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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNFed at 20% (58 pages)
- I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily -
Yeah… this one just wasn’t for me. It gave me serious Godkiller vibes, so if you liked that book, you might actually enjoy this! I just couldn’t get into it, but hey, not every book is for everyone.
- I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily -
Yeah… this one just wasn’t for me. It gave me serious Godkiller vibes, so if you liked that book, you might actually enjoy this! I just couldn’t get into it, but hey, not every book is for everyone.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I really did not like this book and honestly, I’m really upset about it. This was sold as sapphic Appalachian magic with sentient mountains and I mean they weren’t wrong but from nearly the beginning of the book there was something about that irked me and I struggled to finish it.
I think the biggest thing that I struggled with was the writing. It was flowery in a way that became distracting and by the 50% mark I was Over It. I also really really struggled with the choice to make Bennie a Black woman because to me it was obvious that the author was not Black. Like I would love a book that explores the intersection of racism, classism, and environmental degradation in Appalachia but this felt so surface level that it seemed like a diversity box checking exercise. I also didn’t love the way the story handled the political and social concepts it was trying to explore. It started out very anti-mining/capitalism but then started to sway into pro-corporation/anti-union territory and like yes those concepts get messy and complicated when you’re talking about “real world” issues especially in places like rural Appalachia over the last 150 years but as a reader it was jarring to see the main characters flip flop on these issues so frequently.
Overall, I think the idea was there but the execution fell super flat for me. It maybe would have worked better if it was solely set in modern day or solely set in the historical timeline or if Codega had written from a white woman’s perspective and not tried to write outside their own racial experience, but that’s not the book they wanted to write.
I really did not like this book and honestly, I’m really upset about it. This was sold as sapphic Appalachian magic with sentient mountains and I mean they weren’t wrong but from nearly the beginning of the book there was something about that irked me and I struggled to finish it.
I think the biggest thing that I struggled with was the writing. It was flowery in a way that became distracting and by the 50% mark I was Over It. I also really really struggled with the choice to make Bennie a Black woman because to me it was obvious that the author was not Black. Like I would love a book that explores the intersection of racism, classism, and environmental degradation in Appalachia but this felt so surface level that it seemed like a diversity box checking exercise. I also didn’t love the way the story handled the political and social concepts it was trying to explore. It started out very anti-mining/capitalism but then started to sway into pro-corporation/anti-union territory and like yes those concepts get messy and complicated when you’re talking about “real world” issues especially in places like rural Appalachia over the last 150 years but as a reader it was jarring to see the main characters flip flop on these issues so frequently.
Overall, I think the idea was there but the execution fell super flat for me. It maybe would have worked better if it was solely set in modern day or solely set in the historical timeline or if Codega had written from a white woman’s perspective and not tried to write outside their own racial experience, but that’s not the book they wanted to write.
mysterious
slow-paced
I had high hopes but was ultimately let down by the pacing and structure. Bennie, a Black woman in West Virginia finds a centuries old Appalachian Neighbor named Motheater and enlists her particular brand of Gospel flavored witchcraft to stop a corrupt coal mining operation and bring peace to whatever's inside Kire mountain. Sounds interesting enough. Unfortunately, the split POV with alternating timelines dragged on too long, the queer romance felt awkward and should've remained platonic, and there were several words and phrases repeated so often they became filler and took away from the stakes and resonance of the story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
I only got to page 29 and the mc felt a little off to me so I flipped to the back to learn more about the author. I think for me it's a case of authors needing to either write what they know, or not write from other races pov without doing their research. Just felt inauthentic.
adventurous
emotional
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
It's not a perfect book, but it's perfect for me. Queer hillbilly low fantasy with tons of pining? Outstanding.