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eleanormair's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Child death, Xenophobia, and Racism
readundancies's review
dark
funny
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? No
4.0
The pace of The Twisted Ones was a little slow at first, hence me needing 50ish pages to really get settled in the story, but once it picks up it’s fairly consistent.
I love T. Kingfisher’s writing and how she structured the narrative of this story; there were so many hypotheticals in hindsight that gave off a sort of reluctant survivor kind of tone that when you as the reader jump into all the creepy repetition, it’s so jarring and hair-raising because it feels eerie and uncomfortable and emotions are heightened because you’re on edge and it’s just wonderfully delicious to experience.
At the 110 page mark I managed to gain access to an audiobook so I’m jumped in for a hybrid read and it was a fantastic choice if I do say so myself. The audiobook is narrated by Hillary Huber and she too is fantastic. And to be honest, if we’re gonna talk about other fantastic things about this novel, Bongo and Mouse and Foxy and Tomas and Skip should all be included as well. The characterization is nothing incredibly complex but Kingfisher’s characters are always so likeable and fascinating in that relatable kind of way. They feel genuine and are often characters I would love to hang out with and have deep conversations with over a couple glasses of wine and some edibles. They’re always a good time, and this cast is no different.
There’s something so endearing about a reluctant protagonist, and T. Kingfisher writes them so well. Between Mouse and Kara from The Hollow Places, it’s clear to see that T. Kingfisher has mastered the voice of a woman who does not seek to be the main character of any story; she is fine simply coasting along and moving on with her life without having any knowledge of the unknown and what else may be out there.
The book gives off such strong cult classic movie vibes (think Tremors but no giant wormy creatures, just terrifying conglomerations of dead creatures and trash instead). It’s almost B-movie-like with the humorous voice of our narrator Mouse, and really, T. Kingfisher’s humour is a highlight for me because I am constantly amused despite the eerie atmosphere that she manages to cultivate in her novels.
I read another review calling this “comforting horror”, and I completely agree. This is not horror which is meant to instill fear and terror, it’s meant to creep you out if you read it when the sun goes down and the lights are low and the floorboards creak ominously. It’s meant to make your hackles rise but not make you choke on your own saliva moments after, you just sit in that feeling instead and let it simmer around you so you can bathe in it and breathe it in and nestle into a dark corner to watch the unsettling plot that ensues. It’s immersion in that virtual reality kind of way and I adore it.
I also really liked how this ended. The reluctant protagonist was reluctant for good reason and ends up a little broken from her ordeal but she has survived. The implication as to what or rather who Foxy shot at right before they got away from the effigies was denial at it’s finest and really enhanced Mouse’s caring nature which got her into such a shitty situation but she came out the other side in spite of her unhinged step-grandfather and cruel grandmother.
I was kind of hoping that the fact that Mouse’s grandmother’s blood runs through her veins would’ve played more of a role in her overcoming the holler people and the effigies, like perhaps the evil that her grandmother had put out into the universe would’ve repelled the effigies due to their intentional avoidance of her. But I still enjoyed how her grandma played a minor role anyways with the whole hardwood floor covered with slippy linoleum moment.
All in all, I enjoyed this to a lesser extent than The Hollow Places but it was still a solidly entertaining cozy horror story which is all I asked from it. I wouldn’t go into this expecting to be terrified because this is not that kind of horror novel, but I still recommend it because this book has cemented T. Kingfisher as one of my favourite authors.
I love T. Kingfisher’s writing and how she structured the narrative of this story; there were so many hypotheticals in hindsight that gave off a sort of reluctant survivor kind of tone that when you as the reader jump into all the creepy repetition, it’s so jarring and hair-raising because it feels eerie and uncomfortable and emotions are heightened because you’re on edge and it’s just wonderfully delicious to experience.
At the 110 page mark I managed to gain access to an audiobook so I’m jumped in for a hybrid read and it was a fantastic choice if I do say so myself. The audiobook is narrated by Hillary Huber and she too is fantastic. And to be honest, if we’re gonna talk about other fantastic things about this novel, Bongo and Mouse and Foxy and Tomas and Skip should all be included as well. The characterization is nothing incredibly complex but Kingfisher’s characters are always so likeable and fascinating in that relatable kind of way. They feel genuine and are often characters I would love to hang out with and have deep conversations with over a couple glasses of wine and some edibles. They’re always a good time, and this cast is no different.
There’s something so endearing about a reluctant protagonist, and T. Kingfisher writes them so well. Between Mouse and Kara from The Hollow Places, it’s clear to see that T. Kingfisher has mastered the voice of a woman who does not seek to be the main character of any story; she is fine simply coasting along and moving on with her life without having any knowledge of the unknown and what else may be out there.
The book gives off such strong cult classic movie vibes (think Tremors but no giant wormy creatures, just terrifying conglomerations of dead creatures and trash instead). It’s almost B-movie-like with the humorous voice of our narrator Mouse, and really, T. Kingfisher’s humour is a highlight for me because I am constantly amused despite the eerie atmosphere that she manages to cultivate in her novels.
I read another review calling this “comforting horror”, and I completely agree. This is not horror which is meant to instill fear and terror, it’s meant to creep you out if you read it when the sun goes down and the lights are low and the floorboards creak ominously. It’s meant to make your hackles rise but not make you choke on your own saliva moments after, you just sit in that feeling instead and let it simmer around you so you can bathe in it and breathe it in and nestle into a dark corner to watch the unsettling plot that ensues. It’s immersion in that virtual reality kind of way and I adore it.
I also really liked how this ended. The reluctant protagonist was reluctant for good reason and ends up a little broken from her ordeal but she has survived. The implication as to what or rather who Foxy shot at right before they got away from the effigies was denial at it’s finest and really enhanced Mouse’s caring nature which got her into such a shitty situation but she came out the other side in spite of her unhinged step-grandfather and cruel grandmother.
I was kind of hoping that the fact that Mouse’s grandmother’s blood runs through her veins would’ve played more of a role in her overcoming the holler people and the effigies, like perhaps the evil that her grandmother had put out into the universe would’ve repelled the effigies due to their intentional avoidance of her. But I still enjoyed how her grandma played a minor role anyways with the whole hardwood floor covered with slippy linoleum moment.
All in all, I enjoyed this to a lesser extent than The Hollow Places but it was still a solidly entertaining cozy horror story which is all I asked from it. I wouldn’t go into this expecting to be terrified because this is not that kind of horror novel, but I still recommend it because this book has cemented T. Kingfisher as one of my favourite authors.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Body horror, Gore, and Animal death
ghostams's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved this book! It was an insanely amazing mix of folklore, family history, isolating energy, small town vibes, and childhood-level fear. Definitely a book I wish I could forget, just to read again, even though it was terrifying in the best way. Plus, the characters are so unique while being regular folk. Also, the dog doesn't die and is arguably the hero!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Mental illness and Grief
Minor: Racism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Confinement, Child death, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Death
j_squaredd's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent and Gore
dale1997's review
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Violence
darnays's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent and Death
planetday's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Torture
madarauchiha's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? N/A
2.0
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
I didn't like the tone of it. It was very quirky white girl with the ramona flowers hair who only exists in r/STDH forums. I had no idea it was supposed to feel tense or horrific until I read other reviews. I thought the MC was pretty much a character out of the Scooby Doo universe.
It didn't feel like much happened. MC cleaned the house, went on a hike or two,read a diary, lost a dog, found the dog, and uhh got kidnapped? And then everything was resolved within a day. I think more could've been added like investigative scenes of going to the local library to study missing people near her grandmother's home. Or have a few chapters edited out because it was a bit repetitive. The eldritch horrors didn't feature that much to me.
The surrounding characters just kinda... exist. The writing was passable. It's rather dry horror. It's a slow build, that's for sure. Ok so it turns out it's based off Arther Machen's story 'The White People' which explains the slow building, I think. Those ye olde fuckers sure like taking the long of writing stories.
I think what kinda irritates me is that Foxy gets a name but the Black barista doesn't. Granted the goth barista doesn't either but hm. Suspect to me. ... fake edit: ok so goth barista gets a name. Enid. still waiting on a name for the one Black character. Literally before they even appear the cop gets named but the Black character doesn't. ok... Spoilers he is immediately forgotten after that one scene. Well.
content warnings:
Minor: ableist c slur, animal hunting, anti indigenous racism, burns fire death, child abuse, eating disorders, insects, menstruation, murder, pregnancy, q slur in historical context multiple times, sexual content, snakes, spiders, stillbirth, vomit
Medium: toxic relationships, religion catholicism,
Major: unsanitary hoarding situation, animal death, gore, police, body horror, confinement, prison, murder, fire, arson, demolition, dogs,
I didn't like the tone of it. It was very quirky white girl with the ramona flowers hair who only exists in r/STDH forums. I had no idea it was supposed to feel tense or horrific until I read other reviews. I thought the MC was pretty much a character out of the Scooby Doo universe.
It didn't feel like much happened. MC cleaned the house, went on a hike or two,
The surrounding characters just kinda... exist. The writing was passable. It's rather dry horror. It's a slow build, that's for sure. Ok so it turns out it's based off Arther Machen's story 'The White People' which explains the slow building, I think. Those ye olde fuckers sure like taking the long of writing stories.
I think what kinda irritates me is that Foxy gets a name but the Black barista doesn't. Granted the goth barista doesn't either but hm. Suspect to me. ... fake edit: ok so goth barista gets a name. Enid. still waiting on a name for the one Black character. Literally before they even appear the cop gets named but the Black character doesn't. ok... Spoilers he is immediately forgotten after that one scene. Well.
content warnings:
Minor: ableist c slur, animal hunting, anti indigenous racism, burns fire death, child abuse, eating disorders, insects, menstruation, murder, pregnancy, q slur in historical context multiple times, sexual content, snakes, spiders, stillbirth, vomit
Medium: toxic relationships, religion catholicism,
Major: unsanitary hoarding situation, animal death, gore, police, body horror, confinement, prison, murder, fire, arson, demolition, dogs,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Confinement, Infertility, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Vomit, and Rape
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