This is one of those books that once you start, you can't put down. I needed to know what was happening, even though it creeped me out.

Madi, a palm reader, has moved back to her childhome town and runs into Henry, an old high-school sweetheart. 5 years ago Henry's son, Skylar, went missing and his wife died, now Madi has promised Henry she'll help him find Skylar.

I was not at all expecting this novel to go where it did. It was so well written and whilst Madi did annoy me at times, I can understand why she did what she does. I'm blindsided by the last 40% of the book. I would highly recommend.

Clay McLeod Chapman's "What Kind of Mother" is a haunting and suspenseful journey through the tangled web of love, loss, and the inexplicable. Set against the backdrop of Brandywine, Virginia—a town steeped in secrets—this novel grips readers from the very first page.

Madi Price, a resilient teen mother, returns to her hometown with her seventeen-year-old daughter, their futures uncertain. Scraping together a living as a palm reader at the local farmer's market, Madi's life takes an unexpected turn when she reconnects with Henry McCabe, her high school flame turned reclusive fisherman. But it's not just nostalgia that draws them together; it's the shared tragedy of Henry's missing son, Skyler.

The town believes Skyler is dead, but Madi's visions tell a different story. As she reads Henry's palm, strange and disturbing images flood her mind—a labyrinth of possibilities, a thread leading to a terrifying truth. The novel deftly weaves suspense and horror, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.

Chapman's pacing is relentless. The first part unfolds like a typical thriller, lulling us into a false sense of security. But then, like a tide turning, the narrative twists and spirals into uncharted territory. The unexpected revelation—the twist—is both chilling and exhilarating. It challenges our perceptions of love, sacrifice, and the lengths we'll go to protect those we hold dear.

"What Kind of Mother" isn't just a thriller; it's a heart-wrenching exploration of maternal instincts and the darkness that lies beneath. The monster lurking at the center of the labyrinth isn't merely a physical threat—it's a manifestation of fear, guilt, and the bonds that bind us.

In this gripping tale, Chapman reminds us that love can be as terrifying as it is beautiful. So heed the other reviewers' advice: If you haven't read this yet, dive in now. You'll emerge breathless, haunted, and questioning the very nature of motherhood. 🌟🔍🌹

Well, it was all going so well until the end. Although I'd found the first part of the book awfully boring-I'd got to page 100 and wondered when the action was actually going to pick up, but I persevered because I've enjoyed CMC's work previously. It ultimately just left me with a bad taste in the mouth.

Although the writing was beautiful, very descriptive, but beautiful, the ending just wasn't what I was expecting. It just felt a little convoluted, like a fever dream but felt a little forced and stiff. Things confused me-like if Henry and Madi had imagined the child into being, then why did Grace do what she did? Maybe I entirely missed the point, but it left me feeling very confused.

It won't put me off reading more of CMC's work in the future but the ending was just plain weird.

A fun, easy read. I did however find it a little bit formulaic and predictable. The prose was also simple, but it worked well for what it was

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.

Ummmm what did I just read? I’d heard this book was “messed up” to put it politely but I could never in WILDEST imaginations have predicted the direction this book was going in. That’s a compliment by the way. There are some scenes that I will never be able to un-read and to be honest trigger warnings for a lot of stuff. At first this book feels like a thriller and then in the second half you realise where the “horror” comes in. And let me tell you, it’s horrific.

If you like horror books that have a LOT of body horror in them and almost feel like a fever dream at points then you will love this. I haven’t gone into much detail on this review because if you can handle it you need to go into this one blind. It was released on 31st January so you can SNAP it up. Hah. That was a bad joke sorry.

Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, with her teenage daughter, after leaving as a teen mother. With absolutely nothing to her name, she makes a living being a palm reader at her local farmers market. When she reconnects with her old high-school boyfriend Henry McCabe she finds out he's become a recluse after the disappearance of his infant son Skylar five years ago and when he begs for help she can't refuse as everytime she touches Henry's palm she's haunted by visions of deep water. For her sake as much as Henry's, she follows these visions soon, wishing she hadn't as what she finds is going to come for everything she loves.

This had me hooked. It was fast-paced, filled with suspense, and honestly, I had no idea where this was going to go. This starts off as a normal thriller in the first part, then twists and goes absolutely wild by the second. I understand the twist in this may not be for everybody, but I loved it. I loved how this was as much a horror as it was about doing everything for someone you love. If you haven't read this yet, read it now! I highly recommend.

The moment I heard about this book I was so excited to read it. It sounded exactly like my kind of book and I was so excited.

The excitement was justified. Wow. What a book.

I buddy read this with the lovely @booksbethanyreads and @memydogandbooks, and the group chat was full of “OH MY GOD” and “What is happening!!”.

The story whipped along at a fast pace, and the characters were shady and unreliable but also pretty likeable.

The body horror though!!! I loved it so much.

I also had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen until about the last 5% of the book and that is my absolute favourite thing about it.

I honestly cant tell you too much because 1. I have no idea how to put all these feelings in to words, and 2. You just have to read it for yourself, because nothing I can say can actually explain how good this was.

Please read this immediately.

✩✩✩✩✩

What Kind of Mother tells the story of Madi, a single mother who's been doing her best for her now teenage daughter, but has to return to her hometown due to circumstances outside of her control. Brandywine is a small, sleepy place where nothing much really happens and people have hardly changed in the years that Madi has been gone. It's slow and dull, and Madi hates it. Having to find a way of supporting herself and her daughter, Madi decides to open up a palm reading stall in the town's market, faking her 'psychic' abilities for any who're willing to pay for a reading.

However, when Madi reconnects with her high school sweetheart, Henry, she learns that she does actually possess powers when she gives him a reading and has visions of his son Skylar, who went missing several years previous. Determined to find out what these visions mean, Madi discovers dark secrets lurking just beneath the surface of Brandywine.

What Kind of Mother does well in its early chapters, and the set-up that Clay McLeod Chapman creates is an interesting one with some decent, engaging characters. Madi is a struggling single mother with a lot of issues, most of them stemming back to her time in Brandywine; and as such when she returns to her old town those issues come racing back to the surface. Some of the personal struggles that Madi has, the relationships with people who used to be in her life and how she reconnects with people are the best parts of the book, and I can't help but feel that if this was just a story about that I'd have liked it much better.

However, once the supernatural and horror elements are introduced to the book things kind of fall apart bit for me, whereas that's the stuff I'm normally excited to get to. The book has a lot of body horror in it, which is one of the areas that can be a bit hit and miss with me, either being absolutely fine or too gross. Sadly, more than once What Kind of Mother strayed into the second category, and left me feeling sick more than anything else. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for it, but it led me to wanting to put the book down and not come back to it; forcing me to have to power through.

The end of the book has what I've seen others refer to as a 'twist', and I'd agree with that to a certain extent. It's not the kind of twist where it feels like the book played a clever reveal that was carefully hinted at chapters before, but a twist in logic. The characters make some unusual choices in the latter half of the book, choices that seem to be made with little reasoning or explanation given. Again, perhaps I wasn't in the right mind to enjoy these twists. I just didn't like the ending. I wasn't a fan of where the story went or what the characters did, and I've seen a few reviews online that share that sentiment.

What Kind of Mother is an unusual read, one that I think will divide audiences very clearly into those who loved it and hated it. This is the kind of book that some will even put down and not finish. Trying it out might be something of a gamble, but I think that if you do like it you're going to get a lot out of it.

This book was so weird! I was already a bit scared of crabs…I'm now terrified!

This was a very strange book. It starts in one direction then moves into a complete other and becomes totally weird and grotesque and completely bananas!

What Kind of Mother explores grief after losing a child and I liked the observations about parenting. However I found most of the characters to be difficult to warm to and frustrating at times.

I think this was an interesting story but it was very slow in places and totally bizarre in others, the pacing felt very off.

I don't think southern gothic horror with a large dosing of sea creatures is for me 🤷‍♀️😂

In this Southern gothic folk horror novel, Clay McLeod Chapman creates a story that mixes the weird and grotesque. The story unfolds in Brandywine, Virginia. Madi Price, a teen mom who returns home with her daughter, sets up a palm reading business. But when she reads an old flame’s palm, her visions take a chilling turn.
This is the start of a chilling and gripping story that keeps you on the edge, feeling a constant sense of dread. The emotional exploration of parental love and loss plays a relevant role.
A gripping and intense journey that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Returning to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, Madi, a single mom, finally comes home after years of just scraping by. Her palmistry business is housed in a motel that has been transformed into a strip mall, but she has doubts about it. Madi thinks that she might have the ability to read people's hands after her ex-boyfriend Henry comes back and asks for her assistance.

Henry's son, Skyler, vanished without a trace from his crib five years ago. Despite nobody believing him, Henry remains convinced that Skyler is still out there. Is it possible for Madi to truly be of assistance?

Experience the intensity of "What Kind of Mother," a Southern Gothic Horror story that delves into the depths of love, loss, and a mother's unyielding devotion. A conviction so strong, it transforms the very nature of reality. Remaining true to its Southern Gothic Horror origins, the narrative gradually develops as Madi and Henry's lives become entwined. Love, loss, and pain go beyond boundaries. There is heartache so strong is shatters sanity’s sanity.

The author's writing style is flawless and has a distinct voice, and this story is no different. It's both heartbreaking and unsettling, but it sheds light on the extent of our devotion to those we love.

Many thanks to @claymcleod @TitanBooks & @NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

Parenting is a challenge. While personally I’ve had no interest in being one, I can see from my childhood and the experiences of friends that this is a tough job that goes on for many many years. There is pressure to be a good parent and standards are held to that no one can match. You feel the judgement of family, the world and most of all your child. In Clay McLeod Chapman’s What kind of Mother we get an intriguing character plunged into a mystery but ultimately I felt the story elements didn’t quite flow together as easily as I was hoping for.

Madi Price has only returned to her childhood home of Brandywine, Virgina because of her teenage daughter Kendra. Kendra has started to get to know her estranged father and is now living with him and his new wife. Madi is therefore using one of her talents palmistry as a job renting out a small office (which doubles as her place to live). One day enters henry a man she last dated at high school and now more known for the mysterious disappearance of his son Skyler. As soon as their hands touch strange images draw Madi in and a drive to aid henry gets very strong but what will be the eventual outcome.

This was a very frustrating read as there are three very good stories in the novel that for me don’t quite work alongside each other. The first segment is in Madi’s voice and it’s a fascinating piece of character work. Usually, psychics are one of my pet hates (I find their approach repellent) but Madi isn’t faking it too much she comes across more a skilled people reader who uses it as she calls being a ‘redneck oracle’. She feels level-headed, slightly frustrated where she has got to and her desire to help comes across as genuine. Chapman starts entering strange images and a wider supernatural turn. Impressively you think its going to be that well-trodden path of psychic aids a crime but it turns into something a lot weirder and more creepier. That you can feel the river, the small community and lifestyles here makes it all come real.

The second tale is Henry. An enigmatic quiet guy who could be both damaged grieving father or possibly a suspect. We find his tale and its quite powerful on its own. We feel his isolation, his love for his wife and Skyler. But the story is more than a simple crime and turns into true horror. The love of a parent can drive people to do strange things. It works really well on its own and feels a tragic tale with disturbing themes of miscarriages and child death which I do warn readers to know about before diving in.

It’s the last section of the story that I feel slightly doesn’t work. Ultimately this part relies on Madi a lot and I cannot see the sensible tough young woman from the first tale acting like the woman in the latter. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but Madi seems to have no desire to be a mother again, she seems too aware of people and their skills to take this as far as the story goes. She changes from an interesting and strong character into more a standard horror victim and while as a say a short story of motherhood, body horror and parental pull going too strong that wporks on its own I don’t feel it gels with earlier Madi’s tale. I found it hard to believe this was the same character.

Ultimately, I think What Kind of Mother delivers a series of three interesting stories loosely connected but I don’t feel worked as a complete novel. Chapman makes each individually work and they can make moments of strange horror that grip us by surprise but I just don’t quite feel the main story works to give me a truly satisfying experience. Horror readers may enjoy the journey but recommended with caveats.

After reading What Kind of Mother I know I will not look at crustaceans the same way again but in all seriousness this was a beautifully haunting Southern Gothic novel. It deals with so many difficult and hard topics but at the centre is love and love in all its twisted and beautiful forms. Mostly it is the love of a parent and how far that love can go and just what it can create. I have to say I haven’t read something so emotionally driven in a horror or gothic tradition for a long time. It is only aided by wonderful prose and unique storytelling.


I have never visited Southern America. I am from England and as far as I have travelled to the US is Orlando to visit a certain mouse but Chapman’s prose transported me to the American town. The way of life, particularly fishing, was so well put forward I feel like I visited Brandywine in Virginia and saw everything myself. This is a blessing and curse with some of the more horrific sides of the novel, particularly the shedding (no spoilers).


The characters are all believable and well developed if incredibly flawed. I loved seeing Henry’s pain and Madi’s and I realise how weird that sounds but let me explain. It was so human, so fragile and explored so well. The grief they had both suffered in different ways. I loved the slow building tension that seemed to mirror the mentality of the protagonists, Henry and Madi. We are slowly pulled along like the undercurrent of a river until around mid way when things begin to speed up and spiral down.

If you are looking for something with a chilling and bizarre twist and a Southern Gothic this is the one you need to read. Just don’t expect to look at crabs and their brethren the same way again.

This book from Clay McLeod Chapman was not what I expected.
It starts with the feel of a Southern murder mystery and as the plot unravels, so did my preconceptions of where this novel was heading. Think murder mystery, creature feature, psychological horror and more, then you might have a slight idea of what this book contains.
Clay McLeod Chapman's writing spirited me away into this book's world, I could smell the river and feel the intense heat. His writing is amazing and left me wanting to read a few more pages during every sitting. I can say the same for the characters and the ease with which the writing pulled me into their thoughts and stories.
I'm not one for detailing the plot in my reviews, so you'll just have to read this to find out. What I can tell you is that this was an astounding read and one which I would highly recommend.

This follows Madi a struggling single mum who returns to ger hometown of Brandywine. Here she trys to make a living scraping by as a palm reader.

It's at the local farmers market where she meets an old flame Henry Mcabe a local fisherman whose son Skyler went missing 5 years previois.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. I am fairly new to this particular genre. The first few chapters, I was really engrossed in and was really anticipating a great story and plot.

However, the story went in a completely different direction to what I was anticipating. The story covers, loss, grief, love, found family and I thought the author did an amazing job of bringing those areas to life. It's just for methe story got weird in the second half. Was it bad weird, no but weird none the less. I read this like I was actually watching a horror film which i do like from a book. It was also very creepy and many times had me muttering what the?

If you're an avid horror reader then I think you will love and appreciate this book. Even though I thought it was a good, weird read it just wasn't for me. However, I do recommend it as it might  be a story you will love.  Thank you to Netgally and totan books for an arc in exchange for an honest review. Rated 2.75

What kind of mother by Clay Mcleod Chapman is a difficult book to review. I thoroughly enjoyed the set up and the characters. The setting was well portrayed and very atmospheric. However I would urge readers to check the trigger warnings for this book as it deals with some very dark subjects. The second half of this book is wild, full of body horror and graphic scenes. Unfortunately this book didn't really work for me and I couldn't get on board with some of the decisions the characters made. however I do think that this book could appeal to many readers.
Thanks to Titan books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this very unique book in exchange for an honest review.

ou will say this multiple times throughout this extraordinary tale of grief, longing, and the power of love ensconced, lovingly in a tale of madness and Southern noir fiction.

Firstly, you are introduced to Madi, a single mother battling her worthless ex who didn’t want to know when she was a 17 year old that he had knocked up, but now he has found religion, suddenly Donnie has also re-discovered a sense of obligation towards his offspring which drives a wedge between mother and daughter.

She hustles palm readings in the farmer’s market of her home town, the place she left and swore she would never return to. Only one thing would bring her back, her daughter.

A chance meeting with an old flame brings a tale of tragic and epic disaster bubbling to the surface-the ‘one who got away’, Henry McCabe, is mired in a hellscape following the disappearance of his 8 month old son, Skyler.

As she tries to use her intuition and talent to persuade to bring him some peace, she becomes inextricably entwined with supernatural events, both internal and external manifestations of the rot which festers and bubbles below the surface of a small town, filled with small minds.

This is what Clay encapsulates perfectly, that sense of failure in returning to somewhere you swore you never would, the flow of the current which pulls you there, and if not careful, pulls you under.

It manages to be deeply disturbing, whilst filled with the desperate sadness of lost love , as the needs of 2 deeply abandoned individuals , seeking solace and release in each other, and that space where they come together, creates something very, very disturbing indeed.

Full of beautiful imagery surrounding the fishing and crabbing industry of the American South, creating vivid analogies of the metamorphosis of a soul, this is an incredible, powerful, horrific novel that deserves to fly high

Well that was weird. So so weird.

What Kind Of Mother starts out slow, the plot dragged along sleepily in pace with the swampy climate of the small town setting. Chapman writes in a clear albeit very detailed way that let me picture every moment perfectly.

Around the halfway mark nothing much had happened beyond character introduction and histories, but then we switch from Madi's perspective to Henry's as we finally discover the mystery of his missing son Skyler. NOW the horror really begins.

The descriptive nature of the writing really shines in the latter of the novel, a visceral body horror that I wasn't expecting had me squirming, willing Madi to for god sake just RUN.

Some say they wanted more explanation from What Kind Of Mother but I disagree here, everything you need to know is laid out. It's just WILD!

Chapman develops both main characters well, their arcs providing disturbing and surprising consequences. I'd have preferred Part One to be shorter, although on reflection the initial content seemed necessary to justify the hows and whys.

What Kind Of Mother is a deeply unsettling, painful exploration of parenthood.

What Kind of Mother is set in the swamps of Virginia, to which local girl Madi Price has returned with her teenage daughter. Living in a closed down motel and making a marginal living as a palm reader, Madi's trying to support Kendra as she bonds with the achingly respectable father who showed no interest in the kid when she was younger. One thread of the story therefore examines the seventeen-year-old's growing interest in both her parents (did I sense that she might be playing one against the other?) and where that leaves Madi - both mother and daughter have led a drifting life since Madi's parents threw her out when she got pregnant, but perhaps it's now time to settle down?

That leads me to Henry McCabe, a local fisherman who Madi knew at school. Life hasn't been kind to him, his wife having killed herself after their son, Skyler, vanished: Styler is still officially missing. Madi runs into Henry again at a farmer's market and he asks for her help. Madi, who's basically a fraud (in a fraught scene, her vague, well-intentioned advice to a young woman comes back to haunt her) begins to feel she is in over her head and that, perhaps, something may be trying to speak through her.

Again, here, there are interrupted relationships, friendships from the past resurfacing (this is a milieu where nothing is ever truly lost to the waters). It's not exactly a world where everyone knows everyone, but it is a close community and the past won't lie, it will rise again to the surface.

Given that, the creepiness of this book is perhaps not surprising, but it is impossible to overstate. The desolate, marshy setting, a littoral place neither sea, river or dry land, haunts the reader with a sense of the primordial, a sense that in that fertile, silt-rich basin, anything may brew. There are monsters here but perhaps they transcend a simple notion of good and evil, driven rather by the need for survival and there desperate hope of people who have lost everything and want something, anything, back.

So, a supernatural horror, but so much more than that - a book that explores parental love, but admits the dark side of that, the need to control, the thin line between love and obsession, protection and control and leaves the reader to answer some very uncomfortable questions.

Strongly recommended.

Hmmmmm… this is a strange one because I didn’t hate it but at the same time I didn’t love it. It was completely out there and an absolute mind melt with regards to the horror but for me what hit the hardest was the two main character’s emotions. McLeod explored the feelings of grief and loneliness so subtly in his novel, dressed up in the horror vibes but they hit a chord which is why this book left me feeling so drained after reading it. By no means will this be my last McLeod read!