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

A blend of Appalachian folklore,queer identity, and environmental themes. The setting is atmospheric and the premise compelling..However the pacing occasionally falters and I would have liked to have seen more character development. Still a strong read with strong themes and evocative writing.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I sadly decided to DNF this book. However, I haven’t written it off completely. It is still on my Goodreads list and I’m hoping that one day I’ll get back to it.

It’s just a bit too slow for me

Set in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Benethea founds a half drowned woman in a mine sough. She doesn’t remember her name but all she remember that she is the last witch of the Ridge and people call her motheater. I loved how Benethea decides to help the woman regain her memory and also find out the truth. The truth surprised me. I felt sad for Motheater. As soon as the truth comes out, the story takes a dark turn. Expect mythology, secrets, mystery, curse, and twists.

If you are looking for a fantasy with engaging characters and unique plot balancing both light and darkness, read this book.

Thanks to the Publisher

This is a tough book to rate purely because I really liked the atmosphere and world-building of the book, but the pacing and relationship between Motheater and Bennie was a bit off.

This book has a tremendous amount of potential - I loved the premise and it drew me in immediately, but the pacing is a bit slow. This isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but it just didn't seem like it fit the book, especially while it's trying to juggle a romance at the same time.

I'm happy I finished it, but I think with a bit of tightening up, it could've really shined!

Thank you so much to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was well written with exceptional nature descriptions and lyrical meaning. The main character was quite complex especially Motheater which were hard to understand. The vibes were quite chilly with all the witchiness in it!!

Motheater has a fantastic premise - Motheater is an Appalachian witch who has amnesia. She is found in the mountains by Bennie who is searching for a mining companies dirty secrets.

This book promises southern gothic and a sapphic relationship and while it delivers it just didn’t hit the way I wanted it to for me. That by no means it’s a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an Arc.

Motheater is a richly textured debut that immerses readers in the haunting beauty of Appalachia. Codega masterfully intertwines folklore, environmental themes, and queer narratives, creating a story that is both enchanting and thought-provoking. The character development is compelling, particularly the evolving relationship between Bennie and Motheater, which adds depth to the narrative. While some readers have noted pacing issues and abrupt character decisions, the novel's atmospheric world-building and exploration of complex themes make it a standout in contemporary fantasy.

DNF @49%

This was so boring. The past storyline was better than the present day one. I didn't care about what was going on at all in the present day storyline. I didnt care about the characters and I the writing wasn't great.

2.5 ⭐️ Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Sooo I initially DNF at 44%, but then I found myself needing to go back and try to finish this book again. Could I have lived without reading the rest of this book…absolutely. I will say that initially I was hooked on this book. I was all in. I liked the setting and the whole Appalachian-witchy vibe. I even liked the main characters. Something happened with the writing like a third of the way in. It just wasn’t interesting anymore. The book ropes you in, then just kind of leaves you hanging. If you want to read a book purely on vibes…this lowkey might be right up your alley.

2.5 🌟
Bennie stumbles upon a woman washed up in a river, while she is trying to find proof that the company mining in her town is doing nefarious things causing suspicious disappearances. The found woman can't remember anything of her life, but knows people call her Motheater and that she's a witch. This story is about their pursuit in saving the mountain and town from the evils that come with mining.

The pacing was really slow and I ended up not feeling invested in the characters at all. The relationship between Bennie and Motheater felt forced and out of place in the storyline. The bit of magic in the book was "Appalachian witchy" and became kind of confusing. Did the mountain in the end gain limbs and start walking??

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @36%

This books had a really interesting premise that captivated me when I first requested it, but since I started reading, I found this book was very much not for me structure-wise. There are very few books I've read with a dual timeline structure that I've enjoyed and this didn't hit the mark for me. Ideally, you start with an interesting present timeline to drive your interest while the past timeline takes more time to get into but, by the end, the build up will make for a climatic ending. My interest in either timeline just wasn't there, unfortunately. I also didn't feel as invested in the main character Bennie's plot where she wanted to find out how to save the coal miners. I just couldn't feel the sense of urgency in that compared to Bennie learning more about motheater.

I think there's a lot of other good elements here, and this may be a book I come back to for the setting, but for the moment, I just couldn't get into it.

In this eerie, atmospheric debut set in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, Linda H. Codega combines the complicated history of the region’s coal mining industry with the earthy, magnetic folklore that infuses the land—and Motheater, the last witch of the Ridge—with power. When Benethea Mattox discovers a half-drowned white woman in a mine slough, she takes her in, even though the woman can’t remember her real name and has more than a few unsettling quirks. Still reeling from the death of her best friend, Bennie is on a quest to uncover the reason miners keep turning up dead on Kiron’s mountain. Together, Bennie and Motheather embark on a mission to break the curse holding the people of Kiron captive to the mountain’s rage for more than a century. Infused with magic, sapphic romance, and a touch of eco-horror and science fiction, Motheater is a deft exploration of the ways in which humanity’s dominion over nature threatens the very resources we depend on.

I ended up DNF this one, it was moving too slow for me. I did love the concept and may pick this one back up at a later time. If I do and end up finishing it, I will update this review.

A queer fantasy with horror elements? Sign me up. There’s mystery, intrigue, a nice vibe of southern/Appalachian horror. This was truly right up my alley. I’d recommend it to anyone over and over.

I unfortunately ended up pretty bored by this. The writing style felt choppy and just not as engaging as I hoped. Plus the constant moments of Bennie telling us how attracted she is to Motheater got repetitive and distracting that I just lost all interest halfway through. It has some interesting moments and I think a really strong beginning but it just lost me the rest of the way. Sad since I was so hyped for this one.

"In this nuanced queer fantasy set amid the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, the last witch of the Ridge must choose sides in a clash between industry and nature."

Stunning writing, but found the pacing a little slow to really grip my attention, I loved the calls to the Appalachian folklore, but wish this was explored more.

Loved the commentary on capitalism vs the environment and female rage, however this ultimately missed the mark for me.

Motheater by Linda Codega is a vastly underrated gem for those who like witchy fiction. Pacing gets a bit wonky at times but my investment in the character relationships and the world around them keeps the story moving forward. I will be checking out other books by this author if given the opportunity.

DNF at 28% - this is a weird mix that sort of ends up being like Erin Brockovich mixed with civil ar era witches that end up buried in a mountain and emerge after 2 centuries. I like Benny - she was dedicated to trying to prove the company that was mining in the town was responsible for multiple deaths including that of her closest friend. Motheater was quite annoying though - understandable to a point as she was from another time period entirely and didn't know what was happening to the town she had left behind or what had happened in her absence, but she came across as very hostile. The flashbacks to her life before the mountain were bleak and overall the magic and mysticism I was expecting from this book just wasn't present.