A review by bookishmillennial
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial 

This is an intriguing blend of horror, mystery, fantasy, gothic retelling/reimagining.  

This was a fascinating take on the Fall of the House of Usher, a story I find fully engrossing! The setting was eerie — Alex Easton (nonbinary MC) receives a letter that their friend Madeline Usher is dying, so they goes to be with her at the Usher manor. Alex is shocked to see the dire state of the home, and so are readers. The descriptive writing had me fully immersed in this creepy ass world😭 

I used they/them in my review but in the book, Kingfisher created new pronouns entirely in this world, with ka/kan, va/van, which I did appreciate and found very neat! 

I won’t give anything away but I’m averse to mushrooms after reading this hahaha. I’m the president of weenie hut jr. so please let me be 😂

cw: Suicide, Body horror, Fire, Animal death, Animal cruelty

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