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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
wow wow wow wow okay wow
what a magical read! we follow Bennie as she continues her endless search for answers regarding the growing number of coal miners found dead, a search that became even more crucial to her following the death of her best friend at the hand of the mine. when Bennie discovers a nearly-drowned woman in the slough, she decides to take the strange woman, called Motheater, and the two soon find a common interest in finding answers about the industrialization of the mountain, as well as working together to help discover who Motheater really is and how she wound up half-drowned. I would say, this definitely read a lot more like literary fiction than it did a straight fantasy!
Codega blends witches, environmental justice, sapphic romance, Appalachian Folk natural magic, and of course, lots and lots of moths.
thank you to Erewhon Books and netgalley for the ARC of this book!
what a magical read! we follow Bennie as she continues her endless search for answers regarding the growing number of coal miners found dead, a search that became even more crucial to her following the death of her best friend at the hand of the mine. when Bennie discovers a nearly-drowned woman in the slough, she decides to take the strange woman, called Motheater, and the two soon find a common interest in finding answers about the industrialization of the mountain, as well as working together to help discover who Motheater really is and how she wound up half-drowned. I would say, this definitely read a lot more like literary fiction than it did a straight fantasy!
Codega blends witches, environmental justice, sapphic romance, Appalachian Folk natural magic, and of course, lots and lots of moths.
thank you to Erewhon Books and netgalley for the ARC of this book!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC copy of this book, and this is my honest review.
I DNFed this book at about 40%.
The main character, Bennie is incredibly flat and I couldn’t care less about her.
Motheater is a more interesting character, and I did sort of care about her, but all the questions about her are answered almost immediately in flashback chapters, which robs us of trying to figure out those questions throughout the book.
However, what made me DNF the book was the sloppy way that Appalachian Folk Magic and Appalachian styles of Christianity are dealt with. I don’t so much mind that Snake Handling Christians are described as existing before such things became popular, but Motheater’s father is repeatedly described as Pentecostal decades before the denomination existed- especially when various fundamentalist Baptists did exist them that could have been adapted for the purpose.
As a person from Appalachian who currently practices witchcraft largely based on Appalachian Folk Magic, the treatment of our traditions as the basis of the magic system in this book is incredibly sloppy. For example, Motheater refers to herself as a witch when women who practiced witchcraft in the era that she grew up in would have been offended to consider it witchcraft— it was simply what everyone did. You could change that, but you would need a reason for why the same levels of strict Christianity existed without the same taboos on witchcraft and witches.
Beyond that, practices clearly lifted from our folk Magic practices are used without understanding how they are used in real life to be able to translate that into fantasy. That’s why Motheater is constantly, constantly quoting Bible verses, sometimes for no reason at all. She uses herbs for cursing, but not the herbs I would use for cursing and not in any recognizable fashion.
In short, while the concept is really intriguing, the story itself badly needs the advice of current practitioners of Appalachian Folk Magic and historians of the tradition. I would hope that the author knows that current practitioners of these traditions exist, but it’s hard to tell based on the book.
I DNFed this book at about 40%.
The main character, Bennie is incredibly flat and I couldn’t care less about her.
Motheater is a more interesting character, and I did sort of care about her, but all the questions about her are answered almost immediately in flashback chapters, which robs us of trying to figure out those questions throughout the book.
However, what made me DNF the book was the sloppy way that Appalachian Folk Magic and Appalachian styles of Christianity are dealt with. I don’t so much mind that Snake Handling Christians are described as existing before such things became popular, but Motheater’s father is repeatedly described as Pentecostal decades before the denomination existed- especially when various fundamentalist Baptists did exist them that could have been adapted for the purpose.
As a person from Appalachian who currently practices witchcraft largely based on Appalachian Folk Magic, the treatment of our traditions as the basis of the magic system in this book is incredibly sloppy. For example, Motheater refers to herself as a witch when women who practiced witchcraft in the era that she grew up in would have been offended to consider it witchcraft— it was simply what everyone did. You could change that, but you would need a reason for why the same levels of strict Christianity existed without the same taboos on witchcraft and witches.
Beyond that, practices clearly lifted from our folk Magic practices are used without understanding how they are used in real life to be able to translate that into fantasy. That’s why Motheater is constantly, constantly quoting Bible verses, sometimes for no reason at all. She uses herbs for cursing, but not the herbs I would use for cursing and not in any recognizable fashion.
In short, while the concept is really intriguing, the story itself badly needs the advice of current practitioners of Appalachian Folk Magic and historians of the tradition. I would hope that the author knows that current practitioners of these traditions exist, but it’s hard to tell based on the book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I enjoyed Motheater, but it was not what I expected given the way it was marketed. It was sold as a queer fantasy, but it was more of a thriller with fantasy elements and a touch of queer romance. I found the romance aspect to be the least compelling part of the story- it felt one-sided and underdeveloped, and I didn't believe that the characters had more than a surface-level lust.
the writing was repetitive at times, and the pacing was not great, but overall I thought this was a really promising debut and really look forward to more Appalachian fantasy from this author!
This felt like it had the potential to be beautiful but ended up just… fine. DNF
Not quite what is advertised as it is more literary fiction than any other genre. The pace is glacial and was close to putting me in a book slump. Picking up the book was beginning to feel like a chore. I can see this totally being a perfect fit for some but not for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has some great themes: we’ve got a witch fighting corporate capitalism, an anti-industrialism and colonialism story, an environmentalist message, exploration of generational trauma, and a love letter to the land of Appalachia.
However, the way it’s written just wasn’t for me. While I can appreciate and enjoy stories with unlikable characters, they made this one difficult to be immersed in- I think the best character was the mountain (which might or might not be alive and killing people). There is also a lot more religion than I was expecting, and I think my lack of knowledge here separated me from being able to truly appreciate parts of both the prose and the plot.
I feel that I could recommend this book, but it just wasn’t for me.
I want to give a huge thank you to Netgalley and Kensington publishing for the ARC!
However, the way it’s written just wasn’t for me. While I can appreciate and enjoy stories with unlikable characters, they made this one difficult to be immersed in- I think the best character was the mountain (which might or might not be alive and killing people). There is also a lot more religion than I was expecting, and I think my lack of knowledge here separated me from being able to truly appreciate parts of both the prose and the plot.
I feel that I could recommend this book, but it just wasn’t for me.
I want to give a huge thank you to Netgalley and Kensington publishing for the ARC!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
I absolutely loved this book and the characters! I never would have thought I’d read a book that tackled environmental issues in a fantasy manner kinda like magic realism. And including some Appalachian lore! This was beautifully written and well thought out. I loved the way Bennie was growing into herself and accepting who she is without fearing whether or not she will be pleasing to others. And I loved seeing how Motheater came out of her shell. There were definitely parts of Bennie and Motheater that had my heart doing lil flips.
*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*
*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*