I really liked the illustrations whenever they showed up but that's about it for this book. Found myself being confused about what was going on constantly and didn't feel like I would feel much different if I had a better grasp of what was happening.

Following David's journey as he grapples with the loss (or mysterious disappearance) of his grandfather—a man of peculiar convictions—the plot dives deep into the idea of transcending our universe to find a way "home." As David delves into his grandfather's obscure and scarcely available book, the line between reality and delusion becomes increasingly blurred.

The artwork in this novel stands out as an exceptional component. They are gorgeously crafted and add a richness to the story. While there were moments in the initial and central sections that seemed to meander a bit, persevering pays off by the finale. The horror descriptions could benefit from some finesse, with certain visual elements coming across as somewhat cluttered. However, the illustrations do a commendable job of compensating for these narrative gaps. All in all, it's an engaging read that playfully toys with our perceptions of reality.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for offering an advanced reader's copy in return for an impartial review.

4/5

Mothtown was such a unique story. It was like a fever dream, fluid and moving. It’s so hard to pin down and felt like my head was constantly swimming in the lyrical prose. It really sucked me in and left me wondering what was real and what was not.

We follow David from when he was ten, a lonely and very introverted child who never seems to fit in. His father gave up on him, his mother only worried in what felt like a necessary motherly way, his sister was inconsistent and the only real friend he had was his grandfather. So when his grandfather disappears one day his whole world is shattered and he falls into an ever falling depression.

It felt like I was right there tumbling into the deep along with David through his life as he tries to go through what should be normal situations but he just doesn’t seem to grasp anything. He turns into himself, pushing everyone away with every step. Sometimes you could see through the fog and imagine just how strange he must have been to everyone else, but in his mind it made perfect sense.

It started off slow but I really loved it overall. The conclusion was kind of perfect and really wrapped things together in a way I think made sense for such a fluid story.

I’ve never read a book and only just got it on the last very last page. At least I think it got it.
I was really intrigued by the synopsis for Mothtown, it sounded right up my street, however given how confusing and un explanatory the story was, I can’t help but feel the blurb hyped the book up more than it was worth.
I struggled to keep going with it and as other reviews have mentioned it’s a speculative fiction, which I didn’t like.
I will give it it’s due, it’s really written.
But I found it confusing and I wanted to understand what it was I was reading.
(It really reminded me of the tv series the leftovers in the beginning.)
By 85% the story actually got really interesting, and I felt things started to click into place, again making speculation, but by the last page I felt like I understood that David’s metamorphosis was symbolic.
As much as I didn’t get on with the story, I really did enjoy the writing style.
A book to read if you like making your own conclusions.

I just could not get into this one. The style and writing just did not resonate with me and I struggled from the very beginning to follow the story and fully engage with it. I wasn't able to finish. I was highly intrigued by the premise, and those who appreciate a more free-form narrative style are likely to have a better time than I did. This one wasn't for me...

This was a slower burn novel that read more ScyFy than horror to me. It was a bit confusing at times, but the illustrations were beautifully done & helped explain parts of the story better.

DNF (which I hate and almost never do!) I really appreciate the form Mothtown takes. It’s interesting and the vibes are there. The actual plot struggled for me and unfortunately the prose was not my cup of tea. I had some eye rolling moments for sure. That being said there is definitely an audience for this and I get why people seem to be enjoying it.

I honestly struggled with this book when starting it and had to force myself to finish it, which I'm glad I did. It's a lot weird, a little crazy, so sad and dark in some places, but it ended up being a good read, and I'm glad I finished it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC.

DNF @14% I really wanted to enjoy this book but I had a really hard time getting into. I might get back into sometime though. I think I was expecting something different than what was happening, I really enjoyed the writing and the double timelines.

Literary speculative fiction with a strong focus on atmosphere building. This book is the equivalent of atmospheric movies, like the amazing surreal "Uncle Bonmee", or the comic "Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid on earth". This is for people who enjoy a more intellectual take on things, addressing lots of heavier loneliness and neurodivergent themes, this is definitely not for everyone and every mood.
I'm not a lover of lyrical prose and descriptions so this wasn't so enjoyable for me, but I can only recognise the great craft and care that went into every word and sentence on those pages.

Young David is growing up in a world where people are going missing in a phenomenon known as the Modern Problem. When his dear Grandfather goes missing, he feels his family is being dishonest about his passing.

This book had some truly bleak and depressing visuals that made this feel so haunting and tragic. Hardaker did a spectacular job painting this sad world gray and dead. I was surprised to see there were a few illustrations in this book that helped capture the vibes in this dreary tale.

Unfortunately, this book had me at the vibes and lost me at the plot. Have you ever read a book where you are so hopelessly wondering, “what is going on?” and that is the driving force to get you to the end? I was so desperate to understand what any of it meant, so I finished the book and I was just as confused with the ending. Truthfully, there was never a single moment of this story that I felt like I understood what was happening.

I’m a more literal person, so metaphors are often lost on me. This might be the case, where the book was just not written for someone like me. That’s okay! Don’t let this deter you from picking up a book that interests you.

If you’re looking for a tale with an unreliable narrator, a strange and surreal story, with the most bleak and depressing setting, Mothtown comes out on November 14th.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker. This book was beautifully written and creepy. After I finished it, I wanted to go back and start from the beginning to understand the different time periods after reading the ending. I loved the illustrations that added to the creepiness.

The book alternates between before and after, but you don't know exactly want the after is. When David's grandfather dies, David doesn't believe he is truly dead and searches for him, learning that there may be other portals. There are also strange things happening in the town, people are missing and their bodies are found altered.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Mothtown is a very strange journey, to say the least. I definitely didn't know what I was getting into when I started this book and honestly it takes the majority of the story for everything to become clear. While, in the end, I can very much appreciate the concept, I think the story was a bit repetitive in parts. I was also left feeling as though some of the characters could have been fleshed out more fully. In the end, a sad story that speaks to our modern times.

“Something solid drives through my gut, like a wall of water, and I’m a ghost. Split down the middle.” This attention grabbing sentence opens Mothtown, the new novel by Caroline Hardaker, and the book is an absolute stunner.

The setting is an ill defined time when humanity is faced with “The Modern Problem”, where people are disappearing, sometimes en masse, and bodies are found, all anatomically incorrect. The narrative is centered on David, whom we meet in a Before and After setting. The Before is when his Granddad disappears, and the After, is his search for his grandfather twelve years later. While this shifting time period device is used in many current novels, it often leaves me feeling a tad disoriented, Ms. Hardaker seamlessly melds the two timelines into one coherent narrative. The writing is brilliant and hallucinatory, and often left me in a state of total wonderment, in awe of the words I just read. I can’t summarize the book without spoiling the plot, but it’s highly original.

Mothtown is one of those rare novels for me that grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go, but I was more than happy to join the glorious joyride that the book provided.

My sincere gratitude goes out to Angry Robot and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this superb novel.

Found this book incredibly difficult to finish. As much as the writing style, illustrations, and premise hooked me, the pacing was atrocious. This is one of those books where I feel an editor needed to take a second look at it- there were so many inconsistencies with the pacing and I found myself with 70% of the book read and not a single plot development from the first chapter. There is a time skip that happens at about 50% through where suddenly, out of nowhere, we skip like 18 years and a new cast of characters is thrown at us and yet still it feels like nothing is happening. I also feel there should have been so many more illustrations for it being something mentioned in the blurb? There were only about 5-10 and they don't really add anything to the actual story, only the aesthetic (I genuinely thought the illustrations would only be in the finished copy at one point because the first one doesn't appear until very far in the book). As much as I love stories with lyrical writing and a creepy atmosphere, this one felt far too messy and unfinished and unfulfilling by the end. I also wish to point out the way that having three timelines at once (the before, the after, and this weird present-tense use of the second person that pulled me out of the story every time) felt wildly unnecessary. This plot is so non-linear, I did not feel like the writing structure ALSO needed to be non-linear in turn, as it just felt disjointed (and not in an intentional, focused or rewarding way). In the end, I was intrigued by the idea and would try something else by this writer but I do hope that this is picked up again by some editors as it could definitely benefit from some more drafts. I also feel the marketing team does not know what they are selling at all, as this is nothing like Rivers Solomon's "Sorrowland" (the blurb comparison was one of the reasons I picked this up) and comparing these two stories feels like a disservice to both books, but that could just be me.

Beautiful, original and truly worthwhile. The writing was great and the story captivated me right from the start. I'll gladly read more from this author and recommend this book to others.

Mothtown introduces a very interesting concept - doorways that could lead to other worlds and universes. This is what piqued my interest and kept me reading until the end, even though the story wasn't really going anywhere. I wanted to find out if the doorways really existed, and if David's grandpa really went through one. The writing was pretty good, and I can't complain about it, but during the middle the story dragged a little bit and it got too weird for me. I didn't completely understand what was happening to David after he got so obsessed with the idea of doorways and "shedding his skin" and some of the scenes really creeped me out. I kept reading because I thought I would get some conclusion from it all, but the ending had me really confused and I'm left wondering what actually happened to David? Was it all in his head, or did he actually go on a hunt for the doorway in the mountain? I wish we got some kind of explanation instead of some mumbo-jumbo. It felt like a lazy way out for the author. The book could've been a lot more, but being the way it is now, it just falls flat.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Angry Robot, for sending me an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

'I didn’t get the story. Seeing other reviewers really loving and connecting with the book make me feel like I’ve missed something but, hm, not every book fits everybody.
I
did, however, see the craftmanship behind the text. It is very clear that the author, Caroline Hardaker, is a very talented writer and that she has a good grasp on language and flow.

What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. And the illustrations were god tier… Really, if you love speculative fiction/horror just pick this one already.
The atmosphere this book creates is the biggest strength of this story. I was in a constant state of unease and anxiety. Found myself invested in the plot and even though it is not a very visual type of horror, the illustrations help you out. I was never scared, but I was definitely unsettled.
So, so good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"mothtown" is one absolutely bizarre novel. david hasn't been the same since his grandfather passed away (or disappeared) when he was young. his grandfather always believed in him, supported him, and loved him, but he was an odd man with odd beliefs. he believed that humans could transcend the multiverse and go "home." david decides to find this hidden doorway to another world. he finds the rare, out of print book that his grandfather wrote and reads it religiously. the dedication shows that he wants david to follow him. what transpires is a descent into madness and absolute horror.

the illustrations in this novel are absolutely beautiful. while i felt the beginning and middle dragged at certain parts, it was absolutely worth sticking through to the end. i think there is room for improvement when it comes to describing the horror aspects, some visual details were rather messy, yet the illustrations helped. regardless, this is a fun read and it really makes you question what is real and what is just another delusion.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.