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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the sort of debut novel that I like - I don't particularly like it on its own, but what's there makes me excited to see what the author does next. Motheater falls into that almost exactly - I'll mostly remember the vibes (Appalachia, hedge magic, queer love and friendships) and Codega's name. Bennie and Esther themselves are underdeveloped - Esther/Motheater we get the most of, but it's so scattered between timelines and within the novel itself that it doesn't really coalesce until the end, when it feels like too little too late. Bennie we know in the moment, but everything else is really nebulous which makes it difficult when we're supposed to feel that she's hurting becuase of things that happened in the past. The side characters are so bland that they almost aren't there, so it's good that we really spend most of the time with Bennie and Motheater.
I did really love how all of the magics tied together into something that utilized, at its heart, what people have faith in, what brings emotions to the surface for them. That Esther used scripture to access land magic, tying together a lot of practices and heritages into the land itself.
I'd recommend this for anyone who especially liked the first season of Old Gods of Appalachia
I did really love how all of the magics tied together into something that utilized, at its heart, what people have faith in, what brings emotions to the surface for them. That Esther used scripture to access land magic, tying together a lot of practices and heritages into the land itself.
I'd recommend this for anyone who especially liked the first season of Old Gods of Appalachia
Soft DNF, will maybe come back to this later. The beginning was captivating, but it drags quite a bit in the middle. Very repetitive and the pacing is off. After reading some reviews, I’ve decided to put this one down for now.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyed this beautifully messy debut! Very lush and atmospheric, and I loved the dynamic between Motheater and Bennie (The inherent eroticism of having to explain to your witch gf what a QR code is...). The side characters are pretty weak, with it feeling like Codega just threw everything at a wall and hoped something stuck with them. The climax is a little... anti-climatic, and the ending was a bummer and doesn't really strike the tonal balance it needed. However, I overall really enjoyed this. The themes about belonging and loving a place that doesn't always love you back, putting people over power, worked out for me in the end. Definitely would read more from Codega!
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The beginning was really immersive but the story soon tapered off. It was way too long for very little plot and character development. It had the means for a great story, but did not deliver.
Also... not a huge issue but worth bringing up. I'm not a fan of profane language used in books outside of dialogue. I'm not sure what effect it is supposed to have and it seems lazy to me.
Also... not a huge issue but worth bringing up. I'm not a fan of profane language used in books outside of dialogue. I'm not sure what effect it is supposed to have and it seems lazy to me.
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
while reading this i comped to it a friend as Ferngully meets The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo, and i think i'm going to stand by that.
Codega does an excellent job of building atmosphere in this novel, i haven't spent much time in Appalachia but it really comes alive in their writing. and THE BEGINNING! i truly haven't read an opening that captivating in a long time, i didn't want to put the book down.
unfortunately the book has a hard time keeping up with the opening, and it's not bad but after the brilliant driving force of the first few chapters i got sort of bogged down in the middle a bit. i also think i found the romantic build to be sort of unnecessary and distracting, until it was used as a sort of driving force for the end but because i had been struggling with that development it left the ending feeling a bit unsatisfactory to me. i think it's hard because we're getting Bennie in present day and Motheater's past, and with everything they're trying to accomplish it just felt a bit off to me.
i loved the dual timelines though - the way we got Motheater's past sort of as she picks it back up and remembers it, and the way we see the origins of the battles Bennie has been fighting in present day.
I think there are people this will REALLY work for - people who love atmospheric haunting queer litfic-lite speculative fiction, people with deep ties to Appalachia and life there, people who love seeing religion twisted into metaphor and used as magic, books about looming industry and nature striving to prevent it.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an earc in exchange for an honest review
Codega does an excellent job of building atmosphere in this novel, i haven't spent much time in Appalachia but it really comes alive in their writing. and THE BEGINNING! i truly haven't read an opening that captivating in a long time, i didn't want to put the book down.
unfortunately the book has a hard time keeping up with the opening, and it's not bad but after the brilliant driving force of the first few chapters i got sort of bogged down in the middle a bit. i also think i found the romantic build to be sort of unnecessary and distracting, until it was used as a sort of driving force for the end but because i had been struggling with that development it left the ending feeling a bit unsatisfactory to me. i think it's hard because we're getting Bennie in present day and Motheater's past, and with everything they're trying to accomplish it just felt a bit off to me.
i loved the dual timelines though - the way we got Motheater's past sort of as she picks it back up and remembers it, and the way we see the origins of the battles Bennie has been fighting in present day.
I think there are people this will REALLY work for - people who love atmospheric haunting queer litfic-lite speculative fiction, people with deep ties to Appalachia and life there, people who love seeing religion twisted into metaphor and used as magic, books about looming industry and nature striving to prevent it.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an earc in exchange for an honest review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm so overwhelmed by the all the books I "have" to read right now, I'm not reading some of these right now.