Scan barcode
A review by anna_hepworth
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
dark
medium-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? No
4.0
This is creepy, and dark, both in the real world and the fantasy world sections of the story. And yet it never made it over the line to horror for me, and I'm feeling a little bit let down by that.
In the real world sections, our protagonist--Melissa, known as Mouse--is dealing with the house of a recently deceased family member. Said family member was nasty through and through in their dealings with other people, and the house turns out to be a hoarding nightmare. I found myself repeatedly baffled by sections of this, which I think just come down to the reality that other people's families are weird. I did rather love the bit part player, Enid, who is the barista in the nearest town, and who seems rather unflappable. And the nearby household of Skip, Foxy, and Tomas, who are integral to the story. So, Vernon has done very well (as ever) with bringing together a fabulous cast.
In the fantasy sections, there are any number of nasty body horror things going on, although for a long time Mouse writes them off as either dementia (their grandfather's writing) or suggestibility (their own observations). Which should bring with it a creeping sense of dread for the reader, but I found that Mouse was overly analytical about the horror tropes, and so kept throwing me out of the feeling. No idea whether that was the plan.
The author's note discusses other texts that this is in dialogue with -- I wasn't familiar with the primary one, and possibly if I had been this might have worked better.
But as ever in Vernon's work, solid writing, fascinating premise, good world-building and character development, and a generally good story.
In the real world sections, our protagonist--Melissa, known as Mouse--is dealing with the house of a recently deceased family member. Said family member was nasty through and through in their dealings with other people, and the house turns out to be a hoarding nightmare. I found myself repeatedly baffled by sections of this, which I think just come down to the reality that other people's families are weird. I did rather love the bit part player, Enid, who is the barista in the nearest town, and who seems rather unflappable. And the nearby household of Skip, Foxy, and Tomas, who are integral to the story. So, Vernon has done very well (as ever) with bringing together a fabulous cast.
In the fantasy sections, there are any number of nasty body horror things going on, although for a long time Mouse writes them off as either dementia (their grandfather's writing) or suggestibility (their own observations). Which should bring with it a creeping sense of dread for the reader, but I found that Mouse was overly analytical about the horror tropes, and so kept throwing me out of the feeling. No idea whether that was the plan.
The author's note discusses other texts that this is in dialogue with -- I wasn't familiar with the primary one, and possibly if I had been this might have worked better.
But as ever in Vernon's work, solid writing, fascinating premise, good world-building and character development, and a generally good story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Mental illness
There are two individuals with explicitly mentioned mental illness; the stories of both are handled well by my standards.