Linda H. Codega's Motheater reminded me of everything I love about American Folk stories. She has elevated the genre to a new level with this Appalachian tale of death and rebirth.


Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This book is pretty cool. It is about a witch from the past who is found half drowned in a river, not even knowing her true name. The main character is enraptured by her, but also wants her help with discovering why miners, including her best friend, are dying and disappearing.

Pros: Nature-based witchy aspects, queer romance, unique plot, well-written.

Cons: A little less of the queer romance than I had hoped. I lost attention a little in the middle section, but it picked up again at the end.

Well worth a read. I love books with weird vibes. Also she draws snakes to her, which I loved!

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave off autumn vibes and it’s perfect for the season. I would recommend marketing it as such, because it would gain a lot of popularity.

The writing is stunning, and for a debut is crazy good. The elements of this book cover witchy, horror, and fantasy. The story is really unique and good to read.

One major complaint about the book is that the author says motheater far too much. It is a bit over barring. I had it playing while on a drive in the background and my boyfriend pointed this out and said the constant use was annoying him.

This book has SO MUCH POTENTIAL but can definitely use a few more rounds of editing before being published. I really enjoyed the overall storyline, though some parts were a little confusing at times. And the dual POV with alternating timelines was really great.

The romance in the book felt a little forced, as if it was just there to meet some sort of quota instead of being an actual plot device.

Two of my biggest grievances with this book were the narration style and the use of similes.

I cant stand 3rd person narration in general, but this felt over the top. It was if every other sentence started with a characters name. Since this book is multi POV it would have made more sense to be in first person narration. I became sick of Motheater and Bennies names very quickly.

Similes can be an excellent device for describing how things look or feel when used right. Unfortunately, pretty much everything was described using a simile, which many times pulled me out of the story.

Overall, I had a good time reading this book and I would be interested in reading this again once it's published! Also the cover is GORGEOUS.

A brutal love song to the wild, misunderstood, fiercely loyal nature of Appalachia and the tension of balancing nature and progress for communities who have been left behind and looked down upon by "civilization" unless and only as long as they are of use. Codega clearly has done a lot of research for this book, and expertly weaves her knowledge of Appalachia and desired thematic elements into the (sapphic!) story of a 150 year old witch and a Black Appalachian woman as they the forces that endanger the people and the land that they love. The book wasn't a perfect 5 star book, but it was compelling, engaging, visceral, and filled a niche that desperately wanted filling, and reading it as a queer woman from (albeit less rural) Appalachia was a supremely validating and emotional experience.

Purtroppo, primo DNF dell'anno. Ho abbandonato il libro intorno al 30%. Mi aspettavo qualcosa di completamente diverso, i molti errori tipografici hanno fatto la loro parte, ma di base non mi è interessato molto dei personaggi, né della storia. Le uniche parti liriche e intriganti sono quelle con un setting nel passato, ma non è stato sufficiente a motivarmi
nel continuare la lettura. Attenzione, non sto dicendo che è un brutto libro, solo che non fa per me.

Before anything, I would like to thank Linda H. Codega, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fine read, intriguing at some points, creative, and fascinating in concept. However, it fell flat. The plot was boring and dragged at some points, and many opportunities for a positive message were missed.

**Pros:**
* The different timelines are nice and intriguing.
* The characters, magic, and worldbuilding are interesting and unique.
* Nothing attracts me more to a book than female rage and confidence.

**Cons:**
* The chapter headers are confusing and not cohesive.
* Bennie has a job, but she is conveniently never at work.
* A lot of the same sentences are repeated over and over again.
* The characters are shocked by the same thing multiple times, sometimes even within the same chapter. I get it, I'm supposed to be shocked!! I'm not, move on.
* The pacing dragged many times and some chapters were daunting to read.
* I hated how there could have been more focus on mining companies and the consequences of their actions, and instead, we ended up blaming a witch.
* This is probably because of my early copy of the book, so it won't be considered in my evaluation. Still, I thought it was important to point out that there were a lot of typos, a few grammatical mistakes, and many repetitions that the author might want to check before the book comes out.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

this was one those reads where i took my time reading through it rather than speeding through it.

the synopsis sounded both interesting and odd to me when i first read it which is something i really like. i did enjoy the storyline and the characters, even the ones where i was probably supposed to dislike other than that one woman at the beginning. she kinda sucked.

the romance was written as a subplot for a majority of the book which i know many don’t like much, but i think it worked perfectly with this story. it was a slow burn which is my favorite. there was yearning, tension, and a tiny bit of jealousy.

i really liked the writing style. it fit really well with the vibe of the storyline which is something i really adore in books. i might read more from this author the future.

Wow!

I love this book! The character of motheater was really intriguing and I love the was she talks about modern things, being that she is not from this time period. The story starts of a little slow, but picks up fairly quickly anyways. You can tell that the slowness is just there so that to reader will understand the world building and have a better grip of the plot because of that.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!  

After I read the first paragraph of Motheater, I thought I had a good idea where the book was going. The second sentence is what piqued my interest but also gave me a false sense of knowing what will happen. The plot swerves my expectations, intertwining both magic and history.

I loved Motheater’s character as well as her complex nature. All her thoughts and beliefs were beautifully written and I quite enjoyed the pause the book briefly gave the reader by switching perspectives. The writing felt quite lyrical at times and you could tell that the author is well informed of certain aspects.

On the other hand the plot takes a while to get going. The descriptive manner of it could be the author’s style, but at times I felt myself wanting to skim it rather than read it. It’s definitely for those who enjoy the beauty of words rather than the pace of the story. It works with the setting, the reader gets a glimpse of what the characters are seeing, so it felt quite intentional.

All in all, Motheater was a good read, both interesting and engaging. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a queer fantasy story.

This book just wasn't for me. I had to DNF the book for this reason at 40 %.
First of all: I am not saying this is a bad book! However, there were things that were specific to me that made me not able to finish this book.
I love reading books in English, however, it isn't my native tongue nor am I currently living in the U.S. To me, the language and setting of the book was was very hard to understand. Moreover, there were a lot of typos and editing mistakes. That concluded in me having a hard time getting into the story. I really had the goal of finishing the story, but found myself avoiding reading and steering right into a reading slump. that's why I had to DNF it at 40%.
I wholeheartedly believe that this book is a good choice if you are from the U.S. and are more or less familiar with the Appalachian vernacular and some cultural specifics that I was missing.

What this book does perfectly, is deliver the true love the author has for their land. I found this aspect particularly worth of mention. The passion I could sense from the writing was the only thing that kept me going through most of the book. The basis of the story seems interesting, but I think it kind of fails to keep up the pace.

Thanks for the ARC!

Bennie is looking for evidence of a mining company’s crimes, and stumbles across Motheater, a witch half drowned and lost in time. We follow Bennie and Motheater in the present, trying to figure out why miners are disappearing in the mountain, as well as a witch in the past trying to stop the mining companies from invading her home. The witchcraft in this book is eerie and unsettling- sink holes that form underfoot, mountains that breathe and moths that whisper soul’s last memories. I really liked the setting and the magic system in this book, but I wish we’d gotten a deeper look into the characters and more time watching their connections and relationships form.

I really enjoyed the book, and I think that the concepts introduced were all really fascinating, as well as the characters themselves, who were all fun to read about, but I think that the book has a bit of a weakness when it came to the payoff of those concepts and connecting them to one another, which was something that I hoped would be resolved by the ending of the book, but it really wasn't, making the ending of the book not really feel like it was that much of an ending. Other than that, I think the book was a fun fantasy about the pitfalls of industrialization, witchcraft and Appalachia, all things that I personally adore in my own reading.

On a technical level, this book is a wonderful. Very beautifully written and engaging. The overall setting and plot didn’t end up being much for me, but that wouldn’t deter me from recommending this book to people who I think will enjoy it.

Motheater by Linda H. Codega wasn't what I was expecting, but a good read. The first chapter pulls readers in, and the ending of the book is beautiful. However, the middle of the book, the plot becomes a bit lost and messy. Codega provides detailed description which allows readers to be fully immersed within this world. The characters are loveable and Bennie's inner monologue is very relatable.

Within this world, readers get to experience the love one has for others as well as the love of the land. The love for both, causes tension and mystery as Bennie and Motheater try to follow their moral compass, try to right their wrongs, and try to put themselves first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review

When Bennie’s best friend disappears in a mining accident, Bennie loses her job, and her boyfriend Zach, trying to determine the truth. Kelly-Anne isn’t the first person to disappear in the mines, but Bennie is hoping she’ll be the last. Then Bennie finds a woman trapped in some dirty mine runoff and saves her, trying to do the right thing, but also hoping she might finally get some answers. The woman doesn’t remember her name, only that she’s a witch from 150 years in the past, with some major unfinished business.

This book had so many things I loved; folk witchcraft, an immersive setting, queer romance, horror adjacent elements, and an interesting connection between religion and paganism that I found fascinating, and dual timelines.

Motheater and Bennie were both such passionate characters, and I loved that they were both fierce female characters. The setting was eerie but immersive and the use of language and phrases that matched the setting really evoked that immersive feeling. The wild-earth magic, the omnipresence of the mountain, and the folklore weaved in were truly masterful. The romance subplot felt a little bit last minute, but even it had me rooting for Bennie and moth-eater. I really liked this book, and the ending broke something in my brain and my heart. It was one of the most interesting and original books I’ve ever read.

Overall, read this book if you like
- heavy atmospheric settings
- Queer romance
- Folklore and wild magic
- Appalachian settings
- Dual timelines
- Nature fighting back

I really, really wanted to love this book from the start. A gorgeous cover, witchy Appalachia, sapphic rep, and environmentalism? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I DNF'd about halfway through and just...haven't had the urge to pick it back up again. I was initially loving the idea of Motheater as a character, but somewhere along the line she lost that initial spark that drew me in. I know some other reviewers said they were actually more invested in the past timeline, and I totally agree.

All in all, I think it's just not my cup of tea right now but I'm sure others will love it. I do plan to revisit at some point in the future, so my review may very well change.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review!)

A few years ago, I traveled through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia and was moved and mesmerized by the size, culture, traditions, and history of these mountains and the people who once lived (some still do) within them. I would love to go back. This book did just that in such an interesting and beautiful way. It scratched my itch for historical fiction, stories of witches, and beautiful love stories mixed within different centuries of time. It’s unique and yet timely. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to the author’s independent publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for my independent and honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much. I loved the story line, and really took to 'motheater". Such an original take and interesting story.