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Moonflow
Moonflow
is three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella's debut horror novel - a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood. Answer the call of the forest, if you dare.
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of strange cults and disappearing hikers abound.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call.
'Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now. Moonflow will sink its tendrils into you and infest you with its spores . . . and you'll enjoy it' Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh and Free Burn
'A triumph of queer, horny, hippy horror that'll make you cackle, gasp, and scream! With its cast of iconic characters, imaginative enchanted setting, gripping story, and mind-bending horrific imagery, Bitter Karella's Moonflow is a trip to die for' Eve Harms, author of Transmuted
'Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I'm in awe of Bitter Karella's incredible gift for creating biting satire without a shred of cruelty. Moonflow made me laugh out loud while genuinely caring about its wild cast of characters . . . I had a f--king blast' Joe Koch, author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands and Invaginies
I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face.
They call it the King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of strange cults and disappearing hikers abound.
Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call.
'Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now. Moonflow will sink its tendrils into you and infest you with its spores . . . and you'll enjoy it' Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh and Free Burn
'A triumph of queer, horny, hippy horror that'll make you cackle, gasp, and scream! With its cast of iconic characters, imaginative enchanted setting, gripping story, and mind-bending horrific imagery, Bitter Karella's Moonflow is a trip to die for' Eve Harms, author of Transmuted
'Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I'm in awe of Bitter Karella's incredible gift for creating biting satire without a shred of cruelty. Moonflow made me laugh out loud while genuinely caring about its wild cast of characters . . . I had a f--king blast' Joe Koch, author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands and Invaginies
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First published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
September 2, 2025
The comp titles listed in the blurb are Annihilation and Manhunt. I've only read Manhunt which I wasn't a fan of and while I can absolutely see some common ground between the two (a trans MC, gritty tone, things get gross and irreverent) I liked Moonflow a lot more, the characters were more nuanced and human. The writing was also a lot less try hard/edgy for the sake of being edgy.
There's a certain sense of humor to this book that I found most delightful.
I also really liked the main cast of characters. Sarah was rather easy to root for but she was also so friggin real and relatable. I want more characters like her to exist. The Hell Slut was oddly endearing. There was a sense of longing to both Sarah and The Hell Slut that was a little heartbreaking. Andy is my favorite type of guy, the kind of socially inept but well meaning and reliable that makes you think he's stupid. Add to that the fact that weird botanical/fungus horror is something I can't get enough of, and I had a really great time.
The commentary is sometimes on the nose sometimes quite subtle, and I was absolutely here for it.
The story is laced with excerpts from a guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest which added a sense of rhythm to the book and with journal entries from a settler who failed to make the land submit to his will which added to the sense of foreboding. That was a chef's kiss touch.
Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book for review consideration.
It's out now (September 2nd 2025)!!!!
TLDR; It's weird, crass, queer, fun, and creepy.
There's a certain sense of humor to this book that I found most delightful.
I also really liked the main cast of characters. Sarah was rather easy to root for but she was also so friggin real and relatable. I want more characters like her to exist. The Hell Slut was oddly endearing. There was a sense of longing to both Sarah and The Hell Slut that was a little heartbreaking. Andy is my favorite type of guy, the kind of socially inept but well meaning and reliable that makes you think he's stupid. Add to that the fact that weird botanical/fungus horror is something I can't get enough of, and I had a really great time.
The commentary is sometimes on the nose sometimes quite subtle, and I was absolutely here for it.
The story is laced with excerpts from a guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest which added a sense of rhythm to the book and with journal entries from a settler who failed to make the land submit to his will which added to the sense of foreboding. That was a chef's kiss touch.
Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book for review consideration.
It's out now (September 2nd 2025)!!!!
TLDR; It's weird, crass, queer, fun, and creepy.
August 30, 2025
Got the audiobook for review, the narration was good and fit the story.
This had that fever dream book feel to it and it's a very hit and miss for me. I liked the book but at the same way the cult themes didn't quite work with me not sure why. Maybe because how they spoke. but I still recommend this book as it had very weird yet intruging plot. Had important discussions aswell.
This had that fever dream book feel to it and it's a very hit and miss for me. I liked the book but at the same way the cult themes didn't quite work with me not sure why. Maybe because how they spoke. but I still recommend this book as it had very weird yet intruging plot. Had important discussions aswell.
August 12, 2025
A biting botanical splatterpunk horror that leaves you wondering if they were hallucinating or if you were.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 30 minutes
🎤: Venus Rose Fisher
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in their narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
🍄: The horrors of sisterhood
🍄: The dangers of cults
🍄: Feminism and how it fails Trans women
Representation:
🌲: Trans MC
🌲: Queer characters
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Gore: 🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️
Potential Triggers: violence, body horror, transphobia, infanticide, animal cruelty **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was definitely a psychedelic trip through a very culty and bizarre world. It's 70's love child meets Manson level feminist cult.
Splatterpunk with a comical bite is the only way to describe this novel. I volleyed between laughing hysterically to being utterly uncomfortable and disgusted mere pages later. While I fully accept that this book is not for everyone, I was definitely able to enjoy the finer thematic aspects of the novel as well as the biting satire.
This novel tackles themes that have deep depths in a unique and often unsettling way. Calling attention to feminism and the way it frequently fails Trans women I thought was done really well. It was hard to hear the blatant Transphobia throughout the book, but it definitely drove the point home.
The metaphor of the mushroom being the pinnacle of everything was a little on the nose. But it was so well done and integrated that it really didn't feel that way.
This is a splatter horror and the subject matter and triggers reflect that. Though on the spectrum I would consider it on the lighter side since it's not overly descriptive. The triggers should be checked fully before reading for mental health reasons.
The erotic nature of this novel is definitely a main component. The overtly sexual content isn't always my favorite in splatterpunk, but it was definitely utilized in a way that made sense to the content and furthered the point of story.
The ending dragged on a little too long for me and I feel it really could have ended at the 87-89% mark. Other than that I was really satisfied with the ending.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC/Ebook through NetGalley, publisher Run For It and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 30 minutes
🎤: Venus Rose Fisher
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in their narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
🍄: The horrors of sisterhood
🍄: The dangers of cults
🍄: Feminism and how it fails Trans women
Representation:
🌲: Trans MC
🌲: Queer characters
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Gore: 🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♂️
Potential Triggers: violence, body horror, transphobia, infanticide, animal cruelty **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was definitely a psychedelic trip through a very culty and bizarre world. It's 70's love child meets Manson level feminist cult.
Splatterpunk with a comical bite is the only way to describe this novel. I volleyed between laughing hysterically to being utterly uncomfortable and disgusted mere pages later. While I fully accept that this book is not for everyone, I was definitely able to enjoy the finer thematic aspects of the novel as well as the biting satire.
This novel tackles themes that have deep depths in a unique and often unsettling way. Calling attention to feminism and the way it frequently fails Trans women I thought was done really well. It was hard to hear the blatant Transphobia throughout the book, but it definitely drove the point home.
The metaphor of the mushroom being the pinnacle of everything was a little on the nose. But it was so well done and integrated that it really didn't feel that way.
This is a splatter horror and the subject matter and triggers reflect that. Though on the spectrum I would consider it on the lighter side since it's not overly descriptive. The triggers should be checked fully before reading for mental health reasons.
The erotic nature of this novel is definitely a main component. The overtly sexual content isn't always my favorite in splatterpunk, but it was definitely utilized in a way that made sense to the content and furthered the point of story.
The ending dragged on a little too long for me and I feel it really could have ended at the 87-89% mark. Other than that I was really satisfied with the ending.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC/Ebook through NetGalley, publisher Run For It and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
September 8, 2025
2,5 ⭐️
Ya girl once again got fooled by a pretty cover (we’ll blame the mushrooms)
I think this book was partly not my style, and partly needed some more work. I haven’t read a lot of horror so I’m still trying to find my taste in the genre, but this didn’t really do it for me. I think it might have been the mix of very gross horror and a mostly humorous tone that kinda cancelled each other out. I wish we’d had more atmosphere and more descriptions of the creepy forest.
This was still entertaining enough to finish, and I enjoyed how queer it was, but the writing style really didn’t work for me. It felt juvenile and too over the top, and there were too many exclamation marks lol. There were also a few inconsistencies with the plot that bothered me and the pacing needed some work; this book was about 100 pages too long.
I’d recommend it to horror fans who like that type of horror in particular and I’m glad I gave it a try, but this one won’t stick with me.
Ya girl once again got fooled by a pretty cover (we’ll blame the mushrooms)
I think this book was partly not my style, and partly needed some more work. I haven’t read a lot of horror so I’m still trying to find my taste in the genre, but this didn’t really do it for me. I think it might have been the mix of very gross horror and a mostly humorous tone that kinda cancelled each other out. I wish we’d had more atmosphere and more descriptions of the creepy forest.
This was still entertaining enough to finish, and I enjoyed how queer it was, but the writing style really didn’t work for me. It felt juvenile and too over the top, and there were too many exclamation marks lol. There were also a few inconsistencies with the plot that bothered me and the pacing needed some work; this book was about 100 pages too long.
I’d recommend it to horror fans who like that type of horror in particular and I’m glad I gave it a try, but this one won’t stick with me.
July 8, 2025
Thank you Run For It for the eArc.
Trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, vomit, murder, infanticide, animal cruelty, and drug use.
This book… is truly a mindfuck. I don’t believe I am the intended audience for this novel and/or genre, but I am always open to trying something at least once.
I did not like the tone of this novel. The crude descriptions of characters and bodies was pretty off putting to me.
There was so much emphasis on Sarah, Hell Slut, and Mother Moonflow on being fat and their folds of skin hanging down and their large stomachs. Mother Moonflow even more so with her breasts that were described as “comically giant” and “titanic” and “colossal.” The word “breasts” appears 43 times in this novel and “fat” appears 26 times. Not to mention Skillet having a feeder fetish and could only get off when Sarah told her how much she weighed. Ugh.
Mother Moonflow nursed a raccoon. Yep, that’s right. Mother Moonflow lactates a liquid they call “Moonflow” that will get the consumer so incredibly high. And the cult all feeds from her. Crazy shit.
TERFs. The cult is all made of terfs. Sarah is a trans woman and the cult do not believe she has feminine energy and call her a “phallic alec” because she has a penis. They called her that 46 times in the novel and it made me uncomfortable every single time. Which may have been a point of the novel but I don’t believe it made any huge contribution or added meaning to the story.
There are plenty of other events that happen that just seem to be thrown in for shock value, which is expected since this is marketed as a splatterpunk novel. I didn’t get any overarching message or meaning from this story and not all stories have to have one, but I found very little enjoyment in this. The ONLY thing that I laughed at was finding out there was a woman in the cult named Captain Beef Curtains. Again, thank you to the publisher for the eArc and I wish Bitter Karella the best of luck with their future endeavors.
Trigger warnings: graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, vomit, murder, infanticide, animal cruelty, and drug use.
This book… is truly a mindfuck. I don’t believe I am the intended audience for this novel and/or genre, but I am always open to trying something at least once.
I did not like the tone of this novel. The crude descriptions of characters and bodies was pretty off putting to me.
There was so much emphasis on Sarah, Hell Slut, and Mother Moonflow on being fat and their folds of skin hanging down and their large stomachs. Mother Moonflow even more so with her breasts that were described as “comically giant” and “titanic” and “colossal.” The word “breasts” appears 43 times in this novel and “fat” appears 26 times. Not to mention Skillet having a feeder fetish and could only get off when Sarah told her how much she weighed. Ugh.
Mother Moonflow nursed a raccoon. Yep, that’s right. Mother Moonflow lactates a liquid they call “Moonflow” that will get the consumer so incredibly high. And the cult all feeds from her. Crazy shit.
TERFs. The cult is all made of terfs. Sarah is a trans woman and the cult do not believe she has feminine energy and call her a “phallic alec” because she has a penis. They called her that 46 times in the novel and it made me uncomfortable every single time. Which may have been a point of the novel but I don’t believe it made any huge contribution or added meaning to the story.
There are plenty of other events that happen that just seem to be thrown in for shock value, which is expected since this is marketed as a splatterpunk novel. I didn’t get any overarching message or meaning from this story and not all stories have to have one, but I found very little enjoyment in this. The ONLY thing that I laughed at was finding out there was a woman in the cult named Captain Beef Curtains. Again, thank you to the publisher for the eArc and I wish Bitter Karella the best of luck with their future endeavors.
September 2, 2025
Ehh, what the hell did I just read? This was some trippy shit. I love weird. This is definitely weird.
I’m not very familiar with splatterpunk, but I’m pretty sure this does exactly what it’s supposed to. For someone new to the genre, it’s extreme, so I needed a few days to let it sink in and figure out what I even thought.
It’s the premise that hooked me: Sarah desperately needs to find a rare mushroom, the “King’s Breakfast.” She’s broke and she has a cat to feed, so I could easily relate. To find this mushroom, she ventures into the dangerous Pamogo forest with a local guide, Andy. The forest is alive, hostile, shifting, surreal. You can’t trust your senses in there. It’s reminiscent of Annihilation’s Area X, but that’s where the comparison ends.
Then comes the cult. Deep in the woods, Sarah and Andy stumble upon an all-female community, high on mushrooms and obsessed with wombs, sex, and feminine essence. Oh, and all men are bad. It’s TERF ideology and anti-male extremism taken to grotesque extremes. Sarah, as a trans woman, doesn’t fit their binary, and Andy is just an open-minded guy. Their presence quietly destabilizes the cult’s dogma.
Karella rips through this ideology with satire and surrealism. The commentary is loud and on the nose, but that’s the point. The cult’s rituals are absurd, erotic, and fungal. Desire and disgust bleed into each other. Everything is grotesque. And everything is mushrooms. The metaphor mushrooms through every part of the story, from life and decay to transformation, the invasion of body and mind, eroticism and so on.
This is not a subtle story. It’s splatterpunk with mushroom horror and a very loud message: any ideology that becomes exclusionary can rot into cult-like extremism, even if it wears a progressive mask. Moonflow dares to ask: what happens when the sacred feminine becomes a weapon?
This was weird, loud, and not something I’ll easily forget.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator nailed it: distinct voices, great energy, and a performance that really lifted the story even higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.
I’m not very familiar with splatterpunk, but I’m pretty sure this does exactly what it’s supposed to. For someone new to the genre, it’s extreme, so I needed a few days to let it sink in and figure out what I even thought.
It’s the premise that hooked me: Sarah desperately needs to find a rare mushroom, the “King’s Breakfast.” She’s broke and she has a cat to feed, so I could easily relate. To find this mushroom, she ventures into the dangerous Pamogo forest with a local guide, Andy. The forest is alive, hostile, shifting, surreal. You can’t trust your senses in there. It’s reminiscent of Annihilation’s Area X, but that’s where the comparison ends.
Then comes the cult. Deep in the woods, Sarah and Andy stumble upon an all-female community, high on mushrooms and obsessed with wombs, sex, and feminine essence. Oh, and all men are bad. It’s TERF ideology and anti-male extremism taken to grotesque extremes. Sarah, as a trans woman, doesn’t fit their binary, and Andy is just an open-minded guy. Their presence quietly destabilizes the cult’s dogma.
Karella rips through this ideology with satire and surrealism. The commentary is loud and on the nose, but that’s the point. The cult’s rituals are absurd, erotic, and fungal. Desire and disgust bleed into each other. Everything is grotesque. And everything is mushrooms. The metaphor mushrooms through every part of the story, from life and decay to transformation, the invasion of body and mind, eroticism and so on.
This is not a subtle story. It’s splatterpunk with mushroom horror and a very loud message: any ideology that becomes exclusionary can rot into cult-like extremism, even if it wears a progressive mask. Moonflow dares to ask: what happens when the sacred feminine becomes a weapon?
This was weird, loud, and not something I’ll easily forget.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator nailed it: distinct voices, great energy, and a performance that really lifted the story even higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.
September 3, 2025
TRANS Excellence & Splatterpunk Delights!
Moonflow is a mastery of mycelia mysteries! If that sentence was confusing, but also intrigues you, then this is the book for you! There are mushrooms galore, mysteries eldritch terrors, cults, and lots of sex. Following a trans character who is simply trying to learn how to grow her next lucrative crop of shrooms, we are quickly welcomed to a dark and dangerous forest. A forest full of secrets, dead things, and ancient terrors.
This book grabbed my attention immediately. It’s written in such a unique voice. The tone of the writing feels so relative while also existing on much higher planes of existence. That may sound strange, but the writing within these pages IS magical. It transported me to the middle of a forest and I was lost within the pages as the characters get lost within the trees. Things take a much more diabolical turn with the introduction of our mycelium laced ladies of love (aka the Mother Moonflow cult). This is definitely a part of the story that will be welcomed for some readers and will leave some completely puzzled. However, stick with it, because not only does this portion of the story bring some of the most humorous moments of the story, but it also brings terror to the page. There are layers of secrets and ritualistic actions that astounded me and had me shocked. However, when all the characters come face to face - a pulse-pounding conclusion roars to the surface.
This book is excellent. It’s horrific and terrifying. It’s hysterical and unserious. And it’s inclusive as well! You don’t want to miss what is sure to be one of the most talked about books this year!!
Moonflow is a mastery of mycelia mysteries! If that sentence was confusing, but also intrigues you, then this is the book for you! There are mushrooms galore, mysteries eldritch terrors, cults, and lots of sex. Following a trans character who is simply trying to learn how to grow her next lucrative crop of shrooms, we are quickly welcomed to a dark and dangerous forest. A forest full of secrets, dead things, and ancient terrors.
This book grabbed my attention immediately. It’s written in such a unique voice. The tone of the writing feels so relative while also existing on much higher planes of existence. That may sound strange, but the writing within these pages IS magical. It transported me to the middle of a forest and I was lost within the pages as the characters get lost within the trees. Things take a much more diabolical turn with the introduction of our mycelium laced ladies of love (aka the Mother Moonflow cult). This is definitely a part of the story that will be welcomed for some readers and will leave some completely puzzled. However, stick with it, because not only does this portion of the story bring some of the most humorous moments of the story, but it also brings terror to the page. There are layers of secrets and ritualistic actions that astounded me and had me shocked. However, when all the characters come face to face - a pulse-pounding conclusion roars to the surface.
This book is excellent. It’s horrific and terrifying. It’s hysterical and unserious. And it’s inclusive as well! You don’t want to miss what is sure to be one of the most talked about books this year!!
July 9, 2025
Quick very high level summary.
Growing mushrooms, Sarah ends up with a bad harvest. She’s desperate to grow “King's Breakfast” to make up for the loss. So she sets off deeper and deeper into uncharted woods looking for the spores she needs. While she searches deeper into the woods she soon realizes she is not alone.
My Take.
There were so many times during this read that I really felt like I may have been tripping on mushrooms myself, knowing full well I was not. The vivid imagery was that detailed. While I loved the imagery the rest of the story was just ok. I enjoyed the humor and banter at first but then it became repetitious and lost its purpose. I was also expecting a more feminine vibe but it felt very male in the descriptions and fascination bordering on obsession with all things sexual organs. Overall the writing at times could be beautiful but the cults attempt to warship all things female really just came off as masculine and I am not sure that was the intention.
Growing mushrooms, Sarah ends up with a bad harvest. She’s desperate to grow “King's Breakfast” to make up for the loss. So she sets off deeper and deeper into uncharted woods looking for the spores she needs. While she searches deeper into the woods she soon realizes she is not alone.
My Take.
There were so many times during this read that I really felt like I may have been tripping on mushrooms myself, knowing full well I was not. The vivid imagery was that detailed. While I loved the imagery the rest of the story was just ok. I enjoyed the humor and banter at first but then it became repetitious and lost its purpose. I was also expecting a more feminine vibe but it felt very male in the descriptions and fascination bordering on obsession with all things sexual organs. Overall the writing at times could be beautiful but the cults attempt to warship all things female really just came off as masculine and I am not sure that was the intention.
July 3, 2025
Gross and glorious horror! I loved it. A terrific bloody psychedelic orgy of a book
August 16, 2025
Moonflow is a horror novel about a mushroom-growing trans woman who ends up being lured to a female cult in the woods by a mysterious entity. Sarah needs money and her best bet is to find the mushroom that her friend wants, the powerful King's Breakfast. It only grows in the Pamogo forest, so Sarah heads off with the help of Andy, who works at the visitor centre and doesn't approve of her plan to sell the mushroom. Once in the forest, they find themselves being lured deeper, but once there, they find a weird cult of gender essentialist women.
Before starting this book, I didn't actually realise it was so much like something I'd usually read, as the blurb I read didn't really emphasise the trans splatterpunk nature of it, but Moonflow is like if you crossed Alison Rumfitt's books with the mushroom-y vibes of Mexican Gothic, with a heavy dash of Gretchen Felker-Martin as well. It's the sort of horror that manages to become satirical and darkly funny, whilst also being cuttingly real about certain elements (the cult's obsession with saying 'phallic alec', for example). It starts off slow, with a great glitched phone element and the fear of forgetting something, but quickly becomes much weirder with a cult focused on lesbian sex and psychedelic substances. The ending is satisfyingly disgusting, with a cosmic horror style lack of real resolution about what happened.
If you like trans horror, Moonflow is a fun botanical take on the genre that combines the horror of eldritch beings and mysterious fungi with the horror of a feminine-obsessed cult to explore different ideas of what happens once you learn something you can't turn away from.
Before starting this book, I didn't actually realise it was so much like something I'd usually read, as the blurb I read didn't really emphasise the trans splatterpunk nature of it, but Moonflow is like if you crossed Alison Rumfitt's books with the mushroom-y vibes of Mexican Gothic, with a heavy dash of Gretchen Felker-Martin as well. It's the sort of horror that manages to become satirical and darkly funny, whilst also being cuttingly real about certain elements (the cult's obsession with saying 'phallic alec', for example). It starts off slow, with a great glitched phone element and the fear of forgetting something, but quickly becomes much weirder with a cult focused on lesbian sex and psychedelic substances. The ending is satisfyingly disgusting, with a cosmic horror style lack of real resolution about what happened.
If you like trans horror, Moonflow is a fun botanical take on the genre that combines the horror of eldritch beings and mysterious fungi with the horror of a feminine-obsessed cult to explore different ideas of what happens once you learn something you can't turn away from.
August 22, 2025
"Maybe some future Pamogo hikers would use her corpse as a marker on their journey. Maybe someday some lost hiker would be saved by finding her body. Maybe there's beauty in that, she thought..."
August 10, 2025
Unapologetically hallucinatory and fabulously weird, I had an absolute blast reading this trippy, wild story of a shroom dealer venturing into the heart of a haunted forest looking for the ultimate high, encountering evil hippies and their bound fungus god along the way...
My heart breaks for our main character, Sarah with her anxieties and need to connect with someone. Mother Moonflow made me laugh so much. The Hell Slut and Skillet and Sunny Delight are a crazy, messed up trio with miles of heart and drama. And poor cringey Andy who's just a well-meaning derp.
I loved all the characters in this book. Despite the insane story and creepy AF forest and its entities, the people feel real, as they ultimately try to get through all this insanity for love and desire, with a liberal dose of self-doubt.
The unrelenting and demented plot was completely engrossing for me and I was absolutely invested. The writing frequently was phantasmagorical and lush. I am in love with the Pamogo - it conjures some pretty amazing images in my head that are both terrifying and inviting.
I'd go back to this crazy fungal forest in a heartbeat. And I'd hope to see some of these characters there.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for the advanced reader copy.
My heart breaks for our main character, Sarah with her anxieties and need to connect with someone. Mother Moonflow made me laugh so much. The Hell Slut and Skillet and Sunny Delight are a crazy, messed up trio with miles of heart and drama. And poor cringey Andy who's just a well-meaning derp.
I loved all the characters in this book. Despite the insane story and creepy AF forest and its entities, the people feel real, as they ultimately try to get through all this insanity for love and desire, with a liberal dose of self-doubt.
The unrelenting and demented plot was completely engrossing for me and I was absolutely invested. The writing frequently was phantasmagorical and lush. I am in love with the Pamogo - it conjures some pretty amazing images in my head that are both terrifying and inviting.
I'd go back to this crazy fungal forest in a heartbeat. And I'd hope to see some of these characters there.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for the advanced reader copy.
September 5, 2025
If you liked Manhunt or are just a Gretchen Felker-Martin fan in general, you’re probably going to like this book. If you like sporror novels, you’re probably going to like this book. If you like horror novels that scream (well, not in so many words), “It’s not feminism if it’s not intersectional!”, then you’re probably going to like this book.
Luckily, I’m a fan of all three, so I really liked this book. Add in the psychedelic, exaggerated, and phantasmagoric writing style Karella wields here in a way that reminds me in part of both Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Pahalnuik and this was not only an easy book for me to just rip through, but it was an enjoyable one too.
I won’t pretend this book will be a difficult read for some people. Karella has done a proper job of listing the content warnings at the front of the book to warn you of a lot of what’s to come, and this novel tackles some difficult topics. Personally, I didn’t find it a difficult read because I was too busy laughing at the outrageous behavior of some of the characters and their dialogue, because TERFs are ridiculous and I find some splatterpunk to be hilarious. I’m just made different, I guess.
I’m going to enjoy waiting for Bitter Karella to write another book, because I want to see what comes next from their mind. 4⭐️
I was provided a copy of the digital ARC of this title by the author and publisher. Thanks to the Novel Suspect’s Insider’s Club for the physical ARC. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Body Horror/Botanical Horror/Cult Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/OwnVoices
Luckily, I’m a fan of all three, so I really liked this book. Add in the psychedelic, exaggerated, and phantasmagoric writing style Karella wields here in a way that reminds me in part of both Hunter S. Thompson and Chuck Pahalnuik and this was not only an easy book for me to just rip through, but it was an enjoyable one too.
I won’t pretend this book will be a difficult read for some people. Karella has done a proper job of listing the content warnings at the front of the book to warn you of a lot of what’s to come, and this novel tackles some difficult topics. Personally, I didn’t find it a difficult read because I was too busy laughing at the outrageous behavior of some of the characters and their dialogue, because TERFs are ridiculous and I find some splatterpunk to be hilarious. I’m just made different, I guess.
I’m going to enjoy waiting for Bitter Karella to write another book, because I want to see what comes next from their mind. 4⭐️
I was provided a copy of the digital ARC of this title by the author and publisher. Thanks to the Novel Suspect’s Insider’s Club for the physical ARC. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Body Horror/Botanical Horror/Cult Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/OwnVoices
September 2, 2025
I mean I KNEW this was going to be a good book when I found out our MFC name is Sarah. Ha!
This is a wild ride!! The cover is such a good representation of what the book holds. I have never personally taken acid, but I feel like that this entire book is what that would feel like. Sarah was such a likable character. She is flawed, funny, and relatable. She also finds herself in a lot of trouble when she goes looking for the "kings breakfast". She had a taste and now she must grow it/sell it back home. She meets Andy who is her guide. Let's just say they run into a lesbian cult... and when you think it cannot get any weirder.... it does!!! eeeeee! The raccoons, a person named Pickles, Hell Slut, Sunny Delight, and Skillet, all kept me thoroughly entertained!
I could not put the book down!
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC!
This is a wild ride!! The cover is such a good representation of what the book holds. I have never personally taken acid, but I feel like that this entire book is what that would feel like. Sarah was such a likable character. She is flawed, funny, and relatable. She also finds herself in a lot of trouble when she goes looking for the "kings breakfast". She had a taste and now she must grow it/sell it back home. She meets Andy who is her guide. Let's just say they run into a lesbian cult... and when you think it cannot get any weirder.... it does!!! eeeeee! The raccoons, a person named Pickles, Hell Slut, Sunny Delight, and Skillet, all kept me thoroughly entertained!
I could not put the book down!
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC!
August 19, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
To summarize, a trans girl named Sarah who is a mycologist and sells psychedelic mushrooms that she grows, brings her latest harvest to her biggest buyer, and is told that the strain is ‘so last season’, like it’s a fashion design.
Sarah, desperately in need of money following a breakup, decides that she is going to go on a trip into the dark and mysterious Pamago forest to find the latest craze in the party scene, the Kings Breakfast. She wants to get some samples of spores so she can bring it home and grow them in her controlled environment, because surely that would be a huge money maker! But at what cost?
Upon her arrival at the state park just outside of the Pamago, she meets quite possibly the dumbest and most annoying man in the world, Andy, and he is meant to be her guide on this trip.
As they make their way into the forest, things start to get very strange, and they encounter some incredibly disconcerting sights and happenings, which Andy continually brushes off as normal for the area.
At one point, they do in fact become horribly lost, only to be ‘saved’ by a grimy woman named Skillet, who brings them back to the compound on which she, and a group of around 20 lesbians have formed a self sufficient community… but it’s definitely a freaky cult.
This book read like it was written by a 14 year old edgelord. The premise had so much potential, but it just did not hit the way I expected it to. The character names like Hell Slut, Captain Beef Curtains, and Virginia Dentata did not do this book any favors. And the whole time after Sarah and Andy made it to the cult compound, I kept finding myself asking…. What the hell is going on?
This story had issues with coherency, and the voice just didn’t fit the intended content. Super unfortunate, because the synopsis sounded so promising.
To summarize, a trans girl named Sarah who is a mycologist and sells psychedelic mushrooms that she grows, brings her latest harvest to her biggest buyer, and is told that the strain is ‘so last season’, like it’s a fashion design.
Sarah, desperately in need of money following a breakup, decides that she is going to go on a trip into the dark and mysterious Pamago forest to find the latest craze in the party scene, the Kings Breakfast. She wants to get some samples of spores so she can bring it home and grow them in her controlled environment, because surely that would be a huge money maker! But at what cost?
Upon her arrival at the state park just outside of the Pamago, she meets quite possibly the dumbest and most annoying man in the world, Andy, and he is meant to be her guide on this trip.
As they make their way into the forest, things start to get very strange, and they encounter some incredibly disconcerting sights and happenings, which Andy continually brushes off as normal for the area.
At one point, they do in fact become horribly lost, only to be ‘saved’ by a grimy woman named Skillet, who brings them back to the compound on which she, and a group of around 20 lesbians have formed a self sufficient community… but it’s definitely a freaky cult.
This book read like it was written by a 14 year old edgelord. The premise had so much potential, but it just did not hit the way I expected it to. The character names like Hell Slut, Captain Beef Curtains, and Virginia Dentata did not do this book any favors. And the whole time after Sarah and Andy made it to the cult compound, I kept finding myself asking…. What the hell is going on?
This story had issues with coherency, and the voice just didn’t fit the intended content. Super unfortunate, because the synopsis sounded so promising.
September 4, 2025
Way too crude and erotic for my taste 2.75 stars
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6W28kAG/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6W28kAG/
August 16, 2025
HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK. This book is FUCKED. UP. In the best way possible, of course.
Bitter Karella brings us the weirdest and freakiest mushroom trip of all time: Moonflow.
Blurb: "Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call."
A terf lesbian cult who ritualistically take shrooms to connect with their Green Goddess, a trans girl trying to make a living for herself and her cat Herman, a seven-foot tall gal called Hell Slut who feels the world shat her out without a care for her life, and a scrawny man who just so happened to be caught in the maelstrom of this mess; this book will take you on the wildest mind-fuck ride you've ever been on.
I really enjoyed this novel!! It was body horror, gore, rot, and decay all packaged in one with a side of a mushroom trip gone sour. Along with all of the content warnings at the beginning of the novel, there are graphic depictions of body fat scattered throughout the book, like to the point where it seems the author went overboard (although I think it was intentional to give the book an even more sick feeling), so if you aren't okay with that then please consider this before reading! Oh and also dead babies..
Also, I listened to this as an audio book with Venus Rose Fischer as the narrator and she did such an amazing job!!!!!! I could literally listen to her voice for hours, I love it so much.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Run For It for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bitter Karella brings us the weirdest and freakiest mushroom trip of all time: Moonflow.
Blurb: "Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King's Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he's convinced there's no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they're not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call."
A terf lesbian cult who ritualistically take shrooms to connect with their Green Goddess, a trans girl trying to make a living for herself and her cat Herman, a seven-foot tall gal called Hell Slut who feels the world shat her out without a care for her life, and a scrawny man who just so happened to be caught in the maelstrom of this mess; this book will take you on the wildest mind-fuck ride you've ever been on.
I really enjoyed this novel!! It was body horror, gore, rot, and decay all packaged in one with a side of a mushroom trip gone sour. Along with all of the content warnings at the beginning of the novel, there are graphic depictions of body fat scattered throughout the book, like to the point where it seems the author went overboard (although I think it was intentional to give the book an even more sick feeling), so if you aren't okay with that then please consider this before reading! Oh and also dead babies..
Also, I listened to this as an audio book with Venus Rose Fischer as the narrator and she did such an amazing job!!!!!! I could literally listen to her voice for hours, I love it so much.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Run For It for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2025
Check out the content warnings because this audiobook is bursting with them. Welcome Mushroom Enthusiasts! In Moonflow by Bitter Karella, Sarah, a trans woman, hires Andy, a guide, to lead her in search of the King’s Breakfast, a psychedelic mushroom, that only grows in the Pamogo Forest. She’s confident that if she finds this elusive mushroom she can make a lot of money by growing it. Eventually they meet a lesbian cult centered around the Green Lady and their leader, Mother Moonflow. There’s something the Hell Slut needs to do before the Birthing Ceremony where pregnant Aphrodite will give birth to the Green Lady made of flesh. Instead of Skillet, she takes the Dank Hole Girl, the newly christened Sunny D. along for the ride with the Fish sisters. The following events get a little hazy due to ingestion of magic mushrooms. There are moments of lucidity occasionally. It’s pure madness when Sarah and Andy are finally shown the source of the King’s Breakfast mushrooms. Read for fungal horror, gore, sexual situations, drug induced hallucinations and social commentary. The narrator, Venus Rose Fischer, excelled at the quantity of characters. Make sure you’re grounded before you start this trip. ALC was provided by Hachette Audio/Run For It via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 27, 2025
2 🌟
I wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately, I didn't connect with it. At least I was interested in the trippy mushroom and cult aspects of the story. But, I think the only character I liked was Herman the cat (who isn't featured much). It all seemed overly crude for no reason, making it unlikable to me.
The narrator, Venus Rose Fischer, did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Skillet, in particular, was really well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
I wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately, I didn't connect with it. At least I was interested in the trippy mushroom and cult aspects of the story. But, I think the only character I liked was Herman the cat (who isn't featured much). It all seemed overly crude for no reason, making it unlikable to me.
The narrator, Venus Rose Fischer, did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Skillet, in particular, was really well done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
August 31, 2025
3.5⭐️ RTC
August 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Trans woman horror just fucks harder. I honestly loved this book. If you enjoy Gretchen Felker-Martin and Alison Rumfitt I highly suggest this book. I would deff check the trigger warnings cause this book gets weird and messed up. Filled with gore ,sex, and commentary about femininity and womanhood. Who can and can’t be sisters. This is a great discussion about how transphobic the modern feminist movement is.
Sarah is just a broke trans woman drug dealer trying to find a new type of mushroom for her friend when she stumbles upon a feminist cult in the woods that worship an all powerful goodness. The origin of this mushroom lies in the strange cult leader’s hands but what is real and what is a bad trip?
The sisters at the cult were interesting and seeing how different everyone was was eye opening. What makes you want to join a cult in the woods and worship a goddess nobody has ever seen? Skillet, Hell Slut, and Sunny Delight are the 3 members we mostly focus on. We see mostly abused and wayward girls who are easily influenced. People who have nowhere else to go who are finally offered a home. I sympathized with everyone. Mother Moonflow was very skilled at turning these girls against themselves and against society. The way they treated Sarah wasn’t cool, though.
I’ve always loved the idea of an ancient spirit in the woods. Some people go missing in woods and are never seen again. I feel like this place should probably be closed down forever.
The end was so bittersweet. My man Andy deff needs therapy.
Trans woman horror just fucks harder. I honestly loved this book. If you enjoy Gretchen Felker-Martin and Alison Rumfitt I highly suggest this book. I would deff check the trigger warnings cause this book gets weird and messed up. Filled with gore ,sex, and commentary about femininity and womanhood. Who can and can’t be sisters. This is a great discussion about how transphobic the modern feminist movement is.
Sarah is just a broke trans woman drug dealer trying to find a new type of mushroom for her friend when she stumbles upon a feminist cult in the woods that worship an all powerful goodness. The origin of this mushroom lies in the strange cult leader’s hands but what is real and what is a bad trip?
The sisters at the cult were interesting and seeing how different everyone was was eye opening. What makes you want to join a cult in the woods and worship a goddess nobody has ever seen? Skillet, Hell Slut, and Sunny Delight are the 3 members we mostly focus on. We see mostly abused and wayward girls who are easily influenced. People who have nowhere else to go who are finally offered a home. I sympathized with everyone. Mother Moonflow was very skilled at turning these girls against themselves and against society. The way they treated Sarah wasn’t cool, though.
I’ve always loved the idea of an ancient spirit in the woods. Some people go missing in woods and are never seen again. I feel like this place should probably be closed down forever.
The end was so bittersweet. My man Andy deff needs therapy.
August 15, 2025
Moonflow is a psychedelic social commentary with a hefty side of erotic horror. Firstly the narrator was amazing for this, I happily listened and felt like I was with a friend who was telling me a very messed up story. The concept is great, the trans experience is really highlighted and the relationships between the characters is great for exploring themes. The cult element was intense, there is a lot of sexual dialogue and characters literally named Hell Slut. So hopefully you get the picture, I don’t want to say too much as I feel this is a book best to go into an enjoy the ride with. For me the mushrooms are the star of the show. Absolutely horrifying yet enthralling! There is also plenty of gore and striking visual language so do prepare your mind for these things. Hopefully this book finds the right people who love weird horror. I know I certainly do! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
June 7, 2025
This is unlike anything I've ever read before and I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I had a tough time in the beginning understanding the world and humanity of Skillet and Hell Slut and felt myself gravitating a lot more toward Sarah and Andy's story hoping that they didn't converge until the end. If that were true, Moonflow would have followed a predictable horror novel pattern which would have been enjoyable to follow but wouldn't have been the same ride. The middle half of Moonflow is at times corny and heavy handed, but I genuinely don't know a better way the author could have set us up for the ending. If you can stay through it's campiness, Moonflow is bound to lodge itself in your mind - for better or for worse.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2025
Sometimes you just need a little romp in the woods with a feminist cult that loves its psychedelic mushrooms, the musrhoom curators trying to find a specific hallucinogenic mushroom worth big bucks, and the mushroom driven chaos of cult members while you're at it. This was the best kind of fucking trip I've had in a hot minute, and even though I read in small doses, I still wanted to keep reading just to see what insanity would happen next. Highly recommended read this fall.
July 13, 2025
Just finished Moonflow and it felt like getting lost in a queer, fungal fever dream. 🌕🍄 Weird in the best way lush, grotesque, tender, and totally original. Sarah’s journey into the haunted woods messed me up and made me feel things. Horror with heart, teeth, and mushrooms. I loved it. 🌲💀✨ #Moonflow #QueerHorror #TransHorror #WeirdReads
September 6, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an audio-ARC from netgalley.
Desperate for money after a bad harvest, local shroom-dealer Sarah finds herself on a trip in the Pamogo forest for a new mushroom that’s supposed to be the new big thing. Accompanied by a very naïve park ranger, she now finds herself facing a dark and twisting forest where it’s much too easy to get lost, a strange psychedelic gender essentialist cult in its depths and a lot of mind-altering drugs.
Sarah was an interesting character, desperate to find the King’s Breakfast not just because she needs the money, but also because she is looking for the high and the visions it gave her. She is a character that is incredibly easy to root for and even when she makes bad choices, you understand the yearning at the heart of them, the desperation that belies the terror and confusion at the bottom of it all. I also really enjoyed The Hell Slut, one woman in the cult, superficially adored and exploited for her size and strength, but without being able to form any real connection among the women in the cult.
I liked that each chapter was either introduced with a short excerpt from a field guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest, or with journal entries for Lazarus Sloane, a settler, who tried and failed to make the land submit to him. It broke up the story and also made it a lot easier to adjust to the various scene and POV changes that were included in the story. I also really liked the pace of the story and the various subsections of the story, allowing enough time for Sarah's character development.
I also really enjoyed that this story gave the characters a very good reason to not be able to return to normality once things got weird, by making use of a strange little safety measure implemented by the forest rangers that leads to a very understandable reason to be hopelessly lost in the forest. I wish the horror of losing time and not knowing what they did during that time had been dug into a little bit more, but I still really liked the idea.
I listened to the audiobook version and I really enjoyed the narration and inflection as well as the voice actresses’ tone and tempo. I also enjoyed how she narrated the various characters, making it easy to distinguish them. In general, the narration made the story easy to follow and allowed me to really get drawn into this wild trip.
As this is a queer splatterpunk story expect lots of gore, sexuality and kink, weird stuff and violence, but if you allow yourself to get dragged along with this weird story you will have a fun time. In general, if you enjoy your horror psychedelic, gross, incredibly horny and strange, while still including characters with understandable motivations and actions, then you should check this novel out!
TW: breastfeeding animals, drug use, gore, graphic violence, infanticide, murder, sexual assault, transmisogyny, transphobia, violence against animals, vomit
Desperate for money after a bad harvest, local shroom-dealer Sarah finds herself on a trip in the Pamogo forest for a new mushroom that’s supposed to be the new big thing. Accompanied by a very naïve park ranger, she now finds herself facing a dark and twisting forest where it’s much too easy to get lost, a strange psychedelic gender essentialist cult in its depths and a lot of mind-altering drugs.
Sarah was an interesting character, desperate to find the King’s Breakfast not just because she needs the money, but also because she is looking for the high and the visions it gave her. She is a character that is incredibly easy to root for and even when she makes bad choices, you understand the yearning at the heart of them, the desperation that belies the terror and confusion at the bottom of it all. I also really enjoyed The Hell Slut, one woman in the cult, superficially adored and exploited for her size and strength, but without being able to form any real connection among the women in the cult.
I liked that each chapter was either introduced with a short excerpt from a field guide to common mushrooms of the Pamogo forest, or with journal entries for Lazarus Sloane, a settler, who tried and failed to make the land submit to him. It broke up the story and also made it a lot easier to adjust to the various scene and POV changes that were included in the story. I also really liked the pace of the story and the various subsections of the story, allowing enough time for Sarah's character development.
I also really enjoyed that this story gave the characters a very good reason to not be able to return to normality once things got weird, by making use of a strange little safety measure implemented by the forest rangers that leads to a very understandable reason to be hopelessly lost in the forest. I wish the horror of losing time and not knowing what they did during that time had been dug into a little bit more, but I still really liked the idea.
I listened to the audiobook version and I really enjoyed the narration and inflection as well as the voice actresses’ tone and tempo. I also enjoyed how she narrated the various characters, making it easy to distinguish them. In general, the narration made the story easy to follow and allowed me to really get drawn into this wild trip.
As this is a queer splatterpunk story expect lots of gore, sexuality and kink, weird stuff and violence, but if you allow yourself to get dragged along with this weird story you will have a fun time. In general, if you enjoy your horror psychedelic, gross, incredibly horny and strange, while still including characters with understandable motivations and actions, then you should check this novel out!
TW: breastfeeding animals, drug use, gore, graphic violence, infanticide, murder, sexual assault, transmisogyny, transphobia, violence against animals, vomit
August 28, 2025
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
I read this one to 53%, because I feel like I SHOULD love it. This sounds so much like my thing! DEEPLY haunted fucked-up forest; lots of nerdy detail about mushrooms; a trans mc who loves her cat and is So Very Done with other humans – what’s not to love???
And I do think it’s an objectively great book! (Seriously, I ADORED Sarah as a character!) There’s a lot of implicit commentary on poverty and classism and privilege, which Karella trusts you to either know about already or put together from the story: there’s no telling-not-showing, and you’re not beaten around the head with Issue Stuff. The story moves quickly; the characters are almost always in motion. I kind of want to cackle at seeing the Wiccan-esque Lord and Lady (aka, the Green Lady and Lord of the Forest, as they’re known in Moonflow) cast as figures of horror, and I am probably unreasonably obsessed with the detail of the Lord having fungus-antlers. That is such a cool visual!
But damn it, I need more sensory description in my Horror!
(Of course, this is a catch-22 situation, because when there IS enough sensory detail, as in Library at Hellebore, I’m too squicked out to read it. Probably I should just stop trying to read Horror, I’m clearly not built for it!)
The prose isn’t bad at all – it’s very readable, and Karella gives us plenty to be disturbed and grossed out by (raccoon graveyards! the need for amnesia-pills! teeth in a tree!!!) This is what I think of as ‘bestseller’-style writing – it’s going to work incredibly well for most readers, with just the right balance of constant action and character interiority, and enough description that you can picture everything without getting bogged down in details. But the writing is not lush, and I very much need lovingly, disgustingly lush when it comes to Horror. Either Poppy Z Brite levels of decadent, or Gretchen Felker-Martin levels of gross. Without that, the Horror elements just don’t become real for me. I don’t feel them properly if you don’t drown me in sensory detail.
The other factor that decided me was the…grossness of bodies? I’ve seen this before, it’s a definite and deliberate Horror thing, but I am a prude and I don’t enjoy it. I can become horribly fascinated by it, as happened with Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, but that’s a case of prose holding my hypnotised through the horror/ick, and Karella’s prose isn’t doing that. So it’s…the wrong flavour of gross for me? I’m not sure how to put it. It doesn’t go well with the TERF shit of the cult in the story, which is honestly where 99% of the body-grossness was coming from, and that is ON PURPOSE, we are SUPPOSED to be disgusted, Karella is a great writer! I just…don’t like it, and don’t want to keep reading it.
Both these things are me problems, not objective flaws of the book. If the premise intrigues you, I encourage you to go try this one out for yourself! That it does not meet my ridiculous requirements should not be taken as a strike against it. (Unless you, too, share my ridiculous requirements, in which case, drop a comment and say hi!) I still recommend it EXTREMELY enthusiastically; I’m certain that a whole lot of ‘proper’ Horror readers (as opposed to whatever the fuck I am) are going to freaking LOVE Moonflow.
I read this one to 53%, because I feel like I SHOULD love it. This sounds so much like my thing! DEEPLY haunted fucked-up forest; lots of nerdy detail about mushrooms; a trans mc who loves her cat and is So Very Done with other humans – what’s not to love???
And I do think it’s an objectively great book! (Seriously, I ADORED Sarah as a character!) There’s a lot of implicit commentary on poverty and classism and privilege, which Karella trusts you to either know about already or put together from the story: there’s no telling-not-showing, and you’re not beaten around the head with Issue Stuff. The story moves quickly; the characters are almost always in motion. I kind of want to cackle at seeing the Wiccan-esque Lord and Lady (aka, the Green Lady and Lord of the Forest, as they’re known in Moonflow) cast as figures of horror, and I am probably unreasonably obsessed with the detail of the Lord having fungus-antlers. That is such a cool visual!
But damn it, I need more sensory description in my Horror!
(Of course, this is a catch-22 situation, because when there IS enough sensory detail, as in Library at Hellebore, I’m too squicked out to read it. Probably I should just stop trying to read Horror, I’m clearly not built for it!)
The prose isn’t bad at all – it’s very readable, and Karella gives us plenty to be disturbed and grossed out by (raccoon graveyards! the need for amnesia-pills! teeth in a tree!!!) This is what I think of as ‘bestseller’-style writing – it’s going to work incredibly well for most readers, with just the right balance of constant action and character interiority, and enough description that you can picture everything without getting bogged down in details. But the writing is not lush, and I very much need lovingly, disgustingly lush when it comes to Horror. Either Poppy Z Brite levels of decadent, or Gretchen Felker-Martin levels of gross. Without that, the Horror elements just don’t become real for me. I don’t feel them properly if you don’t drown me in sensory detail.
The other factor that decided me was the…grossness of bodies? I’ve seen this before, it’s a definite and deliberate Horror thing, but I am a prude and I don’t enjoy it. I can become horribly fascinated by it, as happened with Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, but that’s a case of prose holding my hypnotised through the horror/ick, and Karella’s prose isn’t doing that. So it’s…the wrong flavour of gross for me? I’m not sure how to put it. It doesn’t go well with the TERF shit of the cult in the story, which is honestly where 99% of the body-grossness was coming from, and that is ON PURPOSE, we are SUPPOSED to be disgusted, Karella is a great writer! I just…don’t like it, and don’t want to keep reading it.
Both these things are me problems, not objective flaws of the book. If the premise intrigues you, I encourage you to go try this one out for yourself! That it does not meet my ridiculous requirements should not be taken as a strike against it. (Unless you, too, share my ridiculous requirements, in which case, drop a comment and say hi!) I still recommend it EXTREMELY enthusiastically; I’m certain that a whole lot of ‘proper’ Horror readers (as opposed to whatever the fuck I am) are going to freaking LOVE Moonflow.
September 9, 2025
A surreal and violent story that has a woman intent on finding a way to reconnect with a profoundly transformative experienced she had, and unfortunately getting lost in the dark and confusing woods of a national forest, and getting involved with a radical feminist cult.
Sarah is short on cash and her mushroom crop is not doing well. After getting a chance to sample a mushroom called King's Breakfast, and having her mind blown, she decides to travel to the one place a dealer says they can be found, Pamogo forest.
She engages the services of a Park interpretive special (a guide) to take her through the forest to where she may find a crop. Instead, they get badly lost, and stumble upon a long abandoned mill, which has been taken over by a cult of women, who worship their leader, Mother Moonflow, and look forward to connecting with the Goddess. The women loathe all men, and have no sympathy or understanding for people who don't match their definition of what a woman is (intersectionality came here to die).
Sarah and Andy are imprisoned, and subjected to tortures, while other questionable and unpleasant acts are performed by the women, all in service of their beliefs. There's also a little murder committed along the way, and terrible decisions made by everyone. And maybe some eldritch beings awoken??
Author Bitter Karella's fever dream of a novel has moments of great pathos, and two terrific, sympathetic characters: Sarah, a lonely, financially strapped trans woman, and Hell Slut, a mountain of a woman who has suffered numerous assaults and violence throughout her life, and dealt out much violence in return.
Karella also includes both a guide to mushrooms found in Pamogo, and diary entries by a colonist who attempted to start a logging business using the forest many years earlier. These feature at the start of each chapter, adding extra depth to the narrative, with the mushroom information making for fascinating reading, while the diary entries are creepy.
I cannot say that I enjoyed this story, but I could appreciate the social commentary, as well as the imagery and great names assigned to each character.
I went back and forth between the text and the audio, and liked Venus Rose Fischer's narration of the increasingly unhinged incidents and behaviour of the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit Books and Hachette Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
Sarah is short on cash and her mushroom crop is not doing well. After getting a chance to sample a mushroom called King's Breakfast, and having her mind blown, she decides to travel to the one place a dealer says they can be found, Pamogo forest.
She engages the services of a Park interpretive special (a guide) to take her through the forest to where she may find a crop. Instead, they get badly lost, and stumble upon a long abandoned mill, which has been taken over by a cult of women, who worship their leader, Mother Moonflow, and look forward to connecting with the Goddess. The women loathe all men, and have no sympathy or understanding for people who don't match their definition of what a woman is (intersectionality came here to die).
Sarah and Andy are imprisoned, and subjected to tortures, while other questionable and unpleasant acts are performed by the women, all in service of their beliefs. There's also a little murder committed along the way, and terrible decisions made by everyone. And maybe some eldritch beings awoken??
Author Bitter Karella's fever dream of a novel has moments of great pathos, and two terrific, sympathetic characters: Sarah, a lonely, financially strapped trans woman, and Hell Slut, a mountain of a woman who has suffered numerous assaults and violence throughout her life, and dealt out much violence in return.
Karella also includes both a guide to mushrooms found in Pamogo, and diary entries by a colonist who attempted to start a logging business using the forest many years earlier. These feature at the start of each chapter, adding extra depth to the narrative, with the mushroom information making for fascinating reading, while the diary entries are creepy.
I cannot say that I enjoyed this story, but I could appreciate the social commentary, as well as the imagery and great names assigned to each character.
I went back and forth between the text and the audio, and liked Venus Rose Fischer's narration of the increasingly unhinged incidents and behaviour of the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit Books and Hachette Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
August 29, 2025
“Moonflow” by Bitter Karella
5 Stars!
“The Lord of the Forest was ready to end this bitch.” And end me he did! This book was a home run for me. I don’t want to include spoilers in this review because it deserves to be a surprise the full way through. I think the summary listed on the book leaves a lot to be discovered about the story and I want to respect the vague introduction and give as little of the plot as possible. However, I will say that as a trans person who works part-time and has trained folks in the psychedelic field, this book was right up my alley! This book is for you if you’re into splatterpunk, mycology, cults, lesbians, vengeance, texting with potentially evil beings, forest deities, and all-around sweet angel babies named Andy. I finished it last night and have already recommended it to 4 people. I will be thinking about this one for the rest of my life.
My only critique I can manage to come up with is that Chapter 29 in the audiobook oscillated between whispering and shouting so frequently that I found myself turning up my volume to be able to hear the barely audible voices and then having my eardrums blasted out by screaming the next moment. This is really the only chapter where that was a problem. Otherwise, the narrator was incredible and really delivered on bringing every character to life without having to stoop down to low-brow impressions. The pacing was great and the background noise of the Glitch’s texts made me feel so immersed in the story. The audiobook was the perfect way for me to consume this story.
Thank you to Bitter Karella, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook!
5 Stars!
“The Lord of the Forest was ready to end this bitch.” And end me he did! This book was a home run for me. I don’t want to include spoilers in this review because it deserves to be a surprise the full way through. I think the summary listed on the book leaves a lot to be discovered about the story and I want to respect the vague introduction and give as little of the plot as possible. However, I will say that as a trans person who works part-time and has trained folks in the psychedelic field, this book was right up my alley! This book is for you if you’re into splatterpunk, mycology, cults, lesbians, vengeance, texting with potentially evil beings, forest deities, and all-around sweet angel babies named Andy. I finished it last night and have already recommended it to 4 people. I will be thinking about this one for the rest of my life.
My only critique I can manage to come up with is that Chapter 29 in the audiobook oscillated between whispering and shouting so frequently that I found myself turning up my volume to be able to hear the barely audible voices and then having my eardrums blasted out by screaming the next moment. This is really the only chapter where that was a problem. Otherwise, the narrator was incredible and really delivered on bringing every character to life without having to stoop down to low-brow impressions. The pacing was great and the background noise of the Glitch’s texts made me feel so immersed in the story. The audiobook was the perfect way for me to consume this story.
Thank you to Bitter Karella, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook!
September 1, 2025
#ad much love for my advance copy @orbitbooks_us #partner
& @hachetteaudio #partner for the ALC
🅼🅾🅾🅽🅵🅻🅾🆆
< @bitterkarella >
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀʏ
ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ / ᴘꜱʏᴄʜᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛʜʀɪʟʟᴇʀ
𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥
Madeline is one of the best and biggest drug dealers out there. Sarah grows mushrooms and sells them to Madeline. But when Madeline scores a new type of mushroom she talks Sarah into going to find spores of them so she herself can grow them. The only problem with this little adventure is that Pamogo is rumored to be haunted.
Oof! Get ready for a mind-bending read that you won’t want to put down. Descend into the madness that is Karella’s world. This was a wild-wild ride that I never wanted to get off. At 357 pages this book entertains throughout and was a fantastic read. I was pretty confused for most of this one. Haha.
🎧: I also listened to the audio while following along and Venus Rose Fischer does a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. Their voice is perfect - rough but soothing - which makes for the perfect listen. You can listen to this audio easily at 2x speed.
Loved all the rep in this book.
& @hachetteaudio #partner for the ALC
🅼🅾🅾🅽🅵🅻🅾🆆
< @bitterkarella >
ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀʏ
ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ / ᴘꜱʏᴄʜᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛʜʀɪʟʟᴇʀ
𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥
Madeline is one of the best and biggest drug dealers out there. Sarah grows mushrooms and sells them to Madeline. But when Madeline scores a new type of mushroom she talks Sarah into going to find spores of them so she herself can grow them. The only problem with this little adventure is that Pamogo is rumored to be haunted.
Oof! Get ready for a mind-bending read that you won’t want to put down. Descend into the madness that is Karella’s world. This was a wild-wild ride that I never wanted to get off. At 357 pages this book entertains throughout and was a fantastic read. I was pretty confused for most of this one. Haha.
🎧: I also listened to the audio while following along and Venus Rose Fischer does a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. Their voice is perfect - rough but soothing - which makes for the perfect listen. You can listen to this audio easily at 2x speed.
Loved all the rep in this book.
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