Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester. A fascinating read that kept me reading long past when I had other things that I needed to get done. I'm not sorry either. Timely subject matter combined with really good story-telling by the author.

Demeester masterfully blends horror and historical fiction to tell the intertwined stories of three women across generations. Anne Bolton, a healer accused of witchcraft, binds her fate to a dark entity; Mary Shephard, a constrained wife, embarks on a forbidden affair; and Camilla Burson, a rebellious preacher’s daughter, seeks ancient power. This gripping tale explores themes of love, identity, and resilience against societal norms. With vivid prose and compelling character development, this novel is a haunting yet rewarding read. Highly recommended for fans of richly layered narratives.

Reading Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester was an immersive and haunting experience. This novel weaves together the lives of three women across different time periods, each facing oppression, fear, and the weight of secrets that connect them in unexpected ways.

The story begins in the mid-1700s with Anne Bolton, a healer seeking safety for herself and her daughter as the threat of witch hunts looms over them. Desperate to protect those she loves, she turns to something dark, setting events into motion that ripple through time. In the 1950s, Mary Shephard is a young mother trying to navigate the rigid expectations of her conservative religious community. When she finds herself drawn into a relationship that defies those expectations, she begins questioning the beliefs she has always followed. In 2007, Camilla Burson, the daughter of a preacher, starts to notice a strange pattern of illness among the women in her town, including her own mother. Her search for answers leads her to a mysterious retreat and the discovery of a power she never imagined possessing.

Each timeline is vividly drawn, making it easy to become lost in the lives of these women. The novel explores the recurring struggles of women through history—oppression, control, and the fight for autonomy—while intertwining supernatural elements that add to the eerie, unsettling atmosphere. The writing is lyrical and immersive, creating a world where every whisper and shadow feels significant.

This book left a strong impression, lingering in my mind long after I finished. It masterfully blends historical fiction, horror, and feminist themes in a way that feels both unsettling and deeply empowering.

Kristi DeMeester’s Dark Sisters is a masterfully woven tapestry of horror, history, and generational trauma, steeped in a darkly lyrical atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. A haunting exploration of power, repression, and the enduring bonds between women, the novel spans three centuries, binding the fates of its protagonists—Anne, Mary, and Camilla—through an insidious curse and the defiant magic they dare to wield.

DeMeester’s prose is both hypnotic and razor-sharp, conjuring a world where the supernatural pulses just beneath the surface of reality. Anne’s desperate pact with darkness to survive the witch trials, Mary’s doomed love in a rigid, suffocating society, and Camilla’s rebellion against religious dogma each unfold with stunning emotional depth and an escalating sense of dread. The novel masterfully examines the ways in which patriarchal fear seeks to contain feminine power—only to provoke its most ferocious awakenings.

With an eerie, immersive tone reminiscent of The Year of the Witching and the unsettling psychological intensity of Marian Lane and the Midnight Murder, Dark Sisters is as much a horror novel as it is a reclamation of strength and identity. It’s a bonfire of fury and resilience, burning through time with an unrelenting force. DeMeester has crafted something magnificent—a story that is as beautiful as it is terrifying, as poetic as it is feral.

A must-read for lovers of feminist horror, historical fiction, and anyone drawn to tales of power that refuse to be silenced.

“You were told your entire life to want it. Finding the man. The romance. The storybook wedding. It was only after, in the quiet of your new domestic life, that the cracks started to show, and the voice you muzzled suddenly learned how to scream.”

This is a story of a generational curse of 3 generations. 3 women binded, in 3 different time periods wanting to break free from conformity. In the end they get their revenge.

This book was fast paced, and I enjoyed reading it. I was happy with the ending, I was not able to put it down. Gave women empowerment vibes!

This was a fabulous good for her story, that was impossible to put down. Dark Sisters follows three characters in three separate timelines. The farther you go you quickly learn that these characters are all connected. There’s Anne Bolton who sets off with her daughter for a new life, but the people in town are killing women who are accused of being witches. Anne makes a deal with the Dark Sisters. Then there’s Mary who is a perfect housewife and mother. She meets Sharon and the two of them fall in love. Lastly, there’s Camilla who’s a preacher’s daughter. The women of her congregation are suddenly becoming sick and dying, and now she’s pushed her father too far and he’s sending her to the Retreat, a place for troublemakers.

I loved the witchy vibe to this book, and everything is so well-written. The world-building of the Dark Sisters lore and the Path church is incredible. The characters are so realistic they seem to leap off the page, and your heart breaks for them. I wanted to see them have their revenge and get their happy ending.

Highly recommend checking this one out when it comes out in December. A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

Kristi DeMeester has crafted a novel that doesn’t just ask what it means to break free, it demands it. And in doing so, she’s created a powerful testament to the fierce, unstoppable nature of women who refuse to be silenced.