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cloudreader2948's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.75
A coming home horror novel. Light on the horror. I enjoy a lot of T Kingfisher stories as there's enough suspense and horror without it keeping me up at night, like Diet Horror. It was also refreshing to have a fat protagonist who had good self-esteem. Their weight was mentioned when appropriate to the story but not once did they wish they were smaller or talk about their weight as if it was a bad thing. Loved it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Dementia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Racism, and Violence
ribbenkast's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Hold out for the ending! It's good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Racism, Blood, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
eni_iilorak's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Cursing, and Abandonment
Minor: Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Drug use, Murder, Stalking, and Grief
ktv's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The ending was so weird. The middle section up until she finds the teeth was slow. I don’t even remember what happened then. I didn’t like the voice for Phil. It sounded too much like his grandfather. I couldn’t visualize him as someone close to Sam’s age. Everything happened in the last third of the book which wasn’t bad but it could’ve been more interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Cursing, Cannibalism, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
taylormoore's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, and Racism
georgiaaa's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse
waywardskyril's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I read a book by T. Kingfisher called The Hollow Places. It was my jam; it was my flavor. I soaked it up and savored it. Since then I've read the mediocre The Twisted Ones and, now, A House with Good Bones, chasing that good storytelling with relatable heroes and indescribable, cosmic horror that The Hollow Places gave me. And I haven't really found it.
Yes, Sam Montgomery, the MC, IS relatable and a decently-crafted character, which is how this book gets its second star. Unfortunately, for me, anyway, that's where the quality ends. Honestly, that second star barely scraped by anyway because Sam is, at times, an enormous idiot.
A House with Good Bones has a painfully slow moving story in which very little happens for an actual 75% of the book. There are occasional strange occurrences, but these are too unrelated, far apart, or simply dismissed to grow in me any kind of lurking horror or dread. If I think back on the book as a whole, there were two scenes in the entire book that made me feel any type of that good-horror dread.
One lasted a couple of pages and before being dismissed and leaving me disappointed that the creepy horror I was hoping for from Kingfisher wasn't "finally starting" like I had thought.
The second was in the final climax in the last 15%ish, but again, only lasted briefly before falling away because, as I said, this book had failed to grow a creeping dread before now, so whatever I felt briefly in the final climax had no legs to stand on. It almost transformed into silliness instead and a lackluster push to get the book over with.
Overall, the plot followed the mechanics of the other two Kingfisher books I read but with fewer scares, a stupider main character, and much less mystery-horror building to make me excited to finally discover all the answers in the end.
I'd call A House with Good Bones a watered down The Twisted Ones and a flavorless stone soup compared the The Hollow Places. Will I read another Kingfisher book? I don't know. I've been asking myself that question since finishing this book. Part of me still wants to try to find something of hers that thrills and excites me as much as The Hollow Places did, but, truth be told, had I read this book first I doubt I'd ever have picked up another by her.
Let's just say I'm glad I borrowed this book from my library's digital system. Perhaps The Hollow Places was a one-off for me, and I should quit before Kingfisher and I continue disappointing one another.
Yes, Sam Montgomery, the MC, IS relatable and a decently-crafted character, which is how this book gets its second star. Unfortunately, for me, anyway, that's where the quality ends. Honestly, that second star barely scraped by anyway because Sam is, at times, an enormous idiot.
A House with Good Bones has a painfully slow moving story in which very little happens for an actual 75% of the book. There are occasional strange occurrences, but these are too unrelated, far apart, or simply dismissed to grow in me any kind of lurking horror or dread. If I think back on the book as a whole, there were two scenes in the entire book that made me feel any type of that good-horror dread.
One lasted a couple of pages and before being dismissed and leaving me disappointed that the creepy horror I was hoping for from Kingfisher wasn't "finally starting" like I had thought.
The second was in the final climax in the last 15%ish, but again, only lasted briefly before falling away because, as I said, this book had failed to grow a creeping dread before now, so whatever I felt briefly in the final climax had no legs to stand on. It almost transformed into silliness instead and a lackluster push to get the book over with.
Overall, the plot followed the mechanics of the other two Kingfisher books I read but with fewer scares, a stupider main character, and much less mystery-horror building to make me excited to finally discover all the answers in the end.
I'd call A House with Good Bones a watered down The Twisted Ones and a flavorless stone soup compared the The Hollow Places. Will I read another Kingfisher book? I don't know. I've been asking myself that question since finishing this book. Part of me still wants to try to find something of hers that thrills and excites me as much as The Hollow Places did, but, truth be told, had I read this book first I doubt I'd ever have picked up another by her.
Let's just say I'm glad I borrowed this book from my library's digital system. Perhaps The Hollow Places was a one-off for me, and I should quit before Kingfisher and I continue disappointing one another.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal cruelty
"Child abuse" TW is from in the past by a grandmother, and is mostly verbal/emotional abuse with one recalled instance of physical abuse. "animal cruelty" TW is for insects and is more accidental than intentional. The MC actually loves bugs but does, inadvertently, kill some a couple of times, though she tries not to.trips's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
First off, if you can't handle insects/bugs: don't read this book!
For those that can, this is a haunted house horror book about family bonds, bugs, vultures, and gardening. And some creepy stuff too, but that's up to you find out what it is!
Overall I enjoyed this book, T. Kingfisher's writing is again, just a really nice reading experience. Her way with words is entertaining and also inspiring. I was thinking this story was going to be quiet? horror? but no, its not, just wait till the twist lol.
If you like horror, give it a try!
For those that can, this is a haunted house horror book about family bonds, bugs, vultures, and gardening. And some creepy stuff too, but that's up to you find out what it is!
Overall I enjoyed this book, T. Kingfisher's writing is again, just a really nice reading experience. Her way with words is entertaining and also inspiring. I was thinking this story was going to be quiet? horror? but no, its not, just wait till the twist lol.
If you like horror, give it a try!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, and Body horror
Minor: Grief
whimsicalish's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sadly I did not enjoy this one as much as T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead.
This one felt lacking the mystery. You figure out early on what is happening in the house. The set up with the main character and her family is appreciated but it's a slow pace in the first half. Before any hauntings have happened, you're learning more about Latin names to insects than anything else.
I did enjoy most of the characters. They felt like real people. I'm not sure why the book had to flirt with the idea of a budding romance. It didn't have anything to do with the story or characters. It's just kinda there.
The thriller was the climax at the very end. Bummer that it ends so quickly when you get a taste of the creepiness.
It's not a bad book. It didn't enthrall me like her previous one. I'm still interested in her future stories.
This one felt lacking the mystery. You figure out early on what is happening in the house. The set up with the main character and her family is appreciated but it's a slow pace in the first half. Before any hauntings have happened, you're learning more about Latin names to insects than anything else.
I did enjoy most of the characters. They felt like real people. I'm not sure why the book had to flirt with the idea of a budding romance. It didn't have anything to do with the story or characters. It's just kinda there.
The thriller was the climax at the very end. Bummer that it ends so quickly when you get a taste of the creepiness.
It's not a bad book. It didn't enthrall me like her previous one. I'm still interested in her future stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body horror and Child abuse
jessicalarson125's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Body shaming