Reviews tagging 'Blood'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

125 reviews

isirla's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-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

3.0

T. Kingfisher somehow created  this story in modern times and still found  a way to inject gothic imagery and sensations. Unfortunately it's about all I liked about the book. I finished it feeling disappointed, which never happens with TK books.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

laelolou's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

I'd read Nettle and Bone earlier this year and loved it, so I wanted to read more by the author and this didn't disappoint. T. Kingfisher is so good with the imagery like you really feel uncomfortable reading it.

especially the part with the ladybugs all over the house and the underground children

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

funny informative mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

Really funny in ways I didn’t expect! Sam was a great protagonist. Her logical scientist brain struggled so hard to process the bizarre reality of a haunted house. I think the insanity of it all was what made this story more cohesive. If the protag had been more credulous, the nature of the happenings of this book would’ve blistered and fallen apart. But because she was going step-by-step researching and attaching meaning to illogical things, when really wild stuff happened, it was fun rather than silly.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a sense of creepy and horror to it all. Definitely got tense. But Sam’s narration was a joy. It made the whole book so much funner than it needed to be. I especially loved the running bit about her phone trying to get service. 

Bonus points for the strong, fiery, fat protagonist who had no qualms about her body. And ruthlessly mocked those who did have a problem.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism

zakura317's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, and Blood

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

hexedmaiden's review

funny fast-paced

3.75

 I really appreciate the fat representation and that our main character, Sam, is in no way described in a way that sounds disgusting. I definitely connected with her as someone who not only is fat but grew up chubby. 

I also enjoyed seeing a character with an interesting job as an archeologists entomologist! The entire cast of characters were so interesting. 

 

I also found the ties to Thelema and Alister Crowley so fun!! I feel like we don’t see them used that often in horror books.

 

I enjoyed the Southern Gothic vibes this had too. I definitely would rec this to anyone who was looking for something like that with some magic tossed in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia and Fire/Fire injury

julesadventurezone's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I liked the creepy and mysterious beginning more than the action packed end. The narrator is very funny and relatable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Medical content, and Death of parent

Minor: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism

zghutcheson01's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a fine book but a little slow at the start and then very fast at the end. Everything made sense and I don’t think anything needed to be explained more necessarily but it felt like the speed didn’t match the tone always and there could’ve been more added to make it feel less like a cool idea clunkily fused to an obvious metaphor. Phil also didn’t really feel like a character as much as an object but eh it didn’t bother me that much. That all sounds bad but I legitimately enjoyed it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Cannibalism

tara3117's review

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Sam might be one of my favorite main characters this year. She's great! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

kurumipanda's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

cadence99's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.25

I really really enjoyed this book- creepy and familiar all at once. First of all my heart was so full having a fat main character. I also felt as if the author did a fantastic job of capturing the way in which anxieties manifest themselves in these kind of family dynamics. My one complaint is that I wish the ending twist had been more clearly tied into the underlying themes of the book, it was still deeply creepy, but felt a bit detached from the spirit of the rest of the story. But despite that minor grievance, this book is still one of the best I’ve read this year. I’d definitely recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Dementia, and Alcohol