A House With Good Bones is the story of Sam Montgomery, a woman in her thirties who has been quite happily caught up in her career as an archeological entomologist- until her current project is interrupted by the discovery of human remains and she has to take a break until its resolved. Not wanting to inconvenience her roommate and her bratty cat, Sam opts instead to head home to her mother's place until either the project is back on or the length of the trip is up and she can go home. Simple enough, right?

Except when Sam arrives she finds her typical anxious but artsy mom isn't herself- and all of the little things her mom did to make the house her own after her grandmother passed away have reverted to a not so pleasant past version which is all too familiar to the parts of her that remember growing up in that house. Something's not right and what should have been a breezy couple of weeks at home are looking like they might involve figuring out why her mother is so much more anxious than usual, why there are vultures lingering all around the house, and just why there are no bugs anywhere near her grandmother's creepily pristine roses.

T. Kingfisher remains one of my favorite speculative writers for a handful of very good reasons. The characters are quirky but realistic, the story is very much one of horror but also amusing and playful, and we inevitably always seem to find some form of unexpected treat hidden somewhere in the narrative. All of these things are found within the southern gothic, A House With Good Bones, and I am happy to say that I ate this one up with all of the same relish and amusement as I've found in each of her other books. If you're hoping to read something unexpectedly charming, relatable, and nicely placed between horror and the fantastic you'll probably enjoy this one too.

T. Kingfisher is the queen of "light-hearted" horror and this book was a prime example. I will read any of their books at this point.

This was a solid story. I expected it to be a lot darker than it was and needed more gothic descriptions about the vultures. She touches on some interesting gothic imagery, but it didn’t come to life like I was craving. The story itself felt like a tease. It grabbed my attention, but I was left wanting more.

Do I like horror? No. will I read anything Kingfisher writes? Yes. Spooky, solid characters, and it just kinda creeps up on you. Can't recommend enough, even if, like me, you hate horror.

This book spoke personally to me. My grandmother is a racist southern lady who has told me that before the civil rights movement, black people were happy in the South, and it was Northerner's fault the civil rights movement happened because the Northerners weren’t minding their business. This admission occurred because I had long ago accused my great-grandmother of being racist, and after years that was my grandmother’s response. This is a long explanation of why I’m fond of Sam having such a mean, racist grandmother. Her grandmother evolves into a living nightmare throughout the book.
Sam herself is a wonderful character devoted to her mother and the study of bugs.
The horror element is nicely done with the creeping feeling of something wrong with Sam investigating what is wrong with the house while finding horrifying answers.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for my honest thoughts.

T. Kingfisher never disappoints. This was an odd take on the haunted house, and I was here for it! Will definitely read anything this author publishes.

A fun little horror-romp from T. Kingfisher. I liked the characters and the plot, but overall it seemed a little thin on substance. I wanted more dread and fear throughout, but only seemed to get it in the last arc of the story.

Wasn't sure where this one was going in the most delicious way; an insightful exploration of generational trauma with plenty of gorgeously creepy details and unexpected twists and turns.

If you like getting entomology and botany and vulture education provided in entertaining bursts, this book is for you. If you liked Ursula Vernon’s/T. Kingfisher’s spontaneous education about slime molds at the Hugo awards, this book is for you. If you want creative monsters and weird magic society drama and philosophical musings about Waffle House, this book is for you.

I can't think of anyone who can balance horror and humor as well as Kingfisher does. This book is a little light on the body horror, (which Kingfisher does very well; just not here), and leans more into the hedge witch side of the scale. That's fine, (and if your want to read the entire book as an extended metaphor of an adult child caring for an elderly mother and grandmother, you should feel free to do so, and knock yourself out). I enjoyed the book mostly because of our heroine, who can toss off edgy observations or deadpan kill shots with ease, and because of some truly memorable neighborhood characters who drift in and out of the action. This is a super fast paced read, but it covers all of the bases and delivers on every page. A nice addition to the lighter side of Kingfisher's impressive, growing body of work.

it had an interesting premise, but the ending made me a little bored and let down i thought the characters where well developed at the start and got lost somewhere in the middle in my opinion.

This was not what I expected
But
It was really good
It did start off a bit slow for me as we get to learn about Sam and her past
Sam is back at home with her mom because of an incident at work, but something just seems off with her mom, and the house, and the neighbors.
There's just this mask of uneasiness in this story
You keep getting the feeling something is not quite right but you just can't pin it down
When the true evil in this book was revealed, it freaked me the fuck out
It was creepy y'all
Gothic horror inscribed with magic and a ton of family drama
Solid read!!

I've been meaning to read a T. Kingfisher novel for forever now, I feel like her name has been everywhere lately. what a great first pick! I love a gothic story, and I especially enjoy southern gothic. Based on how much I enjoyed this one, I will prioritize picking up more of her work very soon!

Another inventive horror novel from my favorite new author, T. Kingfisher. For some reason I tend to find her horror a little underwhelming compared to her fantasy, but I loved the characters in this story. I’ll always read anything she publishes—even her grocery lists!

T. Kingfisher never disappoints. A wonderful mystery, with such an enveloping ambiance. I would definitely recommend it for people looking for new dark mysteries with a quite new author

A House with Good Bones is another fantastic book by T. Kingfisher. As always, I love that her protagonist was not a teenager/early 20's character, but was a fully mature woman who come homes to find her mom potentially having a mental health crisis. But with all the creepy bug infestations happening in the house, pictures falling off the walls, everpresent crows, and lack of functional internet, things are pointing to a more supernatural explanation.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

This story is told in first person by Sam Montgomery. I loved her character. She was funny and relatable. Well, maybe not so much the bugs, unless you’re into insects. She was full of bird and insect references. I enjoyed the bird and ladybug information. Not sure about the vultures, though I guess they eventually grew on me.

Sam is temporarily staying with her mother in her dead grandmother’s former childhood home. Sam’s grandmother was a real piece of Southern work and all that entails from adhering to the 1950s version of women’s traditional place in the home to always acting like a Southern lady. Gran Mae had me screaming in frustration with her roses and manners and not so subtle racism. I love roses (so do my local deer), but hers were creepy.

The supporting characters were eccentric and amusing from the witch down the street to the curmudgeon next door. I especially enjoyed Phil, the master gardener and handyman. He had manners and took most of the happenings in stride with a calm demeanor.

The story was strange and intriguing, just what I’d expect from Kingfisher. This is my third read by this author. If I had any complaints, it would be that a few things were repeated and not as funny the second time.

Recommended for the fun and eccentric characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for a copy provided for an honest review.

I don’t think there are many authors more reliable than T. Kingfisher. I have now read Nettle & Bone, Thornhedge, What Moves the Dead, and A House with Good Bones. I have loved them all!

In A House with Good Bones, Samantha moves back into her childhood home after being furloughed from an archeology project. But the house is different from when she left it. What happened to the brightly painted walls her mother favored? And why is that hideous racist painting back up on the wall? It’s as if she’s stepped back in time to when her grandmother was alive and owned the property. As memories of her grandmother resurface, Sam begins to research their family history, and a dark tale of sorcery becomes a very real threat.

A House with Good Bones is wonderfully dark and atmospheric, but with the quirky charm that makes me so fond of Kingfisher’s books. She takes a gothic mystery and sets it in a rural subdivision. And down the street, one of the neighbors has a pet vulture. Even in its most horrific moments, this book doesn’t take itself too seriously.

I’m glad Kingfisher has a significant back catalog, ensuring I won’t run out of her stories any time soon.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

Not my favorite of T Kingfisher's work, but I enjoyed the adventure and will certainly keep reading. Overall, it was an interesting variation on the haunted house motif.