"Motheater" is an evocative queer magical horror novel that immerses readers in a world rife with gloom and enigma. . The plot is compelling, brimming with twists and layered mysteries that sustain a palpable tension throughout but, despite the rich setting and intriguing narrative, I found it difficult to forge a connection with the characters. Their development felt somewhat insufficient, detracting from my emotional investment in their journeys. As a result, I was more engaged with the haunting atmosphere and intricate plot than with the character arcs, slightly diminishing my overall experience. In summary, while "Motheater" excels in atmospheric depth and narrative complexity, it could benefit from more nuanced character exploration. Nonetheless, it remains a worthy read for those who appreciate lush descriptions and a sense of dark allure.

There was something particularly heart-wrenching about reading this in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, living in Western North Carolina. I picked it up after the storm seeking communal comfort, hoping to soften my grief with a story deeply rooted in the history of my home.

This story was absolutely a comfort and balm, while also ripping my heart open. I don't really have words for what I felt while reading this - all I can say is that it was beautiful and I cried at the end.

Protect what you love is a rallying cry for this community, one that I first heard while living in VA not far from the pipeline protests. To hear it echoed in this story, while watching the WNC community rally around each other in the wake of destruction...it was what I needed.

I found this book at exactly the right time. I hope you find it when you need it, as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading something that was witchy but different! It had a good story line to begin with & I liked that the chapters go back in the past to Mothereaters past to help figure out what’s happening in the present. I really enjoyed the writing style of this author it was written really well but it lost me for the last quarter of the book, maybe it was the wrong time for me to read it but I’d like to re-read it again in the near future!

I loved the idea of this story and was super into it. Witches and horror fantasy are generally go to's for me. But it felt like it took a long time for the story to get going. I think it might have been a case of wrong book wrong time for me. I'd be curious to come back to it at some other time and see if I can get into it a bit more. It just didn't get to the point where it really clicked for me, though I did find the writing really good, and almost magical.

Motheater is a queer magical horror with gloomy aesthetics and mystery at every turn. I enjoyed the descriptions, it really added to the witchy vibes and dark fantasy mood of the novel. I did not however feel particularly attached to the characters, which made me a little less interested in the development.
I was drawn in by the atmospheric writing and overall plot.

Linda Codega uses wonderful language in their work, and uses a great hook to start the story. However, I found the tale told from the perspective of a bipoc woman in a remote town in Appalachia at times unconvincing, and even moreso with her attraction to a woman from the time period after “The Brother’s War”. I understand that the author takes great pride in their roots and aimed to show a realistic take on perspectives but, with the too-slow moving heat and differences in background I just wasn’t convinced of the chemistry or attraction. Additionally, the story begins to drag in the second act. By the time the town is described in the circa 1880s about 100 pages in the story has slowed to a trickle. I think perhaps this is due to confusion on the author’s part about to tell a complicated tale of place and culture that at its heart this is a story with a strong environmental message. The mystery of the Kiron mines would have done just as well as a real world mystery/thriller but shifting it to an almost eldritch horror story makes the narrative at times clunky with over-information. That being said I think with practice Codega shows great promise.

Well, this was a book. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I love the setting and the dual time lines, but that’s where my love ends.

First off, I don’t like Bennie. Her overall attitude kind of sucks. Kudos to those around her for putting up with her. I get that she’s upset her friend (and others) died, but that’s not a reason to be rude to everyone else. She pushed her boyfriend away, and he continually tries to offer her support despite her ignoring him and being rude. And she expects an awful lot of help from a woman who is essentially a complete stranger. And she’s flat out mean to said stranger on multiple occasions.

Motheater I can’t quite figure out. I don’t know if I like her or not, but I guess I understand her struggle. She was forced to the edge of society despite doing what she could to rectify a problem she inadvertently caused. However, other people’s bigotry didn’t allow her to complete that.

Overall, I guess I was expecting more mystery and suspense, so I was left a little unfulfilled.

Overall, I think this was an incredibly well-written and perfectly atmospheric book that is a very impressive debut novel. However, even though I largely enjoyed this novel, it was a bit confusing plot-wise at times. The story immediately starts full throttle on the first page. It was a bit jarring to get into at first and really wish there was a bit more of an introduction into the characters and setting before we got to the main plot line. I think the Appalachian setting was so perfect for this story and really loved learning about the social and economic culture that makes up this part of the world. While I did end up feeling pretty immersed in this setting, I wish we could have learned a little more about it in the beginning, specifically Bennie's everyday life. With how immediate everything starts, it kind of feels like Bennie just spawned for the events of the book to take place. Everything also ends pretty abruptly as well, but I think that it works a bit better than the rushed introduction and didn't mind it as much.
Furthermore, I was a little confused by everyone's motivations in the story, and when I did figure it out, it felt like it kind of got dropped with no warning. I think I figured it out by the end, but the plot was so meandering at times, that it got too confusing at times.
However, I did really love Motheater/Esther's moral dilemma on whether or not she should protect the well-being of the environment or of her people. I think it's a very relevant debate in what's happening right now with climate change and how we fix that. I saw some reviews saying that they didn't like the ending because it wasn't really a triumph of environmentalism over capitalism, but I don't think that's really the message of the book. Yes, we need to help protect nature and we are currently on a path of complete destruction because of our society's absolute worship of profit over everything else, but we cannot forget the well-being of people as well. A big point of this book is that if the mining industry leaves Kiron then the town will completely collapse. These people, who are already economically vulnerable, will no longer have any work opportunities and will completely loose their way of life. What would happen to those who can't move in order to find work and would it even be okay to completely abandon this town that is home to generations of history? It's a very interesting perspective that isn't really considered when we think of the climate change debate.
The characters themselves are also a great part of this book. They're all complex and they all have to fight their own inner turmoil while trying to defeat this godly being. I loved Bennie and Motheater and loved how the author wrote their magic. I love how connected the witches/magic is connected to the Earth and its animals. The connection between Bennie and Motheater was very sweet, but I think the romance was a little unnecessary. They had a literal world-ending monster to defeat and Motheater had to fight to figure out her identity after basically coming back from the dead, so it just felt like they had way too much on their plate and they didn't need to worry about any romance.
While I think this book could have been cleaned up a little bit plot-wise, it was overall an incredible read and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys atmospheric witchy reads.

when i first started reading, i was super attracted to the character of motheater, i think her essence is key in the book and if not for her i would have probably skip some pages.

but the main problem for me is that even though i found this very interesting and there were descriptions that made me feel chills, it was HIGHLY confusing at times, even more with the time jumps. also, i would have loved if the magic was explained a little more.

i really reeeeally love the appalachian and witchy set but i feel this book still lacks in some (several) other topics. overall it was not a good reading experience because it felt empty at times and there was days i wanted to drop the book. motheater my beloved what i have to put up with to keep reading your beautiful character.

Nature vs. Capitalism, but make it mix with Appalachian folklore and a good bit of sapphic romance.

We follow Bennie, as she pulls out from a river Motheater, the once very powerful witch of Kire mountain. There's something going on in the mines deep down Kire, and we gradually discover what's happening. Oh, did I mention that the magic system used by Motheater works by using scriptures? For some reason, Christian imagery used in a pagan setting (or better, reimagined in ANY setting) is my guilty pleasure, so I guess you know how I feel about that.
The characters read like a found family to me, both from our time and the past, all tied together by Nature and Appalachia. For some reason I kept picturing Motheater as Aurora.

The language is extraordinarily curated, it feels lyrical while earthy at the same time. The descriptions are so vivid and alive in a way, they really feel magical and steeped in folklore.

However, this isn't a book for everyone. The pacing is quite slow and it's more about discovering what happened to Motheater and what really happens in the mines than anything. Do not expect a big fantasy novel with tons of action scenes. But maybe that's why I loved it.

beautiful, unique, heartwrenching. everything in this book is a triumph, from the lush setting to the gorgeous prose to motheater herself. i felt breathless reading this and tore through the final pages while simultaneously not wanting it to end. i’ll keep this one with me for a long time.

"It was always a good idea to be kind to water".

The book starts with Bennie, an African American young adult, discovering a century and something old witch Motheater in the forest. Bennie is investigating the death of her friend at the hands of the mining company. Both women team up to take down the capitalists and get close in the process (they are both bi). It’s historical fantasy which means that even though the story isn’t true it well could be. Although you could say it’s magical realism on the ground that magic is realistic. Realistic as in it could well be our world. Anyway I liked the book. It has two plotlines: past and present. Personally I couldn’t care less about the past plotline, mainly because halfway through the book I already knew all I needed to know.

It’s the story about people making the best of a terrible situation. It’s the story about people trying to survive in the capitalist world that pollutes the rivers and mountains.

I like Bennie. She wants to help everyone, takes no bullshit and is kind to people and animals. Although she struggles with talking to people plainly. Which is honestly relatable.

Zach is head over heels in love with Bennie but she doesn’t want to compromise her morals for him. He seems like a sweet guy if a bit passive.

Motheater is a witch out of time confused with the modern world (what do you mean there’s been two world wars???). She has great love for Appalachian people and the mountains, doesn’t want to compromise with the industry but it’s near impossible to delay progress. She can be pretty dangerous when she chooses to be.

Jasper, her friend who’s Achilean and has terrible taste in men also wants to protect the Appalachian people but he doesn’t see a problem in progress.

"Bennie knew that justice was buried underneath. She would have to settle for grief instead".

It’s a sad book. It’s not even the kind of book you can cry about because what else did you expect from the capitalists?

Thank you Kensington press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of the book and enjoyed parts of it, although the pacing felt somewhat off to me.
I really enjoyed the lore and world building of this book and the time taken for that. The human relationship part seemed a bit fast forwarded in comparison.
All in all, an enjoyable read and 3 stars.

I saw the description and instantly got hooked.

This book has a lot of potential but the only issue that I have with this book is that I think the main character, Bennie, could have done so much more. It just feel like Bennie's character stopped evolving when she found Motheater and I wish we could explore more what Bennie and her best friend were up to before her death. Still very enjoyable for me.

4 stars!

I was excited for this one—Appalachian horror with Sapphic leads sounded perfect. Unfortunately, the slow pacing really dragged, and the plot felt aimless. While the eerie atmosphere was great, the magic system lacked clarity, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the leads, and the writing style overall wasn’t my favorite.

Mixed feelings on this queer, Appalachia witch story spanning generations. Giving this a 3 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The description of this book immediately drew me in... A story about Appalachia witches and magic? YES. A queer story about Appalachia witches? DOUBLE YES. But unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired. The main characters, Bennie and Motheater, are both nuanced and affected by different traumas that they need to work through. However, with Motheaster's amnesia, the romance aspect of their relationship feels a bit manipulative and from Bennie's side, it feels like the interest is motivated by Motheater's magic more than her.

The Appalachia magic described in the story is both really intriguing, particularly because of the focus on both the traditional hedge witch nature mixed with Christian beliefs that are still very characteristic to the region, but also lacking boundaries, as Motheater basically seems to be able to do whatever she wants.

My biggest critique is the pacing. Several of the flashbacks didn't feel like they directly contributed to moving the plot forward and were there just to be there.

yeah this was.... not the greatest. it started off strong and both leads (bennie and motheater) were pretty compelling at the start but that quickly fell off for me.

the story itself was all over the place and barely made any sense. there was no witch magic logic, motheater tended to just be able to do random things. the plot itself didn't seem to know where it was going at all, it felt like we were just meandering around a story rather than working towards an end goal.

speaking of the end - it was very abrupt, with many things left unsaid and a few things that didn't make sense plotwise at all.

there were a few moments between motheater and bennie that were sweet but for the most part, i couldn't really care for their relationship at all. there really wasn't much chemistry between them throughout the story - which in a way isn't a bad thing but this story was marketed as a queer romance, when it really should be marketed as literary fiction.

i'd say the only big positives which i enjoyed were the fact that, due to to writing style (and use of apostrophes) you were really able to read this novel in a southern accent which was fun. another thing was that i like the dual timelime situation and how they eventually lined up a bit.

After reading the description of this book I was rather excited. Unfortunately, it was a let down for me. I am not a fan of slow burn books and this book is VERY slow. I also do not believe this book fits the advertised genre.
I am stuck between giving this a 2 or 3 star review. This story has a lot of potential and advertised to the correct audience it would most likely do better. I found this book easy to put down and hard to pick back up. I had to force myself to read it.

DNF at 52% (I would prefer to not rate the book since I dnf'ed it but at las I'm obligated to)

I'm sorry I really tried my best with this one, but I just couldn't get into it. I have been feeling myself get into a slump this pass days and picking this book just feels like a chore, a really boring one.

The beginning started very strong, introducing our main characters, dropping us right into the middle of the situation and upping the intrigue however, the pacing is so awfully slow.

This book feels a lot more like literally fiction than fantasy, which I wouldn't mind if I actually cared about our characters and the development of their dynamics, sadly I do not.

The relationship between Bennie and Motheather also just feels weird, the dynamic is a little bit icky with Motheather just feeling like this otherworldly essence.

The premise sounded really good, however I am not having a good time and I really do not want to force myself to read something that I'm actively not picking up.

Loved this - never really read anything set in Appalachia but this was incredible. Can’t wait to see what the author does next!