This was amazing! Antenora by Dori Lumpkin was one of the best novellas I've read so far this year. There is a soft spot in my heart for stories set in Appalachia. I loooved Nora and Abby, their dynamic was so well-crafted, as was all of the writing in this book. Abby's direct to reader speech made all the more intimate and intriguing. The gore of it all was horrific and stunning. This is an author that I will continue to pick up in the future and recommend to many people.

Oh, a snake handlin’ church. Stick a snake handlin’ church, a cult of any kind, a locked room mystery or kids who kill and you might as well just take my money. (OK, I know I got this one for free for my review.).

Nora Willet and Abigail Barnes were raised together in the small, ultra-fundamentalist town of Bethel, Alabama, where Bethel Pentecostal is king. And Nora just doesn’t fit in. In a place where that has consequences.

This was, as you can guess, a tragic little tale. The two main characters are lovely and the author does a good job in portraying them in that blush of time between girlhood and womanhood. Nicely done.

Antenora focuses on the story of Nora told from her best friend, Abby, as Nora's actions escalate to new horrors within the vigorously religious community they live in.

This story carries themes of religious extremism, possession and forbidden love. I feel I can't say much about it due to its shortness but it was written beautifully. Abby's narration had me instantly compelled and I feel the tone of this story was perfectly captured for the events and its setting of this seemingly isolated (tight-knit) religious community within Bethel, Alabama.

I do feel like this story could have achieved much more had it been longer and think of it as a "taste test" of what Dori Lumpkin is capable of. So needless to say, I will be keeping an eye out for future works of theirs!

Set in Bethel, Alabama, this is the story two girls Nora and Abby. At its core, this is an exploration of dogmatism, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, forbidden love, friendship and demonic possession.

Abby is our narrator, and at times, she is one of us, the reader, witnessing the events, at times she is an active participant and supporter of Nora, and there are times she is a witness to her own story to like a passerby.

I enjoyed quite a lot of the setting and the mood. The writer is skilled in evoking emotion, which is thrilling, eerie and gothic. The scenes where the stakes were higher were my favourite (party, deliverance, snake, the lake), and I liked some of Abby's own ramblings the least. I wished to see more of the brokenness of these girls, and the strict community. This was a quick read, a good length in many ways, but I would be happy to read more by this author, set in a similar setting exploring more characters and events.

Thank you to Netgalley and Creature Publishing for providing me a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the relationship dynamic of Abby and Nora, and the heavy Southern gothic vibes. I didn’t find it horror-heavy, but deeply unsettling nonetheless.

I hope to read more Dori Lumpkin fiction in the future.

Title: Antenora
Rating: ★★★★☆

In the atmospheric debut that is sure to resonate with fans of "The Year of Witching" and "Slewfoot," we delve deep into the enigmatic tale of Nora Willet. Set against the fervently religious backdrop of Bethel, Alabama, the story unravels the disturbing events surrounding Nora, a figure both vilified and mythologized by her community.

From the outset, Nora is portrayed as a misfit, later demonized as possibly possessed. Her narrative is heartbreakingly sketched through the eyes of her childhood friend, Abigail Barnes, whose account shifts between intimate confessions and desperate pleas for Nora’s return. Abigail recalls the horrors of a bloodied eighteenth birthday, a snake mysteriously brought back to life, and their secluded moments at the lakeside, providing glimpses into the tender yet tumultuous bond they shared.

The novel expertly weaves themes of religious extremism and forbidden love, casting a critical eye on the dangers of blind faith and societal exclusion. As the story of the girls' innocent affections unfolds, it threatens to upend the very fabric of their tight-knit community, branding one as a traitor to a homeland fraught with secrets and denials.

While the book brilliantly sets a chilling and somber mood, its true triumph is in how it captures the intricacies of fear and the consequences of otherness in a small town. Though the narrative may feel constrained by its shorter format, limiting some character and plot development, it remains a compelling read.

For anyone drawn to stories of eerie folklore entwined with human drama, this book offers a poignant exploration of friendship and the harsh scrutiny of an unforgiving community. It stands as a powerful reminder of the thin lines between sanity, superstition, and survival.

Very enjoyable southern gothic horror. I'm going to keep my eye out for more from the author. Really enjoyable.

Cloistered in a fervently religious community, secreted in the Appalachian Mountains, Nora bucks against the constraints of expectation. Does demonic possession explain the mounting deaths? And can she be delivered from Satan?

I wanted to love this but I needed more. This read like a 3-star outline for what could have been a 5-star novel. There is a beautiful, haunting longing threaded through the harsh strictures of a life where women often celebrate their wedding day and 18th birthday simultaneously. I hoped to see that explored more than was possible in a short story.

I received this arc for free on netgalley.