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autumnadair13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The ending is definitely with another book but dang it's still. Really really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Kidnapping, Animal death, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
cait_henry56's review against another edition
4.5
Far better than A House with Good Bones. I was concerned it wouldn't be since my first T. Kingfisher novel left me less than enthused to pick up another of her publications, but I had already purchased this one. And I'm glad I did! The folk horror is phenomenal and the MC isn't nearly as annoying, plus the surrounding cast of characters are well fleshed out in their Twisted little ways. I wouldn't consider this a perfect book, but I do think it's a great, fun choice to get out of a reading slump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Kidnapping, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, and Infertility
flygonjinn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
beeanka_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Death
shaw_g's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is my first book after a long reading slump, so take this with a grain of salt I suppose.
That being said, I really loved how this horror unfolded. Kingfisher’s writing really grabbed me at the start, and the memoir-style of writing amplifies the creepiness of the story. I also particularly appreciated how Kingfisher represented the themes of family trauma in this work (I’ve also seen that some of her other horror works follow a similar vein, I’m excited to read those as well), and how she mapped this onto the horror; it was very satisfying to solve parts of the mystery as it unfolded, and connect them to what was going on in Mouse’s familial life.
Other than that the monsters that were described did cause me to conjure up quite some spooky scenes in my head. It did wane near the run up to the climax, but the ending left my heart pounding a fair amount. I absolutely loved all the characters too, Foxy being the favorite of course.
So, if you’re looking for a horror that really goes beyond surface-level scary, this might be for you!
That being said, I really loved how this horror unfolded. Kingfisher’s writing really grabbed me at the start, and the memoir-style of writing amplifies the creepiness of the story. I also particularly appreciated how Kingfisher represented the themes of family trauma in this work (I’ve also seen that some of her other horror works follow a similar vein, I’m excited to read those as well), and how she mapped this onto the horror; it was very satisfying to solve parts of the mystery as it unfolded, and connect them to what was going on in Mouse’s familial life.
Other than that the monsters that were described did cause me to conjure up quite some spooky scenes in my head. It did wane near the run up to the climax, but the ending left my heart pounding a fair amount. I absolutely loved all the characters too, Foxy being the favorite of course.
So, if you’re looking for a horror that really goes beyond surface-level scary, this might be for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy
bluecanarylite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A cozy horror story. Great, likeable characters. A slowly scalating mystery and *really* evocative horror. Just enough answers to be satisfying and not ruin the mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Slavery, and Child death
Implied sexual slavery (kind of)creatureof_nature's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
paintedgiraffe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Mm, I read "What Moves the Dead" before this, and I rather prefer that one. I was unsurprised to hear that this was her first horror novel. It's just a LITTLE bit unformed. Plenty scary, though! Scarier than WMTD.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Child death
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is a downright disturbing and deliciously atmospheric work of folkhorror, from hoarder’s house to haunted woods, narrated with unexpected humor by a woman who just wants to keep her dumb dog safe. What I didn’t know until the very end is that this book is inspired by a 1904 classic horror short story by Arthur Machen, and while you can definitely enjoy this book without knowing the story, I felt like I was missing something once I knew!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
Minor: Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Child death, Infertility, Racism, Death of parent, and Dementia
muireebrown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
I found this book because I enjoyed What Moves the Dead. While this book wasn’t quite as good, I found it engaging all the same. There is sort of a mystery element that makes it compelling. It also sort of reminded me of The Old Gods of Appalachia meets a story by H.P. Lovecraft. I also enjoy any story with a prominent dog character, so bonus points for that.
Spoilers:
The dog lives!
Spoilers:
The dog lives!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Murder