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ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Child death
parkerluck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Almost a 4 star because the horror aspect is đ”âđ«, really really worked for me. I loved the buildup, particularly with the journal/manuscript, and all the description was very scary. I was worried the outcome would fall flat once the mystery was revealed but instead I found it very gross (affectionate) and intriguing!
Mainly I wanted just a little more from the characters and maybe like... 10% less quip during the tense scenes. The humor waned after a bit and I felt myself getting tired after reading "Hon" for the 4th time on a page. Overall it definitely wasn't a dealbreaker by any means and I found the MC very likeable!! Just wish she had a bit more going on.
Mainly I wanted just a little more from the characters and maybe like... 10% less quip during the tense scenes. The humor waned after a bit and I felt myself getting tired after reading "Hon" for the 4th time on a page. Overall it definitely wasn't a dealbreaker by any means and I found the MC very likeable!! Just wish she had a bit more going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Animal death, Slavery, and Miscarriage
readundancies's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The pace of The Twisted Ones was a little slow at first, hence me needing 50ish pages to really get settled in the story, but once it picks up itâs fairly consistent.
I love T. Kingfisherâs writing and how she structured the narrative of this story; there were so many hypotheticals in hindsight that gave off a sort of reluctant survivor kind of tone that when you as the reader jump into all the creepy repetition, itâs so jarring and hair-raising because it feels eerie and uncomfortable and emotions are heightened because youâre on edge and itâs just wonderfully delicious to experience.
At the 110 page mark I managed to gain access to an audiobook so Iâm jumped in for a hybrid read and it was a fantastic choice if I do say so myself. The audiobook is narrated by Hillary Huber and she too is fantastic. And to be honest, if weâre gonna talk about other fantastic things about this novel, Bongo and Mouse and Foxy and Tomas and Skip should all be included as well. The characterization is nothing incredibly complex but Kingfisherâs characters are always so likeable and fascinating in that relatable kind of way. They feel genuine and are often characters I would love to hang out with and have deep conversations with over a couple glasses of wine and some edibles. Theyâre always a good time, and this cast is no different.
Thereâs something so endearing about a reluctant protagonist, and T. Kingfisher writes them so well. Between Mouse and Kara from The Hollow Places, itâs clear to see that T. Kingfisher has mastered the voice of a woman who does not seek to be the main character of any story; she is fine simply coasting along and moving on with her life without having any knowledge of the unknown and what else may be out there.
The book gives off such strong cult classic movie vibes (think Tremors but no giant wormy creatures, just terrifying conglomerations of dead creatures and trash instead). Itâs almost B-movie-like with the humorous voice of our narrator Mouse, and really, T. Kingfisherâs humour is a highlight for me because I am constantly amused despite the eerie atmosphere that she manages to cultivate in her novels.
I read another review calling this âcomforting horrorâ, and I completely agree. This is not horror which is meant to instill fear and terror, itâs meant to creep you out if you read it when the sun goes down and the lights are low and the floorboards creak ominously. Itâs meant to make your hackles rise but not make you choke on your own saliva moments after, you just sit in that feeling instead and let it simmer around you so you can bathe in it and breathe it in and nestle into a dark corner to watch the unsettling plot that ensues. Itâs immersion in that virtual reality kind of way and I adore it.
I also really liked how this ended. The reluctant protagonist was reluctant for good reason and ends up a little broken from her ordeal but she has survived. The implication as to what or rather who Foxy shot at right before they got away from the effigies was denial at itâs finest and really enhanced Mouseâs caring nature which got her into such a shitty situation but she came out the other side in spite of her unhinged step-grandfather and cruel grandmother.
I was kind of hoping that the fact that Mouseâs grandmotherâs blood runs through her veins wouldâve played more of a role in her overcoming the holler people and the effigies, like perhaps the evil that her grandmother had put out into the universe wouldâve repelled the effigies due to their intentional avoidance of her. But I still enjoyed how her grandma played a minor role anyways with the whole hardwood floor covered with slippy linoleum moment.
All in all, I enjoyed this to a lesser extent than The Hollow Places but it was still a solidly entertaining cozy horror story which is all I asked from it. I wouldnât go into this expecting to be terrified because this is not that kind of horror novel, but I still recommend it because this book has cemented T. Kingfisher as one of my favourite authors.
I love T. Kingfisherâs writing and how she structured the narrative of this story; there were so many hypotheticals in hindsight that gave off a sort of reluctant survivor kind of tone that when you as the reader jump into all the creepy repetition, itâs so jarring and hair-raising because it feels eerie and uncomfortable and emotions are heightened because youâre on edge and itâs just wonderfully delicious to experience.
At the 110 page mark I managed to gain access to an audiobook so Iâm jumped in for a hybrid read and it was a fantastic choice if I do say so myself. The audiobook is narrated by Hillary Huber and she too is fantastic. And to be honest, if weâre gonna talk about other fantastic things about this novel, Bongo and Mouse and Foxy and Tomas and Skip should all be included as well. The characterization is nothing incredibly complex but Kingfisherâs characters are always so likeable and fascinating in that relatable kind of way. They feel genuine and are often characters I would love to hang out with and have deep conversations with over a couple glasses of wine and some edibles. Theyâre always a good time, and this cast is no different.
Thereâs something so endearing about a reluctant protagonist, and T. Kingfisher writes them so well. Between Mouse and Kara from The Hollow Places, itâs clear to see that T. Kingfisher has mastered the voice of a woman who does not seek to be the main character of any story; she is fine simply coasting along and moving on with her life without having any knowledge of the unknown and what else may be out there.
The book gives off such strong cult classic movie vibes (think Tremors but no giant wormy creatures, just terrifying conglomerations of dead creatures and trash instead). Itâs almost B-movie-like with the humorous voice of our narrator Mouse, and really, T. Kingfisherâs humour is a highlight for me because I am constantly amused despite the eerie atmosphere that she manages to cultivate in her novels.
I read another review calling this âcomforting horrorâ, and I completely agree. This is not horror which is meant to instill fear and terror, itâs meant to creep you out if you read it when the sun goes down and the lights are low and the floorboards creak ominously. Itâs meant to make your hackles rise but not make you choke on your own saliva moments after, you just sit in that feeling instead and let it simmer around you so you can bathe in it and breathe it in and nestle into a dark corner to watch the unsettling plot that ensues. Itâs immersion in that virtual reality kind of way and I adore it.
I also really liked how this ended. The reluctant protagonist was reluctant for good reason and ends up a little broken from her ordeal but she has survived. The implication as to what or rather who Foxy shot at right before they got away from the effigies was denial at itâs finest and really enhanced Mouseâs caring nature which got her into such a shitty situation but she came out the other side in spite of her unhinged step-grandfather and cruel grandmother.
I was kind of hoping that the fact that Mouseâs grandmotherâs blood runs through her veins wouldâve played more of a role in her overcoming the holler people and the effigies, like perhaps the evil that her grandmother had put out into the universe wouldâve repelled the effigies due to their intentional avoidance of her. But I still enjoyed how her grandma played a minor role anyways with the whole hardwood floor covered with slippy linoleum moment.
All in all, I enjoyed this to a lesser extent than The Hollow Places but it was still a solidly entertaining cozy horror story which is all I asked from it. I wouldnât go into this expecting to be terrified because this is not that kind of horror novel, but I still recommend it because this book has cemented T. Kingfisher as one of my favourite authors.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Body horror, Gore, and Animal death
angryoppossum's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Minor: Alcohol
breezer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Miscarriage
j_squaredd's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent and Gore
amandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the uniqueness of this world and all the characters, especially Bongo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death and Body horror
Minor: Child death
my_forest_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Animal death
dale1997's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Violence
_thelitlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
4.25 stars
-
TW: Body Horror, Animal Death, Fire/Fire Injury, Death, Confinement, Toxic Relationship, Child Death, Infertility, Racism.
-
A modern folklore-horror take on a classic, this was a good retelling with loads of spooks, sprinkled with a dash of humour. I opted to listen to this via audio and let me tell you, I was constantly looking around to make sure I was alone! After the death of her grandmother Mouse is tasked with returning back to her home in hopes of cleaning and selling the home, at first it doesn't sound like a bad deal but we soon discover that grandma was a hoarder. As Mouse cleans she starts to uncover sinister secrets about the things in the woods. Mouse starts to realize her mistake in coming back - and wonders if sticking around is even worth it.
Although the plot is filled with impossibilities, the level of terror I felt was unreal. Just when I felt like I had things figured out something was thrown into the loop to throw us offguard. I really enjoyed the surrounding cast of characters including Foxy (a neighbour from the surrounding area), and her guard dog Bongo. The added presence of 'safe' characters was what Mouse needed, and also allowed the author to include humourous moments/dialogue in such a serious story. I will say that the 'horror' element (monster) was a tad far-fetched and out of this world, had it been something that could possibly happen in life I would have been a bit more scared! The book has a large buildup that left me a little let down at the end, I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and could have been more action-packed.
Overall this was a great horror read, that kept me captivated until the final moments.
-
TW: Body Horror, Animal Death, Fire/Fire Injury, Death, Confinement, Toxic Relationship, Child Death, Infertility, Racism.
-
A modern folklore-horror take on a classic, this was a good retelling with loads of spooks, sprinkled with a dash of humour. I opted to listen to this via audio and let me tell you, I was constantly looking around to make sure I was alone! After the death of her grandmother Mouse is tasked with returning back to her home in hopes of cleaning and selling the home, at first it doesn't sound like a bad deal but we soon discover that grandma was a hoarder. As Mouse cleans she starts to uncover sinister secrets about the things in the woods. Mouse starts to realize her mistake in coming back - and wonders if sticking around is even worth it.
Although the plot is filled with impossibilities, the level of terror I felt was unreal. Just when I felt like I had things figured out something was thrown into the loop to throw us offguard. I really enjoyed the surrounding cast of characters including Foxy (a neighbour from the surrounding area), and her guard dog Bongo. The added presence of 'safe' characters was what Mouse needed, and also allowed the author to include humourous moments/dialogue in such a serious story. I will say that the 'horror' element (monster) was a tad far-fetched and out of this world, had it been something that could possibly happen in life I would have been a bit more scared! The book has a large buildup that left me a little let down at the end, I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and could have been more action-packed.
Overall this was a great horror read, that kept me captivated until the final moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Body horror, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Death, Child death, and Racism