From even before I had the book, the vibes had me hooked. It's not often that books themselves live up to the vibes and hype the way that Motheater did. I can't articulate how well Codega wove the themes, the setting, and the story together that was so unique and so real and so lush. This is a fantasy that comes alive in a way that makes you truly believe magic exists in the mountains.

Plus, you give me a war between industry and nature? You give me sapphics? You give me weird witches with piecey memories and a moth-eaten sense of self? (Excuse my pun.)

My only wish is that there was more. The book moved fast - in a good way - but I wanted so badly to savor it.

First my thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this novel 🫶

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times- as soon as I see a book takes place in Appalachia I’ve got to get my hands on it. Between knowing that; the gorgeous cover, mountains, and witches had me drawn in.

An Appalachian witch from days gone by, trying to remember who she is and regain her full power, and a modern day woman, investigating suspicious deaths in the coal mine of her small town, join together to get the answers they both need. This story spans the centuries between the two women’s times as you learn what happened in Motheater’s past, and how it’s effecting the future in Bennie’s time.

~~Spoilers~~

At times I felt like there was some dragging on of the scenes. The book itself isn’t too long which I appreciated but sometimes I found myself going “okay what’s next? Come on let’s go”?

I did enjoy swapping the chapters between different points of view between the characters. I liked reading what had happened during Motheater/Esthers time and trying to connect it to what was happening currently in Bennie’s time.

As some who grew up in Appalachia, I enjoyed the descriptions of the mountains and forests and towns. The very rural/natural kind of magic that is described here struck me as so deeply Appalachian.

This novel isn’t necessarily an easy read- from the different kinds of conflict and violence. For anyone from Appalachia- you will resonate with the descriptions of the small towns and coal mining communities. For anyone wanting to read a novel that takes place in Appalachia- while this is fiction, the depictions of the society and nature are a beautiful look into how our gorgeous land can be seen if you take the time to appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

In the small Appalachian town of Kiron, a suspicious number of mining deaths have been occurring. The White Rock mining company denies any wrongdoing, but Bennie suspects foul play and is determined to uncover the truth. When she hauls a half-dead woman out of a river, she thinks she may have the evidence she needs to hold White Rock accountable.

The woman claims to be a witch, buried in the mountain 150 years ago only and
recently unearthed by the miners.

The narrative unfolds in dual timelines. In the present, Bennie helps the witch,
known as Motheater, in regaining her memories and reclaiming her powers to stop
the miners' deaths. In the past, we learn how Esther (Motheater) became trapped in the mountain.

I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of Motheather and her magical relationship
with the world and people around her. The vivid imagery of the natural world
converging around her when she connects with her power is extremely effective
and, for me, sets the bar for what I want to see in a witch.

There is one part of the story that I wish the author had spent a little more time on, or explored a little more, and that was when Motheater reflects on the fact that she is surrounded by the progress that she fought so hard to prevent. She is from 150 years in the past; There is no way she could have foreseen what this future would look like, and there is a moment where she doubts her battle against progress. The book certainly doesn't paint the present as Utopian in any way, or that the progress we have experienced over the last 150 years is without negatives. However, it is difficult to predict what direction is going to dominate technology in the short term (AI anyone), let alone over 150 years. The progress that Motheater saw coming to her town was the encroaching industrial revolution. It posed a threat to her world in the mountains as outsiders sought to exploit her land and the source of her power. She knew that the wealth of coal in the mountains would potentially make the lives of her community easier, but had no way to know how completely 150 years of progress would change it.

One issue I had with the ARC was the numerous typos and missing words. The use of Appalachian vernacular sometimes made it difficult to discern whether these were mistakes or intentional. As someone unfamiliar with the region, I would have appreciated some guidance in understanding the local words and idioms.

I had very high hopes for this book, but it ended up being a bit of a tough read for me.

The book starts off very quickly and jumps into the story right away which I enjoyed, but it seemed to never catch up. We slowly get a bit of the main character’s motivation, but never end up learning much about her. There was a lot of fleshing out Motheater’s character, but that was it. Everyone else in the story seems secondary/not important.

The premise is really cool and I love Motheater’s magic. The creepy Appalachian setting is very intriguing and what kept me reading for most of the book.

At about 75% through I still felt that I didn’t really know much about the characters, couldn’t connect, and couldn’t really gather the urge to finish it.

Bennie has a goal – to prove the death of her friend in mines was not an accident. Living in close proximity of Appalachia, the world and people are strange. But the strangest thing happens when she discovers dead body on the side of the river coming from the mines. Even stranger? The body is alive, and belongs to the witch that lived one hundred and fifty years ago, one that lost her memory, remembering only one thing – she was a Motheater. Together, they are meant to discover secrets behind the small town, and magic it is bound to.

Guys, when I say I adored this book since the very beginning, I mean it. The opening lines were so captivating, capturing the very essence of its story – the weirdness, the uniqueness, the magic and atmosphere. You really feel the wilderness roaring from the lines, the love that burns the author to that particular region. The plot is slow, I will give it that, and not really adventurous – but it is worth it. Simple, yet charming. Simple, but detailed, crafted with love and talent. It would be a great movie, I would give everything to see it, but until that, read "Motheater". I ain't no fan of comparing one book to another, but if you're looking for the similar uniqueness that Maggie Stiefvater writes about, give Linda H. Codega a chance.

Fantastic read, innovative and engaging. Definitely will be on the lookout for more books from Codega! Recomend it to everyone!! Must read!

Motheater is an immersive slow-burn that's hard to get out of your system. From start to end, it grounds you into a world of mystery and magic, and blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. I loved the subtle romance to it; how it slowly built up throughout the story until it reached its fruition, yet never overshadowed what I felt was the true point of the story, which was for Motheater to finally assume her destiny, and Bennie to realize hers.

Highly recommend for readers who love fantasy and lore!

This book is beautifully written and the language used was enchanting. The concept and setting gives is a kinda of witchy/horror vibe. I liked the different POV’s especially those dipping into the past and the lore of the mountain

However the book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I ended up DNF’ing at 51% I can see this being a great hit with the right people but I just couldn’t get properly into it.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a wonderful debut novel. From the lyrical writing to the earthy, witchy and chilling atmosphere really captured me. Even though I loved it, it did lose me form time to time from the depths of the complexity of what was explained in the rules and magic. Nonetheless, the writing was beautiful, especially for a debut novel. It was truly a unique and captivating story.

I devoured this book. Beautifully written, with witches, gay love, fantasy action. I finished the book in 24 hours it drew me into it and I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. Oh for the sequel. Thank you Linda. One of my fav reads for 2024 so far. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I am so conflicted about this one. The premise made this seem like it was crafted just for me and my micro/niche interests. The opening was so great. But...I think this book is too long. I found myself skimming parts when I wanted to be able to savor and enjoy every word, and I found some of the plot points repetitive and exasperating. Overall, this was a wildly. mixed bag for me, but I would definitely check out future work from Codega.

I was lucky to read a very early version of this book and was delighted to revisit Codega's brilliance. A really inventive and haunting tale with biting prose. I'm really looking forward to seeing what stories Codega weaves next.

The premise of this book is intriguing and the author does a great job of setting the scene of an Appalachian mining town. The version of magic we are shown in this universe is interesting, deep, and dangerous and the descriptions are rich and vivid.

The only problem I had with the book was only that I didn't find the relationships between the characters believable. Bennie questions whether she can trust Motheater a few times, but never seems to doubt that Motheater is who she says she is and just seems too willing to go along with what she says. There is also a romance (between characters I won't mention to avoid spoilers) that seems one-sided until the very end, when the other character involved suddenly decides to be involved, despite giving no indication of interest beforehand.

I am very willing to check out more from Codega, especially if it takes place in this universe because as I've said, the world building is really well-done!

I love witches, I love weirdness, I love magic and I love nature. 

I love Motheater so much, she's strange in such a lovely way. She has such a huge character development and I feel like especially the ending proves this. 

I liked the fact that this book showed a conflict between communities, nature and capitalism. I am however, unsure how I feel about how easily capitalism gets off in this story. Nature is not the enemy and while I do agree a lot of innocent, poor people got hurt, I'm not sure I entirely agree with the way it's all handled.

Do keep in mind this is quite a literary book, which may not be for you, and I'm not sure I really felt the romance in this. It felt more like a strange infatuation with a strange entity that barely seems like a person. Motheater deserves to be loved not just for her strangeness but also for her humanity and essence.

There are some errors in this book which I hope will be fixed before official release, it did annoy me during reading.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ thank you netgalley and kensington publishing for this arc!

i want to start with the positives, this book has a really compelling plot with environmentalist themes and queer representation. unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. the writing style wasn’t very immersive and the magical elements didn’t feel very well constructed. i can definitely see other people loving this book, it just wasn’t to my taste!

Queer witches, mysterious mountains, strong female characters and general Appalachian spookiness. I’ve always been fascinated by Appalachia, and how old the woods/mountains are so was instantly interested.

I loved watching Motheater rediscover her power and who she was, and loved Bennie as well - they were both powerful, badass women and I loved them and now their friendship/relationship grew.

It’s a debut novel as well, so very impressed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eBook. This review may contain spoilers.

If you’re looking for nuanced portrayals of Appalachia with a diverse cast, seamless incorporation of Appalachian labor politics, and a heavy dose of magic, Motheater is my recommendation for you. The strongest aspect of this book is the passion and love poured into it that makes it feel incredibly lucid and unique. The weakest aspect right now is in the technical sphere, and I’m assuming that will be taken care of via copyediting by the official release. I do wish the book were longer, while it’s already pretty meaty at 400-some pages; I would love to have more time with these characters and in this compassionate, well-rounded portrayal of Appalachia. I’m interested in seeing what Codega publishes in the future, especially if they write a sequel to this book or set in this world. I hope there’s an audiobook edition of Motheater at some point, because that’d be an instant buy from me.

The narrative here is crafted lovingly with a sense of heart that pours through the words, showing the author’s passion for the story and its subject matter. The plot feels Appalachian to its core, with a focus on radical ideas, the connection of a land to its people, and the oft-overlooked diversity of the region. There is a great love for Appalachia in this book, the kind that is genuine and earnest enough to be willing to critique elements of it even while crafting such a tender narrative about it; altogether this creates a complicated love letter to Appalachia, a quality I find in many Appalachian works and that resonates with me deeply. This story effectively maintains its thematic throughlines around the connection between people and place, roots extending from the past to the present, the line between societal progress and industrial excess, and the deeply entwined stories of a land and its community.

Because this is so far out from release, I’m going to give slack on grammatical technicalities on the assumption that it’s still in the process of line editing and put my focus on other elements of the writing itself. The writing style is distinct and consistent throughout the book, with a vivid tether between the characters, the environment, and the atmosphere. Description is very lucid and clear, creating an interesting stylistic quality. Exposition is well peppered throughout the chapters; it’s employed most effectively within the flashback scenes, but it’s also pretty well-incorporated in Bennie’s early chapters. I really liked the pacing; the story always has something happening even in downtime between major plot beats, and the dual timeline helps to keep anticipation up. The structure, switching perspective and often time period per chapter, is interesting and overall, character voice within the close depth of perspective and atmosphere helps distinguish them very well. Depth of perspective is relatively close and the point of view stays locked in on each chapter’s anchor character well, making them both feel natural and appropriate.

The cast is very memorable and lovable; Bennie and Motheater, of course, are the most striking, but supporting characters like Jasper and even tertiary characters like Delancey are vibrant and add a lot of texture to the setting. Character dynamics in this book are consistent and nuanced, but also very deeply felt and impassioned. The relationships of all stripes—platonic, romantic, and antagonistic—are all quite intense and vivid. I do wish there were a little more screentime for secondary narratives, but first and foremost, this story belongs to Bennie (and, to an extent, Motheater), so I understand why subplots around other characters and dynamics don’t get as much development here. I like that the author was operating from a diverse baseline with the characters; often times people still portray Appalachia as a one-note, all-white, all-conservative, all-cishet region, and that is so far from the truth. There are so many people from different walks of life in our mountains, and Codega clearly understands that and takes the time to portray that.

I have just finished reading this queer fantasy e-book, thanks to NetGalley for allowing me access to the ARC. In this dual POV story we get to see two women fight against a mining industry invasion; one fighting for the mountain being mined, a living giant, and the other trying to bring down the mining company for dangerous working environment. Same mining operation but centuries apart. Bennie finds Motheater, the next suspected casualty, who is really a Neighbour, a witch who brokered a deal with Kire the mountain but has lost her memories and identity. Follows these two uncovering the mystery behind all the deaths and their path to taming a living giant. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Motheater is a story of love, grief, revenge and above all healing. If you love Ethel Cain, Compound Fracture by AJW, the Raven Boys or had a hyperfixation on paganism at one point in time, this will be a engaging and striking read!

I can not explain how brilliantly this was written, its so well researched and thought out and really tickles my “niche religions/cults” interest. The characters have such unique voices and that use their perspectives to mend and break your heart.

The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 is that it’s definitely a “dense” read, not one if you want a easy and quick no thoughts required story. So at time I struggled reading it for long periods of time.

It’s definitely a 2024 must read for anyone that comes across this book! Thanks to my squishy NetGalley

Motheater was a strange book with an interesting concept. Overall I found it a little boring and the magical components weird.