The Sisters of Crimson House by Melissa Anderson Sweazy on September 29, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Gothic, Fiction / Horror / General, Fiction / Occult & Supernatural, Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
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Practical Magic meets Play Nice? Yep, I can definitely see it!
I went into The Sisters of Crimson House not really knowing what to expect, and this is such a perfect book for spooky season. Give me a creepy old house, a family full of secrets, sisters with magical abilities, and some seriously eerie vibes, and I’m in!
This one is also a fun genre mash-up. It has horror, mystery, supernatural elements, a VERY slight touch of romance, and—maybe most importantly—a whole lot of messy family drama. 😂 There’s a little bit of everything happening, but the complicated Bryde family and the secrets surrounding Crimson House are really at the heart of the story.
Each member of the Bryde family has their own special talent—except Charley. While the rest of her family has psychic abilities, Charley has always been told that her real contribution to the family is to protect her older sister, Miranda. And when things start to go sideways in the Bryde family, they REALLY go sideways.
The characters were probably one of the most intriguing parts of this book for me because I could never quite figure them out. I never knew what they were going to do next, and I had such a hard time getting inside their heads—which actually made me even more curious about what was really happening inside Crimson House.
I will say, there is quite a bit of setup in the beginning as we learn the Bryde family history and all of the complicated relationships between them, so the pacing dragged a little for me at first. But once the action picked up, things got much more interesting. There are hidden abilities, family secrets, complicated sister dynamics, and plenty of supernatural happenings to unravel.
And this was one of those books that I found myself still thinking about after I finished it, which I always appreciate!
Overall, this was an enjoyable, atmospheric read with an intriguing magical family at its center—even if it took a little patience to get there. If you love stories about complicated families, haunted houses, hidden abilities, sister relationships, and supernatural secrets, this one is definitely worth checking out.
For a debut novel, I thought this was a great start, and I’m really curious to see what Melissa Anderson Sweazy writes next!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and Melissa Anderson Sweazy for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.