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esterie's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
a story of generational abuse, breaking the cycle, and dismantling the institution even if it hurts and is hard work. the horror in here wasn't effective (to me, but then again i'm VERY picky when it comes to horror), but as a tale tinged in tragedy it worked great. something about the ending and the overall theme really tugged at my heartstrings even though it's thankfully something i've never gone through.
similar to the only other t. kingfisher book i've read (nettle & bone) there's nothing i outright dislike about this book. it was solid. the writing was kinda ~quirky~ being in the mc's head, didn't hate it but i think in a longer book it would have gotten grating. LOVED that she was a bug girl though. and as someone that has lived thru multiple invasive lady beetle swarms in their life, fuck that all the way off!!!!!
similar to the only other t. kingfisher book i've read (nettle & bone) there's nothing i outright dislike about this book. it was solid. the writing was kinda ~quirky~ being in the mc's head, didn't hate it but i think in a longer book it would have gotten grating. LOVED that she was a bug girl though. and as someone that has lived thru multiple invasive lady beetle swarms in their life, fuck that all the way off!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
annamary54's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
I really enjoyed this book, i found myself laughing, and at the same time regretting my choice to stay up late and read this. Honestly the suspense throughout is more scary than the actual horror parts of the book. I rolled my eyes at a few millennial-isms, but also realized I was raised on millennial humor, and laughed quite a bit. don’t talk to me until i’ve had my boxed wine. I found the main character Sam very relatable overall, mostly because I too am a fat white woman with a specialized degree, a worldview that polarizes me from my family, and too much self awareness that it almost wraps around to being self un-aware. I am still unsure about how to feel about the ending, I can say for certain I did not see it coming. I liked the witchy aspect, i just wish it were touched upon earlier and in more depth than “witchy estranged neighbor.” The whole action went from 0 to 100 really quick, which yes in horror that’s how it works, but I kinda wanted more spooky bits than just sleep paralysis and hand in photo. Maybe more underground children content earlier. I will say I was thoroughly entertained and didn’t want to stop reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Fatphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
lyla_lynn's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A fun, mysterious, spooky read that takes place in one of the most boring places on earth: a cookie cutter house development from the 1990s. I didn't go into this with any expectations of it being a great horror and I think that's the best way to go. There is horror, but there is much more humor as Sam, our main character and archaroentomolgist, tries to figure out why her mom has started to act oddly. Now am I biased as an archaeologist? Obviously, but it was a fun read! Sam's struggle to come to terms with what could be happening is interesting to read and everything wraps up pretty nearly, and probably with a lot of PTSD for the characters, which is the best you can hope for in a horror novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Racism
Minor: Gore
cloudreader2948's review
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, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Dementia
ribbenkast's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Hold out for the ending! It's good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
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, Fatphobia, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Racism, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
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: Cursing, Fatphobia, Gore, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
taylormoore's review
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: Body horror, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Violence, and Death of parent
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: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
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.