What a marvelous, unique, tender, horrifying book. I loved it a lot, even though (because?) it upset me considerably. This book had no easy answers, but a powerful emotional core and absolutely stunning language. In addition, the narrators of the audiobook were phenomenal. In particular Megan Tusing, who - when she spoke for the child - chilled me to the absolute bone.

An incredibly slow burn compared to Chapman's other works. What Kind of Mother gives strong Pet Sematary and creature feature vibes. I would not recommend this as an introduction to the author and would really only recommend if someone is looking for something in this niche. The foreshadowing was a bit too obvious for me and didn't make the twists as shocking. The body horror was however incredibly done. This is not for the squeamish.

This was very serviceable swamp horror with some truly memorable body horror elements. I wanted to take a shower every time I read it, which I consider a sign of a good story. I'm always a fan of writing about monsters outside the usual Western rogue's gallery (vampires, Christian demons, etc.) and Chapman captured the madness of grief very painfully and poignantly well. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, which is the main reason I gave this one four stars.

This southern gothic style horror explores parent and child relationships, intermingled with supernatural
elements. Very atmospheric
Down on her luck Madi Price reluctantly moves back to the town she grew up in and turns to palm reading to
make ends meet. Not long after arriving, she finds out that a fling from her high school days, Henry, has a
missing son. Not wanting to get involved, Madi still ends up being pulled into the case.
This starts off as a small town domestic thriller and quickly takes the reader on one sharp turn after another as
it spirals into the depths of the horror and supernatural. This book gains more terrifying and weird momentum
with each page.
I can’t say too much without giving away secrets. This book is best to go into blind.
For fans of horror, fantasy and the downright bazar. TW graphic body horror I literally gagged.

Goodness me this book takes a turn! Tense and totally unpredictable Southern Gothic, with a brilliantly written sense of place.

This book was fantastic! We follow a single mother, Madi Price, who moves back to her hometown with her 17-year-old daughter. Hoping for a better life, Madi squeaks out a living by doing palm readings. While reading the palm of her ex-boyfriend's palm, she gets a real vision. Can Madi protect everyone that she loves from the horrible nightmare she's unleashed? You'll have to read this and find out for yourself!

I'm really not sure how to review this one - 5 stars for body horror, 3 stars for everything else? It takes quite a while to get going, although the last quarter is really a cracking good (heh) bit of folk-ish horror. Maybe recommended with reservations? When it hits, it hits.

Full disclosure Ghost Eaters was one of my favorite reads last year, and I am quite the fan of Clay and his work. That being said huge thank you to Quirk books for the chance to have read this title ahead of it's release. Once again, Clay McLeod Chapaman's release goes to the top of my list for horror this year. The story pulls you in immediately, with a setting that feels like going home until it all goes so horrifically wrong. I can't think of another author who pulls so deeply at my heart strings, while making me feel so sad , sick and scared. The story of swimming out to the duck blind in the summer hit hard for me and called to mind so vividly what it feels like to be young, in love and full of longing to belong to someone. Madi and her struggles with her daughter might be hard to understand for some, especially given the choices she makes but that is also why this book was so terrifying. And while I think this is a bit different from what we have seen from Clay in the past, THAT's entirely what makes me love it even more. I love when an author can show you the diversity of their talent, while still giving you everything you've loved about them until now. I think this one is also going to garner Clay some new fans for the same reasons..

The tragic trajectory of WHAT KIND OF MOTHER starts normally enough, then veers into waves of horror you'd NEVER imagine. Luckily for us, Clay McLeod Chapman HAS, and he's written a nightmare that will grab you in its pincers. You'll never look at aquatic creatures in the same way. It's Horror-ific!

This was my first Clay McLeod Chapman book and it did not disappoint! Oftentimes when I read books, I find myself constantly looking at how much is left in the book, but when I started this book, I was so immersed in the story that I didn’t even realize I had flown through the first 30% of the book. I definitely respect stories that do that to me.

This southern gothic style horror explores parent and child relationships, intermingled with supernatural elements.

Madi Price reluctantly moves back to the town she grew up in and turns to palm reading to make ends meet. Not long after arriving, she finds out that a fling from her high school days, Henry, has a missing son. Not wanting to get involved, Madi still ends up being pulled into the case.

This starts off as a small town domestic thriller and quickly takes the reader on one sharp turn after another into the depths of the horror and supernatural. Let’s just say I did not see a lot of what transpired coming, not even in my wildest dreams.

I took off a star because a solid first chunk of this book is from Madi’s POV and I found myself being so immersed in it, that it was a bit jarring when it switched over to Henry’s POV. Also, that’s when things started to get super weird, so that combination gave me pause.

Still, this is a solid read and I definitely recommend it!

really want to love Chapman's books more than I do. This was definitely horrifying and probably why I'm only doing 3 stars. I just couldn't get over the ick factor.
This is a Southern gothic horror novel w/ a TON of body horror. So just be prepared for that. Madi is a homegrown psychic who moves back to her hometown (the one she swore she'd never visit again) to be closer to her daughter, who now lives with her father. Seems he can give her a better life. Anyway, Madi comes into contact with Henry, an old flame and fisherman, who's son mysteriously disappeared 6 years ago. Oh and his wife then committed suicide. But what actually happened to Skyler?
You will not see the horror coming and it is a wile fantastical fairy tale that Chapman weaves.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this e-arc.*

I received a free digital ARC from Quirk Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Chapman’s horror stories are always unique and intriguing, and this southern gothic tale made me once again flip the pages quickly. Palm reader Madi runs into former high school boyfriend Henry who is a quiet local fisherman. Henry’s son has been missing for 5 years and his wife committed suicide just after. His grief is obvious. A tangled romance intertwined and Madi’s visions of watery graves bring forth from the depths more than two adults can endure.

Overall, the writing is good, but the story spirals in directions I had a hard time with. While very atmospheric and memorable, southern gothic has never been my preferred genre. Fans of Chapman will not be surprised by this addition to his repertoire.

Clay does it again! Another hit and possibly his best yet. This one brings weirdly fun horror with loads of tender moments, creating one creepy story about a fortune teller who rekindles an old flame, who is looking for his missing son. I worry that too much plot synopsis would ruin the fun of jumping into this story blind. But I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun and unique horror story. This one is like if Grady Hendrix wrote Where the Crawdads Sing.

What Kind of Mother is southern gothic horror set in the Chesapeake Bay area. Madi is a palm reader who has returned to her hometown after leaving as a pregnant teenager. She has returned because her daughter has chosen to live with her biological father who until now didn’t even acknowledge her existence. Madi is barely scraping by while navigating motherhood now that she is no longer the custodial parent of her daughter. While reading palms at the farmers market, she is reunited with an ex from high school. Henry is the father of a missing son who asks her for help on locating his son. This is the beginning of a journey through grief and longing with some disturbing twists along the way. There were times where I literally gasped aloud and uttered wtf while reading this book. All in all, a great short and Chapman has one again written a beautiful horrible story.

Madi lives in Brandywine, VA, and has a unique skill – reading palms. She's deeply connected to the Chesapeake Bay area and returned after leaving as a pregnant teenager. Her goal is to help her 16-year-old daughter connect with her birth father. While working at the local farmer's market, Madi encounters her high school boyfriend, Henry. Henry carries a heavy burden of grief – he's been searching for his kidnapped infant son for the past five years while dealing with the suicide of his wife. Madi's life takes a strange turn when she reads Henry's palm and has disturbing visions linked to water and a boy. These visions become real in unsettling ways.

The author, Chapman, skillfully builds suspense from the start. The narration by Madi becomes increasingly unstable, shifting the tone from uneasy to weird to pure terror. Unexpected twists keep readers hooked. This horror story explores themes of hope, grief, and guilt in a way that traps readers in a visceral and terrifying experience.

Chapman's writing has a knack for combining psychological and Southern Gothic horror. The supernatural elements are woven seamlessly into the story, catching readers off guard but making sense in the context of the narrative. The book elicits strong reactions, with readers audibly expressing their shock and intrigue.

The novel delves into a missing child case and the power of belief. The father's unwavering belief that his son is still out there drives the story's tension. As readers delve into the book's depths, they encounter a beautifully dark and disturbing tale that explores the emotional toll of grief.

Overall, this book offers a unique and chilling experience. The author's ability to weave together complex characters, psychological horror, and supernatural elements makes it a must-read for horror enthusiasts. The story draws readers in with its intricacies, leaving them deeply affected by the haunting narrative.

I LOVED this novel. I read it in one sitting - I could not put it down.

We follow Madi, who has returned to her hometown on the Chesapeake Bay. She makes ends meet as a palm reader, but things change when she has vivid visions upon reconnecting with her old high school sweetheart who is trying to find his missing child.

At no point did I know where this story was going to go, but the twists and turns never felt like they were there for pure shock value. This was sad and gorgeous, gory at times, and frightening!

What the heck did I just read? I kept expecting the protagonist to wake up from the weirdest nightmare ever, but that didn't happen. Suspend disbelief on this title.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This latest work by Chapman is set in the Chesapeake region & that setting adds so much to this novel!

Description
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.

Combining supernatural horror with domestic suspense into a visceral exploration of parental grief, What Kind of Mother cements Clay McLeod Chapman's reputation as a “star” (Vulture) and “the twenty-first century’s Richard Matheson” (Richard Chizmar, Chasing the Boogeyman.)

"What Kind of Mother" is exactly what you'd expect from Clay McLeod Chapman! This book is story driven and focuses heavily on character development. I tried and tried to figure out the plot twist but just couldn't do it. Chapman captures the southern personalities of his characters without it feeling forced or overpowering the plot. "What Kind of Mother" will keep your turning the page from the very start!

When reviewing Chapman's previous work, Ghost Eaters, I stated that I probably wouldn't read any of his other work, because this story didn't click with me. I hated all of the characters. The story was bloated with inconsequential storylines, and I was just mad at it.
I'm glad I got over it, because What Kind of Mother is an excellent read. It's super weird, but so good. The characters are tragic and relatable, and the story blew my mind with its originality.
Thank you for proving me wrong Mr. Chapman.