I'm not always a fan of horror or creepy novels but this one kept me reading as I couldn't put it down! Tily is a virtual conservator and is restoring an old painting of Charlotte Leclerc, as her own mother worked on The Child--another of Leclerc's famed paintings. But in this future world the MotherWise program gives people "rings" that are embedded beneath the skin to monitor ones heart rate, other medical anomalies, and basically track where you are. Tilly often locks herself in her studio to work and husband Wyatt becomes increasingly concerned as daughter, Clementine is only 7 and they've lost another child in the past. What really lurks in the studio and why? Read it and never look at a painting the same way!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Genre: horror, psychological thriller, sci-fi
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: March 17th, 2026


Mother Is Watching is a horror filled dive into the layers of grief and motherhood. Our story starts with Tilly, an art conservator, who is dealing with the aftermath of loss along with her family.
WHAT I LIKED:


The storyline was unique and well done! Creepy with gorgeous and amazing visuals.
The writing was great*
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:


*while the writing IS great, it felt stilted at times and a little awkward. more tell than show. certain things felt handed or spelled out to us.
I have no idea what time period this was set in or if this was some kind of alternate universe type of thing. There was some dystopian vibes I guess one could call it. I would have enjoyed it more if I could have had a grasp on it.<
FINAL THOUGHTS:


I believe I read this was Karma's first horror novel? And for that, this was a very strong start into the genre. One I hope she keeps exploring. Mother Is Watching was a chilling read that I do think people will generally like, especially if you like your horror with touches of supernatural and feminism.

Also, shout out to my dad for saying "oh, like ghostbusters?" when i was explaining the plot to him.

Thank you to Dutton for the arc!

This novel was made up of two major storylines. One of them was absolutely my thing and the other was one that I personally don’t like to read about because it’s always frustrating. So this experience was kind of like having someone put licorice in my peanut butter

However, the two storylines did work very well together and made complete sense. The book takes place in a not so distant future in which every woman’s fertility is closely monitored by government technology, and they can even get a tattoo that turns different colors based on ovulation and other health stats. Women in this world are high-pressured to conceive as much as possible because a virus has wiped out the sperm count of the average male and the burden has fallen to them to continue the species.

In addition to this, there’s a rewards/incentives program women can join called “Motherwise” that seemingly provides lots of benefits to pregnant women and their families, but is also more than a little pushy when it comes to telling the mother-to-be what to do. And ladies with fewer children are essentially made to feel inferior, like they aren’t contributing as much to society.

That was one aspect of the plot: all the stuff going on with main character Tilly and her husband trying to conceive another child, and there was a lot going on with that. It wasn’t my favorite thing to read about, especially because I hate controlling husbands. Wyatt wasn’t quite on the same level as the guy from “Rosemary’s Baby,” but he was close!

What I LOVED about the book was the other plot line, the art horror. A favorite genre of mine in general. Tilly restores damaged paintings for a living, (just like Dana did in “Ghostbusters 2!”) and she’s tasked with restoring a particularly mysterious work by a late artist with a lot of tragedy in her life.

The creepy lore in this story was so interesting! The more Tilly uncovers, the scarier things get. I don’t want to say too much, but there is some cool body horror and imagery and I was into it. The backstory for the artist fascinated me.

I also appreciated the short chapters. The wild stuff that happened every time the painting was in the room. The parallels between what was happening biologically to Tilly and what she was discovering as she did the restoration. Mothers and daughters as a theme. This book had a lot happening. I think anyone who likes art horror, supernatural horror and elements of feminism and future dystopia will really like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Biggest TW: Loss of pregnancy, Insects, Self-harm

Atmospheric, unsettling, and beautifully written, this novel blurs the line between art, grief, and the supernatural in chilling ways.

Tilly’s role as an art conservator grounds the story in fascinating detail. At the same time, the discovery of The Mother spirals her into a haunting journey that is as psychological as it is paranormal. The imagery—swarms of insects, ghostly visitations, and whispers that feel alive—creates a sense of dread that builds with every chapter.

At its heart, though, this is also a story about motherhood, legacy, and the sacrifices women are forced to make. Equal parts gothic horror and intimate character study, it’s a gripping, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Dutton for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Mother is Watching by Karma Brown is part horror, part science fiction. Tilly is a fine arts conservator in a near-future Savannah, Georgia. In this further, fertility rates have been decimated, and women are encouraged to have children, enrolled in government programs to incentivize. At the same time that Tilly discovers she’s pregnant with a baby after a devastating loss, she gets an opportunity to work on a painting by Leclerc, the artist who her mother was working on when she suddenly died.

There are really two separate horror stories at play here; one is seemingly benign, domestic horror while the other is the more obvious supernatural plot. The supernatural plot is mysterious, convoluted, and open-ended. It’s not particularly jumpy, but it does have some wonderful moments of body horror. Playing heavily on the fears and terrors of motherhood, pregnancy, and gaslighting, there are some really well written sections.

What I would have loved was the expansion of the stomach-churning, skin crawling, reproductive control sections. In the year 2025, the idea of programs that promote motherhood as the highest aim of womanhood is far too real. The elements of blatant pronatal propaganda (including sowing the seeds of distrust of childless people), control of women’s bodies and activities, and the way that social and government pressure consumes the main character and makes her feel uncomfortable with her very much wanted pregnancy is so, so scary. This feeling of being reduced, minimized, and stripped bare injures all women, not just those that don’t fit into the norms. Even Tilly, who desires this pregnancy, finds herself being erased and misunderstood. This is such a topical horror. This really drops off in favor of the supernatural horror in the final few chapters. I could have read even more about this , and wish elements would have made it to the final chapters.

The element of this book that really dropped the ball for me was that the husband character is somewhat of a nothing blob. He’s somewhat necessary for some set dressing, but he never really does anything important. While he does have a weird controlling attitude with the MotherWise program and a friend who’s somewhat suspect, he isn’t fully invested. He doesn’t have enough redeeming points to be “good” not enough, not “bad” enough to fully be part of the female reproductive horror, and not important enough to the plot one way or another. I just wish that he would have had more impact in any direction. He definitely makes controlling decisions for Tilly and is a bit of a crappy partner, but he feels a little bland as a major player.

I really enjoyed this title. I thought that the conservation of a painting was a pretty unique take on the “spooky painting” genre of horror. I thought there was some great gross horror, especially the scene on Christmas Eve. I wish the secondary and tertiary characters were more well developed. 4/5 stars!

it was really cool to obtain an ARC from NetGalley and be able to read this book before it comes out next year. This was so interesting on many levels and different from anything I’ve read recently. The commentary on the pressures society puts on women to be mothers and have that be our main focus was done in a unique way in this particular society. There was also an emphasis on how women are controlled even by husbands and partners. I wasn’t expecting those aspects in this story but it made for an interesting read on terms of this society works particularly with technology. I really enjoyed the horror story centered around a painting and what it represented. I do kind of wish there was maybe a little more explanation or just something more to the story of what happened to the mother of the main character in relation to the paintings. But I definitely enjoyed this book

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 17 March 2026

Off the bat, this book was pitched as something I would love: art, an art conservator, horror. Sign me up. When I started reading, I realized it is set in a near-future world that is dystopian and even more reliant on technology than we are today. At first, I wasn’t sure if the tech added anything to the story since it felt a bit shoehorned in. However, once I got deeper into the book, the technology became integral and added a lot to the narrative.

I am not sure if the author is an art conservator or knows one well, but the details of the job felt spot on. That matters to me, because if an author chooses a very specific profession, I want them to get the details right.

The commentary on the pressures society places on women to be mothers and to make that their primary role was handled in a unique way in this imagined society. There was also strong emphasis on how women are controlled not only by husbands, but also by workplaces, technology, and social expectations.

The story leaves some things open-ended, which I personally liked, though I am not sure all readers will.

This book is deliciously creepy. It grabs you from the first chapter and keeps your attention throughout. This book should be read with all the lights on!