Review: Children of Demeter by E.V. Knight

A creepy former commune doesn't sound like the best place to set up a new life but it sure makes for a fun story!


Children of Demeter by EV Knight

Released August 2021

 Dark Fiction  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  | Bookshop

In 1973, a commune of almost twenty-five people—mostly women and children—disappeared overnight from the small town of West Burma, WI. What happened to the hippie Children of Demeter has remained a mystery until this day, which is what draws Sarah Bisset, a sociologist on sabbatical, to the place.

With her personal life in ruins Sarah is more than happy to lose herself in the secrets of the isolated farmhouse, but soon those revelations have her questioning her own identity, and even her sanity. Is she prepared to navigate the labyrinth of lies and cover ups to expose the truth concealed inside Demeter House despite the consequences? 


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Children of Demeter is the third work I’ve read by author E.V. Knight. Dead Eyes was fast-paced and fun and full of eyeballs, The Fourth Whore was an epic and brutal rage-filled tale of Lillith, while Children of Demeter tackles cults, strange goings-on, and a house full of secrets. They’re all unflinching reads with strong female characters and if this is your idea of a good reading time (and how couldn’t it be?!) you’re going to love her writing.

Sarah’s running from her life which imploded when her wayward husband died in an auto accident leaving her reeling with both grief and betrayal. She’s taking a much-deserved sabbatical and buys a home sight unseen with the insurance money. A home rumored to have once housed a cult of women and children who mysteriously disappeared in the ’70s. They were once bountiful farmers with a lush and fruitful harvest but when they disappeared so did any signs of life on the property. The house is in sad shape because no one has been able to live there for very long without fleeing for the hills and the grounds are completely barren of all life because it’s supposedly been cursed by the cult but Sarah doesn’t care. She feels an instant kinship with the run-down house.

“She could only offer it co-misery as she was also bereft of life “

Yikes, that all sounds a little depressing, doesn’t it? But don’t you worry, before long it takes a turn over to creepy-strangeville and never looks back. There’s no time here for dwelling on the sad-making thoughts because there are secrets that need revealing.

Sarah’s planning on researching the cult and starts to poke around and the locals are not happy about it. A few lively side characters show up and before long it feels like everyone in this town is keeping secrets. And I LOVE me a secret-filled book so this was the book for me! I also love me a character who isn’t afraid to do some aggressive snooping like Sarah here. She is my kind of nosy as hell heroine. She doesn’t let strange circumstances, naysayers, party-poopers, and grumpy old men shut her down. Loved it. These secrets aren’t the milquetoast lame ones that fill so many books either so prepare thyself.

The Children of Demeter is unsettling, weird and mysterious and wild and all those great things that'll keep you reading and it’s just the right amount of disorientating. Do yourself a kindness and forget this messed up world for a few hours by spending some time with this book!

Thank you Erin Al-Mehairi & RDS Press for sharing this copy with me.


Content Warning: 


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About Author E.V. Knight



Stoker Award winning author of The Fourth Whore, Writer of Horror/Dark Fantasy, HWA member, Co-host of Brain Squalls Podcast and lover of all things creepy

Catch up with EV Knight here:  https://evknightauthor.com/


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