Reviews

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Only show reviews with written explanations

fv_angela's review against another edition

4.0

Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2024/02/angelas-minis-reviews-for-books-by-t-kingfisher-and-a-g-slatter.html

Alex and Angus are travelling back home to Gallacia to make ready the family hunting lodge for Miss Potter, who will be meeting up with them shortly. Alex hasn’t heard from the caretaker for quite some time, and once they arrive at their destination, they realize the reason. When they inquire in town there are whispers and superstitions among the townspeople. No one wants to take the job as caretaker, but they luck out by hiring a cantankerous widow and her grandson. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that something is very wrong with the hunting lodge– strange silences, a creepy stillness, and terrifying dreams that steal their very breath.

As a huge fan of this author, I was simply delighted for a second entry in the Sworn Soldier series which follows retired soldier Alex Easton. This is a fast read at only 147 pages, but it is big on the creepiness. The lovely Miss Potter has also returned, and she lightens every page, despite the dreariness of the backdrop. I’m here for a romance between her and Angus. Alex is once again tested by supernatural powers and I was on the edge of my seat, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. Especially for the kindhearted Bors.

All ends well, but the journey there is a dark, gothic delight.

Grade- B

gianfortune's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

maryleong's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was a much shorter read than I was expecting. It certainly felt a lot shorter than What Moves the Dead – perhaps because the plot is fairly straightforward and wraps up quite neatly.

In this sequel, Lieutenant Alex Easton returns to the family estate to find that the old caretaker has died and the townsfolk are cagey about what happened. Conversations with locals soon uncover a local legend about the moroi, a hag which sits upon the chest of sleepers and sucks the breath from them.

Plot-wise, this is an extremely light read – the story wraps up fairly quickly as the moroi's origin is discovered and the spirit is appeased. What really stood out for me was the exploration of Easton's PTSD from the war. It's never dramatic or overstated – it's a realistic look at the mundane, everyday disassociation and flashbacks during ordinary moments, and chokehold that the memories continue to have over time.

Overall, a solid read but there are plenty of T. Kingfisher novels that I'd recommend before this one.

obsidian_blue's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Please note that I received this book from NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Breaks my heart to say this but this second book was so not as good as book #1.

This should have been left alone as a standalone. Alex was annoying and boring in this one and there’s nothing in this that makes you want to read more. I think without the Fall of the House of Usher, this falls flat and flails to its unimportant ending.

Full Review:

"Sworn Soldier" follows Alex Easton as they return to the country of Gallacia. Alex does not want to return, but does it as a favor to Angus since Ms. Potter (see Sworn Soldier #1) wants to tour the country to inspect mushrooms. Alex is confused though when they arrive and realize the person that was hired to keep the family's lodge in good shape is missing. And that the village seems terrified of working there.

So the good, the book was funny. I did laugh a bit about interactions between Alex and Angus. Things in my mind got really good when Ms. Potter finally arrived. And the initial interactions between Alex and the widow were great. But a horror book having funny parts was not enough to get me to give this more than 3 stars.

I think the biggest thing is this book is so freaking slow. It just stop and starts. I felt at times that pages must be missing because the book just felt off in some weird way while I was reading it. And the Alex who has gone through the things in book #1, I can't see why they were so resistant to what could possibly be happening in this book. It didn't pass the smell test for me.

And I don't mind folk lore horror, it just didn't make a lot of sense to me and Kingfisher kept adding things like and this was never explained and sometimes that is just what happens. What? I want explanation. It felt like at some point Kingfisher realized there were plot holes galore but wanted to get to the ending.

And the ending. I don't even know what to say. I just felt let down after the juggernaut of "What Moves the Dead." I think that book should have stayed an excellent standalone.