Kristi DeMeester

"you stay silent, and what a glorious feast you give us."

Like others have said, this one is tough to rate. One side definitely taps into my rage as a woman who has been stifled, expected to fall in line - smile, accept pats on the butt as compliments, allowing groping without complaint. But also small slights - don't get upset or you'll be dismissed as hysterical.

But while this book is gory and bloody, it's light on the explanations or details as to what's going on. You spend most of the show more book confused - is what they are experiencing real? I want it to be real - because to dismiss them again is to fall in line and tell them "shhhh, be quiet or you'll be a disagreeable one." But it's all so vague. I think the lines could have been clearer, this book could have growled louder and bit harder - and the readers could have taken it. Instead I was left wanting a little more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

Fleeing an accusation of witchcraft, Anne Bolton and her daughter make a home that is supernaturally blessed, not by God, but by the natural world. Centuries later, Mary, a housewife in a well-to-do neighborhood both blessed and controlled by God, feels trapped by her husband and community into a life that doesn’t fulfill until a forbidden love enters her life. Daughter of the church’s minister, Camilla, has to be perfect and perfectly well-behaved with all eyes on her. She and the women show more of her well-to-do cultish community are haunted by both a mysterious illness and by the terrifying specter of two sisters who are bound together by their hair and whose hungry gaping mouths seem bent on destruction. Finding herself feeling more and more trapped by her gilded cage, it falls to Camilla to buck the control of her elders and discover the truth about her church and community.

Fast-moving and compelling at the start, mired in its three-timeline ambition through the middle, and with an intentionally shocking but abrupt-seeming end, Dark Sisters can be a bit of an uneven reading experience as it stumbles through its awkward pacing. This book sits at the place where history and horror meet, pitting organized religion and the powerful forces of the natural world against each other. Despite its troubles with pacing, this tale full of generational curses, misogyny, and feminine rage has plenty to offer readers who hunger to see traditional power structures broken down and thirst to see women come into their own power. show less

In the 1750s Anne Bolton, bargains with a seemingly benevolent entity to protect her daughter - but where there is light, there is darkness. A curse spreads, and despite her best efforts, Anne can no longer maintain control. In the 1950s Mary Shephard, a closeted housewife, knows her community suffers from a sickness - one that only attacks women. Can she protect her daughter? In the 2000s Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, sees the cracks in their perfect community. When show more her mother sickens, she suspects that her father is harboring dark and dangerous secrets.

"Dark Sisters" is a combination of dramatic thriller and folk horror. In each generation, the daughter struggles against the societal bonds and the strict expectations of the men in their community. But the curse feeds on betrayal. Anne, with mother-knows-best confidence, betrayed her daughter Florence through deception. Mary, betrayed her dear friend Vera by revealing her secret and Vera, in turn, outs Mary. For Camilla, she feels betrayed by a seemingly submissive mother and other women in her community.

As we know, anger is toxic, unhealthy and eats away at us from the inside. Anne never really owns what she did, and her weak apology ultimately places the responsibility onto Florence. Mary's friendship with Vera is unreconciled, and Camilla is nearly torn from her true friends. Frustration and anger can also distract us from the real problem. The men in their community foster this division, encourage it, and then make an example of it.

As you can see, there are a lot of great themes here. Feminist rage, rebellion, and sisterhood. However, the pacing is at times rather slow. There were missed opportunities for some serious scares and character growth, especially in regards to Mary or Florence. Mary's story and plight are later summed up nicely by Vera anyway, making the length of Mary's chapters unnecessary. Still a fine read for spooky season! show less

I received an e-Galley ARC of Such A Pretty Smile, authored by Kristi Demeester, from the publisher St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for review consideration. At the time of writing this I have no information on the cover art. What follows is my honest review, given freely.

This novel was unapologetically feminist, which I found glorious. I went into this blind beyond the author’s name and the title grabbing my attention and ended up with a new favorite read. I feel, possible show more incorrectly, that there are many sly nods to the reader, starting with the title. Who has not been told they would do better with a smile? I found Lila’s smile outside Jazzland to be especially pretty. The Cur, the big nasty of the book, has a fitting title. Cur has more than one definition, which is still fitting for this story. One thing I loved was how easy it was to fall into the story each time I picked it up. Didn’t matter if I planned to read a few pages or chapters, I always read more than I intended. When I actually finished the book I was sitting at the edge of my bed, because I wasn’t planning to finish it right then. Only a few more paragraphs I thought, and then just a page. Then I was done with the bloody thing and my big toe was asleep from leaning all weird while reading.

It’s a read to get you invested, I had moments where I was cussing at people from the pages, entreating them, nodding along with them. I was energized after, I felt like I could move mountains, create something beautiful; this is a gift of a novel. If you love a good thrilling dark fiction, that also touches on real world issues with that fiction, look no further. Such A Pretty Smile is haunting, bloody, wild, and freeing. show less