Thank you Netgalley, RDS Publishing | Raw Dog Screaming Press and Sonora Taylor for the eArc of Errant roots.

This is a great quick read of family secrets, rituals and witchy vibes, The premise and the pacing of Errant roots I felt was really well dne. Just building enough character development with Deidre and her Mother to be curious as to what made them leave the family home in the first place. When Deidre finds out she's pregnant, her Mother takes her back to her roots and introduces both Deidre and her husband to the extended family.

This novella is packed with creepy, dread vibes. You get a good sense from the start what's going to happen and it does but it doesn't end there. I loved the deeper level messages about our families, traditions, boundaries and definitely has Midsomer vibes. I felt there was a good balance between the plot and character building. The level of descriptive gore maybe will level you with your toes curling a bit but its worth it if you're not squeamish.

I will be picking up more of Sonora's books in the future.

4 stars for Netgalley, Storygraph, Amazon and Goodreads

Short but impactful.

I loved this. The author did such a good job of telling a story with a long past in a short novel.

I can’t wait to read more from Sonora Taylor! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sonora Taylor and RDS Publishing | Raw Dog Screaming Press.

Yet another from the "Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena" series, "Errant Roots" is a story of confronting the past, generational violence and trauma, and survival.

This would have fit right in with the "Bound in Blood" anthology, that I loved, as not only a plant-themed story but also a book-themed one. I couldn't give it a higher rating for a couple of reasons. First it was a bit spoiled in the flashback of Chapter 1. I thought, "ok, men don't survive, got it." So when Deirdre's boyfriend Tom is killed, I already knew it was coming. Although, he wasn't developed nearly enough for it to be a shock regardless. Minor quibble, there is also mention of ghosts of those that have met their violent end. I was slightly disappointed that it was only lore, imagined by her grandmother Yvonne for the ritual.

But I genuinely enjoyed the story's premise of a matriarchal, almost coven-like family that seek to maintain a precious blood line. It does make one wonder what was really behind her great-grandmother's "visions." Deirdre places the blame on grief and loss, but I'm not so sure and I'm glad the author kept it vague. Deirdre's mother actually managed to escape when she was pregnant, but returned once she learned of Deirdre's pregnancy. "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨." Despite my qualms with this particular story, Sonora Taylor definitely has my attention!

This is a fast-paced and dread-filled folk horror about family roots and ties that bind us there. I was enthralled from the beginning. This is a novella, so there is not a lot of background information or lore, but for me, it was enough.

It was predictable, so the ending wasn't all that shocking. What I enjoyed about this was the bond between mothers, daughters, and sisters and, how those things look differently between generations, The ways superstitions and some deep-rooted traditions create discontent and rot and breaking the cycle of generational trauma.

My only issue is with Diedre's response to the horror around her. I'm trying to chalk it up to shock, but even that doesn't seem right. I needed some extreme emotions to be going on, but instead, it eventually felt like she was just being inconvenienced.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy to review.

Errant Roots by Sonora Taylor is a dark, witchy tale that masterfully combines family secrets, supernatural suspense, and themes of legacy and identity. At its center is Deirdre, a young woman whose unplanned pregnancy sparks an unexpected and unsettling journey into her family’s past. What begins as a seemingly mundane return to her roots quickly spirals into a nightmare as Deirdre uncovers the sinister soil from which her family has grown.

Taylor crafts a deeply atmospheric narrative that weaves together the horrors of the supernatural with the complexities of family ties. Deirdre’s relationship with her mother—at times close, yet strained by unspoken history—serves as the emotional core of the novel. The discovery of her family’s dark legacy is gradual, building an eerie tension that keeps readers on edge as Deirdre unravels long-buried truths. The novel’s pacing is pitch-perfect, keeping you turning pages as the family secrets slowly rise to the surface.

One of the novel’s strengths is how Taylor uses the theme of inheritance, both in the literal sense of familial traits and in the more metaphysical sense of inherited curses and legacies. Deirdre’s journey is not just about uncovering external horrors, but also about grappling with what it means to belong to a family line steeped in dark, otherworldly powers. As she delves deeper into her family’s history, she is forced to confront the question of whether she can break free from her roots or whether she is destined to carry on the sinister legacy.

The supernatural elements of Errant Roots are chilling and imaginative, blending witchcraft, curses, and family lore in a way that feels both ancient and fresh. Taylor’s writing shines in her depiction of these dark forces—creeping and insidious, they are less about jump scares and more about the slow realization that something is deeply, irrevocably wrong.

At its heart, though, Errant Roots is also a story about self-discovery and agency. Deirdre’s pregnancy, her relationship with her mother, and the choices she faces all serve to highlight the tension between who she is and who her family wants—or expects—her to be. As her family’s true nature reveals itself, Deirdre must navigate the terrifying possibility that she may not be able to escape the influence of her bloodline.

Taylor’s prose is both lyrical and unsettling, drawing readers into a world where the past refuses to stay buried and the present is fraught with dangerous choices. The story is packed with those “delicious little thrills of tension and fright” that fellow author Laurel Hightower praised, keeping you hooked from one chapter to the next.

Errant Roots is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about family secrets, witchcraft, and the delicate balance between fate and free will. Sonora Taylor delivers a gripping, atmospheric tale that lingers long after the final page, leaving readers to ponder the weight of our roots—and what it takes to sever them.

A short (less than 100 pages) horror novella, about a daughter returning to the family her mother got estranged from before she was born and the reason for why she's never seen them before.
The novella does a masterful job of building tension and especially the first half is incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed finding out about where the family's darker traditions stemmed from and found myself incredibly interested in the setting.
My main issue with this novella is that it unfortunately suffers, as many novellas do, from feeling a bit underexplored. I would have enjoyed for the writing to dive a bit deeper into the lore it built as well as the setting, which would have elevated this story higher. Particularly the second part of the novella feels a bit too full with information for how long it is and I felt rushed along instead of being able to revel in the messy situation Deidre finds herself in.
Despite this I really enjoyed reading it, I liked the idea and I found the writing style intruiging. All in all, an interesting, but a bit too short, horrifying tale of a family reuinion and perfect for a quick spooky halloween read.

Errant Roots is about going back to your family's roots and realizing that something is deeply, terribly wrong. Upon getting pregnant at 24, Deirdre's mother brings her back to the family she abandoned so long ago to continue the old ways. It was mediocre writing, a bizarre premise with a weirder follow-through, wasn't great as a horror novella, and was generally a little disappointing.

⚠️Trigger warnings⚠️
● Child endangerment ● Murder of a pregnant woman (spoken of/ remembered, not shown) ● A character wonders if babies have been murdered and briefly imagines it happening ● Multiple murders by blade, including throat slashing ● Blood ● Burning alive ● Cults/ cult-like behavior ● Matricide (killing one’s mother) ● Loss of one’s mother ● A character is drugged against her will ● Family trauma

"Fear began to prickle the back of Deirdre’s neck like a series of keys typing one phrase over and over into her mind: Get out, get out, get out."

"The seeds scatter, but the roots remain.”

📖 If you like:
💀 Fast-paced grief, folk and cultish horror
💀 Dysfunctional family / Mother-daughter relationship trope


This story reminds me so much of an episode from one of the local horror TV series: 'Shake-Rattle-And-Roll'.
Generational killings, sinister secrets and trauma. A story of a family's homicidal legacy, murderous rituals, slaughters and sacrifices.
Twisted...tragic...thought-provoking and also a tad frustrating.
For the most part, I liked it. Interesting concept and plot but I had minor issues with some of the characters and storyline - like I just couldn't comprehend some of the decisions made by both Harriet and Deirdre and the ending felt rushed.


Thanks to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the arc!

3✨

Interesting premise and solid writing. In Errant Roots we have Deirdre who’s unexpectedly pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby. Despite being no contact for the past 24 years Deirdre’s mother decides to bring the soon to be parents to meet her creepy backwoods family.

This is a folk horror that had a solid vibe and interesting premise. I appreciated the cyclical nature of the book, but struggled understand the motivations of almost every character. Perhaps this is impacted by my own lack of relationship with my biological family, but I just couldn’t comprehend some of the decisions made.

The characters were distinct but I struggled to keep up with the familial connections between all the characters plus any dead characters mentioned. I also had some plausibility issues which made it harder to get absorbed into the story.

Conceptually this was a neat story but it struggled to commit to supernatural versus human evil with all the added rules. I’d be happy to read more from Taylor in the future but this one didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

Horror is not my typical genre, but it's October, and I'm trying to expand my reading horizon a bit. Sonora Taylor's "Errant Roots" looked and sounded intriguing to me.

"Errant Roots" is a dark and disturbing story about an incredibly cult-like family of women with a strange form of beliefs and traditions.

I was pleasantly surprised at how Taylor could pack as much background into the past generations as she did in this short novella. However, a few more pages would have helped me understand some of the characters and motives a little more.

Overall, Taylor's writing kept me intrigued and captivated until the very end. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you, #NetGalley, #SonoraTaylor, and #RDSPublishing, for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #ErrantRoots

This was a very enjoyable vignette about generational cult shenanigans. I really don't think Deirdre's final response was proportional to the damage done to her, but she's probably just a kinder and more understanding person than I am.

It doesn't matter how far we stray, our roots will always lead to home. Deidre's home going was not at all what she expected. She learned things about her mother and her mother's mother she probably could have never dreamed of. This was a quick but very interesting tale about family and the lessons we pass on.

I couldn’t finish this one. I got insanely busy and then lost interest in the story. I will definitely go back and reread it to give it a fair chance.

A wonderful short folky horror story!

I was instantly intrigued by the premise of this book! I enjoyed learning about the pods, roots and leaves. I read through the journal chapter twice to make sure I was following the family history correctly and was piecing the puzzle together as I went along.

I still have questions and would have loved to have an extra hundred pages to explore more of the ghostly aspects and lore. I don't mind wondering though, I think leaving a little space for a readers imagination to run keeps a book present in your mind for longer and I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a while!

Aunt Sarah was a curious character and without adding spoilers I'll just say I'M BOTHERED!!! The character's and family tree are well thought out and all pertinent to the story. I think the biggest complaint I have is that Deirdre's reactions to events were quite muted so it was difficult for the tension and emotion to build. The horror content was there but more occult/folk horror (which I love).

I was hooked throughout and always engaged wondering what would happen next!

Will definitely be watching for what else comes from Sonora Taylor!!

I loved the premise - a line of women who believe they must preserve the main branch of their female-centric family tree, whatever it takes, and the pregnant young woman who finds out how far they will go.

This could have been so much more powerful if Deirdre, the young woman unexpectedly expecting, had not been so incredibly passive. She is suddenly introduced to the family she has never known and both she and the reader know immediately there is something sinister at work, but even with evidence showing her bad things are happening, she just . . . stays with them.

Between there being not enough background for the family's belief system responsible for their actions, and a main character I couldn't root for, or even understand, the execution of this set up fell apart for me.

Arrant Roots by Sonora Taylor is a quick hora novella about family bonds absolute feminism in the things we can make our children believe. When Harriet became pregnant at 24 she fled her family but when her own daughter Deidre and her partner Tom are expecting a baby she decides to go back and bring Deidre and Tom with her and I can honestly say no one has a homecoming like the Croft family, there’s even a gender reveal lol! This was a great book I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to those who love great horror and they quick read you will definitely enjoy this book. It will also absolutely make you love your own dysfunctional family more.#NetGalley,#RDS publishing, #SonoraTaylor, #ErrantRoots,

“Blood is memory, and our memory and the memory of us—be it trauma, triumph, or that strange place in between—is the collective sum of who we are.”

I loved everything about this story except the main characters. An estranged family with bizarre cult-like beliefs and rituals, murders and sacrifice, betrayals and spilled blood, birth and so much death…
However my hate for Harriet and Deirdre honestly ruined my enjoyment of this book.

A young woman’s unexpected pregnancy changes her life in terrifying ways when she tells her mother she’s expecting. Her mother who once fled her home, now wants to return, bringing her daughter and unborn grandchild into the fold.

“Without our family, there is no us. But what then, when family becomes a plague? A terror one can only hope to someday escape? Is such a thing possible when errant roots may yet still linger?”

Deirdre’s narration, inaction, lack of self advocacy, and so much more just made me want to slap her. SO MANY TIMES, she ignored her instincts and just stayed at her family’s house when no one was stopping her from leaving.
She just met Yvonne and saw her do horrible things, yet calls her “Grandma” anyways???!

Harriet was also extremely annoying and I did not at all understand her motivations for what she did after finding out she’d be a grandmother.

Maybe if this story was a bit longer readers could get a better sense of the minds and inner workings of these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Raw Dog Screaming Press for a copy.

You can't go wrong with a book from Sonora Taylor. Fans of all genres will enjoy this one.
It's got the perfect amount of suspence and twists in it to keep you invested until the end.
Every family has secrets.

Another great read in this series, Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena. This is probably my favorite in the series so far. First time reading Sonora Taylor, and will definitely be reading more from her. This was a fantastic story/plot, with great characters and great pacing. #ErrantRoots #NetGalley

Errant Roots by Sonora Taylor is a thought-provoking novella about the strength of familial roots and dark traditions. This is very well written and kept me engaged throughout the whole horrific tale of Deirdre’s family history. If you’re looking for a quick twisted tale about family traditions, this is for you! Thank you to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.