Scan barcode
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It is very unpleasant to sit down to a meal when you are trying to determine which one of your breakfast companions is a murderer.
There’s always something so cozy about T. Kingfisher’s books, even when it’s a horror story. I really loved the protagonist here and the culture ka comes from. The whole deal with sworn soldiers who have their own pronouns is so different, but at the same time baked seamlessly into the fabric of 19th century Europe by including references to actual historical events and places. It was refreshing and interesting for me to see a protagonist who struggles with tinnitus (oh that bane of my existence, what would I give to hear silence again… ahem, sorry). I liked Easton’s observations about war and how people deal with its aftermath, and I liked seeing the bond ka developed with Denton over their wartime and post-wartime experiences. Also, Easton’s horse Kob was a character of his own, and what a lovely, opinionated character he makes.
The fungi-based horror escalated gradually throughout the novella, and I really enjoyed this build-up. Early on, the weird hares and the spooky lake and the creepy mushrooms were already firmly established as parts of the narrative, and Easton was already disturbed by the state ka found the Usher siblings in, and yet all of it was like a weird eldritch frame for a cozier, more human story: people bonding, and finding ways to have fun even while they’re anxious and worried, and opening up to each other. But the further the plot moved along, the thicker that frame became, creating moments of genuine horror. I loved how T. Kingfisher alternated between focusing on the horrors themselves and the characters’ reactions to them to deepen the effect.
My one small complaint is that the ending / resolution felt a little too rushed and abrupt. I think I would have enjoyed lingering there for another short chapter to see the characters start to process, maybe. That aside, this story is definitely going to end up on my list of 2024 favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
hellsjerome's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Lovely reimagining of Poe’s classic that’s scary in a different way. Wish it kept a few things unexplained but I enjoyed the mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Body horror
Moderate: War
Minor: Murder
meaghanelizabook's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Mental illness
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Animal cruelty, and War
Minor: Suicide
star_charter152's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: War
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and War
Moderate: Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Transphobia
abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Gore, Animal death, and Suicide
Moderate: War and Transphobia
simplyammee's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: War
kukucocoreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked individual components of this book, but it felt a little underwhelming as a whole to me. I went back and forth between giving it 3 stars or 4. I think its sitting somewhere between 3.75 and 4.00.
I read The Fall of the House of Usher in high school. I remember it vaguely, but believe that I enjoyed it. I did refresh my memory before reading this because I was curious about the changes.
The book's aesthetic immediately grabbed my attention. The cover art is amazing and the title intrigued me. The end page art on the hardcover is also a plus.
Despite that, I had a really hard time getting into this one. I carried it around in my purse for an entire month and only made it to the third chapter. I'm not sure if this was due to the book or a reading slump, but I just couldn't find the motivation to read it. But then last night I sat down to read and ended up finishing it in one go.
I really like the main character. I also enjoyed the exploration of gender, identity, and purpose through Easton, Maddy, and Miss Potter in this 1890 landscape. The use of a fictional country was a great way to introduce those themes, though I do feel as if the explanation of the pronouns at the beginning was a little clunky. Rather than expositing it all in one go, I would have preferred a more subtle introduction (such as in the end when Easton asks"Why is she referring to a child?" when Madeline uses the va/van pronouns for the tarn as an example).
There were several moments that I chuckled or laughed out loud and I enjoyed the inclusion of the humor to lighten things up. While this made the story lose some of its atmospheric tension, it gave the characters a little more depth for me. The American bashing was a little much at times, but ultimately it was in good fun and I found it amusing.
There were some pretty creepy moments and I enjoyed how the hares and fungi were used in this. Where it was going was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the journey there. I appreciated how the ending played out and how thefungi was compared to rabies and the "its not evil, its alien" message to describe motivations.
I read The Fall of the House of Usher in high school. I remember it vaguely, but believe that I enjoyed it. I did refresh my memory before reading this because I was curious about the changes.
The book's aesthetic immediately grabbed my attention. The cover art is amazing and the title intrigued me. The end page art on the hardcover is also a plus.
Despite that, I had a really hard time getting into this one. I carried it around in my purse for an entire month and only made it to the third chapter. I'm not sure if this was due to the book or a reading slump, but I just couldn't find the motivation to read it. But then last night I sat down to read and ended up finishing it in one go.
I really like the main character. I also enjoyed the exploration of gender, identity, and purpose through Easton, Maddy, and Miss Potter in this 1890 landscape. The use of a fictional country was a great way to introduce those themes, though I do feel as if the explanation of the pronouns at the beginning was a little clunky. Rather than expositing it all in one go, I would have preferred a more subtle introduction (such as in the end when Easton asks
There were several moments that I chuckled or laughed out loud and I enjoyed the inclusion of the humor to lighten things up. While this made the story lose some of its atmospheric tension, it gave the characters a little more depth for me. The American bashing was a little much at times, but ultimately it was in good fun and I found it amusing.
There were some pretty creepy moments and I enjoyed how the hares and fungi were used in this. Where it was going was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the journey there. I appreciated how the ending played out and how the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, and Terminal illness
Minor: Vomit and Transphobia
flaminggecko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Misogyny, Classism, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Animal death
Moderate: War and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent
lizzisok's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Blood and Body horror