I see another Hugo Award for Best Novelette going to Kingfisher for this book! As a huge fan of T. Kingfisher, I was beside myself excited to see this new novella being published. It will be the perfect recommendation to my students when exploring themes of gothic horror, story writing, and suspense. All of Kingfisher’s books are literary works of wonder, and this one is no exception.

A House With Good Bones is about a secret that maybe, should have, could have, or needed to be….left buried. But the mother…the garden…and so much more will have you asking yourself “do I really NOT believe in ghost stories?” or “do I really NOT believe in the supernatural??” Because when this story ends, believe me, you WILL. Five out of five stars for the sharpest, most eerie, vulture-obsessed, emotional family dynamic story this year. I can't wait to start recommending it.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire via NetGalley for this arc. I voluntarily read it and all opinions are my own.

Kate’s Thoughts
We are back with another joint review, doing another horror story from T. Kingfisher, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I really like it when both Serena and I can provide various insights into one book, and Kingfisher may be joining Silvia Moreno-Garcia as one that we both read and review. This time we have “A House with Good Bones”, a haunted house story with dysfunctional family dynamics, insect archaeology, and so many vultures! I can tell you that if you are someone who wants to dabble in horror, but don’t really like feeling the various intense feelings that horror novels can convey, Kingfisher is a good option. This is definitely a haunted house book, but it’s horror-lite, and it’s horror-lite done well!

I enjoyed our protagonist Sam slowly starting to realize that there is something weird going on in her grandmother Gran Mae’s old house, that her mother has now moved into. In life neither Sam nor her mother got along so well with Gran Mae, but now Mom is not only nervous to speak ill of her, she is also following rules that she used to ignore or at least acknowledged were bunk. One can kind of see where this is all going, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Kingfisher builds up the suspense regarding the weird goings on in the house, be it the vultures that have come to roost on the property, or the sudden ladybug infestation, or the slow recovery of memories of Gran Mae’s weird habits and abusive tendencies when Sam was a child. Kingfisher knows how to balance the suspense and genuinely scary moments with a lot of good humor and quirky characters that make the book a good horror story without more intense elements that could turn some people off. I also liked the way that some of these horror elements manifested, as they felt unique and interesting and outside from how other horror authors may have approached it. I really like how Kingfisher brings in the dark fantasy stuff to spice up the genre a bit, and it always feels like it melds well. And finally I liked the more thematic elements of this story regarding family dysfunction, generational trauma, and the way that parents can sometimes make mistakes that take a toll on their children that may take time to process and heal from. It doesn’t bog down the story with too much melancholy, but I liked that it was an underlying theme.

I enjoyed “A House with Good Bones”! Kingfisher is a great choice for people who want to do horror but aren’t as into visceral or intense scares. It’s a fun and creepy haunted house story to be sure.

Serena’s Thoughts
I second what Kate said: it’s so fun when we get to joint review a book, and T. Kingfisher is another author who intersects well with both of our genres, writing horror and fantasy. Plus, like Kate said, Kingfisher writes the type of horror that is still approachable for those of us who are big fraidy-cats about the very dark stuff. And this book is another perfect example of it!

While I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of where the horror aspects were going, once they actually showed up, they were sufficiently horrific. In particular, the last quarter of the book went into a very creepy place. There were some genuinely freak visuals and the book masters a classic horror trope: the solid ending that feels just off enough to leave you in suspense! But even during these darker moments, there were parts were I was laughing and also feeling strangely sad for the horrible creatures/people. It was a very mixed bag of emotions that worked really well.

I also really liked the themes about family trauma and abusive relationships in families. Again, all of these things were touched on in ways that felt very true to life but never made caricatures of any of the characters involved. Sam was an excellent main character. Her scientific background was unique (lots of interesting tidbits about insects and archeology) and lead her to handling certain scenes with ladybugs with a lot more calm than I would have had, that’s for sure! She also was a great example of casual body positivity. It’s not her entire identity, but she’s comfortable with who she is and how she moves through the world.

Kate’s Rating 8: A creepy haunted house story with family trauma and vultures galore, “A House with Good Bones” is a horror-lite haunted house read that will leave horror fans satisfied.

Serena’s Rating 8: Sufficiently creepy for this fantasy fan while also tackling important themes like family trauma and body positivity.

Link will go live March 20

I love T Kingfisher and this one did not disappoint! I didn’t give it 4 just because I completely predicted the ending. It gave a little too much away to leave much up to surprise.

However, there were some parts that caught me off guard or grossed me out, even shocked me. The whole book played out like a movie, and I was engrossed by the writing style. I highly recommend for a good spring read!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

A House with Good Bones is an interesting intersection between Southern Gothic and comedic horror.

Sam, our snarky perspective character, is an archaeo-entomologist. Bugs are kind of her thing. When a job is postponed because remains are found on site, Sam finds herself without a place to stay and decides it would be a good time to visit her mom in North Carolina. But something is off. Her mom has redecorated the house to look exactly like it did before Gran Mae, Sam’s exceptionally mean grandmother, passed away 20 years ago. All of the bright colors her mom loved are gone. Her mom now asks the blessing before every meal and refuses to curse or say anything critical of her own deceased mother. All of which is incredibly out of character. Sam is worried that her mom is suffering delayed mourning or, worse, the onset of dementia. But when Sam starts noticing some really odd things around the house, and when dark family secrets begin coming to light, she is forced to reevaluate.

This story was suitably creepy, and a bit subversive with its tactics. I’ve never read anything else that painted vultures in such a positive light and roses in such a disturbing one. I was reminded of Grady Hendrix when it came to the actual horror elements, but without whatever it is about his work that I find inexplicably off-putting. And I absolutely loved Sam as a narrator. She is snarky and funny and easy to root for.

However, I did have a serious complaint about this book. The pacing is just weird. The front half of the book is almost painfully slow at times, to the point that I would have put it down if not for Sam’s charming, sarcastic commentary. Things really picked up in the back half, though, to the point that the ending felt rushed. I couldn’t put it down at that point, but I found myself annoyed at how quickly everything resolved in the end.

A House with Good Bones was my first T. Kingfisher experience. Though I had a few issues with it, this definitely won’t be my last book from her. The voice in this book was fantastic, and kept me reading even when I felt the pacing was really off. I would especially recommend this to people who want to be fans of Grady Hendrix, but just feel an unexplainable disconnect from his stories.

Probably the creepiest thing Kingfisher has written. The book legitimately unsettled me for large stretches, even while maintaining the author's trademark acerbic humor. That said, though I'm a lover of strange twists, this verged into the bizarre a bit too quickly near the end, though in her defense, Kingfisher did very well to telegraph everything that was coming, sometimes in very clever ways. On the whole, a hearty recommendation, especially for those seeking a change to the haunted house formula, though it's leisurely pace may leave some with a sour taste in the mouths, as will some of the wild swings taken in the back third.

I love a good southern gothic story with some hauntings. T. Kingfisher has become an automatic purchase for me. I really do love the majority of her work and her storytelling abilities are off the chain! She keeps me as a reader intrigued and I love how quirky this story was. From the vultures to the roses, this story is one I will definitely remember and recommend! Also that cover is.. chef's kiss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was an incredible story about a mother and daughter’s journey after their mother/grandmother died; and their reconnection through the mysterious findings in her home and the power she left behind.

A House With Good Bones was a cleverly written paranormal horror story following an archaeoenomologist, Sam Montgomery, when she returns to the home she grew up in. When she finds her mother more anxious than usual and the house returned to how her conservative grandmother had kept it, she's forced to acknowledge that either her mother's mental health is declining or something stranger is at work.

This was fun! I found the twists in the book to be truly chilling and unsettling. I often enjoy T. Kingfisher's wry humor and niche facts in their novels, but I found that they were a bit overdone in A House with Good Bones and it actually detracted from the build up of tension. I wish more of the book had the tone of the final scene with the underground children. As it stands, I don't know if the humor was fun enough to recommend to someone looking for a comedic book, and the horror was so sparse, I feel like a fellow horror fan might be disappointed.

Not my favorite Kingfisher, but I'm looking forward to their future work!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Nightfire, for this Arc!!!

This is it! This made my life better! I swear it did. Sam (Samantha) goes home on a break from an archeological dig. She's an entomologist (studies bugs) and an archeologist (studies OLD bugs). Her scientific mind is put to the test when she enters her childhood home and finds it completely changed. Her mother seems to have a new obsession with Sam's grandmother, Grand Mae, and this has resulted in mom recreating the house in Grand Mae's original style. Not good. Especially because Grand Mae was a very mean, cruel, lady.

I am so into this horror! I loved the main character. Honestly, I loved every character in this book. They each had a purpose and were hilarious and interesting to read about. Sam especially because her sense of humor was absolutely on par with every single weird thing that happened. And, trust me, things get really weird. And Sam is the guiding light through this whole story, keeping me thoroughly invested.

Obviously I loved this. Of course I recommend it. Just read it you fools!! (Gandalf voice).

Out March 28, 2023!

T. Kingfisher always knows how to balance a legitimately unnerving horror story with a quirky and fun cast of characters and a generally light hearted tone, which I really enjoy when I read her books. A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES is no exception, as this haunted house tale also has some fun characters and some really charming (though admittedly creepy) vultures that just won't stay away. I liked how we got the slow build up on unease surrounding Sam's grandmother's old house, and how Sam, being a rational scientist, is trying to figure out rational explanations to the strange things in the house, the way her mother has been behaving, and the weirder and weirder family lore that she is discovering during a visit to the house that her Grand Mae owned before her death. The horror elements are well conceived, but it never gets too scary or visceral so a lot of people, even those who aren't big on horror, can enjoy it. I also liked the dark fantasy elements that are brought in, as it makes for a fresher and more unique outcome than had Kingfisher stuck to horror dynamics and world building alone.

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES is fun horror that will appeal to a lot of people, horror and non horror fans alike. I always enjoy my time with T. Kingfisher books.

Kingfisher has a great command of telling a spooky story and this was no exception. Lots of actually humorous moments and dialogue! Reminded me greatly of Svengoolie type chills and thrills.

A House with Good Bones follows Sam, a bug archeologist (who knew that was a thing?), who returns home to her quiet suburban neighborhood in North Carolina to find that her mother, who lives alone in the house that belonged to Sam's deceased grandmother, is acting strangely. By strangely we mean suddenly prudish, pious, and maybe a little racist (sound like anybody else's ornery Southern grandparent)? On top of that, Sam is plagued by a number of strange occurrences, including ladybug infestations, disorienting dreams, and a creepy discovery while digging in her dead grandmother's opulent rose garden.

This all sounds like a recipe for something really interesting, but I'll be blunt: this book didn't live up to my expectations. The setup just doesn't follow through to the ending. I feel like this happens sometimes with horror and paranormal mystery; in an effort to create something dark and creepy that’s also new and original, the author veers too far into bizarre scenes and plot points that become disjointed and don't land well in the finale. Without going into spoilers, the final quarter of this book is weird. I love weird, but this ending raised more questions than it answered, and not in a good way.

T. Kingfisher gets points for setting a story in central North Carolina that genuinely feels authentic to the area. Overall though, A House with Good Bones doesn't rank high on my recommendations list.

Disclosure: I received an e-ARC copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sam is going to her mom's house while she is on furlough from her job as an entomologist. She finds it odd that the house is now starting to look like her grandmother's house even though her grandmother has been dead for a number of years. And her mother is acting very skittish. And there are vultures surrounding the house. Sam goes digging for the truth and uncovers her family secrets that would have better left buried.
I loved this book. It was creepy and weird in the best way. Kingfisher knows how to build the tension and make you wonder what the hell is going on. I highly recommend it if you like creepy and maybe a little scary.

The writing in this book was witty and made for a compulsive read. At times it felt silly and like it was going circles, but I stuck with it and found the story to be entertaining, overall. The main character’s internal monologues were fun and the book was filled with banter although the repetitive thoughts of bugs was overkill at times. This isn’t a particularly scary story, but has some unsettling moments and a mystery element that I enjoyed. The MC drank a lot of boxed wine and made me wish I had a glass in hand too as I read.

Barnes & Nobles review is pending approval, and Amazon review will be posted as soon as the option is available.

Instagram post and review will be posted on 28 March.

Review:
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

Welp, she did it again. T. Kingfisher wrote another horror story that is incredibly loveable and so funny. And also approachable. Like usual.

This is an eerie yet hilarious haunted house story that uses family secrets, generational trauma, and a rose garden to craft a very entertaining read. Scary in the way that I avoided reading it at night yet funny enough to startle my kid with my random guffaws of laughter.

And would you imagine that my favorite character was a vulture?

I recommend reading this under an intimidating family portrait with a glass of boxed wine.

ARC Review

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Pub date March 28, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sam is a temporarily out of work archaeoentomologist (she studies bugs) who heads home to small town North Carolina to spend some extended time with her mom. Her brother warned her that their mom seemed off, but Sam isn’t prepared for just how off things are. Her mom is anxious, the brightly colored walls have been repainted white, and the house is being watched by vultures. Sam decides she has to get to the bottom of what’s going on, but she finds out some secrets should stay buried.

The book starts out as a slow burn with lots of character building, but once it ramps up, it really ramps up and doesn’t slow down. The best part of this book was the fabulous cast of characters. Sam is smart and witty, and I really enjoyed her! The supporting characters were also fun, especially a really adorable vulture named Hermes. As far as the story, I can’t say too much without giving spoilers, but things get real weird real fast and it is super creepy! Maybe a little bit too weird and creepy for me, but I am not always a fan of horror so take that with a grain of salt. Kingfisher does a great job of taking the ordinary and adding a layer of eeriness to it.

Read this one if you like:
🖤 southern gothics
🖤 HP Lovecraft
🖤 magic

Thanks to @netgalley and @tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this haunted house story. As usual, Kingfisher creates understandably flawed and unique characters. The story is engaging and the author adds her unique twist to the genre. I highly recommend reading this book!

T.Kingfisher’s books are known for the weird and bizarre followed by horror.

A House With Good Bones explores the roots of a house previously belonging to Sam’s Grand Mae but is now owned by her mom Edith. When Sam visits her mom, she seems off in an unsettling way. She’s repainted the wall from fun and bright to ecru. Shes leaving questionable sticky notes on her bathroom mirror. Then, Sam finds a jar of teeth in the backyard.

This book had an intense element of roses involved and I really enjoyed the pairing of two revolting themes - horror and roses. Every few chapters was broken up by a type of rose and the description of it. I found this to be a different way to connect to the current story but also educate the reader on real life. I found myself looking up the flowers each time for a visual. I love when I book offers more than just a story.

I must also pay homage to Hermes who was my favorite character, the pet vulture. He deserves a shout out.

All in all, this book had SUCH potential However, I was going through the story and at 72% (according to Kindle 😂) the “action” began. Right away, I was turned off. It just was to put it bluntly… very unreal. I understood the tie-in of the garden and what the author was going for but I just couldn’t get behind it… they lost me.

Nonetheless, I did finish the read but I wasn’t left with the satisfying I LOVE IT, like I’ve experience with T.Kingfisher’s previous books.

Solidly entertaining horror - scary, funny, a great setting, and I loved the character specificity which was also tonally totally consistent with the rest of the story.

Ursula Vernon does mundane-to-utterly-terrifying so brilliantly. Excellent characters, a story that starts off slow, with little moments of dread, and then launches itself into full-blown terror. I absolutely loved it.