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A review by wordsareworlds
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A serviceable sequel to What Moves the Dead, but in the end nothing to write home about.
I found myself getting caught up in the way Kingfisher sets this in the fictional country of Gallacia (not to be confused with Galicia, which I did), but plops it down in the middle of real Europe with all its actual history. The myth at play in this book is of the moroi, so there are strong Romanian elements, but honestly the less you think about it the better off you'll be. Vibes only.
This book is also even more self aware than her other works, and I find that the tropes she's using work better when they're not being lampshaded by the character breaking the fourth wall to address the reader to do so. After about the 60% mark she commits to the tone and the entire book gets much better for it.
Overall, I enjoyed it fine but by far not my favorite of Kingfisher's horror works. I'd recommend it for people who want to dip their toe into fantasy horror without being too scared and can be assured of a good outcome.
I found myself getting caught up in the way Kingfisher sets this in the fictional country of Gallacia (not to be confused with Galicia, which I did), but plops it down in the middle of real Europe with all its actual history. The myth at play in this book is of the moroi, so there are strong Romanian elements, but honestly the less you think about it the better off you'll be. Vibes only.
This book is also even more self aware than her other works, and I find that the tropes she's using work better when they're not being lampshaded by the character breaking the fourth wall to address the reader to do so. After about the 60% mark she commits to the tone and the entire book gets much better for it.
Overall, I enjoyed it fine but by far not my favorite of Kingfisher's horror works. I'd recommend it for people who want to dip their toe into fantasy horror without being too scared and can be assured of a good outcome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, and Death