★★★★☆

Dark Sisters is a dark, unsettling piece of witchy horror, a subgenre I don’t usually enjoy. In DeMeester’s hands, though, I finally understand the appeal. This novel is atmospheric, feminist, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way.

Told across multiple timelines, the novel follows women in different eras as they push back against the lives and expectations imposed on them by men, society, and the church. Woven throughout is the folklore of the Dark Sisters, a story used to instill fear and enforce obedience. The result is atmospheric, feminist, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way.

Each timeline evokes a different emotional response. The historical thread provides rich atmosphere, while the mid-century storyline most clearly illustrates the suffocating limitations placed on women. The modern timeline felt less cohesive for me, particularly in its emphasis on wealth and opulence, which occasionally pulled me out of an otherwise grounded, eerie narrative.

Slow-burning but captivating, Dark Sisters offers more than a typical spooky read. It’s thoughtful, unsettling, and rooted in women’s lived experiences across generations. This is an author I’ll continue to watch and one I’d confidently recommend to readers who enjoy horror told from a female perspective.