#BookReview: The Night Mother (Vol. 1) by Jeremy Lambert

This title will be released on October 8, 2024.

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Endless night befalls a sleepy seaside town, leaving it to young Madeline Tock to save her community from a threat known only as the Night Mother . . .

The moon is stuck like a broken clock in the midnight sky, the sun a distant memory. No one in this quiet seaside town can remember how long this unnatural darkness has lasted. No one, that is, except for the curious girl who lives in the graveyard, caring for the dead: twelve-year-old Madeline Tock. In gratitude, the departed whisper their worries to her, sounding just like her overprotective but loving father: beware this endless night and she who causes it.

Because there’s someone else who can hear the whispers, too . . . someone whose gown is a map of the cosmos, hair a tangled constellation, eyes like the lights of faraway stars. The Night Mother. Her elemental duty is to gather the souls of the dead in her lantern, then send them to their eternal rest as beautiful moonlight. But when her hunger for power drives her to take souls from the living, Madeline bravely stands up to defend her town and those she loves. Can Madeline help bring back the sun, or will she be lured by the starry promises of this mysterious woman?

Written by Jeremy Lambert (Doom Patrol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Goosebumps) and richly illustrated by Alexa Sharpe (Lumberjanes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Uncanny Magazine), The Night Mother is a lush gothic tale perfect for readers of all ages who relish in the wonder of the night sky.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Reviewer: Jessica L.

REVIEW: In a small town by the sea, a twelve-year-old girl and her father live in a house on a graveyard. The townspeople are so afraid of them that they float the caskets of the dead across the water to their island. The moon has been stuck in the sky for years. No sun, no dawn and only endless dark, starry night. While trying to bury the most recent dead, Madeline Tock is interrupted by her father and forced to return inside where she has a disturbing dream. She dreams of the Night Mother, a woman who lives on the moon and guides the souls of the dead into her lantern to be turned into moonlight. In her thirteenth year, the Night Mother’s daughter becomes the new Night Mother and the previous Night Mother retires and fades to entropy. But what if the previous Night Mother doesn’t want to finish her tenure quite so easily? What if she begins to take the souls of the living to buy herself more time? Madeline awakes with a start to see a girl running on the waves and rushes out to help her. The girl tells her that the Night Mother has found Madeline and is now on her way with nefarious intentions. Madeline runs with the girl to a local inn where they are soon confronted by the Night Mother. Will Madeline succumb to the Night Mother’s schemes or will she escape and start on the path to her destiny?

This graphic novel was so cute. The art was so beautiful and the story was compelling and creepy, but not scary. I really liked the storyline and how it managed to be both sweet and a little frightening at the same time. I did feel that the pacing was a little rushed, which is to be expected with a graphic novel, but I’m still going to knock off a star because I’ve seen it done better. It was honestly too short to be able to write a full, detailed review without spoilers. I liked this, though, and I would recommend it for adults and kids aged 10-17. I can’t wait to read more!

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Posted in: 4 Stars, JessicaL., Middle Grade, Netgalley, Oni Press, Review