smothermoss had the perfect amount of magical elements blended in with this story about two sisters living in Appalachia.
I enjoyed Alering’s story telling and the audio was a delight to listen to.

I ate this book right up. Creepy. Mysterious. Mystical. Magical. If you are someone who likes to have everything spelled out for you, this is not the book for you. But if you’re willing to suspend your perception of reality and let the story unfold, it will be such a fun and weird and unsettling journey.

This is a beautifully told queer coming of age story mixed with forest magic, tarot adjacent cards with a mind of their own, the complicated relationship of sisters, all covered in a layer of proverbial moss and mystique.

I really enjoyed the narration, Susan Bennett did a great job voicing the characters. Although I found it a little strange to have such a mature, older sounding voice for young girls.

This is a book that you could read again and again and pick up on different aspects and meanings. Or create new theories for yourself. I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

I can’t resist a book promising gothic folklore vibes, and this book really delivered. Excellent debut from Alisa Alering, I can’t wait to see more from them!

*Thank you to the publishers (via NetGalley) for providing an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for another ARC,

Smothermoss, by Alisa Alering was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint, not one bit. It's a little gothic, gross and endearing in a way that captivated me from the get go. Susan Bennett, the narrator, did an excellent job in differentiating so many female characters, I always knew who was who (which sometimes doesn't happen) and, although I don’t know what an authentic Appalachian accent sounds like, I think she did a good job with it.

This book is for older sisters and little sisters, for girls who are tired, for fans of mushroom horror and yucky descriptions of things.

I can’t wait to read what Alisa Alering writes next.

An engrossing, eerie tale that left me wanting more. The atmosphere was entirely consuming. It felt dark and claustrophobic as the title conveys. It showed the dark side of nature. It was very intriguing.

What a weird little treat!

Sheila and Angie are sisters, living along the applachian trail under the weight of the wilds, poverty, and fear. Sheila is lonely- outcasted from her classmates and working at the state asylum with her mother to make ends meet, while also holding down their crumbling homestead and caring for her dreamer sister. Angie is ungovernable, seeing spies and shadows in every corner, carrying a deck of hand drawn cards portraying the monsters she imagines guide her fate. The sisters are drawn inexplicably into the strange magic of the mountain after a brutal murder takes place just too close to home...

I got VERY "we have always lived in the castle" vibes from this book, and while there was more magic than a jackson novel, and spooky fug that i always feel reading her work really was alive and well in this book. I really enjoyed this, and the narrator was doing THE MOST, which i loved. I could listen to her voice angie all/anyday.

Thanks, netgalley and RBmedia for this audio ARC!

Smothermoss is described as a Thriller/Mystery book. It follows two broke country girls, Sheila and Angie, in their broken family home located in the Appalachian Mountains of the 1980’s. Shelia is the oldest and has a lot of responsibility on her plate; taking care of her great aunt and little sister Angie, while her single mother is away working in a nearby Asylum. Sheila carries around a lot of burdens including a rope tied around her neck that no one else can see.
Angie is a spunky young girl that is obsessed with Rambo.She often lives in her own world surrounding a Russian’s, danger, and things going bump in the night. Angie has a mystical power of tarot-esque cards that she often uses that can affect the real world.

Smothermoss does a good job at being Folk Horror-like with the atmosphere, writing, and art; but that's where the horror aspects end. My biggest gripe about this book is that the ‘hook’ of this story, a mysterious murder, is not elaborated upon as much as I would have preferred. The specific thread lays out essentially nothing about our criminal or any action involving the crimes. I was often dwelling on how drab the so-called mystery was.
It was severely disappointing. Additionally because of the lack of Mystery/Thriller or even Horror aspects that should accompany a book like this, I did not feel tension at all. Which made the story feel neither like a Thriller nor a Mystery book to me. It broadly felt more like a Women’s Literary Fiction with some queer coming of age aspects.
I felt that the plot was lost and without much direction at times. I was often confused and left asking more questions than was answered regarding much of the plot. I deeply would have loved much more exploration into the main characters. As the book does not give a lot of information about them, why their ‘powers’ came to be, and when it all started for these sort-of unlikable kids. I often was left wondering about many aspects of these characters. I was intrigued by them, even with the little dimension they had. The mom and the great aunt in this plot were interesting as well, and sadly felt better developed than the two main characters the story revolves around. I just wished for more, and not by way of a sequel.

I know I refer to the atmosphere in the review quite often; but it is not without good reason. It is truly the best part of this book. Alisa Alering is a talented writer when setting up the stage for the fascinating backdrop for this somewhat lackluster story. Alering’s writing does such an overwhelmingly convincing job at capturing the suffocating, nightmarish, yet homely character of Appalachia. Susan Bennet’s narration lends to this amazing encapsulation of this part of North American country in her delivery of Alering’s writing. I was often drawn into the world by Bennet’s wonderful storytelling and soothing, spot-on accent. The immersion into this world was no disappointment - quite the contrary - Alering’s rich descriptive texts truly blossomed into something magical that can only be found in books. This was only expanded upon with Bennet’s skillful diction. Their ability to capture this setting was so enveloping; to the point that I was so immersed into the environment that I could smell the sweetness of the trees and grass. I could feel the sticky air around me, thick and dense, beading sweat on my forehead. In Alering’s writing it is so easy to hear the animals and possibly other creatures trampling around in the forests that are described. Despite the poor development of the plot, I will definitely look out for any other books by this author, and be happy to give her a second chance.

I liked this audiobook, I just expected and wanted more out of the plot. 3 stars.

This debut by Alisa Alering, Smothermoss, is about two sisters in rural Pennsylvania in the 1980s and follows a murder along the nearby Appalachian Trail. I think Alering did a great job of blending literary fiction, subtly macabre folk horror, and magical realism in this work, without overly emphasizing any one of these subgenres. Readers who appreciate Shirley Jackson or imaginative portrayals of girlhood and sisterhood should definitely check out this eerie and thought-provoking book.

A very unsettling gothic story. It felt very atmospheric. I thought the narrator did great. I kept wanting to listen. The writing is so full and lush. At times I was left a little confused. But overall really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alisa Alering, and RBMedia for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Smothermoss was a bit difficult to wrap my mind around. It focuses on two young girls in Appalachia and the grisly murder of campers that shakes a small town to its core. There are supernatural elements to this book, including invisible boys and ropes, magic cards, magic rabbits, etc. It's also a bit of a coming of age story (?), but that isn't the main theme - imo.

I think, in order to get the full breath of the novel, I'll have to read it again, and maybe even a third novel. This felt like a book I'd read for a lit class in a Master's program. There's a lot to unpack.

Overall, I enjoyed it. The narrator is beyond amazing!

"Smothermoss" by Alisa Alering is a haunting and imaginative novel that beautifully captures the eerie atmosphere of 1980s Appalachia. The story revolves around two sisters whose lives are overshadowed by menacing and unexplained forces in their rural mountain community.
Alering’s prose is rich and evocative, painting vivid images of the dense forests and rugged landscapes that surround the sisters. The novel takes a dark turn with the brutal murders of two hikers on the Appalachian trail, thrusting the sisters into a dangerous quest to uncover the truth. The suspense builds steadily, with an ever-present threat of violence that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Thank you Netgalley, RBmedia | Recorded Books and Alisa Alering for the Audio Arc of Smothermoss
Narrated by Susan Bennett

This is a beautifully written narrative set in the Appalachian trails in the 1980s following a family comprising of a Mum and 2 daughters. When a brutal murder happens on the trails, Shelia and Angie unwittingly get caught up in a cat and mouse game of finding out who they are.

I loved the character development and world building in Smothermoss. Shelia and Angie are very different, one coping with bullying at school and trying to make sure the house is in order whilst Mum works. The other wants to fight imaginary zombies and has a gift of designing Tarot cards that have a life of their own. You get such a sense of how this family has had to struggle to make ends meet as well as Mums experience of working at the Asylum in the nearby hills. I also loved the descriptive world building, how beautifully isolating the place is and how utterly small we are in comparison.

I would say the narrative itself is a slow burn, and as the sisters start investigating and weird stuff starts happening, they realise that something otherworldly is going on. I found this engaging and interesting even though it was a slow burn, purely because the sisters are so interesting and the supernatural elements, including the tarot cards .

Susan Bennett narrated this book and loved her voice, She kept the storytelling interesting and strangely soothing in a good way !

4 stars

I…. don’t know what to think really. The characters were interesting, the insane asylum near the woods and two murdered girls draws you in… but for me the supernatural parts involved ruined it for me. I wasn’t expecting that and I tend to favor reality or at least possible reality with my crime stories. To each their own I guess!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sheila and Angie are sisters, growing up in the mountains alongside the Appalachian trail in PA. Like most siblings, their relationship is fraught with childish squabbles but rooted in a loyalty to their own that grows hardy in Appalachia. One part coming of age, one part magical realism, and one part mystery makes for an interesting story that I couldn’t stop listening to. The narrator was fantastic, which enhanced the experience even further.

This was such a unique and poignant read. One of the absolutely, most brilliant pieces of Appalachian fiction I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. As an Appalachian who, in addition to living in WV my whole life, also spent my youth photographing the region, and studying Appalachian culture and literature, this book captivated me with its sharp-edged honesty and authenticity. I cannot tell you how many moments in this novel struck a chord with something I’ve witnessed or experienced in my home state and region. The accuracy with which the author depicts poverty, growing up in the region, and the unavoidable attachment one forms to the land (especially the mountains) is spot on. Not only does Alering create moments and a setting that are accurate, but they sketch characters whose depth and intensity bring the story to life. The prose are exquisitely biting and dripping with magical allegories about the lives of those who grow up feeling out of place in the only place they’ve ever known how to be; the reader can taste the bitterness of the hard life lived by the characters and yet, there is so much beauty in their survival and metamorphoses.