Thanks to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for my first ARC book!

I knew of Linda Codega from their time in the D&D spotlight, and was excited to give their book a try.

'Motheater' is an immersive story of witchcraft brought into the modern day, in the same part of America as 'Demon Copperhead' (which I loved). It follows Bennie, a queer Black woman, as she investigates disappearances surrounding a local mining operation.

I expected the novel to have a little more to say - about queerness, race, environmentalism, etc. - than it ultimately seemed to, sticking to surface level ideas. I wish Bennie could have been more personally connected to the region's past in different ways to strengthen some of these themes.

The other characters were good, though rarely felt as human as Bennie. Oddly, I think this might be the first 'Zach' I've read about and that was unique haha.

Another frustrating aspect of my experience was the combination of many typos with intentionally old language/phrasing. I usually enjoy adapting my mind to different forms of language (again, Demon Copperhead) but in this case I rarely knew what was written as intended vs. mispelled or had missing words.

Still a unique narrative clearly inspired by the author's passion and personal experience, and I enjoyed getting the chance to experience this story!

I saw Appalachia mountains and queer romance and I knew I had to read this book! There were so many interesting elements throughout including horror, queer romance, fantasy, and more!

Fun and engaging fantasy that provides a fascinating look at the Appalachians and their culture! Highly recommended to anyone who loves Americana fantasy! Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I give this book credit for a unique setting and some interesting ideas, ultimately, the story and characters don't rise to the occasion that the setting provides.

The story is set in a mining town in Appalachia and follows a young woman named Bennie, who post-breakup and post-job firing, finds a woman unconscious beside a river and decides to be a good samaritan and get her some help. The woman awakes and runs into the woods where Bennie follows, and she soon find out that she's a. actually a witch and b. from the 1800s. The woman doesn't know her real name, and only remembers a moniker of "Motheater". From there the book goes between present day with POVs either from Bennie or Motheater, and then POVs from Motheater when she lived in the past, as Esther.

I found myself liking the flashback sections a bit better, as the idea of a witch in Reconstruction era is an interesting one. The present-day setting is muddled, with the main character of Bennie going between her investigation of the mining company (which is quickly dropped) and driving Motheater around to places. There are lots of scenes of Motheater doing cool witch things, but I found them to be overwrought and too frequent. I wanted some more substance behind the magic.

The story is meandering and there's a supposed mystery (how did Motheater end up where she was?), but it's fairly obvious and the story leading up to it makes little sense. There's also a romance between Bennie and Motheater which makes even less sense. Motheater feels less like a person and more like an entity. She and Bennie barely talk and most of the time Bennie just watches her do some magical thing and then that's that. As the reader, we see the development of her character (sorta) through the flashbacks, but Bennie doesn't see that.

Also, the story seems to touch on some quasi-political concepts but doesn't really know where it stands. Is it anti-corporation? Anti-capitalism? Anti-mining? Anti-progress-in-general? Not that I'm asking for a fantasy book to be a diatribe, but I think you can explore political concepts in interesting ways, which this book fails at.

Overall, I did enjoy the setting and the concept of an Appalachian mountain witch. I kind of wish the author had just set the entire thing in the 1800s, as I just felt a lot more substance in those sections.

I was immediately enthralled into the story, characters and atmosphere from page one. I loved the earthy, pagan witchy vibe. The writing was so beautiful. You are really rooting for the sapphic love story. The ending was done well. There is a blue jay familiar!

The author used my name’s, Cassandra, meaning as a verb correctly and I’m honored to have come across that.

What I expected from this book: witchy fantasy. What I got: well-written literary fiction with fantasy, mystery, horror elements, and a sprinkle of queer romance.

The main character, Bennie, has been living and working in Kiron, a town in Appalachia known for "coal mining, oxy, and rockslides." From the first pages, we learn that Bennie is determined to bring the coaling company, her former employer, to justice, believing they are responsible for the deaths of dozens of workers, including her best friend. The novel starts when Bennie discovers a woman's body in a river – shockingly, she’s alive and is later revealed to be an ancient Appalachian witch who was buried alive in the mountain. If I would have been expecting a cutesy witch from my standard cozy fantasies, I might have been disappointed at this point. Luckily, my expectations were set by the title and the cover of the book already 🧙‍♀️

Highlights:
This was really well-written, especially for a debut novel. It was quite lyrical, with exceptional nature descriptions.
The sense of place was strong – the characters spoke the dialect, and the dual timeline of the town helped us get to know the locals and their beliefs much deeper.
The main characters, especially Motheater, were complex. I might not have understood their motivations all the time, but they felt genuine.
The atmosphere of this book was chilling, in the best way – the "witchiness," the wild ancient earthy magic, and the mountains that have stood for thousands of years added to this. Although not described as such, this story had strong horror vibes, I thought necessary for its impact. I also found myself with an unexpected phobia of mountains that could awaken? 🤓

What didn’t work for me:
The magic, while fascinating and fresh, felt too complex for me to keep understanding the rules and what was happening. I did like the connection of magical power from nature though – very pagan!
Motheater. The number of times the name "Motheater" was mentioned must be in the several hundreds throughout the book. The name was so overused that it felt intentional – if so, it didn’t work for me.
The ending. Reading is subjective, and different readers will react differently, but I didn’t feel the emotional impact of the ending, which was disappointing.

Final thoughts: I’d recommend this book if you’re interested in dark, atmospheric books or if you want to explore the themes of nature fighting back against overuse of its resources. Or if you like mountains.

Overall, for originality and the chills, I give this 4/5 ⭐.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bennie is not a native to the appalacian town. She came to this small mountain town for love. Bennie becomes suspicious that the mining operation is responsible for several deaths in toen, including her best friend. Now, her relationship is over, and her best friend is dead.
Enter Mothereater, a 200 year old Appalachian Witch who was found buried alive in the mountain and who doesn't remember her own name.

I was enraptured. The entire story drew me in, wrapped its roots around my heart, and fed my soul with its words. I love the close-knit Appalachian community, tales of Witches, and solving mysteries while falling in love. What's not to love?

Thank you to Kensington Imprint and Netgallery for the early release copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun read. Loved the magical aspects that was carried throughout the story. Fascinating and well developed characters that added a lot of flare to the book as well.

Old school witch re-emerges to continue the fight against the mining of the land. Mountainous titans, serpent sermons and soul-filled moths.
There was a tiny bit of a sapphic relationship in this, and a wholeeeee bunch of bible scripture.
Interesting but the magic was a little hard to understand and the book could have been edited down a bit.

LOVED TO READ THIS BOOK SO MUCH! THE CHARACTERS WERE AMAZING AND PERFECTLY MADE. I RATED IT 4,5 STARS.