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A review by bibliophilicjester
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
I think my expectations were a little too high for this one. Although I did enjoy it!! What moves the dead was one of my very few 5 star reads last year, so I didn't necessarily expect that again; maybe I just expected a solidly creepy read.
The storygraph synopsis is lovely, but the Goodreads one/on the dust jacket gives away something that doesn't happen until over halfway in. It also starts with her brother calling her to say mom seems off...which makes you think said brother will be in it a lot. He is not. Just some phone calls.
Honestly, most of this just reads like a story about Sam visiting her mom, and mom being increasingly worried/paranoid/careful about *something*. The very end is when it gets weird. Other than learning way too much about insects and seeing Sam talk to random vultures...it's pretty ordinary. She's likable. As is her mom (and their relationship), the neighbor Gail, and handyman Phil. They were fine. It was fine.
I thought the dinner (trying to be vague) would be the culmination of creepiness and maybe where explanations would happen but wow it took a turn. I'm not sure I was entirely on board. Maybe it just got too weird too fast, because I'm usually 100% on board for weird. In general. I even read the last 50 or so pages when it was dark out. Something about this story just didn't work for me, and I'm not sure I know what it was.
There were a lot of funny moments that made me laugh, but my favorite moment was toward the end when Sam proudly declared that she didn't want kids and wasn't sure if she even wanted to get married. *loud cheering* you fucking tell them, Sam!!
I don't feel confident about the rating, but I think I'll go 3.5. Though I give the full 5 stars to Hermes!! (I swear there used to be a vulture emoji)
Also...spoiler: I'm not a fan of the portrayal of magic users/witches etc. I wasn't sure if kingfisher was going for real-world witchcraft or something of her own creation, but meh. Gail also became an entirely different character once "magic" came into it...then went back to normal at the end. Idk, it just doesn't sit right with me, except for the bit about protective circles, which made sense as a real-world thing, but what it was keeping out just made it weird all over again.
Also, did Phil *have* to be "ripped"? Cringe.
Also also, why is "helluva" a word I keep seeing?? Why am I just now noticing it? What's wrong with just saying "hell of a"? Why does it bother me so much?! Lol
The storygraph synopsis is lovely, but the Goodreads one/on the dust jacket gives away something that doesn't happen until over halfway in. It also starts with her brother calling her to say mom seems off...which makes you think said brother will be in it a lot. He is not. Just some phone calls.
Honestly, most of this just reads like a story about Sam visiting her mom, and mom being increasingly worried/paranoid/careful about *something*. The very end is when it gets weird. Other than learning way too much about insects and seeing Sam talk to random vultures...it's pretty ordinary. She's likable. As is her mom (and their relationship), the neighbor Gail, and handyman Phil. They were fine. It was fine.
I thought the dinner (trying to be vague) would be the culmination of creepiness and maybe where explanations would happen but wow it took a turn. I'm not sure I was entirely on board. Maybe it just got too weird too fast, because I'm usually 100% on board for weird. In general. I even read the last 50 or so pages when it was dark out. Something about this story just didn't work for me, and I'm not sure I know what it was.
There were a lot of funny moments that made me laugh, but my favorite moment was toward the end when Sam proudly declared that she didn't want kids and wasn't sure if she even wanted to get married. *loud cheering* you fucking tell them, Sam!!
I don't feel confident about the rating, but I think I'll go 3.5. Though I give the full 5 stars to Hermes!! (I swear there used to be a vulture emoji)
Also...spoiler:
Also, did Phil *have* to be "ripped"? Cringe.
Also also, why is "helluva" a word I keep seeing?? Why am I just now noticing it? What's wrong with just saying "hell of a"? Why does it bother me so much?! Lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia