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.

First of all, thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!

I had some difficulty getting into this book at first, because of the descriptions and the different POVs. However, once I did, I loved the descriptions about the nature and the environment. The author clearly seems knowledgable about this topic. The one thing that didn't work for me was the romance. I just didn't feel the chemistry and any kind of relationship between the two characters just seemed a bit odd. Like someone else said, I also don't think this was just a witchy fantasy, but more a work of literary fiction with touches of fantasy and horror in it.

Overall, definitely an interesting and good book to read, so I would definitely recommend it.

There is something about this book that is sticking with me. Perhaps it's the subtle queer romance (w0w!) or the character development, or the timelines that introduce the reader to key plot points. All of it worked for me. I am not a fantasy reader by any means, so I was skeptical. Loved Bennie as a Black, curious, female looking to right some wrongs. Loved, loved, loved Motheater and her sense of humor and sense of doing the right thing. The connection to nature is so important! The conflicting ideas of advancement versus conservation is a great theme. When they went to Huckleberry ... so heartbreaking and powerful.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the editor for sending me an advance copy of this upcoming title. Your hard work and dedication to this project are truly commendable, and I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to review it before its official release.

The depth and quality of this work are a testament to your meticulous attention to detail and your passion for bringing exceptional stories to life. From the engaging narrative to the well-developed characters, it's clear that a tremendous amount of effort has gone into every aspect of this book.

I am genuinely excited about this title and eager to share my thoughts and insights. Having the chance to read it in advance has been a wonderful experience, and I am confident that readers will be just as captivated by it as I am.

Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. Your support and trust in my feedback mean a great deal to me. I look forward to continuing to work together and witnessing the success of this fantastic book.

Environmentalist West Virginian mining horror fantasy. It's about greed and overconsumption, nature vs industry, old Appalachian magic against Mining Big Business. But then nature's also kind scary too, right? And it might hate us for hurting it? I bet a sentient mountain that has been mined for centuries is pretty upset.

Motheater's magic was *chef's kiss* Loved the Scripture mixed with nature and animalism, the spirits of the dead in the shape of moths, the snakes, even the green smears like "bug guts" in her hair.

Some parts of the book could have been pared down a bit and the sapphic romance built up more (though I did like what we got; "because she is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" hit me good, why recite love poems when we got the Bible yo). I think the characterization was a little uneven, with Motheater being the more realized character. Maybe because in Bennie's chapters it was her AND Motheater, whereas in Motheater's flashback chapters the focus was on just her.

This was an enjoyable and emotional read. Protect What You Love!

I ran for this book after reading the synopsis, it sounded complex and gave me high expectations for the queer romance, black FMC and oh so many mini tropes I swoon for. It exceeded my expectations, with a unique flair, story and brilliantly gloomy atmosphere.

A complicated and rich fantasy that will grab your heart and hold it there as the danger for the main characters drags out. Nicely woven with flashbacks and unravelling the past and future as you go, it felt a little long and slow at times but was well worth it. One that will play on my mind for a long while.

<i>’This right here, this was what she was made for. She was ready. Bloody and aching, she was a thorn in the paw of a lion.’</i>

The Appalachian themes were spot on, you already hear a lot of creepy folklore about them, and this book just sets that in stone. So intriguing and atmospheric, it’s all so unfair and the characters deserve better.

The characters had me in a chokehold, Motheater was just magnetic. Particularly for the last few chapters I was utterly gripped, but absolutely let down by the ending. I found it weak, predictable and unsatisfactory (and tore my heart out).
I’d love to know what other readers think of this strange book, and its end! (I’m absolutely begging the author to change it give me a happier ending for my favourite characters!)

<i>‘This was the grave she dug out of coal.’</i>

The synopsis read a lot more serious and mature than the writing actually seemed at the beginning, which was disappointing. It felt like a very YA style, which doesn’t fit the tone of the synopsis, and a lot more modern and casual than I was expecting. This did work out though as you go on, and I found that this youthful tone does actually suit the FMC perfectly, and shows the contrast in time and to Motheater.
The prose particularly toward the end improved as well, and there are many quotable, beautiful lines.

A brilliant, original idea that was a lot to take on and do properly. In places it did lack in description of scenes and characters, though I had no issue imagining them.
Really unique dialect and great depth to the characters.
Our wives under the sea vibes, but with actual answers to all of your questions, most of them at least.

I enjoyed this read and absolutely recommend it, though I take no blame for any emotional damage, an eery and original story. With characters I absolutely fell in love with, and a world I was mesmerised by…

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I was initially drawn to this book due to the cover and title as a witchy fantasy story seemed very intriguing. The environment and magic system are this story’s strongest points; however, the writing falls off in terms of characters. It is difficult to feel invested in the stakes when the characters come across as underdeveloped and I struggled to feel connected to them. The plot dragged at times and struggled to find its pacing.

I think the book is enjoyable, there are certainly interesting elements at play, but it did not grip me as much as I had hoped.

This queer fantasy wasn't what I expected, but I LOVED the comedic relief moments, and the delicate balance of on-page romance. It felt intentional, and when it was shown it was sweet, charming, and beautifully executed. Codega's passion for this piece bleeds through every page, and I was instantly drawn to Bennie. I wanted Bennie's connection to the past to be stronger, but I understand why it was at the level it was written. It felt like a tender spot from an author's perspective, and something that a region's past may have been too tender to delve deeper into. 12/10 will be recommending!