A review by memydogandbooks
What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Your next weird gothic folk horror read!

SYNOPSIS:

"After striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market.

It’s there that she connects with old high school flame Henry McCabe, now a reclusive local fisherman whose infant son, Skyler, went missing five years ago. Everyone in town is sure Skyler is dead, but when Madi reads Henry’s palm, she’s haunted by strange and disturbing visions that suggest otherwise. As she follows the thread of these visions, Madi discovers a terrifying nightmare waiting at the center of the labyrinth—and it’s coming for everyone she holds dear."

MY THOUGHTS:

- My mind was ALL OVER the place when I finished this book 🤯 I was in awe and also like thinking WTF!

- Beautifully written and captivating story about the physical and metaphorical loss of a child (so BIG content warning)

- Talking content warnings, there's also some body gore stuff, which ads to the plot, but is not for everyone

- Simultaneously unsettling and gripping! It starts out with a slow burn, then a third in you are like WHAAAAAATTT!

- Inspired by old fairytales/folklore gives this books very gothic horror vibes

- This is my first book by this author and definitely not my last. And in the meantime this book will sit with me for a long while.

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