Reviews tagging 'Blood'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

125 reviews

twistykris's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.25

This is my first T. Kingfisher novel and I'm excited to read more.

A House with Good Bones is an entertaining, funny, creepy ride that I enjoyed very much! I really liked Sam, and her inner dialogue was inquisitive and funny. The audiobook narrator Mary Robinette did a fantastic job of voicing all of the characters and it was a delight to listen to.

My only real qualm is that the ending "resolution" seemed to be too abrupt. I would have loved to get a little deeper into WHAT happened and why it happened. Even something like,

a final discovered letter from the great grandfather explaining his creations and what went wrong.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Dementia and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

hannanni41's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's no Hollow Places or What Moves The Dead, but it's still pretty good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia and Gaslighting

daredeviling's review

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book is pretty much everything I wanted Mexican Gothic to be, but wasn't. We get the gothic vibes (even though this was just a house and not a mansion), the creepy happenings, the secrets, and the hauntings. tbh, I actually liked that it was a house and not a mansion like in Mexican Gothic or Rebecca - it flipped the concept of a gothic book around, since we normally expect dark mansions with secrets. But this was just in a chill suburbian neighborhood.

Also the main character was *chefs kiss*. She was perfect for the story, so snarky and with a distinct, individual voice. I loved that her career ended up being really helpful for her in the situation, and it was just like ~character flavor text. It was super relevant. Have I mentioned that I love T Kingfisher's characters? Both in Nettle & Bone and in this book, they jump off the page. I want to be friends with all of them and just crack jokes and make sarcastic comments. And of course, just like in Nettle and Bones, the side characters were awesome. They were all such interesting people and I wish they (especially Phil and Gail) could go on further adventures with the main character.

The magic stuff was a little bit confusing, but I didn't even really mind that because the rest of the book was so good. I just sort of hand-waved it and went with what I could gather from the situation. Loved the creepiness of the underground children and the vultures. There's just such an ~atmosphere that the author is able to evoke that complements the gothic vibes within the house itself so well.

T. Kingfisher is definitely quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I can't wait to read more of her books! :) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming and Emotional abuse

Minor: Dementia

marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Racism

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, and Stalking

naomidanae's review

dark medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Violence, and Blood

ohhthehorrors's review

funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Blood, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

lipstickitotheman's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

archaicrobin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

This is probably one of my favorite Kingfisher books so far! She has a way of mixing humor and terror so well, you’re chuckling one minute and cringing the next. 

Sam is staying at home with her mother in their childhood home after her archaeology dig was postponed. Unfortunately, the house seems to have changed and the dead are not at rest. 

This novel is fast paced, humorous, and filled with magical realism giving it a cozy feel. I don’t usually like humor
mixed with horror, but the way Kingfisher writes, I find myself greatly enjoying her stories. This novel is part haunted house, part ancient magic, and part comedy with the overarching theme of familial trauma underneath all the roses. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something a little lighthearted but that still packs a punch with horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

rachelunabridged's review

dark funny mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Racism

kaitieg97's review

challenging 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? No

4.0

T. Kingfisher is such a good visual writer, I've read "What Moves the Dead" as well, and they are both incredibly immersing, which is why I'm so sad to give this book such a low rating. The ending felt weird with

Gran Mae the Rose Monster, The Underground Children, Gail and Hermes being angel/vulture/witches

, too many twists that I felt were unnecessary. I don't think Kingfisher knows how to write endings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse, Dementia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury