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The Curses We Keep
The York family believed distance would save them.
Fleeing the pyres of Salem in 1692, they sought refuge in Carolina's sultry lowcountry, desperate to escape the witch trial hysteria that had consumed their neighbors. But in their new Charleston homestead, the nightmares begin anew. Spectral figures drift through moonlit rooms. Livestock perish in inexplicable numbers. And young Cassandra York sees what others cannot—or will not—acknowledge.
Something followed them from Salem.
As Cassandra delves into her family's guarded history, she uncovers the horrifying truth: a witch's vengeance, sworn in blood and flame, has bound the York bloodline to an eternal cycle of torment. Each generation inherits the curse anew. And now, in this remote colonial outpost, the reckoning has come due.
The Curses We Keep emerges as a forgotten masterwork of Southern Gothic terror that chills to the marrow.
Fleeing the pyres of Salem in 1692, they sought refuge in Carolina's sultry lowcountry, desperate to escape the witch trial hysteria that had consumed their neighbors. But in their new Charleston homestead, the nightmares begin anew. Spectral figures drift through moonlit rooms. Livestock perish in inexplicable numbers. And young Cassandra York sees what others cannot—or will not—acknowledge.
Something followed them from Salem.
As Cassandra delves into her family's guarded history, she uncovers the horrifying truth: a witch's vengeance, sworn in blood and flame, has bound the York bloodline to an eternal cycle of torment. Each generation inherits the curse anew. And now, in this remote colonial outpost, the reckoning has come due.
The Curses We Keep emerges as a forgotten masterwork of Southern Gothic terror that chills to the marrow.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2026
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Dakota J. Miller
2 books7 followersDakota J. Miller is an emerging voice in horror fiction with the upcoming release of his debut, The Curses We Keep.
A U.S. Army veteran with a PhD in Health Sciences, Dakota brings a distinctive perspective to his writing. When he’s not working, he’s preoccupied with unraveling the human condition—a fixation that seeps into every page he writes.
Raised in the Carolinas and shaped by military moves across the country, he now pours his Southern roots into dark, psychologically charged tales.
The Curses We Keep is a haunting Southern Gothic horror story about a family who fled the Salem Witch Trials, only to settle in 17th-century Charleston—where the past refuses to stay buried. Told with such authenticity and timeless dread, it feels like a lost classic pulled from a locked archive.
Beyond his debut, Dakota has written a chilling short story from which the characters will be seamlessly interwoven into another author’s upcoming novel, Moon Goddess by Faye Hollidaye, releasing in early 2026.
Though new to fiction, Dakota writes with a voice we thought we’d lost—one we desperately need back.
A U.S. Army veteran with a PhD in Health Sciences, Dakota brings a distinctive perspective to his writing. When he’s not working, he’s preoccupied with unraveling the human condition—a fixation that seeps into every page he writes.
Raised in the Carolinas and shaped by military moves across the country, he now pours his Southern roots into dark, psychologically charged tales.
The Curses We Keep is a haunting Southern Gothic horror story about a family who fled the Salem Witch Trials, only to settle in 17th-century Charleston—where the past refuses to stay buried. Told with such authenticity and timeless dread, it feels like a lost classic pulled from a locked archive.
Beyond his debut, Dakota has written a chilling short story from which the characters will be seamlessly interwoven into another author’s upcoming novel, Moon Goddess by Faye Hollidaye, releasing in early 2026.
Though new to fiction, Dakota writes with a voice we thought we’d lost—one we desperately need back.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 3, 2026
"The woods lay silent, a black mouth swallowing sound. Pines stood jagged and skeletal against a sky bruised with dusk, their branches reaching upward as though clawing for the last veins of light. Spanish moss hung in long, gray shrouds that swayed in the still air, heavy with damp. Drops fell slow to the earth, each bead glinting like a tear suspended in its fall before breaking the mud with a soft patter."
— Miller, Dakota. The Curses We Keep (p. 6)
So begins Dakota Miller's debut novel, The Curses We Keep. Billed as Southern Gothic horror, I wasn't sure what to expect—the label carries weight it rarely earns anymore. The cover art alone signals something unusual: a seriousness of intent largely absent from contemporary fiction. The artistic edge of Southern Gothic seemed to have died with Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, only partly revived by Michael McDowell and Cormac McCarthy before a distracted reading public and a risk-averse publishing industry pushed the genre toward the margins—into the hands of independent writers like Dakota Miller.
Miller uses language the way the best writers do: to reflect meaning already embedded in the world rather than to manufacture his own. His prose is effective precisely because it is purposeful, laying bare the layered pain in his story without sentimentality or escape hatches. The terrible things unfolding feel like truth, and Miller refuses to soften their consequences. Every character must reckon with how their own darkness and folly have led them here—no one is spared, and no one is probably entirely innocent.
At times the writing evokes Poe; at others, a Faulknerian stream of consciousness pulls the reader into the current alongside the characters. The effect is quietly devastating—the kind of novel that leaves you thoughtful and unsettled long after you've set it down.
— Miller, Dakota. The Curses We Keep (p. 6)
So begins Dakota Miller's debut novel, The Curses We Keep. Billed as Southern Gothic horror, I wasn't sure what to expect—the label carries weight it rarely earns anymore. The cover art alone signals something unusual: a seriousness of intent largely absent from contemporary fiction. The artistic edge of Southern Gothic seemed to have died with Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, only partly revived by Michael McDowell and Cormac McCarthy before a distracted reading public and a risk-averse publishing industry pushed the genre toward the margins—into the hands of independent writers like Dakota Miller.
Miller uses language the way the best writers do: to reflect meaning already embedded in the world rather than to manufacture his own. His prose is effective precisely because it is purposeful, laying bare the layered pain in his story without sentimentality or escape hatches. The terrible things unfolding feel like truth, and Miller refuses to soften their consequences. Every character must reckon with how their own darkness and folly have led them here—no one is spared, and no one is probably entirely innocent.
At times the writing evokes Poe; at others, a Faulknerian stream of consciousness pulls the reader into the current alongside the characters. The effect is quietly devastating—the kind of novel that leaves you thoughtful and unsettled long after you've set it down.
March 12, 2026
From the opening pages Dickota establishes a heavy atmosphere, kicking off his Gothic horror with a suicide. What followed was a plot that kept me on my toes, always guessing about where threads were going. The prose is as dense as the dread it builds, and though it borders on repetitious, it never bores. I would have read this over a week normally, if i hadn't read it on stream. The characters are likable, all of them, and it only makes me hate Dickota all the more for what he does to them.
The ending is thematic, appropriate, and so mind numbingly on point I had to restrain myself on stream from starting a schism fight.
Good job Dick, excellent religious horror and a great first novel.
I'm also grateful that Dakota tore open this bandage again. Dick.
You got me talking about it, now that I had time to settle.
The ending is thematic, appropriate, and so mind numbingly on point I had to restrain myself on stream from starting a schism fight.
Good job Dick, excellent religious horror and a great first novel.
I'm also grateful that Dakota tore open this bandage again. Dick.
You got me talking about it, now that I had time to settle.
March 11, 2026
As a longtime devotee of classic gothic tales like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, I've often returned to those masterpieces, convinced they might be the only ones capable of delivering that signature chill.
I'm thrilled to discover that The Curses We Keep revives the gothic tradition in thrilling fashion, masterfully blending New England witch-trial folklore with the humid shadows of the American South. This haunting novella chilled me to the bone as I peeled back its layers of dread, revealing a curse that spans centuries and refuses to be buried.
If you love the brooding atmospheres of Edgar Allan Poe, the tormented passions of the Brontë sisters, or the eerie folklore of Washington Irving, you won't be disappointed. Dakota J. Miller has conjured what feels like a lost classic from a bygone era — one more timeless tale destined to haunt your dreams.
I'm thrilled to discover that The Curses We Keep revives the gothic tradition in thrilling fashion, masterfully blending New England witch-trial folklore with the humid shadows of the American South. This haunting novella chilled me to the bone as I peeled back its layers of dread, revealing a curse that spans centuries and refuses to be buried.
If you love the brooding atmospheres of Edgar Allan Poe, the tormented passions of the Brontë sisters, or the eerie folklore of Washington Irving, you won't be disappointed. Dakota J. Miller has conjured what feels like a lost classic from a bygone era — one more timeless tale destined to haunt your dreams.
March 26, 2026
A really pleasant surprise, being that I’d seen early samples online that were in need of a fair bit of tinkering. The prose is still more lyrical than I’m used to, but the author has tempered this by keeping the sentences from running too long, allowing for a smooth and not overly taxing read. All in all, this a tight, atmospheric tale with a solid sense of time and place and an excellent twist in the final third. Kudos indeed.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was fortunate to have read this horrifyingly wonderful tale before it was released upon the public. After being drawn in by the wordplay and setting, I was rewarded with a wickedly intense buildup to a conclusion which delivers.
The style and story are each unique, making this a book I plan to read again.
The style and story are each unique, making this a book I plan to read again.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is a classic Gothic tale of consequences. It's psychological, dark in imagery, and centered on family. To say much more about The Curses We Keep would be a spoiler.
I enjoyed this novella for its supernatural suspense, and the heartbreaking--well, you'll have to read.
I enjoyed this novella for its supernatural suspense, and the heartbreaking--well, you'll have to read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advance review copy of this novel before publication and review it in detail on my blog (World of the Written Word): https://fayehollidayebookreviews.blog.... You SHOULD be excited for the release of this breakout horror novel, and I tell you why in my review WITH an author interview!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews