Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this in exchange for my review.

This story follows two women from different times in history, brought together and bonding over a love of the mountain they reside on and the people they live with. Even if those people don't always feel the same.

This book was a lot different then most I've read and while it did take a little bit to get used to, especially the parts where it was in the past and the speech patterns and slang are different then now adays, but I really enjoyed this. Bennie and Motheater are both stubborn, almost to a fault, but it's for a purpose. To help those around them and that's something that is extremely relatable. While this isn't a sappy or (spoilers) stereotypical happy ending kind of romance, it was sweet in it's own way. And while the ending did make me a little teary, it ended the only way it could have. This was extremely well done and I'm gonna keep my eye out for any more of Codega's writing.

This book was really beautifully written. I have never been in the Appalachian's but this book showed me everything. Anything folk tale related is certainly up my street so I felt very honoured to receive this title to review.

I did find the pacing to be slow, but post reading slump could be the culprit of that.

A great roundup of community, sacrifice, with a witchy and horror feel to it. I would certainly try another book by this author.

An atmospheric queer fantasy set in the Appalachia? With a mythical witch!? Uh, hell yeah. I'm so in. I loved the dual time line and the historical scenes were my favorite, so steeped in gothic feels.

Appalachian books are always phenomenal and this is no different. The magic was handled so well. The time jumps were so well places and I loved these characters.

I just finished Motheater and I’m completely absorbed. Bennie Mattox is such a compelling protagonist—her grief, determination, and stubborn sense of justice make her impossible to forget. The novel’s Appalachian setting feels alive and dangerous, from the treacherous mines to the misty mountains, and the folklore woven throughout adds an eerie, almost magical quality that keeps you turning the pages. Motheater herself is a marvel: mysterious, powerful, and morally complex, she blurs the line between ally and enigma, and the way her centuries-old story collides with Bennie’s modern struggle is haunting and fascinating. The tension builds beautifully, with danger, secrets, and heartbreak all interlacing, and the stakes never feel artificial—they’re rooted in the town, its people, and the land itself. By the end, the novel is not just about uncovering a mystery, but about reckoning with history, power, and the cost of survival. It’s atmospheric, thrilling, and richly layered—perfect for anyone who loves Southern gothic, magical realism, and stories of women defying impossible odds.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

Sadly, I didn’t not like this as much as I wanted to. I was expected atmospheric and witchy. But this fell flat for me. It took too long to get to a point that I was invested in what was happening to the characters. It was really the last 75 pages I was like “ooh we are getting somewhere” and then the ending just left me underwhelmed.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

The Appalachian mountains are alive....

That's really all you need to hear to find out how amazing this book is! As an Appalachian woman, this book was absolutely everything. From the grief of capitalism and its impact on our land, to the witchiness and folklore of our people, this book really brought it all. I loved the characters and the depth that they all had, it made me feel like I was listening to stories from my own family members. I adored the way that the land was brought to life (literally) and how the battle with industry and progress was portrayed.

If you're looking for an Appalachian book to fill your soul, look no further!

Motheater is a lyrical, haunting horror/fantasy about a witch that raises from the dead to settle a score of a long rivalry between nature, capital driven mining practices, and the gods that lay beneath the earth.

Bennie who works for the mining company in Kire, recognizes a pattern of unexplainable mining deaths, where people go missing and are never found. This pattern doesn’t match the typical tragedies that occur with mining collapses. After her best friend becomes one of the mysterious victims, she becomes determined to uncover the injustices that the mining company perpetuates through its careless practices.

Walking through the woods with her ex Ryan, she discovers what seems to be a dead body in a creek, who rises from the dead, awakening a witch or “neighbor”, who almost kills Bennie and Ryan with ancient mountain magic. Together they embark on a journey to unearth magic of the forsaken Mountain known as Kiron, and find a way to save their town from is self destruction, forming unbreakable bonds in the process.

This book was extremely poetic, and had a wonderful magic system that really rooted it self in old folk magic, and real history. The author thoughtfully creates a vivid picture for the progression of exploitive capitalism, and how it thrives on destruction. I commend the way she turned activism and protection of nature into a whole magic system. Would definitely recommend this stunning southern gothic to anyone!

This was a really interesting concept. I'm not typically a fan of miner-esque related novels, but I found myself more engaged then expected.

This book explores what being Other in a small tight-knight community is like, through magic, but also queerness, social position and race. It doesn't delve deep, but nonetheless it makes for an entertaining read. I liked the sapphic romance (bi4lesbian) and the achillean side pairing. The plot moves slowly but steadily. My favourite were the evocative descriptions of magic. If you want old-school witches, magic born of bargains and blood, this book delivers on those throughout. Motheater is a witch in the old sense, what in D&D you'd call a warlock, faith and sacrifice her tools. Read this for the immaculate vibes.

Benethea "Bennie" Mattox sacrifices everything in her life (her relationship, her job with a coal company and her reputation) to figure out what happened to her deceased best friend and to a number of miners who are dying in the mines on Kire Mountain.

One day, she rescues a white woman, almost dead, from a mine slough, and takes her in. Bennie becomes intrigued by this stranger, who calls herself Motheater, and who can't remember her actual name, or how she ended up inside the mountain.

Motheater knows she a witch, and through the use of a dual timeline, author Linda H. Codega gives us Motheater's backstory, which involved a fight going back over a century to save Kire mountain and its wildlife from industry. Motheater had some support, but a lot of enemies, and their ire caused her to become trapped for many years until Bennie rescued her. Together, Bennie and Motheater continue their fight against the coal company.

The two main characters are complex, complicated people, and felt so real they come off the page for me. I love the way so much was woven together in this story: folklore, religion, superstition, history and activism to give this little part of Appalachia, and its magic, a lived in and grounded aspect. Motheater's ability is complicated, and seemed instinctual, rather than something that could be codified or understood through books. It's powerful, and often ferocious, and I loved the way wildlife, and the very earth itself, come together in it, giving the story a dark, and sometimes horror-like feel.

I liked this book, though found the pacing suffered, even while the Codega's atmosphere and dialogue between Bennie and everyone else was wonderful.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Kensington Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I was really looking forward to reading this, but I think it suffers from being too ambitious, as I felt like some of the more interesting themes weren't explored as much as I would've liked. For example, I felt like the exploration of the social issues in Appalachia was surface level, and the story would have benefited from a deeper dive into those themes. Also, the writing, while flowery (which I'm not always opposed to), was slow, and the book dragged and lost momentum at times.

Motheater is a uniquely imagined and thematically rich novel, with a surreal atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. Linda H. Codega explores unsettling territory with lyrical language and haunting imagery. The world-building is ambitious, and there’s a distinct voice throughout the book that sets it apart.

However, the pacing is noticeably slow. At times, the narrative drags and loses momentum, making it difficult to stay fully engaged. While the book offers moments of brilliance, it demands patience from the reader. If you’re looking for a fast-paced or tightly plotted story, this might not be the right fit. But for fans of eerie, symbolic fiction who don’t mind a slower journey, Motheater has its rewards.

1.75

I really did not like this book and honestly, I’m really upset about it. This was sold as sapphic Appalachian magic with sentient mountains and I mean they weren’t wrong but from nearly the beginning of the book there was something about that irked me and I struggled to finish it.

I think the biggest thing that I struggled with was the writing. It was flowery in a way that became distracting and by the 50% mark I was Over It. I also really really struggled with the choice to make Bennie a Black woman because to me it was obvious that the author was not Black. Like I would love a book that explores the intersection of racism, classism, and environmental degradation in Appalachia but this felt so surface level that it seemed like a diversity box checking exercise. I also didn’t love the way the story handled the political and social concepts it was trying to explore. It started out very anti-mining/capitalism but then started to sway into pro-corporation/anti-union territory and like yes those concepts get messy and complicated when you’re talking about “real world” issues especially in places like rural Appalachia over the last 150 years but as a reader it was jarring to see the main characters flip flop on these issues so frequently.

Overall, I think the idea was there but the execution fell super flat for me. It maybe would have worked better if it was solely set in modern day or solely set in the historical timeline or if Codega had written from a white woman’s perspective and not tried to write outside their own racial experience, but that’s not the book they wanted to write.

Thank you, Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book.

After losing her best friend in a coal mine, Bennie Mattox is determined to uncover what's happening at the miners in Kire Mountain. When she finds an half-drowned woman in a mine slough, she hopes she can help her as a proof.
But the woman calls herself Motheater and she doesn't remember anything, only that she's a witch of Appalachia. Her own fate, the promises she made years ago, the ones she bent and broke have followed her in the future. Now, with Bennie they will have to protect the city itself.

Motheater is a fascinating queer story about a clash between industry and nature, a search for justice, love and promises and a very nuanced book, that, unfortunately, couldn't convince fully. I loved the story, but I wasn't captured by it or by its characters, so unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

I really liked this one. From the very start, the Appalachian setting pulled me in- it’s almost like another character in the story, vivid and full of mood. Bennie’s determination to uncover what happened to her friend and the missing miners gave the mystery a strong emotional core. The mix of folklore, especially the moth magic, added an eerie, haunting vibe that worked for me.

I will say that some parts in the middle felt slow, with a lot of details that didn’t always move the story forward. But the ending, especially Bennie’s personal journey, made up for it. I also appreciated how the book didn’t wrap everything up neatly- real life and complicated issues don’t work that way, and this story felt honest about that.

The queer themes felt natural, and were beautiful. The environmental tensions gave the plot real stakes. If you’re into atmospheric fantasy that’s more about character and place than fast action, Motheater is definitely worth a read. I am excited to read more from this author!

this was super interesting! i’ve never read a book like this before—and i really enjoyed how unique it was. there were periods that felt a little slow, but overall, a great read

DNF 14%

This book is really strange. I think when I requested it on NetGalley, I didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis — or maybe something about it caught my eye that, unfortunately, didn’t show up at the beginning of the book.
When I started reading, I found the story really odd, and I immediately felt like it wasn’t the kind of book I usually enjoy.
I kept going for a bit, hoping it would shift into something more interesting to me, but it just didn’t.
Eventually, I decided to take a break and read other things. And honestly, I never felt the urge to go back to it. So I figured it was better to DNF.
There’s nothing wrong with the book itself — it’s just not for me. It didn’t grab my attention or make me want to keep reading. I'm still a little confused as to why I requested it in the first place, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc!!
I know very little about the Appalachian Mountains and the surrounding areas, but Codega's beautiful and lyrical descriptions really made it come alive in my mind. It was an extremely slow read, but the atmosphere was very beautiful throughout. People who want an action-packed plot will be disappointed.

Although the premise sounded very good, this was a bit of a slog for me to get through. If you enjoy a slow read this could be for you. I was pretty disappointed, I almost DNFed but was determined to finish. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read.
2 star