The Seventh Sister

by Dawn Kurtagich

From the author of The Madness comes a haunting folk horror fable of lost sisters, old gods, and the terrible power of belief left to rot in the woods.

After the tragic death of their parents, the seven Ward sisters are sent to live with their grandmother on the remote forest island of Beltane, a place suspended between time and shadow. What begins as an attempt to mend their fractured lives soon twists into a waking nightmare, where grief bleeds into childhood fantasy and ancient rites awaken a dark and eerie devotion to Daudir, the Forgotten God of the Wood.

When another cruel tragedy strikes, the sisters are left to fend for themselves, learning to live with death as a constant, lurking presence. The fragile world they’ve carved splinters beneath the weight of isolation, and the forest around them grows restless…

Years later, a cryptic letter summons the surviving sisters home. Drawn back into the wild embrace of their dangerous faith, they confront a truth more terrible than memory, and the dreadful secret that waits, silent and sentient, in the depths of the all-seeing trees.

This lyrical and haunting folk horror explores how trauma can root itself in the soil of childhood, how love can curdle into obsession, and how gods, especially forgotten ones, never stay buried for long. But at its heart, it’s about how they fracture, survive, return, and reckon with what they’ve made together.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Adult, Gothic, Thriller, Fantasy

285 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 7, 2026

About the author

DAWN KURTAGICH IS AN AWARD-WINNING HORROR AUTHOR.

Her debut novel, THE DEAD HOUSE, was a YALSA Top 10 Pick, An Audie Award Nominee and an Earphone Award Winner. It has been optioned for TV by Lime Productions. She is also the author of THE CREEPER MAN / AND THE TREES CREPT IN, NAIDA and TEETH IN THE MIST, and BLOOD ON THE WIND. Her adult debut novel, THE MADNESS, was pre-empted in a two book, six-figure deal and was published in August 2024. Her next adult novel, DEVIL’S THORN, was announced in 2024, another two-book, six-figure deal, forthcoming in 2025.

By the time she was eighteen, she had been to fifteen schools across two continents. The daughter of a British globe-trotter and single mother, she grew up all over the place, but her formative years were spent in Africa—on a mission, in the bush, in the city and in the desert.

She has been lucky enough to see an elephant stampede at close range, a giraffe tongue at very close range, and she once witnessed the stealing of her (and her friends’) underwear by very large, angry baboons. (This will most definitely end up in a book . . . ) While she has quite a few tales to tell about the jumping African baboon spider, she tends to save these for Halloween!

When she was sixteen, she thought she'd be an astronomer and writer at the same time, and did a month-long internship at Cambridge's prestigious Cavendish Laboratories. At the age of 25, she received a life-saving liver transplant. Her doctor’s still have no idea why her original liver (Leonard) failed. She is enjoying life with her new liver, Lucy.

She leaves her North Wales crypt after midnight during blood moons. The rest of the time she exists somewhere between mushrooms, maggots and mould.

Reviews

[gracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 cornball yellowjackets knock off but with sisters.. but thanks for the arc netgalley!

[Heathers_readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual the author weaves horror with deeper themes of grief, friendship bonds and sisterhood. I’ve read all of the authors books and they are all very unique, the writing style is different and stands out, and the ending of the book will always leave you thinking.

Im definitely a fan of this author, I think “the seventh sister” may be my new favourite of her work. Her books are definitely a good choice for book club picks if you want to have lots to discuss.

[tiana ♡]

pre-read notes:
I got the ARC for this cult folk horror and honestly? I’m pretty intrigued! The cover is also atmospheric and creepy 🫣 coming in April 2026! 🩶

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This copy was made available to me for free through NetGalley. I want to thank them for the opportunity to read and review this.

Here is a description from NetGalley:

The Seventh Sister
By Dawn Kurtagich

After the tragic death of their parents, the seven Ward sisters are sent to live with their grandmother on the remote forest island of Beltane, a place suspended between time and shadow. What begins as an attempt to mend their fractured lives soon twists into a waking nightmare, where grief bleeds into childhood fantasy and ancient rites awaken a dark and eerie devotion to Daudir, the Forgotten God of the Wood.

When another cruel tragedy strikes, the sisters are left to fend for themselves, learning to live with death as a constant, lurking presence. The fragile world they’ve carved splinters beneath the weight of isolation, and the forest around them grows restless…

Years later, a cryptic letter summons the surviving sisters home. Drawn back into the wild embrace of their dangerous faith, they confront a truth more terrible than memory, and the dreadful secret that waits, silent and sentient, in the depths of the all-seeing trees.

This lyrical and haunting folk horror explores how trauma can root itself in the soil of childhood, how love can curdle into obsession, and how gods, especially forgotten ones, never stay buried for long. But at its heart, it’s about sisters: how they fracture, survive, return, and reckon with what they’ve made together.



:OFFICIAL REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 Stars


When I was a little girl, running feral outside with my younger sister was a daily occurrence. Especially in summer, when we’d transform into whatever we wanted to be for the afternoon. Olympic gold medalists on the trampoline like Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller. Badass roller bladers from the movie Airborne. Pink and yellow Power Rangers fighting off Rita Repulsa. (I was always Kimberly. My sister hated the color pink.) Playing “light as a feather, stiff as a board” from The Craft. (We never could quite nail down witchcraft.)

When I think back on those times, (I’m sure my references age me. And that’s fine. Everything’s fine), it’s like another dimension. Another world. Difficult to describe.

The Seventh Sister IS that feeling.

With a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat, the author is able to weave the tale seamlessly between the past and the present. Told through the eyes and experiences of a woman with six sisters, this story will have you questioning whether your own childhood experiences were truly born of imagination…or was it something other?

The book explores themes of family, tragedy, trauma, and growing up. All things that resonated so deeply with me, I had to wipe away tears. (If you have a sisterly bond, you might be able to relate.)

I was swept away into Beltane, into the rot and roots and soil, walking amongst the trees with the Ward sisters. The author’s ability to put you there, and to care about this family is masterful. The images crafted are difficult to look at, but harder still to look away from.

Overall, I’m so pleased I read this story. I would recommend this to anyone who loves gothic-esque stories, and who doesn’t mind some scenes that may be hard to stomach.

And I’ll end with thanks to Daudir, forgotten God of the Wood. Because it just feels wrong not to.

[Kelsie Celis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book weaves the grief and imagination of seven sisters in a way that I was not expecting, but will be happily haunted by for a while. It may not be for the faint of heart or stomach. It is raw and shocking at times. Grief is that way. It is the story of the wards we use to protect ourselves from grief and trauma, that sometimes fracture and we have to reckon with and make right later.

The Ward sisters quite literally have their own language and are fiercely loyal to each other, and are also divisive at times. As someone with sisters, I immediately resonated with this. Their arrival at Beltane after their parent's tragic death will test these bonds, but this book is beautifully layered and complex in so many more ways too.

At first, the forest is a place of exploration and fantasy...a safe haven if you will. Dawn Kurtagich does a fantastic job of stitching doubt and an unsettling feeling which pulled me in right away. They learn to live in harmony with the forest and their new world, and then it becomes an obsession, a religion, a necessity, survival. Eventually they turn their backs on it, or it on them...and there will be a reckoning. Their beliefs are tested. Was everything always just childhood fairy tales they told themselves to get through their grief? In the end, it all comes full circle and is deeply affecting.

All hail Daudir.

Side note: I don't understand what happened with Willow.

#netgalley

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clem has a visceral reaction to receiving a single juniper berry in an unmarked envelope, a message that harkens back to a time in her childhood wrought with loss and the bonds of her sisters. Though twenty years has passed, the remaining sisters return to the island of Beltane where she and her sisters were brought to live with their Granny Alys after the passing of their parents. They find the oldest of the sisters, Juniper, has remained on the island all this time and has continued to uphold the traditions they began in the name of Daudir, the forgotten God of the Wood. The sisters are forced to confront their absence from the island and each other after all these years and come to terms with the wild ways of their old home. Years of isolation and stewing in her own delusions have made Juniper a deranged shadow of herself. Unless the feeling Clem has that the woods are watching isn't just a feeling. Maybe the forgotten God of the Wood requires penitence for being abandoned and a sacrifice to balance the scales.

The book immediately established this eery foreboding feeling right from the opening scene. The ways that the sisters interact between themselves and others in minute ways shows their solidarity from strangers and the traumatic codependence of children trying to survive. The book narrates from present day Clem returning to the island she left long ago and then flashes back to the past when the girls first came to the island and what happened that they had to leave. The pacing was well done for the majority of the book and worked to show parallels in the sisters behavior in present day repeating and also worked to grow tension as the plot moved along. The prose was descriptive and engaging. The imagery was moving and disturbing. The ending felt a little sudden and unfinished to me. Up until this point in the book I was enthralled and thinking this was a 5 star read, but after all the build up I felt like I had more questions than answers. I had to go back and reread the page with the reveal because it felt like it happened so quickly and then the book wrapped up. I did love the haunting aesthetic and the folklore created by young lost girls looking for meaning and thought that was so well done in the book. Ultimately I will recommend for someone seeking an unsettling read exploring the bonds of family who enjoys a dark folktale.

Thanks to Net Galley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for the opportunity to read and review the book. All opinions are my own.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“The Seventh Sister” by Dawn Kurtagich is a fever-dream of folklore, trauma, and sisterhood; it’s an eerie, atmospheric combination of “Yellowjackets” and “Lord of the Flies,” all taking place in what the characters believe is a gothic fairytale.

The story follows Clem, one of seven sisters raised on the isolated island of Beltane under the watch of their grandmother who is a woman devoted to an unnamed, ancient forest god. Told largely through flashbacks, the story slips between Clem’s present-day disbelief in magic and her haunting memories of childhood: ritual games, whispered rules, and escalating sacrifices that blur the line between survival and worship. As you move between past and present, the unsettling question lingers: Was the god real or was he born from grief, neglect, and imagination?

Kurtagich’s writing is vivid, immersive, and often brutal. The forest is alive in every sense; it’s lush, rotting, hungry. Body horror and decay imagery appear throughout, making this a book not suited for faint stomachs but perfect for those who embrace darker, visceral storytelling.

Each sister suffers in her own way, and while their names can be difficult to track at times, their dynamic is hauntingly real: tender and vicious, loyal and fractured. Their isolation after being forgotten by the adults and systems meant to protect them pushes them into ritual, obsession, and belief as a way to survive overwhelming loss. Watching the childhood games twist into religion, sacrifice, and delusion is both heartbreaking and spellbinding.

There are hints of romance with a character from Clem’s past, though his presence feels fleeting compared to the overwhelming emotional weight carried by the sisterhood, grief, and mythology. The story builds slowly but deliberately as secrets surface and the truth of what happened to the sisters, including the deaths that still haunt Beltane, comes to light.

The final reveal about the god and the island is bold and definitive, though I did wish it remained more ambiguous, but the ending resonates, pulling together themes of belief, trauma, and the unbreakable tether between siblings.

Beautifully written, disturbing, and emotionally raw, “The Seventh Sister” is a story that crawls under the skin and lingers. It’s a dark, lyrical exploration of grief, imagination, and the powerful, sometimes terrifying, bond of sisterhood.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The queen of darkness returns....

The Seventh Sister is dark, twisty and a true delight... it is a tale that has come out of the shadows... sure to haunt you in the dead of night, or keep you up long after you're supposed to be in bed...brought to a terrifying reality by Kurtagich's talented voice... from its eerie, creepy beginning to its last lingering soft whispers, this is a world where fear holds an iron fist, and the truth may not be reality...for who knows what truly lingers in the dak after all...

Join the Ward sisters on their tale of loss and grief, as tragedy has struck and they journey back to Beltane, to live with their grandmother in a hopefully calmer life... except tragedy strikes once more before the girls settle down, and now an Old God demands appeasement...and unfortunately the Ward sisters are thrown once more into chaos, and a world of dark sacrifice, and grisly deaths in the name of this "Forgotten God of the Wood". Once more, I found myself enraptured by Kurtagich's talent, drawn into the dark (and yet deliciously disturbing) world that she has made...and how she is able to blend something so simple into something that is utterly terrifying... and yet also being able to blend these horrific elements into something more.

For The Seventh Sister is not just a tale to cater to the dark but caters to the side that most of us keep buried... it explores a side that many of us might feel ashamed of or only talk about to those that we trust the most. It reminds us that sometimes, while we may be feeling at our lowest and the universe seems to be throwing us all the signs that we might not belong, to keep going. Not only that, but it allows us to explore how it can change someone, and how it can also fracture to cause someone to become a new person from who they were before.

This was a truly delicious, dark, twisty, and grisly novel, akin to authors like Ava Reid or T. Kingfisher. It is an eerie masterpiece that will linger to haunt you long after you have finished it, and something that I will be recommending to all who enjoy a beautifully dark, somewhat grotesque, somewhat fantastical read.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, as well as Netgalley for a copy of this delightfully spooky novel in advanced. I am voluntarily leaving this review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The rest of my reviews may be found at: https://littlereapling.wixsite.com/fa....

[Bithia Rissinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel follows seven sisters who, after the mysterious death of their parents, are sent to a remote island to live with a grandmother they have never met. There they grow up with few rules, immersed in ritual and devotion to nature gods. When tragedy strikes again, the girls must raise themselves under the shadowy protection of the Forgotten God of the Wood. Years later, they are summoned back to the island that shaped—and haunted—their childhood.

The story is told from the perspective of Clementine, the middle child, across two timelines: 1999 and 2024. The writing is lyrical and almost poetic, which takes some adjustment at first. The prose is vivid and atmospheric, full of lush descriptions of the island’s greenery—so much so in fact, that it occasionally drifts into repetition. Roughly a third of the way in, the sisters have only just settled in with their grandmother, and the plot has barely begun to move. Beltane, both the island and the house, becomes a character in its own right—alive, unsettling, and deeply menacing.

For much of the first half, I felt like I was waiting for something to truly happen; the opening 50% reads largely as extended scene-setting and character introduction. Around the 55% mark, the story finally pivots when Willow—who disappeared twenty-five years earlier—is found, and from there the book gains momentum and becomes genuinely gripping. The final fifth is fast-paced, tense, and hard to put down, even if it takes a long time to get there.

There is also a spicy sex scene midway through that felt somewhat out of place and unnecessary within the otherwise folkloric horror tone.

Minor characters are surprisingly memorable, and although a few threads remain loose or underexplained—such as Henry’s reaction to the sisters’ actions at the end—the novel ultimately delivers on its horror promise. A note for sensitive readers: there are frequent graphic and gory descriptions throughout.

If you enjoy atmospheric horror steeped in nature mythology, sibling dynamics, and slow-burn dread, this is worth the journey—just be prepared for a very gradual start.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Allece Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Are we all just echoes? Trapped in the routine of our former selves, brainwashed so thoroughly that we've never truly es-caped, ritual bound and memory washed, forever circling the pattern of who we were?”

Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Dawn Kurtagich for providing me with a copy of this book! 😊
The Seventh Sister follows the Ward sisters, who have just arrived on the island of “Beltane” to live with their grandmother after the sudden death of their parents.
Just as they are settling into their new life, tragedy strikes again and the sisters are thrown into a world of ritual, sacrifice and death as they attempt to navigate their grief while also trying to appease the mysterious “Forgotten God of the Wood”.

I really liked the themes of family, sisterhood, grief and trauma explored through this book. The relationship between the sisters carried the story and felt really realistic and raw. I love that on one page they could be bickering and quite literally maiming each other and on the next page they’re fighting to keep each other alive. The complexity of the characters was great, especially Clem. I like how even though she had done some terrible things I still couldn’t bring myself to hate her - at the end of the day she was just a child dealing with an unimaginable situation. It was interesting to see how the relationships with the sisters changed, and their ups and downs as they experienced more trauma and loss.

The prose in the book was really powerful. I felt as though I could actually smell mold and mushrooms at some points due to how evocative the writing was. The author creates a really fleshed out setting and is very good at invoking the readers senses (omg the maggots 🤢). The house was a good metaphor for the mindset of the girls, I love how the dilapidation of their home mimicked the breakdown in their mental states. The author depicts a really well done “descent into madness” and it was interesting to see the girls evolve into completely different people and how they justified their beliefs and rituals. I was heartbroken witnessing certain character deaths and seeing what happened to their bodies after the fact - the body horror was disgustingly great and had me cringing a lot of the time!

I enjoyed the ending. I like that it is open for interpretation and you’re left not 100% knowing what is real and what isn’t. I think the depiction of loss was really tragic and realistic, the story represents that we can never truly escape our childhoods and how we are forever changed by, and bonded to each other through, our grief and suffering.
Overall it was a very enjoyable, sad and sickening read (in the best way). Anyone who enjoys body horror, creepy settings, sisterhood or mysterious supernatural creatures will find something to enjoy about this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Deblina Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a family tragedy, seven sisters, ranging from toddler to teenager, are entrusted to the care of their eccentric grandmother who lives by herself on a secluded island. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, as it turns out.


If you haven’t read Dawn Kurtagich before, I wouldn’t recommend The Seventh Sister as a starting point. Also, if you don't like reading about bad things happening to children, give this a miss, because the whole book was that - bad things happening to children. There were points where I had to shut my Kindle and sit wondering how any of this could be allowed to happen.


I am guessing the genre is folk horror, though till the very end it seemed to be more of a set of vulnerable youth going through a collective mental health crisis. 


Powerful, evocative writing by Dawn - Beltane comes to life in all its primal magnificence. The descriptions of the island are atmospheric - I could almost see, and feel the sultry summer afternoons. Beltane emerges as a character in its own right. 


The nuances and intricacies of sibling bond have been captured rather accurately. Siblings can be infuriating at times, granted, but the underlying connection runs too deep to ever outgrow. The people with whom we share that magical and impressionable period of childhood remain special in an indefinable way. 


Mysterious Beltane, looked at from the point of view of children, assumes a uniquely magical aura. The book wouldn’t have been what it is if the children weren't at the heart of the story.


I would say the tone and setting of The Seventh Sister outshine its plot. Macabre, creepy, and fascinating in the way only something revolting can fascinate us, the book does exude a Lord of the Flies kind of vibe, but the feminine mystique gives it an otherworldly character of its own.


This Netgalley ARC was a fast-paced read, engaging in its own way, and may be one of Kurtagich's best yet. Not my cup of tea though - 3.5 stars is what I'll say. 

[Taylor Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, this author’s writing is beautiful and haunting, this time drawing you onto the mysterious island of Beltane and the dreamlike yet terrifying fairytale world the 7 Ward sisters weave for themselves there.

When the Ward sisters arrive at Beltane after the death of their parents their grandmother tells them that the Forgotten God of the Woods will always protect their family so long as they are on Beltane - and there are only three rules: Always be back by sundown, Dinner must be eaten in the dining room at 7pm sharp, and Do not go beyond the boundary after dark.

Within a year of their arrival the sisters are essentially a society unto themselves, living like lost children of the woods, worshipping the forest god, and performing rituals to honor him.

But life is far from dreamlike as one tragedy befalls them after another - tragedies that will tear them apart and remake them until the sisterly bonds they once shared are only memories.

Now, 25 years later 3 Ward sisters have returned to Beltane after receiving cryptic letters from the eldest sister who remained. As memories and long buried horrors resurface it becomes clear that the Forgotten God of the Forest has not forgotten how the daughters of the forest abandoned him. But is it an angry god come to take his payment in blood? Or is someone flesh and bone hiding in the shadows waiting for the right moment to strike?

This book is tense and eerie. You can so clearly picture the disrepair and decay of the home, the wildness of the girls the longer they spend on the island, and the foreboding feeling that something is lurking just out of sight, waiting, watching. This book reminds the reader that sometimes the only way out is through.

I really, really enjoyed this book! The author is one of my absolute favorites and I’m always in awe of each new story I read by her!

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven sisters are left orphaned after their parents die and are sent to live with their grandmother on the island of Beltane. She’s completely different than their parents, and they soon warm to her earthy spirit of the woods vibes. So much so that they create their own name for the God of the Wood, Daudir, which you will read about 300 times and get tired of seeing. Ok, I did, but that doesn’t mean anyone else will. The girls live with barely any rules and have free run of the island, and are happy and content until tragedy strikes. Which is pretty early on in the story, but what comes after that would be spoiling it. Just know it gets way bizarre, way fast.

That’s one part of the narrative, the other is in the present, when a few of the sisters are summoned back to the island they left decades ago. This is when I thought aging and logic were bringing them to terms with how they lived in their youth, existing in their created reality of Daudir and his woods. But it soon culminates in a bizarre finale that will be enchanting to some but was just disappointing to me.

Yes, I should have realized this might happen because it’s a very magical story full of wonder and fantasy, but I thought it was going another way. If you enjoy the fantastic, you will absolutely love this book. I don’t, so I didn’t, but I appreciate the creativity and imagination of this author to conceive such a world.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free advanced reading copy of this book.

[Ninoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the beginning felt a bit slow and slightly confusing, that feeling didn’t last long. Once I got familiar with what was happening, the story pulled me in quickly, and I enjoyed it.

One of the most compelling elements of this book is how it plays with childhood fantasy. It’s something that felt instantly relatable… those imaginary worlds we create as kids, especially when we’re playing outside. Here, though, those fantasies take on a far more mysterious and unsettling tone, turning something innocent into something quietly terrifying.

This story explores trauma, the bonds of sisterhood, and the fractures that can form under unimaginable circumstances. The inclusion of ancient rites added an intriguing layer, and the themes of isolation and survival showed how deeply those experiences can affect someone mentally and emotionally.

Overall, this is a haunting and atmospheric read that blends supernatural elements with real psychological depth. It’s eerie, unsettling, and lingers with you after you finish. If you enjoy gothic or folk horror, you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Dawn Kurtagich for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

If you are into atmospheric and unsettling folk horror, this book may be for you. The story is told from the unreliable perspective of Clementine, one of seven sisters who lost their parents and were brought to live with their grandmother on a remote island. You also get two timelines - the past (1999) and the present (2024), and every time the ‘present’ perspective reveals more about the past, the reader is left with even more unknowns.

The writing is quite florid, which I did not always enjoy, but the descriptive language manages to create a lot of tension. The body horror was effectively unsettling (but also gross, so reader - proceed with caution). I personally did not feel like the relationship with Henry added that much to the plot - if anything it took away from the disjointed dynamic between the sisters.

That being said, I finished this in two days and I found it quite captivating. I really enjoyed how the childhood practice of making up stories that seem painfully real, mingled with the uncanny eeriness of the woods, created such a good backdrop for these young girls to process their trauma (in unexpected, unhealthy ways).

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first arc book! I loved it. This novel is a dark, beautiful fever dream. The writing is lush and immersive—every tree, shadow, and breath of wind feels alive, as if the woods themselves are watching. The author’s descriptive language pulls you into a world where nature is both sanctuary and threat.

Grief runs like an undercurrent through the entire story, shaping the girls’ choices, their fears, and the fierce bond of their makeshift sisterhood. Their dynamic feels raw and real: protective, loyal, and sometimes (a lot) brutal. At times it echoes Lord of the Flies, but with a distinctly feminine perspective—a portrayal of girlhood that is wild, sacred, and unsettling all at once.

The “god of the woods” adds a haunting, folkloric layer that blurs the line between reality and myth, making the island feel sentient, hungry, and holy. The atmosphere is tense and eerie, and the sense of grief and nature and brutality keeps the story gripping from start to finish.

Overall, the book is gripping, beautifully written, and emotionally resonant. A chilling but gorgeous exploration of survival, grief, and the complicated power of sisterhood.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published April 7, 2026.

3.5 stars

Seven Ward sisters from late teens to age 3 lose their parents and are sent to Beltane, a remote island, to live with their grandmother whom they didn’t know existed. She teaches them how to survive off the land, including the lore of the island, god Daudir, God of the Wood.

The girls survive there for many years and through many trials until tragedy strikes and the girls who remain are scattered. Years later a letter draws the girls back to confront the truths and the myths of what occurred during their time there.

I loved the setup of this novel and the girls during their time on the island. In fact, I really liked so much about this folk horror (seeing a lot more of this) but I had one major problem with it that was really hard to accept, impossible to ignore and pretty major. But for that this would have had a higher rating, cause, come on! Spooky, feral sisters! What’s not to love?

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Ward sisters lose their parents in a sudden tragedy, they are sent to Beltane—a remote, forest-draped isle that feels untouched by time. There, in the shadow of whispering pines and restless fog, awaits a grandmother they have never known… and something far older still.

A darkness stirs within the woods, bleeding into the sisters’ grief with its quiet pull—a devotion to Daudir, the Forgotten God of the Wood. When another loss tears through their fragile refuge, the sisters are left to face the forest’s secrets alone.

Years later, a cryptic letter calls the surviving sisters back to Beltane, back to the trees that remember everything. What they find waiting is a truth rooted deep in sorrow, devotion, and decay.

I’ll say no more—this is a tale best experienced firsthand. One of the most chilling and beautifully written works of folk horror I’ve read this year.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

-A map!
-Sisterhood (even twins) FAMILY (every sister has a vital role with identifiable strengths and weaknesses)
-Grief
-Folk & Gothic Horror elements-Secrets & Lies, inherited trauma, sacrifices and consequences
-Haunted/Magical Forest
-Forest god/rituals/rules of the forest/effigies
-Atmospheric
-Increasing dread and darkness
"When they walk back to the house, they're a little rawer, a little wilder than before. They are daughters of the forest, because the forest is an infection and all of them have the fever."
-Guilt & Redemption
-Isolation and Survival
-Faith and Doubt
-Loss & Grief
-Supernatural elements
-Nature--I loved the alchemy and natural remedies and reliance the most
-Identity and Transformation-huge character arcs
-Power and Control (very much reminds me of other power dynamics among young people left on their own--Lord of the Flies, Yellowjackets, The Means Ones

More review to come!
*My favorite of Dawn's books so far

[☽ Mél · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

This book sounds very intriguing and trust me, it is.

The horror elements are well and truly here: weaving past and present in narration, third person or first person, we discover a secluded home in the depths of a forest inhabited by one old woman who takes in seven young kids whose absent parents died in a car crash. The traumatized children soon make up a world and a God of their own, but is it really a child's play, or is something sinister really lurking in the forest?

You never really know what to expect next, who to trust; the author has a lovely way of conveying that feeling that you can only rely on yourself, despite the main protagonist having six sisters and a love interest.

Some passages were genuinely disturbing to read, and it’s not often that a horror book gives me pause. The Seventh Sister is deliciously haunted, cursed, murky and mushroom-y.

[Emelia (emeliaisreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Folk Horror
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: April 7, 2026
📚 283 pages

After the tragic loss of their hedonistic parents, Clem and her sisters are sent to live with their Grandma Alys on a deserted island. Grandma holds some very eccentric beliefs, leading the young girls to become obsessed with the mysterious "forgotten god of the forest."

This one was a bit too slow paced for me, but I did enjoy the dual timelines and unique, intricate folklore of the island. The horror/gore aspects were wonderfully visceral and disturbing (in the best, most effective way for a horror novel!) and the atmosphere Kurtagich created was truly eerie and unsettling. The twist at the end was completely unexpected and was the perfect ending.

Thank you so much Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the digital review.

[Gisela Marengo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seventh Sister marks Dawn Kurtagich’s step into haunting folk horror for adults, blending psychological terror with mythic elements and a slow burn unraveling of secrets. The story centers on the Ward sisters, who, after the tragic death of their parents, are sent to live in isolation on the forested island of Beltane. What begins as an attempt to heal their wounds becomes a descent into ritual, superstition, and something far darker lurking in the woods. Hunting exploration of grief, belief, and the dangerous power of isolation.

This book had me thinking, needing to know what was going to happen next it kept me on the edge this is my first book from this Author and trust me it won’t be my last .

This book was giving to me as an ARC by the NetGalley in exchange for my honest and voluntarily review.

[Alyssa Woodwyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good book! In a way it felt like coming home. This book follows Clem, one of seven sisters who lived on an island after their parents passed, and formed a strong bond with both their Granny Alys and the forest of the island. What follows is breathtaking, heartwarming and devastating all at the same time. Through loss and sacrifice, you follow the Ward sisters on two different timelines that interweave to create a holistic picture that wraps up neatly by the end. While the ending was a little predictable, I feel that the book wrapped up exactly how it should have. This book was an enjoyable adventure that broke my heart and reaffirmed my belief in familial bonds. It has a gothic and free spirited hippy vibe that is bound to delight. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a cultish story that challenges your beliefs and sprinkles mystery throughout.

[Stacy Keene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich is a densely atmospheric, shockingly gory, modern gothic folk horror that leaves you uneasy and wondering.

This unsettling story of grief and madness uncoils between two timelines as the tragic childhood of the Ward sisters is slowly revealed, and its troubling impact on their adulthood grows more urgent as they realize they must reckon with the truth of their past trauma in order to survive.

This book is for you if you like:
* Complicated and toxic family dynamics.
* Exploring the psychological effects of extreme isolation.
* Dangerous spiritual fervor and indoctrination.
* Descriptive body horror.

CW: child abuse and neglect, untreated mental illness, death of a child, animal slaughter, starvation, decomposition

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author, Dawn Kurtagich, for this ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

[Jamie Pfortsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"I hate how they make me feel at home, how welcoming and familiar the signs of death are. So intimate that it's like walking through my childhood bedroom."

What happens when 7 adolescents are left to fend for themselves on an isolated island in the Pacific Northwest? This atmospheric tale blends elements of horror, folklore, and mystery. By the end, it will leave you questioning what’s real and what’s an imagined reality born from coping with life’s darkest moments. I loved how moody and immersive the author’s writing was. I could practically smell, see, and hear the Island of Beltane. This story carries the same unsettling, survival-driven energy found in Yellowjackets & Lord of the Flies.

[Jamie Cheval · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tragic, folk horror that tells the story of seven sisters in a dual-timeline format. The overall tone is dark and unsettling, and there are plenty of gruesome scenes described (Granny Alys, oof). The sisters are trying to survive the best they can, but it’s disturbing to see how much death and decay they experience on Beltane, especially Poppy.

I rate this 4 stars. While I enjoyed this book and read it in one day, I felt the ending left some plot points unresolved, especially regarding Willow. I went back to re-read the ending to see if I missed something, and I still don’t understand what happened to Willow in both timelines.

I would recommend this book and would read another book by this author.

[Enchanted Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC of The Seventh Sister by Dawn Kurtagich.

The Seventh Sister follows the narrator Clem and the story of her sisters as they go to live with Granny on a mysterious island. The story jumps back and forth through past and present tense as it unfolds the struggles and triumphs the sisters face as they live at Beltane.

I really enjoyed this novel as the characters were well developed and the plot had me guessing whether forgotten god of the woods was real or a made up story for the sisters to cope with reality of their lives. Warning there is body horror but it is not excessive and definitely has a purpose in the story.

[Danielle Heptinstall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seventh Sister is a beautiful, yet horrific story. There are twists you wouldn't expect, feelings you didn't expect to feel, & you will be holding breaths you didn't realize you were holding. The Seventh Sister is an absolute masterpiece & very though provoking. I hope this book is adapted into a movie or limited series, it just gives you that craving for an on screen depiction! Dawn Kurtagich has become one of my new favorite authors, The Seventh Sister is now one of my all time favorites!

*I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

[Kacey Rayburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kurtagich is back again with her signature voice, a vicious and ancient voice I'd recognize even 6 feet below. She writes like a root that strangles and a wound that bleeds. The Seventh Sister is a disturbing descent into darkness and madness. If you enjoy tales of dangerous devotion, sinister secrets, and the curse and cure of sisterhood, you should read it!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Julian Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seventh Sister is a single POV but dual timeline, slow burn horror. It makes you feel very immersed,
a masterclass in sensory narrative. The setting is a character and a grotesque antagonist, but who is sometimes an ally to the characters. It’s the thing that initially drives their family apart. The book is a disturbing insight into childhood indoctrination. This is Mexican Gothic on steroids. (Check TWs as there are some very intense instances of violence.)