So engrossed in The Night Mother was I that it took reaching the end to remember this was only the first volume. A relief. A disappointment. The art is stunning and enthralled me from the moment I opened the ebook. The cover – though beautiful – does not do the interior justice. And combined with a perfect first line – ‘Barnabas Tock has a clock that doesn’t tell time’ – I was lost to its world.

Its initial atmosphere of isolation and ostracisation is fantastic and it establishes Madeline and her dad’s relationship really well. It’s such a shame that collapses when Madeline goes into town. Even so, I’m not terribly saddened by this. The villagers are one of the elements I’m most excited to read about in the next volume. I can’t wait to find out what exactly happened.

The Night Mother herself is truly a wonderful villain. One to loathe, but also one you can’t help but feel some sympathy for even as the ways she’s grown twisted are terrible. It builds up her arrival like rolling thunder and she can be frightening to behold. The intensity of her stare. The way her presence drains the colour out of the world. The nightmares she gives Madeline are illustrated exquisitively. The colours and textures are breathtaking.

The Night Mother is one of the best comics I’ve read this year. Its relationships are so full of promise. Madeline and her dad are shown to be so close so quickly and it’s genuinely heartbreaking what happens to them. The moon is so eerie and alien and I can’t wait to see more of it and learn more about its people and what they’ve endured. But I especially am eager to see what The Night Mother will do.

Phenomenal art really makes this first volume of The Night Mother, an intriguing beginning to a fantastical middle grade story about a land where the negligence or malevolence of a kind of goddess has led to an eternal night and an uncertain afterlife, with background themes of what makes a parent and how we choose our paths.

I really enjoyed reading this!

The story is so intriguing, I was devastated when it finished. I'm looking forward to the next volume.

The art work is gorgeous and really compliments the story.

A huge thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with this arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really liked it, stuck with me & would recommend
This is a delightful graphic fable that draws you in with intrigue and gorgeous artwork. Madeline Tock feels trapped in her seaside town where night is eternal. She hears whispers from the dead and that's where the adventure and clashes with the Night Mother begin.

I enjoyed the keyed up coziness and mythological storytelling. The artwork makes it though,  that was one of my favorite aspects.

Thank you to Oni Press, NetGalley, and author Jeremy Lambert for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. The Night Mother Vol. 1 is out October 8, 2023.

The Night Mother (volume 1) is a short little comic that feels like a one-issue ("floppy") and ends on a big cliffhanger! It starts with poetic narration that draws you right into the lore of the world and that things iwth our heroine Madeline may not be exactly what they seem.

The colors are vibrant and the characters varied and interesting, and I think I'll keep an eye out for volume/issue 2 when it appears!

Thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

In a seaside town, night has become never ending. Madeline Tock feels trapped in her home - her father has never liked her leaving once it got dark, and now, that is all there is. But Madeline can hear the cries of the dead, though not in an upsetting way. Mostly, she hears their cries to be put to rest, and so she finds them and buries them to give them peace. What she doesn't know is that her father is hiding her from the Night Mother, the powerful deity who is supposed to shepherd souls to the underworld during the night. But the Night Mother has become obsessed with power, leading to their endless night.
An interesting new mythological tale, and the first in a new series.

It is an interesting concept of a fantasy graphic novel. I would say the synopsis really did hook me and had me expecting more aside from the remarkable art panels.

However, the storytelling execution, in my opinion, was kind of did not go well in the whole story or like what I was imagining it to be. Instead of being intrigued by it, it sort of thrown me off. I would say the dialogues were lacklustre for me?

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed it more if the storytelling execution was much more appealing and engaging. I would have liked it more if it did captivate me from the start towards the end.

Thank you, Oni Press, for the e-arc opportunity via Netgalley .


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Date Released: October 8, 2024
Date Read and Reviewed: October 4, 2024
Rating: 2.5⭐️

This is a really nice story. It starts off with quite q cosy vibe and towards the end gets quite high stakes. My biggest criticism is the jump from cosy to high stakes happens quite fast.

I enjoyed the main characters of maddie and nura we don't really get to know the characters very well this is something I feel could of been built on.

The illustrations are beautiful and it has some really heartwarming moments.

Madeline Tock can hear the whispers of the dead and lives in the graveyard with her overprotective father. Endless night has fallen and her father no longer lets her venture out, for fear of the Night Mother who takes souls from the living as well as the dead.

This had beautiful art and a great idea at its core but I wish it had been more developed. This easily could have been twice the length which would have allowed for more time to flesh out the plot and characters a bit more. At the length it was, the worldbuilding took up a sizable portion of the page count and I felt like not enough actually happened. I'm very intrigued to see where the story goes next though!

An excellent first volume to a unique and interesting story!

The art and writing for The Night Mother are both fantastic. Vol 1 is fast paced to get an in-depth story rolling quickly in a short amount of pages. This story and the artwork are vibrant and eye-catching in all the best ways. Its excellent fantasy with a captivating story start! I look forward to reading the future installments.

i read this so quickly, i gobbled it up. it was delicious, and i need the next one now please.

the art, the story, the character designs!! aaaa, i just love it so far, and i feel like the adventure is only just starting.

4.0 ⭐

"The Night Mother" is a middle grade fantasy graphic novel.
The storytelling is straightforward and easy to read, making it suitable for younger audiences while still appealing to older readers. The pacing is steady, allowing for moments of reflection that add depth to the story.
Overall, it's a solid read for MG audiences, offering an enjoyable experience.

Gorgeous first volume of a promising new fantasy series.

The Night Mother is at its core a terrifying tale that conjures your worst nightmares - what if it was eternally night and a creature was lurking to feed on unsuspecting souls instead of helping them? That said, it looks to be targeting younger audiences who might appreciate the stunning artwork, compelling story and that it is a quick read.

I particularly loved the intricate details in both the art and the storytelling. The author manages to build characters and a world that live and breathe from page one, and I ended up finishing the entire volume in no time because I was constantly attracted to some interesting element on the next page.

Overall, a promising start although fairly short read. I'd continue the series to see what happens next with our characters and get more of this beautiful artwork.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Thank You for the e-ARC!

</i>“The moon is stuck. Frozen in place on Barnabus Tock’s clock that doesn’t tell time. A fault, perhaps. A gear that refuses to turn, you might say. But the clock tells no lie. The moon is stuck in the night sky.”</i>

The Night Mother snuggles its way into the same part of your heart as old fairytales, Studio Ghibli movies, and that one short played before a Pixar movie that has stuck with you for years (I’m looking at you, La Luna)

I absolutely inhaled this book, the story is unlike any I’ve read before whilst still filling me with a sense of nostalgia.

I don’t think I’ve seen such stunning artwork in a graphic novel for a long time. Reading took me far longer because I was studying the artwork and its beautiful details. Particularly the illustration of Maddy’s nightmare on page 28, I want to frame it and put it up on my wall so I can stare at it forever.

I hope my students enjoy this book as much as I have. Vol. 1 hasn’t even been released yet but I’m already waiting patiently for Vol. 2.

This was a quick and fun read that was kind of spooky too. I enjoyed it! I definitely look forward to reading volume 2.

Thanks to Oni Press for making 'The Night Mother vol. 1' by Jeremy Lambert, Alexander Sharpe and Becca Carey available as an ARC on Netgalley

The moon has frozen in the sky, leaving the world in perpetual darkness. Barnabus Tock, local gravedigger and father to 12-year-old Madeline, who is beleaguered by nightmares when asleep and surrounded by the voices of the dead while awake, fears that his daughter is in danger. Despite his attempts to keep her inside, Madeline puts herself in danger to save a stranger from the storm-swept ocean, who informs her that she is the only one who can save them all from the ruler of the moon, the Night Mother, who is searching for souls to prolong her eternal life.

The art in this graphic novel is beautiful and dynamic from cover to cover, matching the mix of whimsical and dark storytelling. You get a good sense of who Madeline in particular is as a main character, but even secondary characters have moments that help define them, whether it be in a line of sarcastic humour or a moment of anxious indecision about stepping over a self-imposed boundary. Every opportunity is taken to bring life to this story and the characters within it.

This volume comes out on October 8th, and I'll be keeping an eye out for the next instalment.

This book, y’all! It might be one of the best graphic novels I have seen lately. The art alone is so, so worth being mentioned and praised! And the storyline, although packed in short-ish 80-something pages, is rich and well-written.
An absolutely perfect middle-grade read!

Richly narrated, packed with drool-worthy eye-popping illustrations, and steeped in lore from the very first page, The Night Mother is just the beginning of an intimate trilogy of a girl discovering her power, shaping her identity, and fighting for the people she calls family.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me with the e-ARC.DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick and engaging middle grade graphic novel and I was immediately hooked into this story from the very first page. The premise is interesting, the art was lovely, the characters were loveable and its a perfect fall spooky read. I am looking forward to reading future volumes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for the advance digital copy of “The Night Mother” by Jeremy Lambert. This was a truly intriguing start to the story, a world out of balance stuck in darkness and the girl Madeline who hears the whispers of the dead. Who is this mysterious Night Mother and why does she want Madeline? Beautiful illustrations by Alexa Sharpe, some great character design and colors. I'd recommend this to young readers looking for a new fantasy series that's also a bit scary.