"In the muggy, insect-ridden town of Pinecreek, Louisiana, college dropout Tess Lavigne is watching two bickering siblings while their parents are away. Her listless day drinking is interrupted when someone emerges from the woods behind the house. Filthy and feral, the daughter of religious fundamentalists, the girl known in town as Sister Gail convinces Tess to take her in for the night. The strange events of that evening will set the course for Tess's future, and Sister Gail's ultimate fate.

Meanwhile, other residents of Pinecreek try to cobble together a future from what little they have, their lives intersecting in small and not-so-small ways. Sisters fight to define independence for themselves (and from each other), while two young women on a bicycling trip wonder what their relationship promises, or threatens. Throughout, a deeply unsettling presence connects the characters to the buried secrets of Pinecreek: the ominous Thea, a malevolent shape-shifting entity whose rage and despair stems from a tragic history of misogyny, maternal loss, and stolen ambitions.

As time marches forward, so does Tess, creating a new path for herself while accepting what can never be entirely left behind. At times atmospheric and eerie, and at others all too real, Sister Creatures is about manufacturing resilience from nothing but the bonds that tie us together."

And the secrets we leave behind.

Sooo... calling non linear, interconnected stories a novel is, like, a thing now?

I just DNF’d Habitat over that recent disappointment, and I came thiiiissss close to DNFing this one too. I wasn’t in the mood for a story collection—I wanted a novel. A real one. And the cover and description made it seem like that’s what I was getting. I feel duped. But then again, I'm also a sucker because I'm the one who requested the review copy. I've gotta read the jacket copy more closely going foward.

The stories? Meh. Some had a weird vibe, some were painfully straightforward. A kid from one story randomly shows up as an adult in another. A creepy hemp doll keeps making the rounds. Crappy people stay crappy. Unhappy people stay unhappy. Rinse and repeat.

This trend of slapping “novel” on a story collection just because a few characters overlap? I'm not digging it. Novels are immersive and character-driven, and allow me to actually follow someone’s arc and get invested... to feel something.

Instead, I got a handful of snapshots and a lot of emotional static.

This book was definitely a cover pick for me. It totally drew me in. This is a interesting read. I'm not sure if the book intended to be a collection of stories, but this is what it almost read like to me. The stories and characters were loosely connected and that was my one compliant with the book is sometimes I had to stop and think, now how does this character connect? I would read from this author again.

halfway through reading this book i had to stop and stare at a wall just to think about how odd it was. very odd. very cool. these characters? these stories? loosely connected to each other but mostly not at all and isn’t it crazy how so many different lives can be lived in a small town where you think everyone is the same?

lainey and olivia’s chapters were my favourites, they had the most interesting storylines to me but i think your favourites will depend on what you’re looking for in a story and which characters speak to you the most. i don’t want to risk any spoilers but i will just say that the last two chapters were also my favourites– one felt so unsettling and chaotic while the other was like chaos being muted by a hug.

in general, there were some connections or chapters that felt disorienting and made it hard to get into at first, but once i was into it i was into it. i say i like charming little weird books in my bio for a reason!!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Set in Louisiana, this is the multiple stories of townsfolk, all somewhat connect, and of especially Tess who meets Sister Gail which changes her life.
Although I liked the writing, Tess and some of the themes, the structure and flow affected my reading experience.
It is a worthy read.

Tempted by its gorgeous cover and interesting blurb, I really wanted to like this book. While I'm usually one for quirky characters and eerie settings, the dark mood in this story felt so oppressive I had to put it down, dnf.

An interesting and at times, unnerving story. I enjoyed the writing style and the slight edge from some of the characters. There were moments of eerie horror and confusion and the different characters and chapters linked together. I think my only criticism is the messy feeling throughout, some scenes felt entirely unnecessary and at times I needed more explanation and context. It was a little all over the place, but I still had fun reading.

This was so strange /pos. I wasn’t expecting multiple POVs or time periods. It almost felt like a bunch of connected short stories in its organization. I think it was a heavy undertaking, because there were so many characters and stories woven in. And while the story was atmospheric and gloomy and eerie, the multiple POVs dissolved some of that tension and made the overall plot feel disjointed. The ending also felt a bit lackluster and while the majority of the story is deeply moving, the ending lacks any sort of impact.

This is a strange and haunting read and one that I took a while to get into.

It is a coming of age tale and is totally captivating. It is about family and home and how the secrets of the past shape the present and can complicate even the simplest of situations.

I loved the atmospheric vibe and at times i smiled with amusement at the telling of the story.

I absolutely loved it although it is entirely different to what I expected..

This book was not for me. I started reading in earnest, but I couldn’t get attached to the characters or the storyline enough to continue reading. Unfortunately, I did not finish.

Sister Creatures by Laura Venita Green immerses readers in the swampy, tense town of Pinecreek, Louisiana, where Tess Lavigne’s quiet life takes a sinister turn after meeting Sister Gail. The story weaves together multiple characters and storylines, exploring themes of independence, secrets, and the dark history lurking beneath the town’s surface. While the book excels at creating a moody, unsettling atmosphere and delivering some eerie moments, parts of the story feel a bit slow or fragmented, making it hard to stay fully engaged at times. The supernatural element of Thea adds a compelling layer, but at moments, it feels somewhat underdeveloped or overshadowed by the more grounded character dynamics. Overall, Sister Creatures offers a haunting glimpse into a small town’s buried secrets and the resilience of its residents, but it might not satisfy readers looking for a tightly paced thriller. Still, it’s a thought-provoking read about the power of bonds and confronting past traumas.

Wow. Wow. Wow. What an incredible debut. The intertwining of stories. Crazy, complicated and deeply flawed but immensely sympathetic female characters - this was a book I did not want to end. Thank you Laura Venita Green for this gorgeous piece of work.

I received a copy for review and all opinions are my own. The setting of this book is just beautifully described in detail and really makes you feel like you’re there. I really enjoyed the characters and the way this book shows that we can be haunted by the past, at odds with our present family and home situation, and burdened down by our own deep secrets. The character development was enjoyable too and I really felt attached to Tess all throughout this book.

I mostly enjoyed this, it was a little strange, a little unusual.
For the first part though, it reads like short stories, and I definitely preferred it when I saw the connections.
Lots of characters to keep up with, but an interesting tale or two when you do.

I liked the way the book was written, it was a bit confusing but once you get the structure of it, it’s easy following the stories. There are so many characters, their lives intertwined. It almost reads like separate short stories, and there is an actual short story in it, that I loved a lot. The multitude of characters was a bit heavy on me, as I was trying to remember everyone’s names and relationships with each other. This prevented me to connect to most of them. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the book, but I can see how it might be off putting for some readers. There were elements I really loved, but there were a lot of time jumps and incomplete story narrative. I expected everything to be more connected at the end but the last 10% were very lackluster. This is disappointing, because it was almost a 5 star for me, so I am sad to give it 4 stars after that ending. I was bracing myself for stronger emotional impact, but ultimately I felt nothing at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for providing me with the ARC.

Beautifully written, deeply atmospheric, set in Pinecreek, Louisiana in deep south USA, the book follows a cast of female characters including Tess, Sister Gail, Summer and Thea.

While I loved the writing, the characters and the reflection of misogyny and evil in the world, I guess I missed the point about Thea. I was waiting for something more at the end to wrap all the individual stories up together for me.