The vibes of Antenora were undeniably spooky. The cultlike, church-centered town of Bethel, Alabama was a perfect contrasting setting for the story of Nora and Abby.

Nora and Abby make a great pair. Nora has strayed from the godly path that the town of Bethel desperately wants to keep her on, and it seems that her rebellion is not totally within her own control. Abby, on the other hand, can't seem to disentangle herself from Nora, whether she wants to or not. Abby's staunch refusal to exile Nora from her life is a source of tension between Abby, her family, and the town.

Abby and Nora's friendship is clear and believable in this story, but I couldn't help wishing it was fleshed out more. While Abby is open-hearted and honest, Nora is closed off; not just to Abby, but also to the reader. Nora's lack of forthcomingness felt like it was meant to make her mysterious, but it made me feel like I didn't know much about Nora at all outside the realm of the events in the book. (For example, I can see and feel how Abby existed "before" this story begins, but it is harder to imagine Nora in the same way.)

The twist was spooky and delicious. I ended this novella rooting for Abby and Nora, and praying for a sequel or expanded version that offered more insight into Nora as a character.

A great novella studying a girl who was the menace of the town. It was beautifully written and had me invested the entire time I was reading it. But, I do find myself not really enjoying short stories. I almost view them as previews for the actual story. Still a beautiful view of how religious trauma can impact people, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for providing a review copy.

The horror in this book is fairly subtle, but it's definitely there. If you have religious trauma, I'd tread lightly here, as the book deals with a snake handling Christian cult and two queer girls. The story is written as if it is in response to an inquiry into the events that take place. There is a strong sense of dread throughout the book and it is plainly, but beautifully written. 4 stars

A quick and ominous read. The feeling of isolation, mixed with the nostalgia of teen years, added to the horror of growing up being different from those around you. I can see a lot of people identifying with the narrator. Found this an enjoyable fall story and would recommend.

Thank you for the advance reader copy to read and review.

If there had not been any mentions of stately institutions of the United States of America, this story could have also been set in medieval times. The deeply religious community (or better cult) of Bethel despises one of its members: Nora is critical of religion, authority, and even worse… she´s a lesbian! *gasp* so the community including her brainwashed totally-not-girlfriend performs an exorcism on her.

The horror of this story felt way too real. The real horror was not in Nora potentially being possessed by a Demon for real, but in the perspective, it is told: We experience the story through Abbygail, Noras best friend and totally-not-girlfriend. And she is completely religiously brainwashed. Even though Abby empathizes with her friend, she doesn’t consider the system flawed. Beyond that, she´s not even considering the world outside her 500 people village could provide more options for her than getting married at 18 or becoming a seamstress. A frustrating and deeply horrifying perspective to read – amazingly executed by the author.

The story provides a social commentary about religiousness and how religious authority can abuse its power. The characters had depth and were tridimensional. The queerness war was handled very well. BUT: It would probably have helped the case of Abbygale being the innocent victim of religious and misogynist power if she wasn´t also a three-times murderer. But I can turn a blind eye to that and interpret it as Nora lashing out at an unfair society.

I thought Dori Lumpkin has a strong writing ability, with the atmosphere and setting fleshed out well - I could picture the town and surrounding areas well, and was gripped when the action began. There are some really lovely sections of prose, and I read the whole novella in one sitting. The relationship between Nora and Abigail was well done, and I felt sympathy for Nora, even with not understanding why she was doing the things she was doing, and I enjoyed the ambiguous ending.
Having said this, I think that Abigail not asking questions or responding to Nora's behaviour was frustrating as a reader, I wanted to know more about Nora so I could form some sort of opinion about what she was/why she did the things she did. I also would have liked more information about the other townspeople, specifically the three brothers, why do the town follow them etc. I think I would have liked even one chapter from the view of Nora, just to give me a little more information.

Oh. Well.

I'll start by saying that this was a really, really good book. The writing was good and the two main characters were both very likable. The author has a real way with storytelling that keeps you engaged and eager to read the next page.

I don't want to give any spoilers for this book, but I will say that... this book depressed me. This was a beautiful, heartbreaking, frustrating book where you just want to wrap both of the main characters up in a blanket and keep them safe from everything and everyone. I had so many feelings I still don't even know what to do with them.

This is a book that will sit with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for quiet but deep horror, someone who is looking for love and loyalty and the way religion can just get so out of hand. Honestly? I just recommend it if you want a good book, period.

This novella is a captivating work, both terrifying and poignant. The most notable aspect is undoubtedly the narrator's compelling voice, which masterfully sets the tone and atmosphere. However, there were moments where it seemed lacking in depth, leading one to wonder if it was intended to be either expanded into a novel or condensed significantly. Furthermore, the climactic revelation lands with a heavy impact. Finally, I found myself uncertain of the time period in which the story takes place, leaving me to question if this was a deliberate artistic choice.

A great novella. I read it in one day. Narrated by Nora's friend, Abigail, this story describes Nora's troubles (and differences) in an isolated, religious town. I enjoyed Abigail's voice, the way she portrayed thoughts and emotions. The horror of a religion that takes beliefs or ideals too far.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC.

This is a lovely novella, horrifying and heartbreaking. The strongest element is probably the narrator's voice, it's extremely evocative and creates the perfect atmosphere. It did feel slightly underdeveloped, like it was meant to either be expanded into a novel or abbreviated considerably, but the reveal does drop like a lead balloon. Also, I had no idea what time the novel took place, unsure if that was intentional.

Simple but effective folk horror tragedy. Loved the unreliable narrator. Would recommend as a solidly written quick read for any horror fan.

Though brief, it makes a profound impact and stayed with me for days. The book conveys powerful messages subtly, shedding light on the unique culture of the Bible Belt. Its eerie and unsettling atmosphere resonated deeply with me, reflecting my own experiences and thoughts in a way that felt both disturbing and enlightening.

this is hands down my favorite novella of the year, dori lumpkin knows how to write a story in less than 150 pages and pack just as hard of a punch as a 300+ page novel. from the very first page you can feel the humidity in the air, hear the snakes rattling and the desperation between these two young girls stuck in a small southern town that's deeply engrossed in a religious fervor. both nora and abigail are at two different ends of the spectrum when living in a religious community but they've managed to build a closeness you can't find anywhere else in this story. i was so so immersed in this and normally would wish it was longer but its 134 pages were exactly enough for this novella.

I read this novella in one sitting and I loved it! Southern Gothic is one of my favorite genres/aesthetics to consume media in (i.e. True Detective, Sharp Objects, etc.) The suffocating aura of that coupled with the repressive beatdown of fanatic tent revival religion run by hungry men had me feeling like I needed to run away. We follow Abigail as she and her closest and dearest friend Nora navigate their adolescence in the community in which they were raised. Nora has always been different and Abigail likes different even though she thinks she shouldn't. Their friendship is tested like other adolescent friendships are, expectations, other peers, and burgeoning identities. Though nothing tests it more than the religious community that centers their lives and no one challenges those tests more than Nora. Part coming of-age, part horror, part romance, this novella provides a quick, gruesome, and brutally honest tale that makes you more than relieved you're not a member of Bethel.

Absolutely worth the read! Short but impactful, I thought about it for days afterward. This book speaks in shouts disguised as whispers and says so much about the culture of the Bible Belt. Creepy and traumatic but in the best way possible.

Antenora was a lush atmospheric gothic horror novel. There was a constant sense of foreboding throughout. The characters were clearly developed and matched the energy of the books atmosphere. As someone who grew up in a Southern environment like the one depicted in the book, the story was all too scary and real. This book captured the essence of fear in the church of the unknown and the great lengths they will go to to remove the supposed sin from people's existence.

The concept is very cool, and I really liked the setting for a queer coming of age story. However, while Nora was a dynamic character, the narrator was pretty bland, and none of the other characters were developed much. I know it was a fable-like novella, but it didn’t feel super consistent in tone, and I often got confused about how old Nora and Abigail were at any given time until it was suddenly explicitly stated. It also felt chaste in contrast to the violence, which was strange. The language became more and more overwrought as it got closer to the end. Love the premise, would have liked a bit more payoff in the execution. I think it would market better as YA than a book for adults.

I was immediately drawn in by the writing of this story. The story is shared by a community member who wants you to truly understand Nora, as she understood her-- she was her best friend after all.

The main character describes the incidents that led up to this main event in a very familiar type of way; it is clear that me-- the reader-- is clearly understanding of the community and their beliefs. Because of this, her explanation of the different occurrences between Nora and the rest of the community is told in a way that makes you feel like you are a part of the story.

I was completely unprepared for where this story would take me; completely unprepared for the emotions it would invoke.

I would definitely like to have this story on my bookshelf, to return to for multiple rereads-- this is one of those stories thats meaning will change as you change.

I absolutely adored this book!
From the very beginning it had me hooked and as someone who has been through religious trauma I felt this book connected with me and there was parts I found a tad difficult to get through, only because of what I have experienced personally.

The writing was beautifully poetic and I loved the imagery, the forbidden love trope and the religious extremism all in a Deep South setting. I look forward to more of this authors work.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley. Antenora tells the story of two friends, Abigail and Nora, who have grown up in a southern Pentecostal snake cult. The story is from Abigail’s perspective, as she tells the story of her friend Nora and how she was deemed possessed by their town, and pleads for Nora to come home to her.
This is my first time reading Dori Lumpkin and I’m looking forward to reading more of their writing in the future. The writing of this story is very beautiful, the storytelling is very vivid. I deeply enjoyed how we don’t really understand what is happening with Nora and that the story didn’t do any hand wringing to come up with an explanation that would cover all of the mysteries. I think having neat answers to many mysteries can often have a shrink wrap effect on the world building, and this book didn’t fall into that. It kept the mystery, it kept the unsettling horror of it all.
With that said, there were a few things that were challenging to suspend my disbelief over, but they were mostly minor things. It’s the south but even in the sweltering summer nobody swims in the local lake where a few kids drowned. I’ve never encountered a natural body of water where some people have died in it and therefore nobody ever swam in it again. It made a nice setting for the secret place, but it was so unbelievable that I’ve been thinking more about this detail than the ending.
But more significantly, I am surprised that Nora didn’t really confide more in Abigail. That so much of the mystery hinged on Abigail hesitating, not acting, and not asking questions. It’s not that it’s unrealistic, but it left me feeling like if Abigail asked one or two questions or maybe made one more decisive action, that this would have been an entirely different book. I don’t trust the suspenseful and mysterious ending, because it feels like it’s hanging on to it by a thread that would have been broken if someone asked any question at all out loud.
Overall, a very enjoyable read with a couple of oddities here and there. Will definitely be reading this again and looking out for Lumpkin in the future.