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The Insatiable Volt Sisters
Run Time = 12 hours & 4 minutes
It’s the summer of 1989 and Beatrice and Henrietta Volt are coming of age on remote Fowler Island, their ancestral home and wild playground. Thicker than thieves, the sisters plot their futures, having no idea that their parents are separating. Or that the plan is to separate them.
Ten years pass before Henrie gets a desperate call from her sister―their father has died suddenly and B.B. needs her to come back to the island for the funeral. But Henrie doesn’t want to go back. She’s barely put the island and all those rumors about missing women behind her. And isn’t it odd that she remembers nothing at all about the night she left? And why is she suddenly filled with fear about the quarry pond behind the house?
Told from the perspectives of four flawed, fascinating women, The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a lush, enthralling fable about monsters real and imagined. From the unbounded imagination of Rachel Eve Moulton, the critically acclaimed author of Tinfoil Butterfly, comes another eerie, terrifying exploration of family and Will the Volt sisters inherit the horrors of their past or surpass them?
It’s the summer of 1989 and Beatrice and Henrietta Volt are coming of age on remote Fowler Island, their ancestral home and wild playground. Thicker than thieves, the sisters plot their futures, having no idea that their parents are separating. Or that the plan is to separate them.
Ten years pass before Henrie gets a desperate call from her sister―their father has died suddenly and B.B. needs her to come back to the island for the funeral. But Henrie doesn’t want to go back. She’s barely put the island and all those rumors about missing women behind her. And isn’t it odd that she remembers nothing at all about the night she left? And why is she suddenly filled with fear about the quarry pond behind the house?
Told from the perspectives of four flawed, fascinating women, The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a lush, enthralling fable about monsters real and imagined. From the unbounded imagination of Rachel Eve Moulton, the critically acclaimed author of Tinfoil Butterfly, comes another eerie, terrifying exploration of family and Will the Volt sisters inherit the horrors of their past or surpass them?
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First published April 4, 2023
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March 23, 2023
Two things attracted me to this novel. First, the exquisite cover really caught my eye. Secondly, it was written by Rachel Eve Moulton whose first book, Tinfoil Butterfly, destroyed me in the best way possible. I'd like to commend her for writing a book that is so wildly different to the first. While the stories may be completely different her assured writing is the same which only cements the fact that she is an immensely talented writer.
This is the story of the Volt sisters, Beatrice (B.B.) and Henrietta (Henrie), who live on a strange island on Lake Erie. Henrie left the island a decade ago and has never been back but when B.B. calls to let her know that their father has passed away she knows she has no choice but to return.
The island has a history of women disappearing. Jumping from the cliffs yet their bodies are never recovered. No one seems to think this is strange but the sisters know that something isn't right. It's why Henrie left with her mother in the first place years ago.
"This is what I know. The island reaches out, sends it's echoey call like a heartbeat to the mainland. Someone catches that beat. Sadness attracts sadness. Women arrive. Women jump. Their bodies are never found."
Add to this a haunted house (maybe) and slithery monsters (possibly) and Voila! One of the strangest and weirdest books I have ever read. I'm truly at a loss at how to describe the plot of this book so I won't. The book is narrated by four women, B.B., Henrie, Carrie (Henrie's mother and B.B.'s step-mother) and Sonia (the island curator) - all unreliable. Or are they?
What's even stranger than this story is the fact that I finished it. This book has all the elements I usually can't tolerate - a tinge of magic, an air of dreaminess, fairytale-ish of sorts. Yet, I was mesmerized by the writing and the story. I wanted to know all the secrets that the island held. If that isn't a testament to her great writing then I don't know what is.
But,
The ending completely lost me. It all got to be a little too much. The last 20% I started to skim because I just couldn't make sense of anything that was happening and I grew weary with trying to figure it all out. This will not be a book for everyone but those that do pick this up will be rewarded with some really beautiful prose to savor. I can't help but to wonder where Moulton plans to go with her next novel. Wherever she goes I know it will be inventive, unique, and wholly original. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for my complimentary copy.
This is the story of the Volt sisters, Beatrice (B.B.) and Henrietta (Henrie), who live on a strange island on Lake Erie. Henrie left the island a decade ago and has never been back but when B.B. calls to let her know that their father has passed away she knows she has no choice but to return.
The island has a history of women disappearing. Jumping from the cliffs yet their bodies are never recovered. No one seems to think this is strange but the sisters know that something isn't right. It's why Henrie left with her mother in the first place years ago.
"This is what I know. The island reaches out, sends it's echoey call like a heartbeat to the mainland. Someone catches that beat. Sadness attracts sadness. Women arrive. Women jump. Their bodies are never found."
Add to this a haunted house (maybe) and slithery monsters (possibly) and Voila! One of the strangest and weirdest books I have ever read. I'm truly at a loss at how to describe the plot of this book so I won't. The book is narrated by four women, B.B., Henrie, Carrie (Henrie's mother and B.B.'s step-mother) and Sonia (the island curator) - all unreliable. Or are they?
What's even stranger than this story is the fact that I finished it. This book has all the elements I usually can't tolerate - a tinge of magic, an air of dreaminess, fairytale-ish of sorts. Yet, I was mesmerized by the writing and the story. I wanted to know all the secrets that the island held. If that isn't a testament to her great writing then I don't know what is.
But,
The ending completely lost me. It all got to be a little too much. The last 20% I started to skim because I just couldn't make sense of anything that was happening and I grew weary with trying to figure it all out. This will not be a book for everyone but those that do pick this up will be rewarded with some really beautiful prose to savor. I can't help but to wonder where Moulton plans to go with her next novel. Wherever she goes I know it will be inventive, unique, and wholly original. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for my complimentary copy.
May 31, 2024
My complete review of The Insatiable Volt Sisters is published at Grimdark Magazine.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is the second horror novel published by Rachel Eve Moulton, following up on her debut, Tinfoil Butterfly, which was shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award.
In The Insatiable Volt Sisters, the Volt family have served as the caretakers of Fowler Island for generations. Located in Lake Erie off the northern coast of Ohio, Fowler Island is a popular vacation destination for summer tourists, but beneath this façade the island seems to feed on the despair of its female inhabitants, driving them to their untimely deaths.
The titular Volt sisters, Beatrice and Henrietta, have come of age on Fowler Island under the auspices of their quirky yet enigmatic father and a small group of female caretakers and companions. After growing up and escaping the island for ten years, Henrietta is called back home in the wake of her father’s unexpected death.
Shirley Jackson’s influence is evident throughout The Insatiable Volt Sisters, which features a pair of sisters who seem to be the spiritual descendants of Merricat and Constance Blackwood from Jackson’s We Have Always Lived at the Castle. Like Jackson’s classic novel, The Insatiable Volt Sisters is an anthem to agoraphobia featuring unreliable narration and a distinctly feminist take on the horror genre.
In contrast to We Have Always Lived at the Castle, Moulton’s novel is told from multiple perspectives on dual timelines. Rachel Eve Moulton’s writing is vivid yet ambiguous, initially befuddling the reader and then gradually building a profound sense of dread. Often disorienting, the story seems to be wandering a bit aimlessly during the middle of the novel. But this confusion is dispelled as a sinister force driving the island’s madness gradually crystallizes.
Rachel Eve Moulton fully embraces the northern Gothic aesthetic. Lake Erie has never felt so eerie as in The Insatiable Volt Sisters, and the ending descends into full-scale Lovecraftian horror. The Volt sisters may be insatiable, but your humble reviewer felt fully satiated upon closing the back cover of this accomplished folk horror.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is an emotional thrill ride, a meditation on inheritance and the impossibility of escaping one’s past. Despite its pervading sense of despair, the novel is ultimately a feminist tale showing the strength of women who band together to confront the past and overcome an unspeakable evil. Moulton’s work is a must-read for fans of Shirley Jackson and highly recommended for horror enthusiasts in general.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is the second horror novel published by Rachel Eve Moulton, following up on her debut, Tinfoil Butterfly, which was shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award.
In The Insatiable Volt Sisters, the Volt family have served as the caretakers of Fowler Island for generations. Located in Lake Erie off the northern coast of Ohio, Fowler Island is a popular vacation destination for summer tourists, but beneath this façade the island seems to feed on the despair of its female inhabitants, driving them to their untimely deaths.
The titular Volt sisters, Beatrice and Henrietta, have come of age on Fowler Island under the auspices of their quirky yet enigmatic father and a small group of female caretakers and companions. After growing up and escaping the island for ten years, Henrietta is called back home in the wake of her father’s unexpected death.
Shirley Jackson’s influence is evident throughout The Insatiable Volt Sisters, which features a pair of sisters who seem to be the spiritual descendants of Merricat and Constance Blackwood from Jackson’s We Have Always Lived at the Castle. Like Jackson’s classic novel, The Insatiable Volt Sisters is an anthem to agoraphobia featuring unreliable narration and a distinctly feminist take on the horror genre.
In contrast to We Have Always Lived at the Castle, Moulton’s novel is told from multiple perspectives on dual timelines. Rachel Eve Moulton’s writing is vivid yet ambiguous, initially befuddling the reader and then gradually building a profound sense of dread. Often disorienting, the story seems to be wandering a bit aimlessly during the middle of the novel. But this confusion is dispelled as a sinister force driving the island’s madness gradually crystallizes.
Rachel Eve Moulton fully embraces the northern Gothic aesthetic. Lake Erie has never felt so eerie as in The Insatiable Volt Sisters, and the ending descends into full-scale Lovecraftian horror. The Volt sisters may be insatiable, but your humble reviewer felt fully satiated upon closing the back cover of this accomplished folk horror.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is an emotional thrill ride, a meditation on inheritance and the impossibility of escaping one’s past. Despite its pervading sense of despair, the novel is ultimately a feminist tale showing the strength of women who band together to confront the past and overcome an unspeakable evil. Moulton’s work is a must-read for fans of Shirley Jackson and highly recommended for horror enthusiasts in general.
March 23, 2024
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a solid horror story about generational trauma, a cursed island, and the strong bond between family.
The story is told from four different alternating perspectives, with an alternating dual timeline. In the year 1989, sisters Henrietta & Beatrice are growing up on Fowler Island - they spend their days exploring the quarry, meeting boys, and planning their future together. Fast forward to the year 2000, Beatrice remains on the island while Henrietta and her mother have moved back to the mainland. Henrietta gets a call from Beatrice who announces their father has died and she must return to island.
The island setting was so immersive and I think the alternating timelines & perspectives was a great way to tell the story. There are also some feminist undertones as the sisters find themselves in positions that were previously only held by men. This book had a lot of my favorite horror elements which made it a fun read for me. Without giving away too much, there are ghosts, curses, and ancient evil. 👻
The story is told from four different alternating perspectives, with an alternating dual timeline. In the year 1989, sisters Henrietta & Beatrice are growing up on Fowler Island - they spend their days exploring the quarry, meeting boys, and planning their future together. Fast forward to the year 2000, Beatrice remains on the island while Henrietta and her mother have moved back to the mainland. Henrietta gets a call from Beatrice who announces their father has died and she must return to island.
The island setting was so immersive and I think the alternating timelines & perspectives was a great way to tell the story. There are also some feminist undertones as the sisters find themselves in positions that were previously only held by men. This book had a lot of my favorite horror elements which made it a fun read for me. Without giving away too much, there are ghosts, curses, and ancient evil. 👻
July 2, 2023
A fantastic summer horror set on an island in the strange and mysterious Lake Eerie. Two sisters, a dark family secret, disappearing women, and a house that is haunted.
I love water themed horror, horror by the sea, in the sea, in a lake, by the lake. Give me the element of water as a prominent feature and you are already reeling me in to the story.
The close knit islanders know more than they are saying, what is the Volt family secret? How does it tie in to the girls? Where do the disappearing women go? All these questions are answered in this dark watery tail within the pages of the book. A highly enjoyable beach summer read!
I love water themed horror, horror by the sea, in the sea, in a lake, by the lake. Give me the element of water as a prominent feature and you are already reeling me in to the story.
The close knit islanders know more than they are saying, what is the Volt family secret? How does it tie in to the girls? Where do the disappearing women go? All these questions are answered in this dark watery tail within the pages of the book. A highly enjoyable beach summer read!
May 11, 2023
The Insatiable Volt Sisters was a great, Gothic story, about sisterly love, family loyalty, and monsters! I throughly enjoyed this novel. It did drag for a bit but the ending was great.
dnf
April 24, 2023DNF @ 38%
I was hoping it would be spookier, but honestly the Volt sisters are just young women with repressed childhood trauma who need therapy and vent their maladjusted emotions in unhealthy ways. BB is annoying - egotistical and sharp-edged and manipulative - and Henrie is limp lettuce (and so is her mother Carrie). The only POV character who remotely held my interest was Sonia.
The worst thing though is just the very very slow introduction of the creepy stuff. The flashbacks don't feel like they add much (at least not by the point I gave up). We barely saw the creepy house. We haven't been in the abandoned "Fun Park". We ran out of the funeral after a weird hallucination. We've talked to maybe 2 people that don't have a POV. I finally gave up when we got a severed foot and then immediately jumped to a flashback to their childhood. It just feels like a whole lot of talking "around" what's happening rather than actually having something happen. In a word: Boring
{Thank you FSG for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
I was hoping it would be spookier, but honestly the Volt sisters are just young women with repressed childhood trauma who need therapy and vent their maladjusted emotions in unhealthy ways. BB is annoying - egotistical and sharp-edged and manipulative - and Henrie is limp lettuce (and so is her mother Carrie). The only POV character who remotely held my interest was Sonia.
The worst thing though is just the very very slow introduction of the creepy stuff. The flashbacks don't feel like they add much (at least not by the point I gave up). We barely saw the creepy house. We haven't been in the abandoned "Fun Park". We ran out of the funeral after a weird hallucination. We've talked to maybe 2 people that don't have a POV. I finally gave up when we got a severed foot and then immediately jumped to a flashback to their childhood. It just feels like a whole lot of talking "around" what's happening rather than actually having something happen. In a word: Boring
{Thank you FSG for the complementary copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
March 10, 2023
Rating 2.5
I didn't mind that they're were multiple POVs and switched between timelines. I don't think it was confusing at all. I liked the idea of the plot, but the story itself was boring and I didn't care about the characters or what little was happening. I expected this to be a more atmospheric, creepy horror, but it wasn't at all.
I didn't mind that they're were multiple POVs and switched between timelines. I don't think it was confusing at all. I liked the idea of the plot, but the story itself was boring and I didn't care about the characters or what little was happening. I expected this to be a more atmospheric, creepy horror, but it wasn't at all.
April 21, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Out April 4, 2023.
4 stars
This story completely engulfed me, I was so interested to see where it was going. The story of these sisters who grow up on a dreary island seeped in lore and dread really had me intrigued.
I liked all the characters (as unlikable and flawed as some of them were) and found the mystery of the island impeccable. Henrietta and Beatrice are half-sisters growing up on an island off of Lake Erie that has a history of missing women. As adults, they reunite on the island to piece together their family’s history and legacy.
I did feel that the ending didn’t really cinch things up the way I wanted it to and it took a long time to get to the ending. There were also some things that seemed on the verge of silly in the final act. It took me out of the grim atmosphere that had been well-cultivated until then.
Read this if you like:
- Coming of age stories with a twist
- Family curses
- Haunted houses situated very precariously on a cliff
Out April 4, 2023.
4 stars
This story completely engulfed me, I was so interested to see where it was going. The story of these sisters who grow up on a dreary island seeped in lore and dread really had me intrigued.
I liked all the characters (as unlikable and flawed as some of them were) and found the mystery of the island impeccable. Henrietta and Beatrice are half-sisters growing up on an island off of Lake Erie that has a history of missing women. As adults, they reunite on the island to piece together their family’s history and legacy.
I did feel that the ending didn’t really cinch things up the way I wanted it to and it took a long time to get to the ending. There were also some things that seemed on the verge of silly in the final act. It took me out of the grim atmosphere that had been well-cultivated until then.
Read this if you like:
- Coming of age stories with a twist
- Family curses
- Haunted houses situated very precariously on a cliff
March 29, 2023
Each knuckle of my spine fits into the curve of the cave, clicking into place. I am a piece of the great big gears of this place, a working piece. I cannot just be taken away.
3.5 stars rounded up. I have lots of questions after finishing The Insatiable Volt Sisters, and the first and foremost of those questions is, What in the world did I just read?
What I thought was going to be a straightforward story about estranged sisters on a strange island turned into much more than that -- a dark fable featuring ghosts, monsters, and a generational curse. I should've known that a book with a cover this gorgeous would have lots of strange secrets to share.
Half-sisters Beatrice (B.B.) and Henrietta (Henrie) grew up on Fowler Island in Lake Erie and were inseparable until Henrie's mother, Carrie, whisked her off-island for her protection. Now, B.B. and Henrie's father has died, drawing Carrie and the sisters back to the island for his funeral. Although B.B. and Henrie remember the island as a magical place, a wild kingdom they ruled, there is a darkness lurking beneath its idyllic surface. The quarry behind their ancestral family home seems to lure lonely young women to jump to their deaths, their bodies never to be recovered. When the waters begin to rise, B.B. and Henrie must decide if they will resign themselves to their family's fate, or if they will try to break the curse once and for all.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a dark fairy tale exploring the bonds of sisterhood, ancestral duty, and what it means to be a monster. It's an enthralling story in its own right, but can also be read as a feminist metaphor about male violence -- what it means for women to carry that violence as a burden and what happens when it's inherited. It's a weird, inventive novel, exquisitely written and intensely atmospheric. Rachel Eve Moulton's lush prose brought Fowler Island completely to life, and it was a place I wanted to inhabit, despite its horrors.
This is definitely a book you can get lost in, both in the dreamy sense and the "huh?" sense. It takes some turns that I'm not sure I fully understood, but I was mesmerized by Moulton's bold narrative choices and the strong sense of place she evoked with her writing. This is a situation where the multiple narrators (B.B., Henrie, Carrie, and the island curator, Sonia) worked incredibly well, as each woman held a different piece of the book's larger puzzle.
Despite the book's length, there were some aspects of the plot that I felt could have been better explored (particularly the origin of the island's curse and the island's original sisters, Elizabeth and Eileen Fowler). Some of the characters' relationships weren't as well-fleshed-out as they could have been, and some of the book's action and explanations get lost in Moulton's flowery language. But mostly, I was dazzled by this novel, which was unlike anything I've read before. If you like magical realism, dark fables, or books featuring creepy sentient houses, ancestral curses, strange creatures, and strong female characters, then The Insatiable Volt Sisters will most likely be right up your alley. Thank you to NetGalley and MCD x FSG Originals for the advance reading opportunity.
April 19, 2023
Insatiable Volt Sisters Review (No Spoilers)
Throughout the book events unfold without a clear plot, relying on the characters and content to remain intriguing, which both, characters and content, lacked. That was my opinion for the first half of the book and after reading other people's reviews I was interested in noting a tone switch midway through the book. I was disappointed, the plot shifts very little and the slow un-suspenseful pacing continued. If you have a hard time getting through the first few chapters, you probably should not continue the book. I could see younger readers enjoying this book or folks who don't have much time to read in one sitting.
Having chapters from multiple perspectives repeats events, to me it felt like "hand-holding," though it could be a helpful trait for people who don't want to infer, or simply like everything being stated as opposed to illustrated. Chapters also don't always pick up right where they left off, so putting the book down for a little while and then picking it back up doesn't break up the flow of the story. This is also evident in the lack of flow I previously mentioned. Though I understand that people enjoy it, I would not recommend this book.
Throughout the book events unfold without a clear plot, relying on the characters and content to remain intriguing, which both, characters and content, lacked. That was my opinion for the first half of the book and after reading other people's reviews I was interested in noting a tone switch midway through the book. I was disappointed, the plot shifts very little and the slow un-suspenseful pacing continued. If you have a hard time getting through the first few chapters, you probably should not continue the book. I could see younger readers enjoying this book or folks who don't have much time to read in one sitting.
Having chapters from multiple perspectives repeats events, to me it felt like "hand-holding," though it could be a helpful trait for people who don't want to infer, or simply like everything being stated as opposed to illustrated. Chapters also don't always pick up right where they left off, so putting the book down for a little while and then picking it back up doesn't break up the flow of the story. This is also evident in the lack of flow I previously mentioned. Though I understand that people enjoy it, I would not recommend this book.
March 19, 2023
3.5 (got bumped up a half star for that sick ending, for a 450ish page book, I was glued for those final 50 pages)
I found the writing to be beautiful, the author certainly has a knack for creating atmosphere. But I just felt like it was a slow burn where the pinnacle never really came to fruition. The concept was incredible and the blurbs on the back of the book from Rachel Harrison and Gus Moreno were especially promising... but it just lacked where I expected more.
I found the writing to be beautiful, the author certainly has a knack for creating atmosphere. But I just felt like it was a slow burn where the pinnacle never really came to fruition. The concept was incredible and the blurbs on the back of the book from Rachel Harrison and Gus Moreno were especially promising... but it just lacked where I expected more.
May 8, 2023
I devoured this book! If I had started it during my time off, I would have read it in two days. This book was very mysterious and just like any good horror, even when there were happy times, there loomed something dark. Personally, I felt like it could have been creepier, and I was left with lots of questions. There was a ton of story telling that was great, and we never circled back to.
April 8, 2024
Fuck, that was so good. I have this weird thing I do sometimes where when I’m deeply drawn to a book I’ll put off reading it because I want to love it as much as I think I’ll love it, but am scared I’ll be disappointed.
I definitely had nothing to worry about with this one. Also, if anyone feels inclined I did this as an audiobook and it was well done. Each of the four main characters were read by a different woman, and it enhanced the storytelling.
I’m not sure how I can fully articulate how I responded to this one. It spoke to some deep parts of myself. I love the way it explored sadness, grief, fear, and rage. The complicated bond between sisters. How all of our families all have their dark mythologies. How painful it is to dive into the sources of our wounds. And how healing has a sadness of its own.
This book is gothic, and damp, and feral and I fucking love it. Anything book that holds some form of folklore, or has a dark fairy tale vibe is something I will naturally gravitate to.
But the core of this novel is something I think all women feel. It’s very good. This will definitely be in my top ten favourite books of 2024
I definitely had nothing to worry about with this one. Also, if anyone feels inclined I did this as an audiobook and it was well done. Each of the four main characters were read by a different woman, and it enhanced the storytelling.
I’m not sure how I can fully articulate how I responded to this one. It spoke to some deep parts of myself. I love the way it explored sadness, grief, fear, and rage. The complicated bond between sisters. How all of our families all have their dark mythologies. How painful it is to dive into the sources of our wounds. And how healing has a sadness of its own.
This book is gothic, and damp, and feral and I fucking love it. Anything book that holds some form of folklore, or has a dark fairy tale vibe is something I will naturally gravitate to.
But the core of this novel is something I think all women feel. It’s very good. This will definitely be in my top ten favourite books of 2024
September 25, 2022
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. The jumping back and forth in time was confusing and there were too many characters.
May 14, 2023
This was extremely boring. Not scary, just ridiculous. The different characters and all different timelines were confusing. Very close to DNF.
July 20, 2023
Justice for this book! 😂 3.4 is too low! My guess is that there are folks who felt the first half was too slow and folks who felt the second half was too crazy. I’m the odd reader who loved it all!
I enjoyed all the POVs, and I felt like each woman was distinct. I think Carrie was the weakest in that she was basically “worried mother,” but I liked that her motivations were hers. The slow burn of the first half gave me time to get to know everyone. I’d actually have enjoyed another timeline with Eileen and/or Eleanor thrown in. Beatrice is not always likable but her POV was my favorite. Her impulsiveness and intensity were compelling.
The horror elements and imagery? Love. Successfully disgusted me in the best way multiple times. Effectively atmospheric as well.
The feminist messaging gets to be a bit too intense in the end, but I appreciate what it is - without caricatures of men in the story. In contrast to something like The Change by Kirsten Miller.
Reminded me of The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson. Also Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth. And even Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
I enjoyed all the POVs, and I felt like each woman was distinct. I think Carrie was the weakest in that she was basically “worried mother,” but I liked that her motivations were hers. The slow burn of the first half gave me time to get to know everyone. I’d actually have enjoyed another timeline with Eileen and/or Eleanor thrown in. Beatrice is not always likable but her POV was my favorite. Her impulsiveness and intensity were compelling.
The horror elements and imagery? Love. Successfully disgusted me in the best way multiple times. Effectively atmospheric as well.
The feminist messaging gets to be a bit too intense in the end, but I appreciate what it is - without caricatures of men in the story. In contrast to something like The Change by Kirsten Miller.
Reminded me of The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson. Also Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth. And even Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
April 23, 2025
an elegant, slow burn horror about generational trauma turned strength by a legacy of monstrous women — i can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone, but i was soooo hungry for this book i ate it right up. insatiable is right
August 22, 2023
As a fan of Annihilation and Just Like Home, I was willing to invest in the long-winded and uncannyness of this book because it over-delivered in ways I wasn’t expecting.
It was a constant fever dream, sinking towards something you could feel was inevitably disastrous but you didn’t know why or how, and that feeling of being eaten away at was enough to keep me constantly working through the math myself.
Something that I really appreciated was that the women were so so bright in this book. They were thinkers and doers, with very little regard for the male gaze beyond what was familial or convenient and so, it felt they were able to be very authentic in their gall and fury. In the same way, the women were also pretty scary. The way they loved each other ferociously was a study in itself.
The phone calls. The pinhole cameras. The final typewriter scene was just SO. MUCH. The sense of desperation was captured so perfectly in that moment.
I loved the folklore around what it meant to be of the island.
It was a constant fever dream, sinking towards something you could feel was inevitably disastrous but you didn’t know why or how, and that feeling of being eaten away at was enough to keep me constantly working through the math myself.
Something that I really appreciated was that the women were so so bright in this book. They were thinkers and doers, with very little regard for the male gaze beyond what was familial or convenient and so, it felt they were able to be very authentic in their gall and fury. In the same way, the women were also pretty scary. The way they loved each other ferociously was a study in itself.
The phone calls. The pinhole cameras. The final typewriter scene was just SO. MUCH. The sense of desperation was captured so perfectly in that moment.
I loved the folklore around what it meant to be of the island.
March 31, 2023
Thank you to FSG and Net Galley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
OK SPOOKY SISTERS, this one’s for you! The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a slightly gothic, family curse, ghost story with a mix of Elena Ferrante (sisters and mothers who love each other and hate each other all at the same time.)
Beatrice and Henrietta are sisters who live on an island in Lake Erie. They both can hear the ghosts that live in their home and in the water and rocks of their beloved island. You learn that their family is cursed, women on the island go missing, and all of the narrators are unreliable.
This story had so many elements that I loved. From the love/hate/tense relationship between the sisters to the lore of the island, to the blend of devilish possession/haunted house/creature feature (and I usually don't like creature features.) My only complaint is that I feel like many things were left unexplained or unresolved. Everything wraps up a little too nicely in a pretty package.
If you like The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix or stories of cursed families and sisterly devotion and love, you will like this horror.
OK SPOOKY SISTERS, this one’s for you! The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a slightly gothic, family curse, ghost story with a mix of Elena Ferrante (sisters and mothers who love each other and hate each other all at the same time.)
Beatrice and Henrietta are sisters who live on an island in Lake Erie. They both can hear the ghosts that live in their home and in the water and rocks of their beloved island. You learn that their family is cursed, women on the island go missing, and all of the narrators are unreliable.
This story had so many elements that I loved. From the love/hate/tense relationship between the sisters to the lore of the island, to the blend of devilish possession/haunted house/creature feature (and I usually don't like creature features.) My only complaint is that I feel like many things were left unexplained or unresolved. Everything wraps up a little too nicely in a pretty package.
If you like The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix or stories of cursed families and sisterly devotion and love, you will like this horror.
September 14, 2024
I really feel that the author could have sprinkled more hints and mystery in the island museum work (or even earlier description of Eileen and Elizabeth’s lives) completed by Sonia which would have built more intrigue for the reveal of the “monster forms.” Or, including more inner dialogue and information from Carrie that hints at what happened at the Killing Pond in 1989 that forced her and Henrie to leave. Or actual flashbacks from Henrie or B.B. about that night.
Either of these choices would have made a stronger through line for the reader instead of spending 350 page dealing with B.B.’s over sexualized “cool girl” narration and Henri’s self-isolated perspective. There were some points of the 1989 story line that felt interesting upon reading them but later didn’t seem to provide any tangible thread into the story. For example: Henrie getting her period. Was this the start of her tending to turn into her monster form? It’s never even hinted at.
I enjoyed that the ending (literally the last ten pages) focused on the love between women triumphing over an ancient, male centered evil. However, that could have been employed earlier on in the book to provide more parallels between Henri/B.B. and Eileen/Elizabeth. I wanted to love this book for the title and the cover art, and really the basis, but it left me a bit unfulfilled. Perhaps that is the point.
Either of these choices would have made a stronger through line for the reader instead of spending 350 page dealing with B.B.’s over sexualized “cool girl” narration and Henri’s self-isolated perspective. There were some points of the 1989 story line that felt interesting upon reading them but later didn’t seem to provide any tangible thread into the story. For example: Henrie getting her period. Was this the start of her tending to turn into her monster form? It’s never even hinted at.
I enjoyed that the ending (literally the last ten pages) focused on the love between women triumphing over an ancient, male centered evil. However, that could have been employed earlier on in the book to provide more parallels between Henri/B.B. and Eileen/Elizabeth. I wanted to love this book for the title and the cover art, and really the basis, but it left me a bit unfulfilled. Perhaps that is the point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2025
There is “interesting weird” and there is “silly weird” and whilst Tin Butterfly fit in the first category, Moulton’s second novel is utterly ludicrous. She thought she could write a (feminist?) take on Lovecraft’s Cthulhu and failed miserably. Firstly, the novel drags on and on and gets mildly interesting in the second half and, secondly, the characters are so irritating, silly and lifeless that one doesn’t care who/what they really are and what will happen to them. Moreover, although the author set to write some kind of profound and original work about the female body and empowerment, she tripped over the usual, inexcusable, despicable beauty stereotypes: “[they] shared the same long blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain features” (…) “My blond hair shining. Her blue eyes are lit up in that same sun” (…) “He’d […] marvel at her bright blue eyes”. I really don’t know how I made it to the last page. A terrible waste of time. Moulton wrote a promising first novel and a pretentious, overambitious second novel that fails at all levels.
January 12, 2024
(Rounding up from 1.5) This was... bad. There were some interesting ideas, and I initially liked the shifting POVs (the step/mom's chapters were especially solid). But after a while, it just felt like Moulton was throwing ideas from other, better horror novels at the wall and seeing what stuck. Much of the dialogue was terrible and cliched - the older sister in particular felt like a Bad Girl character from a CW show (derogatory).
dnf
May 1, 2023Well it happened. I DNF’d it LOL. Honestly it had me in the first half ngl but then it started dragging and nothing was happening so I got bored.
September 16, 2023
this was gonna be a 3 star or more but the last few chapters were really just a big question mark. also wasn’t really wanting a creature horror moment but that’s on me. liked the build up though!
September 12, 2023
Knocked off a star because the dog was killed.
April 12, 2023
When I request an ARC there is quite a lag in time between that time (when I first read the summary and it interests me enough to ask for the galley) and when I go to read the book. Sometimes it’s six months or more. So when I went to read The Insatiable Volt Sisters, I didn’t remember much about this book’s summary other than it involved two sisters, a big house, and it was something involving paranormal and weird stuff.
This book is sneaky. At first, it has this feel of being magical realism literary fiction written in some of the (simultaneously) loveliest and most visceral prose I’ve read in some time with a whisper of gothic ghost story woven gently in. Don’t be fooled. This book quickly takes a turn for the paranormal and horrific, while still managing to have that visceral, sometimes violent, often vividly descriptive, and somehow always beautiful prose.
Honestly, I don’t know how Moulton wrote this book without summoning demons and muses at the same time, because writing a book that manages to be both heartbreaking and emotionally moving but angry and terrifying is some kind of genius writing magic. Her sentence composition and structure is the definition of perfection for this type of novel, and her copious use of the five senses adds to the surreal experience of spending time with Quarry Hollow (the Volt family home) Fowler Island (on which Quarry Hollow sits) and the quarry itself (one of the main characters in the story, even if it is a location and not a person).
Honestly, I don’t want to talk about the plot, because I feel like doing so will not only spoil the book, but it’ll spoil the experience of reading the book for anyone who wishes to read it. I kind of think this book is best enjoyed blind (though I will TW for an animal death late in the book, though it isn’t violent, in my opinion). There are a great many other topics in this book that another reviewer might give TW or CWs for, but I don’t give TW or CWs save for animal deaths, so you might want to look at some other reviews and see if another reviewer has listed comprehensive TWs or CWs. As always, be aware of your own mental thresholds while reading and don’t be afraid to stop if you need to stop. Your mental health is always more important than completing a book.
Honestly, this book has sent me reeling, and it’s resonating in my brain. I haven’t yet managed to tease out all the themes, to set them apart and figure out how Moulton managed to braid the strands together into this paranormal symphony. I’m still in the book with the characters, thinking about all of them, their roles in the story, and how they all fit in. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for this story to leave my brain, but I hope it takes a while. The best stories stick with you.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Ghost Story/Literary Fiction/Paranormal Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy/Folk Horror/5 Star Read/Gothic
This book is sneaky. At first, it has this feel of being magical realism literary fiction written in some of the (simultaneously) loveliest and most visceral prose I’ve read in some time with a whisper of gothic ghost story woven gently in. Don’t be fooled. This book quickly takes a turn for the paranormal and horrific, while still managing to have that visceral, sometimes violent, often vividly descriptive, and somehow always beautiful prose.
Honestly, I don’t know how Moulton wrote this book without summoning demons and muses at the same time, because writing a book that manages to be both heartbreaking and emotionally moving but angry and terrifying is some kind of genius writing magic. Her sentence composition and structure is the definition of perfection for this type of novel, and her copious use of the five senses adds to the surreal experience of spending time with Quarry Hollow (the Volt family home) Fowler Island (on which Quarry Hollow sits) and the quarry itself (one of the main characters in the story, even if it is a location and not a person).
Honestly, I don’t want to talk about the plot, because I feel like doing so will not only spoil the book, but it’ll spoil the experience of reading the book for anyone who wishes to read it. I kind of think this book is best enjoyed blind (though I will TW for an animal death late in the book, though it isn’t violent, in my opinion). There are a great many other topics in this book that another reviewer might give TW or CWs for, but I don’t give TW or CWs save for animal deaths, so you might want to look at some other reviews and see if another reviewer has listed comprehensive TWs or CWs. As always, be aware of your own mental thresholds while reading and don’t be afraid to stop if you need to stop. Your mental health is always more important than completing a book.
Honestly, this book has sent me reeling, and it’s resonating in my brain. I haven’t yet managed to tease out all the themes, to set them apart and figure out how Moulton managed to braid the strands together into this paranormal symphony. I’m still in the book with the characters, thinking about all of them, their roles in the story, and how they all fit in. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for this story to leave my brain, but I hope it takes a while. The best stories stick with you.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Ghost Story/Literary Fiction/Paranormal Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy/Folk Horror/5 Star Read/Gothic
April 19, 2023
The Insatiable Volt Sisters tells a story of the myths, monsters, and a family tree rooted on a strange island. We are introduced to half sisters Beatrice (B.B.) and Henrietta (Henrie) as they reunite following their father’s death, returning to their family home that holds secrets as dark as the island while its true history lies deeper below.
Enriched with fable and folklore, we are told the story from the perspectives of four women: B.B, Henrie and her mother, Carrie, and Sonia, the island curator. The narrative shifts between the sisters’ reunion and what happened a decade ago that led one of them to leave for good.
There is a mystery that takes hold of the place, a history of women disappearing and their bodies never found. There has always been a feeling that something isn’t quite right but B.B. and Henrie find themselves drawn in all the same. And I knew the feeling because I found myself completely mesmerised by Moulton’s writing. Every page pulled me in closer and I did not want it to end. The horror could have creeped in slower and I would have been equally patient.
I felt so immersed in the story, on the desolate island where B.B. and Henrie grew up. It wasn’t difficult to believe that the setting itself was a presence waiting to swallow them whole. I almost did not want to know all the answers but when the water rushed in, it was sublime. What a great first read from this author. I really must pick up Tinfoil Butterfly as soon as I can.
For the record, I read the ebook and barely looked at the cover to notice. So I truly went in colder than anyone should have and believe me, it felt even more rewarding!
Enriched with fable and folklore, we are told the story from the perspectives of four women: B.B, Henrie and her mother, Carrie, and Sonia, the island curator. The narrative shifts between the sisters’ reunion and what happened a decade ago that led one of them to leave for good.
There is a mystery that takes hold of the place, a history of women disappearing and their bodies never found. There has always been a feeling that something isn’t quite right but B.B. and Henrie find themselves drawn in all the same. And I knew the feeling because I found myself completely mesmerised by Moulton’s writing. Every page pulled me in closer and I did not want it to end. The horror could have creeped in slower and I would have been equally patient.
I felt so immersed in the story, on the desolate island where B.B. and Henrie grew up. It wasn’t difficult to believe that the setting itself was a presence waiting to swallow them whole. I almost did not want to know all the answers but when the water rushed in, it was sublime. What a great first read from this author. I really must pick up Tinfoil Butterfly as soon as I can.
For the record, I read the ebook and barely looked at the cover to notice. So I truly went in colder than anyone should have and believe me, it felt even more rewarding!
April 25, 2023
3.5 rounded up. I liked this one!
The Insatiable Volt Sisters by Rachel Eve Moulton is a weird, fever dream-ish fairy tale of sorts that centers around two sisters and their strange family home. It's a story about family and legacy and responsibility and what it means to be a sister. I enjoyed the writing and was compelled by the mystery of the island.
The reason I didn't rate it higher is because I felt the story needed a lot more editing and polish. This narrative switches timelines and narrators frequently and, honestly, it was messy. I also didn't think that the end pulled everything together as well as it should have.
My last complaint is that the horror elements are minimal to the point where I don't think this book should even be categorized as horror. It's more like a dark fable. Despite this, I still had a pretty good time reading this one.
You might like this if you like: weird vibes, island settings, and girl power.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters by Rachel Eve Moulton is a weird, fever dream-ish fairy tale of sorts that centers around two sisters and their strange family home. It's a story about family and legacy and responsibility and what it means to be a sister. I enjoyed the writing and was compelled by the mystery of the island.
The reason I didn't rate it higher is because I felt the story needed a lot more editing and polish. This narrative switches timelines and narrators frequently and, honestly, it was messy. I also didn't think that the end pulled everything together as well as it should have.
My last complaint is that the horror elements are minimal to the point where I don't think this book should even be categorized as horror. It's more like a dark fable. Despite this, I still had a pretty good time reading this one.
You might like this if you like: weird vibes, island settings, and girl power.
March 21, 2023
Jumping into books blindly is such an adventure. I was expecting a book about two sisters on a mysterious island, and I ended up with a book about two sisters, a mysterious island, and honest to God monsters. Fantasy and horror elements aren't usually my jam, but hats off to the writer for creating a twisted, imaginative modern-day fable.
May 9, 2023
I loved this book from Rachel Moulton. I’m a huge fan of books set in Ohio, but this one took my love of an Ohio setting a few steps further. The details of the island and houses fascinated me, and I couldn’t put the book down. Well crafted with interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what Moulton writes next!
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