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wildflowerleahg's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Racism
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
ryanryanmcv's review
dark
funny
mysterious
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
first read of 2024! overall a house with good bones was decent. if you’re in the mood for something genuinely scary or unsettling, this probably isn’t the book for you. i really wanted to find the horror scenes scary, but some things inhibited that. the central mystery is somewhat predictable — i think just about everyone that reads it figures out what’s going on by page 50 — and the author tends to favour the humour a bit too much during those scenes. that being said, i found the characters to be exceptionally developed and lovable, and the authors witty, wry humour is enjoyable throughout. overall an enjoyable if pretty undemanding ghost story. 7.35/10
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood
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
just_one_more_paige's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.0
I’m getting really into Kingfisher’s writing, after loving Nettle & Bone last year and just recently really enjoying Thornhedge. I found this one at my local bookstore in the used section and decided, even though horror isn’t really my vibe, to go for it. Which turned out to be an extra good call as, when I opened it to start reading, I saw that it was actually a signed copy. What a cool surprise!
When Sam’s newest dig site (for her job as an archaeoentomologist) has to go on an unexpected hiatus, she takes the opportunity to head back to her childhood home in rural NC to check in on her mother. Sam had heard from her brother, after his last visit, that she’d been acting strangely. So, she shows up ready to drink boxed wine and watch British murder mystery shows. And realizes that maybe her brother was right… The house she remembers, all the eclectic art and bright colors, had been changed back into the sterile “perfect home” look that it had been when her grandmother was still alive and living there. And her mother is acting a bit off, jumpy and nervous and not at all like herself. Between that and the vultures everywhere and the invading bugs and jar of teeth buried in the garden, Sam’s scientific mind is struggling to explain everything away.
This was a super slow build into the horror that really worked for me. The slow crawling growth in those vibes matched the roses/garden/bugs themes that were central to the setting/plot really well. As I started reading this, a friend messaged to say they had liked it, that it had just the right amount of creepy…and I couldn’t agree more. The atmosphere was spot on, but never too much for this scaredy-cat reader. I don’t want to give too many details away, because that ruins the fun, but the little bit of magic/supernatural that comes in to bring the plot home (as it were) was well-used, in combination with the rose garden and vultures and bugs and isolated/rural setting (including standard angry old man neighbor). And the “big creepy” that came with the finale was horrific enough to deserve the build, but not overwhelming or overdone. Again though, I have to ask (especially after just reading it in House of Hunger too), whyyyyyyyyy does horror always have to include loose teeth?! Ohhh my squeamish comes out with them.
I *loved* the narrative voice. Sam’s super intelligent snarky-ness was fantastic. It’s different than the more fairy tale style narrations of Kingfisher’s other works (at least the couple I’ve read), which I maybe should have expected due to the genre change, but really didn’t. However, it was a pleasant surprise, because it was so well written. Self-deprecating, smart, sarcastic female MCs are a personal favorite of mine (and Sam’s passion for insects was especially endearing, on top of that). Plus, I enjoyed her scientific “prove its anything but” approach to horror too.
Another thing I loved was the recognize-ability of the south, especially the rural NC that I know (and love/love-hate) in these pages. It had the classic old lady silly (and racist Confederate) house art, phone/internet access realities (as in, a lack of functionality), Cheerwine (iykyk…but we at least agreed on its gross-ness!), cultural traditions (including openly recognizing racism from the white population, which isn’t as typical, so that was a pleasant surprise), attics chock full of both legitimate old family heirlooms and useless “can’t throw this out” stuff, the giant armpit humidity vibes, neighborly small talk and suspicious/reclusive neighbors, and so much more. The recognizability of many of these mother-daughter (and about grandparent) interactions, about propriety and making the front of a perfect home/family, fit the setting and story really well, and were both well portrayed and wonderfully, lightly, satirical.
The finale was a really unique take on the way that rage builds over a lifetime when sidelined and ignored, the power that yearning for something different and working to protect it once you have it (especially when it began with a child’s desperation), can take on. It allowed the addition of a lovely emotional depth to a typical horror story. I really enjoyed my time with this book; totally entertaining.
“It’s easy to think that sweet people are weak…”
“Like many family dynamics, it didn’t have to be healthy, it just had to work.”
“Ultimately, I’m still just a white women form the South, with the accompanying combination of hypersensitivity and total obliviousness.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood
Minor: Racism
cwerber's review
adventurous
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Terminal illness
I liked this book.the first 3/4 felt slow but ramped up in the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed it and would like to see more of Gail, Hermes, and Edith.jessicalarson125's review
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: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
ireadinbed's review
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I heard a bad review for this book but then my book club picked it And I'm so glad they did because I wouldn't have picked it up if they hadn't. And I really liked this book.
In all honesty, I sometimes found it so on. The notice accurate to my own family experiences that I found a little trite. But I think the supernatural elements kind of save it from that.
In the end I didn't wanna put it down. And I really loved the way things resolved. Gran mae was a perfect villain, even just in memory.
In all honesty, I sometimes found it so on. The notice accurate to my own family experiences that I found a little trite. But I think the supernatural elements kind of save it from that.
In the end I didn't wanna put it down. And I really loved the way things resolved. Gran mae was a perfect villain, even just in memory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Blood
axel_p's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
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? Yes
5.0
I love bugs.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, Dementia, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
thebankofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Gore, Blood, and Death of parent