napkins 's review for:

Motheater by Linda H. Codega

3.0

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

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 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