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trzcuit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
blacksphinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
kattyenn's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, and Blood
constellation_library's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
--A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
--Nettle & Bone
--What Moves the Dead
--A House with Good Bones
I'm currently reading The Twisted Ones, and will likely follow that with The Hollow Places.
Anyway, I say all of that to say, that I hold Kingfisher's work in the highest esteem, so A House with Good Bones was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I'm pleased to announce that I enjoyed the story immensely. I gave it 4.5/5 stars. Kingfisher has a very unique voice and writing style, and you will always be able to spot a Kingfisher novel because of this. The characters are always quirky with humorous internal dialogue, and there are often animal companions or animal characters.
In A House with Good Bones, we are seeing a 32 year old woman having to live with her mother in her late grandmother's house. The house isn't old. It's in a pretty modern development comparatively, maybe only 40-50 years old. But something weird is definitely going on when vultures sit and watch the house. Her mother, normally a liberal, free-spirited lady, is acting unlike herself. There are so many bits and pieces to this tale, and it blends horror with weird fiction. I can't say much more for fear of spoiling it, but suffice it to say that this one did not go the way I expected it to.
My one gripe, and why I can't give it the full five stars is because the unexpected direction it took honestly felt like it belonged in a completely different story. It worked just fine, and I couldn't tell you a preferred way for it to go, but something about it just didn't click for me and took me out of the narrative. I'm curious to see if anyone else had a similar experience.
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
jessreadreceipts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
horrorandscience's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Samantha Montgomery has to briefly move in with her mother while her archeological dig is postponed because of human remains. Instantly, she can tell something is wrong with her mom. She’s not as bright and cheerful as she used to be, and she’s embracing ideals that are very unlike her. Sam starts digging into what’s going on, and as a scientist, she finds stuff that she just does not believe.
I love a good story about familial trauma and breaking generational trauma. This definitely falls into that category. It also directly tackles fat phobia, which is rare in horror stories. It was also just… creepy. Sam is an archeoentomologist, meaning she deals with old bugs. So warning, there’s bugs. I also loved the vultures in this story. The book also takes place in North Carolina and tackles stuff like systemic and generational racism.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. My only real issue, hence the .5 star reduction, is a bit of a spoiler but it had to do with the ending. It was just kind of too easy. Otherwise, T. Kingfisher blows me away yet again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy. A House with Good Bones is available now.
CW for fat phobia, body shaming, racism, medical trauma, entemophobia, child abuse, emotional abuse, fire, injury description, blood, gore, and death
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
acwhite's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
sarrie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
T. Kingfisher lives in an area somewhat local to my own so when she started to describe the ingrained white racism of Sam’s grandmother I went ‘My god, it’s like she knows my family.’ That casual Southern Racism and obsession with class and appearance. The hit that perfect mix that made me uncomfortable and frustrated and all the feelings with the main character. I really, really connected with that.
5 beautiful Black Vultures out of 5
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse
boglord's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail