Thank you Highbridge Audio for the ALC and Lauren Cerand PR, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Daughters in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Mysterious Press / Highbridge Audio
Published: March 17, 2026
Summary:
Reeling from the dual deaths of her estranged father and ex-fiancé, Genevieve Tompkins has dropped out of her PhD program in New York City and is looking for a chance to start over in Wilton Springs, a faded Victorian spa town in upstate New York. Utilizing her background as an archivist, she is hired to catalogue the papers of the prominent Wilton family, who trace their lineage back to the founders of the town. But as she digs into their records, Genevieve discovers that the family’s pharmaceutical business and their personal lives have been fraught with a history of tragedy. She also uncovers a series of disturbing disappearances and suspicious deaths among the women of the town.
Three centuries earlier, Wilton Springs was the site of a brutal witch trial—a fact which someone has gone to extreme lengths to erase from historical record. As Genevieve explores the connections between the modern disappearances and the town’s ugly past, she becomes entangled in a web of conspiracy, where the line between superstition and reality begins to blur, and she fears she may become the next woman to go missing from Wilton Springs . . .
My thoughts:
This is Joanna’s sophomore novel and while I have not read her debut yet, I do have it and will now be moving it up on my tbr because of how much I loved this one! Equal parts atmospheric, haunting and full of Gothic vibes, I found myself completely engaged right from the start. The prologue had me in a choke-hold and from there, I was all-in.
This book delivers in so many ways. I loved the way it balanced the historical elements with the modern-day mystery, adding in the witchy vibes. The small-town feel is so strong, and it’s not only all the townspeople that have secrets but also the buildings, which adds an element of suspense and mystery, as well as a level of darkness. With a history of mysterious deaths and some superstition on the part of some townspeople as well as the possibility of a known curse, I have to say I found myself on edge and quite unsettled. But that didn’t stop me from finishing…it only made me more determined to find out what was happening, much like Genevieve was, especially as she was digging through the archives to put all the pieces together.
If you enjoy atmospheric Gothic mysteries that are fully of buried history and secrets, this one is for you!
Audio thoughts:
This was amazing on audio. Shaina Summerville really nailed the moodiness of this story without going overboard.
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