Madeline and her father deal with the dead from their local town. She has always obeyed her father's wish not to spend too much time away from him, and to fear the night, but takes her job very seriously, and when a body washes up on the river at night - it's soul calling out to her for help - she finds her sense of duty outweighs her father's fear. But being outside at night has more consequence than she could ever have imagined, plunging her into a journey of discovery and mystery. Who is the Night Mother? And why is she hunting Madeline down?

Suitably mysterious and spooky, this is a great middle-grade graphic novel with lovable characters and stunning art.

This was a great story filled with a lot of mystery, secrets and it made me want to keep reading on. Something that stood out to me was the art styling and the use of colour. I think that can really have an impact, both visually and storytelling, and the use of colour really helped to build that sense of action or danger.

In this gorgeous fantasy graphic novel just begging to be adapted for the big screen, a girl who can hear the voices of the dead being raised by a gravedigger discovers she's the lost daughter of the Night Mother--and now, she wants her back. Determined to steal the souls she's meant to turn into moonlight for herself, the Night Mother has stopped the rising of the sun. The world now sits in perpetual night. That's not the end of her sinister plans, though. She wants to take back the daughter who was stolen from her in order to keep her legacy alive. Can Madeline stop her before it's too late?

The Night Mother is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and is full of wonderfully cinematic illustrations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was an atmospheric story wrapped in a lot of mystery and intrigue, and the start of a graphic novel series.

I really enjoyed the art style of this graphic novel - I loved the colors and it was pleasing when the colors indicated action or mystery or danger. For me, the artistry was really strong here and it was aesthetically pleasant to read/look at while reading.

The story and plot itself has a somewhat confuse lore from my perspective. This could perhaps be rectified in the following novels in the series, but I had a hard time understanding "why" things were happening and how we got that way/how we got there. The parts that I was able to follow, I really did enjoy. Our story started off at a good pace, easing us into the small town and (some) of the lore, and then became much faster paced than anticipated during the last 25% of the graphic novel.
I did enjoy our characters and getting to know Madeline and Mr. Tock and also meeting Nura and the mysterious Night Mother.

I would recommend this to younger readers that are looking for a dark but pleasing aesthetics, strong young female heroines and a mysterious tale!

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group LLC for the digital copy.
Even if you don't pay attention to the plot, the illustrations in this fantasy graphic novel are out of this world. Twelve year old Madeline Tock lives with her dad, Barnabus, on the other side of the river from the town. Barnabus is the town grave digger, and as a dedicated student of the stars, he has many telescopes and clocks which have planets rather than hands. Curiously the moon on his clocks and the moon in the sky are both frozen, which means the the sun never rises. The situation terrifies the townspeople and they will not bring their dead to the graveyard. They simply float the coffins across the river. Interestingly, Madeline can hear the whispers and cries of help of the dead, and she drags their coffins to shore to be burred. One night Madeline rescues the moon's lamplighter from the river, and he warns Madeline about the Night Mother. She gathers the souls of the dead and returns them to the moon to make moonlight. This engrossing start to a new series is perfect for lovers of graphic novels, mystery, and fantasy with a slight dose of horror.
#TheNightMotherVol1 #NetGalley

The visuals are amazing. I loved the images of our villain spreading over whole pages. Her design was amazing and she was presented really menacingly. I also enjoyed the other character designs and the locations and backgrounds.

The main character was very believable, as was her father. The action was well shown and even in hectic scenes it was easy to tell what was going on at all times.

With this being the first part in a series there was obviously a lot of lore to establish. I did not feel fully on top of it at all times and had to re-read some things or was left pondering some questions at other times. I hope the lore is explained in more detail in following issues.

Though beautifully illustrated, I had some problems with this graphic novel. I absolutely loved the beginning - a young girl lives in an isolated tower with her father where she chats with the dead. It is always night. Oh, so much potential here. And, then this evil woman comes from the sky, claiming to be the girl's mother . . . and I lost interest.

The story seems both crammed with filler, AND lacking information. The ending is abrupt and to-be-continued. I won't be along for the ride.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Night Mother Vol. 1 by Jeremy Lambert was a beautifully drawn graphic novel about a young girl with a unique ability raised by her undertaker father alone on an island at the edge of their town of unending night. She is soon sought after by the Night Mother, a celestial being turned evil for the purpose of stealing souls from the living. This was a haunting, fast-paced story that felt like a myth, and I wish this had been a little longer, but I loved it, and would even enjoy seeing it in a full-length novel form. Strongly recommend for graphic fans of all ages.

I loved the artwork in this book and I liked the story. I do think it was cut short and keeps you hanging on asking yourself how things will continue. So I'd love to read on once there is more to read. I think it was an original story and I think it does have potential to be good.

Firstly, the visuals in this are stunning and I feel bad giving it so low a rating for that, but any higher feels insincere because of how poorly plotted this was. The story went far too quickly for how complicated a world it wanted to make, and lots of the world made no sense because of it. There were so many elements that felt added just because they sounded cool, with no regard for how this world actually works and how these people actually know and connect to one another. If the rest of the series was out already I might binge read it just to know what happens and look at more beautiful illustrations, but I can't in good conscience recommend it for anything more than that.

I wasn’t too sure about this one. There was lots of glorious colour and imagination but I found the story to be a bit confusing to follow and this wasn’t helped by the graphic. I think this is a story for me that really needs volume two in order for it to get going for me. I won’t give up just yet but I think I needed a bit more storytelling in this first volume.

*3.5 stars.

This is such a unique story, but it felt a bit vague and/or rushed at points. I wish this volume had been longer so there would’ve been more space for details and to bond with the characters.

A promising first volume!

The Night Mother allows the souls of the dead to pass to the other side peacefully. But for years, time has stopped and plunged the world into an endless night. When the Night Mother begins to not only carry out her mission but also to collect the souls of the living, Madeline Tock, from the height of her 12 years, will have to be cunning...

The story is original, perfect for the autumn period since it provides some chills. I am very curious to discover more about Madeline and the last Night Mother...

The illustrations are very beautiful, especially thanks to their colors which perfectly serve the story.

In short, a very nice read, to discover! ^^

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3 stars

This took me a bit to get into, but I think that's mostly because this was not meant to be read on a phone screen xD The beginning is decently info heavy, so there was a lot of smaller info boxes that required zooming in. However, the lore is interesting. It has some Spielberg vibes to me, with its child-friendly dark fantasy vibes. Though it may just come across as dark fantasy since it's always, well, dark out xD Once the story got going, it was perhaps a bit predictable, but still very solid and enjoyable!

the moon is stuck in the night sky, the night mother is consuming souls instead of releasing them send them to their eternal rest and Madeline can hear them crying for help.
capturing story with amazing illustration. can't wait to continue reading!

The Night Mother rules over the moon and its people. During every full moon, she uses her lantern to guide the souls of the dead to the moon. The position of Night Mother is always passed from mother to daughter, but the current Night Mother is a cruel ruler who would even take the souls of the living.
Barnabus Tock owns a clock that tells the patterns of all the stars and the rotation of Earth, but the moon is fixed in place. No, the clock isn't malfunctioning because where Barnabus lives, it's eternal nighttime. Barnabus's daughter, Madeline, on the other hand, can hear the voices of the dead. One night, Madeline found a living, breathing human walking on water. This person tells Madeline that she is in great danger and that the Night Mother is coming after her- her own mother.
I just finished reading an incredible book that left me eagerly anticipating the rest of the series. The main character, Madeline, stood out to me with her kind-hearted nature, and I couldn't help but imagine her as a formidable Night Mother. Every character in the book added layers to the story, making it a truly engaging read. The detailed artwork further enhanced the overall experience.
I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a captivating work of fiction that will keep them thoroughly engrossed.
Happy Reading, Laly ❤️ 📚

So engrossed in The Night Mother was I that it took reaching the end to remember this was only the first volume. A relief. A disappointment. The art is stunning and enthralled me from the moment I opened the ebook. The cover – though beautiful – does not do the interior justice. And combined with a perfect first line – ‘Barnabas Tock has a clock that doesn’t tell time’ – I was lost to its world.

Its initial atmosphere of isolation and ostracisation is fantastic and it establishes Madeline and her dad’s relationship really well. It’s such a shame that collapses when Madeline goes into town. Even so, I’m not terribly saddened by this. The villagers are one of the elements I’m most excited to read about in the next volume. I can’t wait to find out what exactly happened.

The Night Mother herself is truly a wonderful villain. One to loathe, but also one you can’t help but feel some sympathy for even as the ways she’s grown twisted are terrible. It builds up her arrival like rolling thunder and she can be frightening to behold. The intensity of her stare. The way her presence drains the colour out of the world. The nightmares she gives Madeline are illustrated exquisitively. The colours and textures are breathtaking.

The Night Mother is one of the best comics I’ve read this year. Its relationships are so full of promise. Madeline and her dad are shown to be so close so quickly and it’s genuinely heartbreaking what happens to them. The moon is so eerie and alien and I can’t wait to see more of it and learn more about its people and what they’ve endured. But I especially am eager to see what The Night Mother will do.

Phenomenal art really makes this first volume of The Night Mother, an intriguing beginning to a fantastical middle grade story about a land where the negligence or malevolence of a kind of goddess has led to an eternal night and an uncertain afterlife, with background themes of what makes a parent and how we choose our paths.

I really enjoyed reading this!

The story is so intriguing, I was devastated when it finished. I'm looking forward to the next volume.

The art work is gorgeous and really compliments the story.

A huge thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for providing me with this arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really liked it, stuck with me & would recommend
This is a delightful graphic fable that draws you in with intrigue and gorgeous artwork. Madeline Tock feels trapped in her seaside town where night is eternal. She hears whispers from the dead and that's where the adventure and clashes with the Night Mother begin.

I enjoyed the keyed up coziness and mythological storytelling. The artwork makes it though,  that was one of my favorite aspects.

Thank you to Oni Press, NetGalley, and author Jeremy Lambert for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. The Night Mother Vol. 1 is out October 8, 2023.