A River Wide

by Amanda J. McGee

Mountains have deep, dark hearts, and those hearts are carved by water. Deep in the shadowed hollers of Appalachia, Rhia Blackburn has always kept her powers and her heart buried. Around here, the river whispers dark secrets, the earth remembers every cut, and survival is a skill women pass down in blood. But when her cousin Amey is kidnapped up the mountain, Rhia is forced to confront the terror of her home and her own troubled history. To save her, Rhia must trust her powers—and herself—because in Appalachia, family comes first and water always finds a way.
An Appalachian horror novella about family, grief, and the stubborn strength it takes to survive.

98 pages, ebook

Expected publication September 7, 2026

About the author

Amanda J. McGee is a planner by day and a writer by night. When not writing, Amanda can be found reading books or hiking mountains, depending on the season. She lives in Southwest Virginia with the love of her life, her son, two fluffy cats, and a plethora of plants.

Her work includes the dark epic fantasy series The Creation Saga, poetry in Artemis Journal XXX and the Poetry in Place Project funded by the City of Roanoke in April of 2023, the horror novella “Viridian” published in 2020 in A Sinister Quartet from Mythic Delirium, and the forthcoming novella A River Wide from Interstellar Flight Press. You can find out more on her website at http://amandajmcgee.com.

Reviews

[The Reading Frog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amanda J. McGee, Interstellar Flight Press & NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review

Rating: 3.75/5⭐ Rounded up to 4 for GoodReads
CW: Explicit | Dissociation/being in shock, grief, loss of a loved one/parental figure, death, violence against women, gun violence, injury description, medical procedure/wound care
Moderate | Blood, animal death, handling of a corpse, (past) suicide attempt, depression, vomit
Mild | Past alcohol abuse, kidnapping, off-page (physically) abusive relationship, past death of a child
CWs as stated by the author | Murder, violence towards women, suicidal ideation, moments of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, and death.
My chosen soundtrack(s): Witches Circle - Italian Witches Circle | All Rivers At Once - Sevdaliza

We live well out in the woods and mind our own business, but the funny thing about private property in rural America is that people shout a lot about the sanctity of it and then don’t respect it much. Most people don’t bother us, though, on account of them knowing that I, at least, am something strange.

Representation
╰┈➤ Mental health rep through MC, (past) suicide attempt, (past) alcohol abuse, depression
╰┈➤ Latinx side character
╰┈➤ Queer unspecified sapphic background characters
╰┈➤ Minor WLW background dynamic
╰┈➤ Minor disability rep through elderly side character (mostly blind and a cane user)


Themes
(Sentient) nature, witches, murder, poverty, generational knowledge and collective memory, rural mountain village and its (lack of) community, isolation, (unconventional) family structures/relations, self-worth issues, fear of abandonment, mental health, estrangement, otherness, sibling bonds, family.


Tropes/What to expect
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Rural small mountain village/town
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Murder kickstarts the plot
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Race against the clock
‎ ‎ ‎ ❥ Witchey women


What I liked/loved
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I love how we start this book immediately in the thick of it. The earth spits out a dead man in front of Rhia's (our MC) feet, a family member is missing and has something to do with it, and we're sure that there was an eyewitness to whatever happened out here. It's instantly high-stakes with a deadline counting down to something horrible set to happen if Rhia doesn't immediately get to the bottom of this.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Interesting setting. Though officially contemporary, this book doesn't date itself. It takes place in a struggling mountain village. There is no cell service or other advanced technology. The community is small, and their houses are spread out on this mountain, divided by acres of land and forests. This town/village comes with everything you would expect of such a place. There is a religious community close by, gossip spreads like wildfire, and everyone seems to know everything about one another.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ A simple yet well-thought-out magic system. This book features a family of elemental witches. Which you could see as witches with special connections to nature, who, at times, 'borrow' from nature to make their spells come to fruition. Nature in itself is sentient and is, in a way, able to communicate with these witches, which makes spellcasting a dialogue instead of a solitary action. Though not a complex system, it still felt believable and well-rounded, which isn't always easy to do in a novella. To me, this aspect is where this novella really shines.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Family is the core of this book. There is an exploration of non-conventional family structures, regarding siblinghood and parental figures.

There’s family you grow with, and family you adopt.

‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I love it when story themes are woven into the prose. In this case, we get lots of water-based imagery and metaphors, since Rhia is a water witch.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ I'm going to try to do this without spoilers, but towards the end of the book, there is a really charged, complex conversation happening between two characters surrounding guilt, not being able to forgive, yet also gratitude. It felt nuanced, convoluted (in a good way) and thus, interesting. It really hit me for some reason.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Explores the question "How far are you willing to go for your family?"
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Exploration of grief.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Exploration of mental health.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ There is a certain "I support women's rights and wrongs" or "Good for her" quality to this novella. It also feels quite deliberate that most characters significant to the plot are women, which is something I appreciate in writing.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ Though not as explicitly stated, it does highlight femicide, domestic abuse, and has some feminist undertones.

I wouldn’t have said Jack was dumb enough to make himself a killer, but all men can be killers in the right circumstances, and he’s already closer to it than most.

‎ ‎ ‎ ✧ This specific quote 10/10:

“Failure is a piece of living,” I say.
“I don’t want to lose,” says the girl, and I feel that grief like it’s my own, because it is. I’ve always been trying to grip tight to things that can’t be held onto.

‎ ‎ ✧ I didn't expect this, but there was a comedic aspect to this. I have some annotations here and there of sentences that caught me off guard and made me laugh my ass off.



What I didn't like/felt lacklustre about
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ This might be my lack of literary English skills showing, but some sentences didn't feel grammatically correct. This is, however, the ARC version of this novella and thus might not reflect its final publication.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ I hate to have this happen to me two times in a row, but unfortunately, this book didn't read as horror to me. I personally would categorise it more as a fantasy thriller. Which wouldn't be a problem if not for the difference between expectation and reality. This is more of a marketing complaint than anything else. It made me expect something that it wasn't able to give. Which brings me to my next point.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ For a book with the LGBTQIAP+ tag on NetGalley, I had expected it to have a little more of a presence in the story. The Queer rep in this one is very much a background thing.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ The ending was fine, cathartic to a certain degree, but I did feel myself longing for a more intense and conclusive ending. Specifically regarding the tithe that should still be paid to the river.
‎ ‎ ‎ ✦ This happens a lot with novellas, but I wish we'd gone more in-depth regarding the relationships between Rhia and her family members. It would've probably made me feel more connected to the characters. There were some moments here and there that were character-driven and focused on emotion. Those moments I did truly love. Regardless, I found myself wishing for just a little more.


Conclusion/Notes
Overall, 'A River Wide' is a solid debut exploring familial bonds and how far one is willing to go for the ones they love.

My issues are mainly with how it is advertised because I was expecting something other than what we've got. It's still a lovely read, just not necessarily horror or queer-centric as you might expect.

Regardless of my complaints, I did have a good time reading this one! The fantasy aspect was well-rounded and interesting, the setting wasn't standard, which added to the atmosphere, the exploration of (non-conventional) family structures was interesting, and I love that the characters we focus on are mostly women.

If any of this sounds intriguing to you, make sure to add it to your TBR and pick this one up once it releases in September!



⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆



Want to buddy read this book now or in the future? You can do so on Storygraph.

Follow me on Spotify for specific reading playlists like this one:
📚 Collapse Of Society | Though not fully fitting the theme, it really suits that rural, low-technology vibe.

StoryGraph | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Overview of all reading playlists |

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The river doesn’t belong to me, and I don’t belong to it, and that’s intentional on my part, no matter what the river thinks about it.“

Ancient sentient rivers and elemental magic? Sign me up! A river wide follows Rhia, a young water witch who must untangle the mystery of her missing sister and the dead man found in her place.

The novella is well-paced with a great start; we’re thrown right into the meat of the story. The exposition is incorporated well, and I love that the girls’ gifts are not something they have total control over; there’s a great undercurrent (pun intended) of danger and self-sacrifice. The elements are certainly not benevolent powers. I love the modern witchy vibes; small details, like the cheap white vinyl on the old isolated house, work very well.

Rhia is a compelling protagonist, who manages to reject traditional ideals of femininity without stepping into NLOG territory, and her Gran is also wonderful.

Generally, the prose was strong. There is some repetition of words within a few sentences of each other (including a few incidences on the first page). I get the sense this was not an intentional choice, and it makes the prose seem somewhat unfinished; I hope that gets fixed in the final manuscript. All in all, it was very readable with some lovely watery imagery.

Unfortunately, some of the plot elements don’t work as well. I think this is because – like with so many novellas – there’s many themes barreling towards a conclusion, all at once. Without giving spoilers, I didn’t understand the necessity of the train plot point. Owen was one note, and while Gerry was complex for all her limited page time, her relationship with Rhia does not have time to display its depth. Teddy also only felt like he was introduced for emotional impact.

I wanted more of Rhia’s underlying resentment for Amey, more of the fallout from her disastrous college experience, more of the sacrifice that being tied to a decaying place demands. It’s such a shame this wasn’t longer, because there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential.

Some marketing points, which didn’t play into my rating but are nonetheless significant quibbles.

Firstly: why is this marketed as horror? There’s some mild peril, sure, and the elemental powers have some menace, but at no point is there a sense of dread. I was surprised when I reached the final page, because I was expecting an unsettling twist. This would do far better tagged as straight fantasy. And talking of straight …. I also agree with other readers that anyone going into this for queer rep will be very disappointed. The queer romance was shallow, and a plot device more than anything else. I don’t think we actually got any dialogue between the couple.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the eARC.

PS: as a lover of antique furniture … if someone ‘restored’ my beloved heirloom table by altering key details without consulting me, I would be FURIOUS.

[A Reader's Plight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of A River Wide by Amanda J. McGee

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the eARC copy of this book!

Ratings out of 5 stars.
- Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
- Interest Rating: 📖📖📖📖
- Heartfelt Rating: 🖤🖤🖤🖤
- Tear Rating: 💧💧💧
- Tension Rating: 🪢🪢🪢
- Predictability Rating: 💭
- Writing Style Rating: 🖋🖋🖋

Favorite character?
- Owen was my favorite character solely because he reminds me of my partner in the way that he comforts Rhia.

Most memorable scene/moment?
- The scene where she is talking to her younger self was really, really powerful for me. As someone who has dealt with mental health struggles for many years I completely understand how Rhia felt in that moment and to see her reclaim herself was an incredibly memorable, impactful, and emotional moment for me.

Did the ending satisfy you?
- The ending felt like it wrapped up a little too quickly, but it did tie up all loose ends and was satisfying.

Would you read this book again?
- No, I would not read this book again. I think it was a good read and I enjoyed my time reading it, but it wasn't something that made me itch to read it again.

Additional Notes:
- My thoughts on this novella were simply that it was confusing or lacking in some aspects while being incredibly well done in others. I did enjoy reading it and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that someone read it given how short it was and how good some of the scenes are. I'm sure that this is the perfect book for some others. For me personally, this book was middle-of-the-road.
- Definitely made me feel a lot of emotions at times.
- I came across this book on Threads and the author describes it as "a bit of Appalachian horror with witches, kidknapping, and murder," and while I do agree with that for the most part, I would not call this an Appalachian horror book and I'm not sure where the elements of that are (though I could be just be missing it entirely, maybe in one of the sections I found confusing).
- The beginning ~25% was a bit hard to follow for me at times, but I feel like the story was much easier to follow as it went on and I found myself enjoying the tenser scenes closer to the end of the book. There was where I got more attached to the characters and I felt like I was more invested in the story. There are still some elements I'm confused about to be honest, even after finishing the book.
- There were a few moments where I noticed the grammar was a bit weird, but it wasn't enough to pull me out of the story.
- Overall, a very good story centered around family and self-identity!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

🐓💧⛰️

This little story definitely has personality and gumption - and how could it not? It’s about Appalachian elemental witches! And it has a little mystery/missing person element as well that blends remarkably well with the supernatural component. And everything fits nicely under the overarching theme of family, undoubtedly the heart of this story which shines through in almost every aspect. The characters are immediately likeable and it’s easy to get onboard with the plot. And, again, elementals are ugh so cool every time and it helps to build a character’s personality just knowing what you know about each element’s traits.

It did take a minute for this to find it’s footing, I suspect this could’ve been attributed to presenting a lot all at once: atmosphere/environment building, character introduction and relationships, magic system explanation, and mystery set up. I realize this is pretty standard but a lot was posed as exposition (mostly at the beginning) which unfortunately pulled me out of the main story to the point where I got a little twisted around regarding what was going on with our missing person plot. I appreciate the attempt to match how people living in that area may converse (it was effective and contributed to the immersion) but it did clash a bit to go right from a more lyrical sentence to a more “matter of fact” storytelling/inner thought sentence.

I’m not convinced a side of romance was needed here, it just posed as another distractor for me - perhaps removal in favor of more interaction with Amey (to help really nail down the family theme) would’ve been more to my preferences. Also agree with other reviewers that I may reconsider classifying this as a primarily LGBTQIAP+ as it is quite minor within the story. Although I thought the main conflict was approached and resolved a bit quickly for my liking, the last two chapters posed great closure while leaning back onto the central theme of family. All in all, an enjoyable short story with direction, a good emotional pull, and a really satisfying supernatural system.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the privilege of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️3.25⭐️

[Kaylyn K · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Amanda McGee says in the acknowledgements, family truly is the heart of A River Wide, and that resonates with every page of this book. Rhia's family is her life and her reason, and you can tell, but other forces are at play in the story as well, such as the dead man the Earth spits out of her yard. Attempting to solve the mystery of this man's death and her cousin's sudden disappearance, Rhia has to turn to everyone in her corner, including her grandmother, the ghost of her grandfather, her cafe-owning best friend, and a man newly back in town whom she happens to have a crush on, and (as a water witch) the town's nearby river.

The quick-paced plot, mystery surrounding Amey's disappearance, and evocative language are only a few things I enjoyed about this novella, but I feel that it really fell short with regard to the characters. MeGee presents many narratively interesting characters, but for the most part, they are given about a page of small backstory before they are pushed aside in favor of Rhia attempting the rescue mission on her own. I think it is merely a downside of having such a plot-heavy story in such a short format, but I really would have loved to hear more about the characters themselves, particularly because they are so important to Rhia. There were even times that I felt the main character herself lacked depth, such as the mentions of her childhood friend's death, her abrupt departure from college, and her conflicted feelings towards her cousin.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and thought it was very good, though I do agree with some other reviewers' comments that the LGBTQ+ tag should be removed from the marketing of the book, as it is not necessarily relevant to the plot and is barely addressed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the privilege of receiving a copy for early review!

[Ryan Lawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A River Wide by Amanda J. McGee is short fast-paced read that delivers a lot and packs a punch in just 100 pages. It explores witchcraft with modern Gothic-Appalachian stylings, and it uses that setting to tell a grim story that got a little darker than I was expecting but that also stuck the landing with a great ending.

The main character Rhia is a water witch, who comes from a long line of witches that are all attuned to different elements. She appreciates her heritage and can hear the river calling out to her, but she has always kept it at arms length because she just wants to live a normal life. When her sister Amey goes missing and a dead body turns up in her backyard, Rhia knows her best option is to embrace the call of the river, but will it be worth the cost?

In the Acknowledgments the author talks about Southwest Virginia as the inspiration for her story and this clearly shines through. When the story takes Rhia to different parts of the community, it really feels like a slice of Southwest Virginian / Appalachian life. The people, the one brunch place in town, the one bar in town, everyone knowing everyone’s business, it all feels so familiar and is one of my favourite parts of this story.

As I said earlier the plot is grim, and for those who appreciate content warnings there is death, violence and suicidal ideation. It does take a couple chapters for the plot to properly establish itself, and I found those early chapters to be a little clunky. But it doesn’t take long for this story to really get going and I think it does a great job of building towards a great conclusion.

I had no idea what to expect going in and I was really impressed with what McGee was able to deliver in such a short amount of pages.

[Rachel:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the description provided and how this book was marketed, I started reading with an idea of how it would go and ended it really not having met many of them. While I didn't finish it disappointed per se, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I had a better understanding of what I was getting into. Even still, I feel this novella has earned 3.75 ⭐.


What went well: As someone who has ties to parts of Appalachia, the atmosphere and mannerisms just felt right. The author also did a commendable job in describing the town, the people, Rhia's family and the various interactions therein. The magical system is clearly well thought out and feels very at home in the region presented; I especially appreciated the way in which the author connected and contrasted the different powers to their wielders (wind witches needing to be stable like an old tree or how stubbornness clashes with earth's stillness, etc.) The way in which she describes it is almost poetic and made the book a pleasure to read.

What I struggled with: Owen (the love interest for Rhia) felt out of place. In a book marketed as "family comes first" he felt like an afterthought and likely could have been left in a more platonic way and it wouldn't have really impacted the story. I also came into the book expecting horror and more substantiated LGBTQIA+ plot based on the tags. The latter is at least represented in Amey, Rhia's sister, but the horror elements never really materialized. Suspense, mystery, or even thriller may be more appropriate.


If you're looking for a shorter read with a clear magical system, a bit of murder, and some folklore mixed into family and personal growth, give this a chance.


Thanks to Interstellar Flight Press, Netgalley, and the author for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A River Wide is a story about family and identity, knowing which parts of your heritage to take with you and where you need to develop on your own. Told from the POV of Rhia, an elemental witch who is aligned with water, we follow her as she becomes more comfortable in her powers while trying to rescue her cousin, Amey.

I think this novella had a really interesting magic system that felt surprisingly fleshed out given the length of the story. I particularly enjoyed the time devoted to displaying the practicalities of the magic system, showing how Rhia divined and used her element, water, to make potions. I’ve found in some stories this can feel a bit goofy, but in A River Wide it felt rooted in the environment and made sense. I also enjoyed reading about how the properties of the element a witch had an affinity to helped shape and define her.

I don’t think the horror elements are as developed though and I wouldn’t tag this novella as such. I enjoyed the idea of the Appalachian setting and this had the potential to lend a creepy, earthy atmosphere but I don’t think it was fully utilised.

Ultimately, an interesting, short read with a compelling magic system and I would be interested in reading more about this magic system in longer works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the eARC.

[Faiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

A river wide is a story that’s strongest when it focuses on the aspects it’s advertised as: A family drama about witches from Appalachia. This book introduces an easy to understand magic system that our main family is entrenched in. The main character, Rhia, is a water witch whose connection to nature’s water is paramount to how she interacts with the world and how the story progresses. It’s heavy on the theme of witches being outcasted women, whether they’re mentally ill like Rhia, queer like her sister, or independent women like their grandmother who functionally raised both sisters alone. Rhia’s world revolves around both of these women.

That being said, there’s still a major weakness in this novel. While I think it’s an inoffensive storyline, there is a romantic interest for Rhia. If this were a full-length novel, I don’t think I’d be as bothered. However, the short page length makes the chapter dedicated nearly entirely to developing this subplot feel like it’s distracting from what I want and what I was advertised. I would’ve preferred if the time spent with Owen was instead spent on Amey or even their family friend Gerry.

And as a note: while this book has the LGBTQ+ tag, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it FOR that queerness. The sapphic romance is a point of the plot, but it is not a major point of discussion.

[Ashley Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amanda McGee and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really impressed by this debut novella. A River Wide delivers a dark, small-town atmosphere that feels vivid despite the short length. The story follows Rhia, a water witch, and her cousin Amey, an earth witch, living in a town that isn’t exactly welcoming to them. The tension between their magic and the town’s distrust creates an eerie backdrop that pulls you in right away.

When Amey gets into trouble with the town and goes missing, Rhia is forced to grow into her abilities as a water witch while trying to uncover what happened and bring her cousin home. I really enjoyed how the story focuses less on graphic action and more on mood and atmosphere. The creeping sense of unease and the mystery surrounding Amey’s disappearance keep the story engaging throughout.

What stood out most to me was the heart at the center of the novella. Beneath the horror elements, this is a story about family, loyalty, and showing up for the people you love. It’s mysterious, emotional, and a strong debut that makes me excited to see what Amanda McGee writes next.

[Francisca Badilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the eARC copy of this book!

First of all. Sorry about my english, because its not my first language. Actually im a chilean reader.

"A River Wide" is a story about family bonds, identity, a magic system (an interesting one), witches in a certain area like the appalaches, a place (since of my thought) is not very used to write about it. The story for me, at least is more like a fantasy thriller or folklore thriller than a horror story. When i notice the Tag "LGBTQIAP+" in NetGalley, i was expecting more about it, like the story about a queer protagonist, not a background queer story with actually a "straight protagonist", but still i enjoyed both parts. The story maintain me very intrigued about how the author can develop all the situations without leaving something outside like plotholes in the book, but sometimes i feel a little too fast how she do it. i have to say that i really enojyed the part of the protagonist having a conversation with her younger self and how she used her water magic to everything.

I will read it again? probably, because its light, its short and it still a good story. That's why i give her a 4 stars

[Murphy Baisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the eARC of A River Wide. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will start by stating that I have a soft spot for Appalachia. As a native Virginian who grew up by the beach and the bay, I've always had a longing for the creeks and forests of the Blue Ridge. Those mountains have a wisdom to them and I could feel that respect and love for the range in the writing of A River Wide. For a small novella, it packs a deep punch of growth, of learning, of grief, of family, of belonging. It deals with dark themes, such as death, domestic violence, suicidal behavior, loss, and feeling like an outcast.

I cried during parts of this because the emotions were so beautifully written and felt. The character work within these - I think 98? - pages was profound, in my opinion. I got to know Rhia and Amey and Gran, quite deeply. I have already informed my book club friends they need to read this. I've informed my best friends.

I need more from Amanda J. McGee. She's writes beautifully.

[Michaela Lenhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhia and her cousin, Amey, are elemental witches. When Amey gets herself into some trouble, Rhia is the only one who can save her, but she has to open herself up fully to her powers first.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast paced read, and I just kept turning the page. I loved the use of magic throughout the story and for a short book, the magic system was well explained. At its core, this book is a beautiful story of grief, family, and survival.

I have only a couple problems with this book. The first being some sentences that did not make sense, particularly at the beginning, but that is also to be expected from an ARC. My biggest issue was that it was tagged as LGBT, but that was such a small subplot that it was almost insignificant. It definitely does not define the book, and I expected it to be more relevant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jami Helland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not as familiar with novellas, but to me the pacing felt a bit off. I appreciated that we jumped right into the story, but in my opinion a decent amount of information was thrown out that ended up being inconsequential. It was also listed as horror, which is what drew me to the book, but there weren’t really any horror elements. Some of the writing felt disjointed, but I can understand that it’s internal dialogue, and it’s not the final version of this story. I wish we could’ve seen more of Rhia’s college experience and had more information around the various types of witches/magic/how their family would have had to hide their true selves for generations etc etc.

That being said, the story is interesting, the characters and setting are great, if anything I just wish there was MORE to this story.

[gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town, elemental magic but unfortunately no horror. As someone who doesn't usually read horror, and has to build up morale when I do read one, it was quite disappointing experiencing nothing but a slight gloom after all that.

Moving on, the prose here is some amazing stuff. The imagery was so vivid and strong, the descriptions of the smells so palpable, I loved that! However the story itself suffers from the same issue I have with most novellas and that's that it was trying to juggle and close up multiple plot threads and that led to a quite rushed and unsatisfied ending. I did not have a smile on my face seeing the acknowledgements at the end of my arc.

Overall, this was still quite an enjoyable read and I'm thankful to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Bea Hasemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley & Interstellar Flight Press for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this novella.

When a water witch from Appalachia finds a dead body emerging from under the ground and her cousin missing she finds power she did not realise she had in order to find her and bring her back home safely.

I loved this novella, the author uses such gorgeous imagery and voice of her main character to make you believe you are in their home in Appalachia, in so few pages she manages to get to you really care about the characters, all of which feel grounded in reality despite their magical powers.

I loved watching the main character grow over the course of the story and would read a sequel in a heartbeat!

[Rishika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.25 stars. This book made me cry on each page! It was short but the story was very impactful. There was more witchy elements than horror (there isn’t any so I think the book might work better if the genre tags are changed before publication!) so if you like shows like Good Witch or Charmed but set in Appalachia, you might like this novella. I do wish there were more settings than just their home and that we got to see more of the surrounding magical landscape but this is fine for a novella. The romance was also a bit weirdly paced and I didn’t quite get the pull there.

I’m sad to give it such a low rating but it just didn’t give what it said it would in the description or genre tags.

[liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always found witchcraft to be an amazing metaphor for female resistance against patriarchy/suppressed power/ marginalized "otherness", so this novella was a delight.

I really enjoyed the prose, I wish the characters were a little better flushed out but I understand the constraints of a novella can make it harder to happen.

At last, you can really feel how family is at the heart of this book. It's what moves Rhia when there's barely nothing left to fuel her; the love she feels for them and her conflicted feelings towards the land is what makes this story reach one's heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Priscilla Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, magical, and terrifying. The FMC Rhia is haunted by her magic in some ways, not fully tapped into it yet. When her cousin goes missing, she has to utilize more than her physical talents and intelligence and use her magic to help guide her.

I loved the atmospheric beauty of the story, set in the mountains and wild. The characters are dynamic and fierce in their love for each other, and the magic is both believable and natural. The depth of emotions the FMC goes through as she discovers herself through this book is incredible. Highly recommend this book if you are looking for something both haunting and beautiful.

[YoshimotoReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very catchy premise about two witchy sisters; One on a mission to save another kidnapped sister, set in the Appalachian Mountains, but you know how in a fantasy novel, the characters sometimes take a break from the main quest to spend time with family, and small events take place during that downtime? This book felt exactly like that. Things were happening, but the overarching plot was missing, The void was so evident.

Having said all that, there were few very cool moments!!

1. The characters talking with the dead

2. Their ability to use nature as a weapon

3. The demonstration of witch powers to locate the sister.

Thank you #NetGalley for the arc of #ARiverWide

[Sslone · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may find yourself surprised at how much emotion A River Wide has in its 98 pages. As the story begins Rhia, a witch in Appalachia with a strong connection to nature. She will need every drop of that connection to unravel the events of the previous days and restore her family.

A River Wide is an excellent novella in an under-represented sub-genre. I will definitely read more from Amanda J. McGee after this introduction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for this advance reader copy.

[rebeccareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A River Wide is a compact, beautifully written story about the relationship between women, their anger, and the earth. There’s no reinvention of the wheel when it comes to witchcraft or Appalachia, but it’s not needed with writing this lovely. The prose is simple and clear yet gorgeous, lush, and deeply evocative.

It does get a little repetitive at times, though that’s probably made more noticeable by virtue of the novella’s brevity. I also didn't enjoy the shoehorning in of a romance, which felt underbaked and entirely unnecessary to the story.

[Brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC.

4.25/5

I think what impressed me so much about this work, was how much ground it manages to cover and execute on with such a low page count. I've read books in the 300-400 page range that struggle to land it's themes and messages with their longer run times. The environmental and character motivations were laid out seamlessly and the pacing throughout kept up until the climax of the narrative. Overall, very impressed by what was able to be accomplished in under 100 pages.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A horror novella set in my home of Appalachia featuring a little murder mystery and elemental witches? Yes pleeeease. The concept of this book pulled me in right away and it was a very quick read. I think the author did a great job of painting a mental picture of Appalachia’s landscape and giving life to the flora. I related to the FMC’s connection to the land and its waters, and loved how the land connected her to her family. I do wish some of the horror elements were stronger and that there was more of a build up surrounding the central conflict. However, I still enjoyed it all the way through and would recommend it to my fellow appalachians.

[Emily Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This was a beautiful family story that also includes murder. I did not expect the ending of this to impact me as much as it did, but I also didn’t expect the ending that we got. I love anything with witchy women and a sense of a close knit family and this was both of those, wrapped up in a bow. I would like to see a sequel maybe exploring the relationship between Rhia and Owen.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this is beautiful. There's a deep sense of place, both physically and communally. The magic has roots and feels grounded, paralleling nature's duality of comfort and threat. The plot and pacing leave a bit to be desired. There's an urgency at the beginning and end that's propulsive but still pensive, but a dip in the middle as Rhia sorts through introspection. I think this would make a better short story, but I'd definitely read more from this author.

[jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive the e-arc of this book through netgalley. I was emotional by the end of this book! I like how it not only focused on family bonds but also on the personal relationship Rhia had with herself. I do wish we could get more insight into other characters, such as Amey and Gran, but I appreciated how Rhia's background unfolded as the book progressed.

[Nasrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Rhia learns her cousin, Amey, is missing by finding the body of a town local in the yard instead of chickens. She now has to confront her own misgivings about her magical ability to find Amey.

I would call this a good Summerween novella. It’s short and fast paced but gives rural witchy vibes and has good character depth and growth.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

[Tommaso Galvano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amanda J. McGee writes in a wonderful way that flows with the pages. The story is interesting and keeps you on your toes with a great opening chapter to start off. As much as i enjoyed it, i expected a little more horror from A River Wide, as it was promoted as such. But, that said, it is a book i would easily recommend this to many of my witchy friends!

[Ranash_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short for a story this beautiful, I need a full book.
There where a couple of spelling mistakes and the plot didn’t feel perfect but I loved every second of it.