“There’s always more to talk about in the Pamogo.”

Moonflow follows Sarah, who is in search of the rare King's Breakfast mushroom, and her forest guide, sweet baby angel Andy, into the deep, dark Pamogo Forest where they encounter a violent matriarchal cult led by Mother Moonflow who worships an entity they call the Green Lady, and a bunch of crazy stuff goes down.

Some things I liked:

Bitter Kasella’s use of language. Moonflow was somehow like poetry that was as easy to read as plain language. Some of my favorite phrases (subject to change as I was reading an ARC)
- ”secret squirrel shenanigans”
- “eponymous plastic raincoat”
Herman!!! Everyone should have a black cat.
The names of the mushrooms like “Father of Lies” and “The Harlot’s Progress”
The idea that the forest is potentially cursed or haunted which I’m somehow reading a lot of this month even though it’s only the 5th as of this writing (this, Nowhere Land, and This Wretched Valley so far for those keeping score.)

Moonflow is definitely not going to be for everyone, in particular due to the elements that give it its “splatterpunk” sensibility- content warnings such as extreme violence including infanticide, sexual assault, and body horror. I’m not sure it was entirely for me, but it was definitely a compelling (and hilarious) read with interesting, relatable, and sympathetic characters. And some gonzo mushroom stuff.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books/Run For It for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub. date: 9/2/25

Support your favorite indie bookstore (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.

Moonflow

Nowhere Land