Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

69 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

I enjoyed this book enough, but it was too superficial. It would’ve been better if it had leaned into the grandmother’s backstory instead of explaining her personality in a couple of sentences. It would’ve given the book more depth and rationale as to her internal motives. Instead, the focus was on the mother, who was a plot device at best. Also, the conflict and denouement were anticlimactic in comparison to the buildup to the story climax. Felt like a good first effort, except the author is prolific and has been published since 2009.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

lillygabriella's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

I do love a book where it is very clear the author knows the setting. Set in North Carolina, it's Southern Gothic in the manner of small out of the way towns rather than crumbling antebellum mansions. Personally I feel this makes it much more relatable. In a tiny decades old subdivision, Sam is visiting her mom, partly due to work reasons and partly because her brother was worried and asked her to check in. When she gets there is is clear that things are *not alright*. The rest of the book is Sam and her scientific mind trying to figure out what's going on while things get stranger and stranger. For details, go read the book. Seriously! It is so good! I cannot recommend this highly enough!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

deadevergreen's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.75

I really enjoy the humor and voice that Kingfisher gives her protagonists. Some of the horror aspects of this particular story struck a squeamish nerve for me, but I still really enjoyed it overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, and Cannibalism

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'A House With Good Bones' by T. Kingfisher is a creepy horror about familial expectations. 
When Sam comes to stay with her mother in her grandmother's old house, she senses something is off. Her mother is a kind woman but suddenly she is starting to mimic Sam's grandmother, an overbearing woman with high expectations for her family. As more and more strange things start to happen around the house, Sam suspects that something more is going on. 
Kingfisher does a great job of creating a creeping sense of unease that slowly permeates the story. We quickly come to understand Sam as a person as well as her mother and her grandmother. It's clear that their relationship with the grandmother was fraught and that same energy is returning to the house. The unease continues to increase throughout the book until we reach some more startlingly revelations. Ultimately, I think Kingfisher does a great job of exploring familial expectations and trauma through a horror lens but without getting too gory. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia

Moderate: Body horror and Racism

Minor: Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

yappuccino's review

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A fun, creepy read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Bugs, teeth

kaneebli's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Gore, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

peachmoni's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

mlkshks's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail

growintogardens's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This is not one to read/listen to before sleeping, found that out the hard way lol. It's a little scary. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism and Dementia

cranshrooms's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I love T Kingfisher's books! I have to admit, this one went a very different direction than I expected, and it contained a few more mystical elements than I expected in a souther Gothic. That being said, it was a delight and an easy read. As I said to a friend, it was almost like listening to a Tumblr mutual tell a story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury