This was an amazing read! I absolutely loved the MC, her narration was hilarious. This book had me creeped out, but also laughing. It was such a unique gothic horror and I LOVED all the NC references (Cheerwine, Food Lion, Siler City, Raleigh, etc) NC REPRESENT! This is a must read. Releasing in March.

Fantastic and unsettling. Kingfisher provides another domestic horror novel where thongs are not what they seem. Will be recommending it a lot!

Overall, I enjoyed this. The characters felt authentic and unique. The main character Sam was smart (extra points for being a woman in STEM), relatable, and sarcastic. As a native North Carolinian, I loved Kingfisher's snarky and accurate observations on our state, and about Southern culture in general as told through Sam's narration. I appreciated the author's use of the Gothic to discuss family trauma and Southern racism. Tonally, the book is more horror-comedy than traditional Gothic horror (think <i> Jennifer's Body, </i> not <i> Shaun of the Dead) </i>.

<i> I received an arc from Netgalley. </i>

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the book as a whole. I can’t tell if I should take the ending for face value or look into it for deeper meaning. I’m rounding up to 3.5 stars.

This was a really fun horror novel- which sounds like quite the juxtaposition, but it had a nice balance of funny lines and thrills.

The pacing at the beginning was a little slow, with the main character Sam's inner monologue feeling a bit repetitive, but it picked up at the very end. There was a familiarity to Sam's wit (hi, it's me!) and found myself actually laughing out loud at times throughout the book.

Also, as someone born and raised in the South, I found the theme of unresolved cultural issues to be both accurate and an interesting plot point.

Thank you to NetGalley, T. Kingfisher and Tornightfire for the ARC of the book!!

Thank you to TOR and Netgalley for this ARC!

I was really excited to check out T. Kingfisher's newest novel since her novella, <i>What Moves the Dead</i>. While this one didn't quite pull me in nor impress me the same way as the novella, I still found it a very satisfying and enjoyable read that I devoured extremely quickly.

This book utilizes some of my favorite horror elements/tropes, leaning into nature/the environment, as well as physical aspects and manifestations of horror. When I was reading and realized just how much these elements were going to be utilized, including with <spoiler>insects and birds</spoiler> I was so excited and was immediately drawn in!

I think where this novel fell a bit short for me is that it tries to juggle two reveals/'monsters' that, though they are connected, did not seem to work together for me. In particular, the first reveal, that of <spoiler>the grandmother briefly coming back to life as roses/branches/etc</spoiler> did not work for me. Although initially I found it intriguing, it devolved into something a bit too fantastical and hyperbolic/ridiculous for me to find creepy or unnerving in any way. I will say that I think the overall tone of this novel is lighter, and so I did not expect a super dark or dreary novel in general, but this part in particular still felt a bit off to me. However, the other reveal, that of <spoiler>the underground children, worked better for me, though I wish we would have focused on them for longer rather than having it be what felt like a last minute jump scare</spoiler>

I also think that with the attention to utilizing the environment and such representations in the book as elements of horror, I was surprised by the more fantastical moments, especially because this book is advertised as Southern Gothic, and it concluded in a way that felt like it had gotten far away from that genre. That being said, I really did enjoy this read, and T. Kingfisher does a great job of adding distinct details that force the reader to pause and reflect on before continuing. If you read this novel, and not think too hard about some of its details, I think it will be enjoyable for sure! It was just in that reflection and consideration of details after I finished, where parts began to unravel for me.

Sam, a science woman return home where she grew up to discover changes in the house and her mother. Strange things happen, but she believes everything has a rational explanation. Soon she will discover not everything can be solve by science. The book is a horror story, but it is also about family and generational gaps that affect all the members, the grandmother, the mother and Sam.

4 stars

T. Kingfisher is at it again with another creepy house and a whole bunch of understandably disturbed inhabitants!

Sam, the m.c., is back in the home she mostly grew up in to check in on her mom, whose recent behavior has her brother and her concerned. As soon as Sam gets to the house, though, she starts to notice some strange activity herself and wonder whether there are rational explanations or if something else is afoot. As a scientist and an academic, Sam really angles hard for the former, but, well, many signs point to the latter.

This author has such a knack for creating disturbing spaces, sensory experiences, and questions even within the minds of readers about what is real and not, and these characteristics all shine through in this latest effort. For me, there is a little bit of a slow burn happening. I would've enjoyed more action sooner, but the sinister build makes the journey enjoyable (in an obviously creepy way).

Fans of this author will not be disappointed with this one. I am endlessly excited to read what's next!

Sam is returning to her old childhood home, to stay a while with her mother. But the place she finds is unsettlingly unchanged since her -now deceased- Grandmother ran the kind of household that scarred two generations. Along with the fact that Sam's mother is behaving extremely oddly, she becomes determined to find a scientific explanation for what's happening.
This book is a very compelling and easy read, with a very likeable main character and a thrilling climax. I liked how the author explored the theme of family and generational trauma.

T. Kingfisher knows how to write creepy. A House With Good Bones is such a phenomenal exemplification of their very specific writing talents, and utilizes them incredibly well.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars

After reading What Moves the Dead, Nettle & Bone, and The Twisted Ones I’ve become something of a T. Kingfisher enthusiast, so I had to read her latest novella, A House with Good Bones. I love the author’s effortless writing style, which is somehow always a blend of conversational and fun, as well as eerie and suspenseful. A House with Good Bones is no exception to this rule, but this novella definitely leans more towards lighter, “fun” horror than outright scary.

“There was a vulture on the mailbox of my grandmother’s house. As omens go, it doesn’t get much more obvious than that.”

A House with Good Bones follows archaeological entomologist, Sam, as she goes back to her childhood home, originally belonging to her grandmother, to spend time with her ailing mother. As Sam spends more time in her mother’s home, it seems that there is more to her mother’s changed behavior than meets the eye. The longer Sam remains, the stranger things in the home become. This is the time when A House with Good Bones really excels, when it’s hinting at bigger, darker happenings. The suspense of what was behind Sam’s mother’s behavior and the odd happenings in the house, such as the house being watched by vultures, neighbors insinuating the house is haunted, and pictures falling off the walls and shattering, really had me dying to know what was truly going on.

I also really enjoyed A House with Good Bones’s look at family dynamics and how unhealthy relationships, as well as hauntings, can happen anywhere. One of the things I love about T. Kingfisher’s novels are that her characters are always anything but typical, they’re always quirky, original, and eccentric. I feel like in most horror books, readers automatically picture themselves in whatever horrific situation is unfolding and judge the characters’ poor decision making as unrealistic or just plain stupid. That is not the case with A House with Good Bones or The Twisted Ones, which both feature their offbeat protagonists acting in a very relatable manner—looking for rational reasons behind the ominous occurrences, realizing they can’t abandon their mother or dog, and so on and so forth. Both of these protagonists seek out help and accept it when it is offered too, none of this hiding deep, dark secrets and hoping everything will magically work out as things get progressively worse, which is something I really appreciate.

“It was just a little bit creepy. Which was ridiculous, of course. Creepy is for old Gothic mansions and run-down cabins out in the woods, not cookie-cutter houses in the middle of a subdivision.”

There is also a hint at a tiny bit of romance, or the very least, mutual attraction with a neighboring handyman, Phil, if readers squint. I found the exchanges between Sam and Phil pretty entertaining and even laughed out loud. Another neighbor lady, Gail, who has a pet vulture and a bit of a reputation, is also mysterious and interesting as well, even though she doesn’t have much page space. I always find it impressive how T. Kingfisher manages to flesh out her side characters in very little time at all.

Though the build up in A House with Good Bones was interesting and I had no real, solid guesses at what was truly going on in said house, I found that ultimately I preferred The Twisted Ones’s mystery and scarier tone. That novel actually had me outright scared, but A House with Good Bones never once frightened me, even in its spookiest moments. That being said, this novella still is a fun and quick read, with a different take on a lot of the supernatural and a female heroine who is smart and sympathizable. If you enjoy spooky tales that aren’t too scary or any of author T. Kingfisher’s other works, A House with Good Bones is an excellent and surefire addition to your to-be-read list.

I will devour anything that T. Kingfisher writes and A House with Good Bones is no exception!

I loved Sam the unstoppable, humorous, and very relatable main character! Sam shined through the pages and I completely enjoyed following her down the dark rabbit hole.

Overall a thoroughly fun and entertaining tale!

This was my second read from T. Kingfisher and I have to say I've become very fond of her writing. Her books are always so much fun to read and that's true for her newest release as well. A House With Good Bones is essentially a haunted house story but it's not actually scary. Rather, it's incredibly entertaining and exeptionally funny with lots of quirky moments, which I love. I had a great time while reading and will definitely check out more of this author's work in the future. If you love supernatural stories with a good dose of humor I can highly recommend reading A House With Good Bones when it comes out next March!

Oh my! I'm in love, I can't even tell ya'll how much I loved this. I loved What Moves the Dead and I adored this just as much. As someone who loves all the little critter friends (they are, without exaggeration, one of the most integral components to what keeps the world running... without them, we would literally cease to exist), I related so much to Sam; it was awesome that Kingfisher made Sam's passion and career as a bug lady such a central part of the story, Perfect amounts of creep, touch of grossness, and smart, witty humor. I couldn't have built a more perfect book for myself!!

I know a house with good bones is a real estate term, but this book could have been called a house with mysterious bones or a house with bad bones or even Where'd This Jar of Teeth Come Froom?

Yes! All kinds of calcified things are buried around this house. There's more! A mean ghost, a distraught mother, a nice witch, and an archeologist. The protagonist is fat. Yay for chubby heroines! And there are vultures. Lots and lots of vultures. There's a disabled vulture who resembles a pancake. Let's not forget the human males, a grumpy neighbor and his hot, handyman grandson.

With a lineup like that, this story goes places. Mainly underground, but underground is a place. A place with underground children. Hungry, hungry underground children.

There's also a cute running gag about the size of Texas.

Likeable characters (except for the mean ghost.) Even the pancake vulture is loveable. Fast paced action toward the end. Read this book or the underground children will get you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor/Nightfire for allowing me to read and review an eARC of A House With Good Bones.

"A House With Good Bones" is a southern gothic filtered through gen X and I loved it. Deliciously creepy (rather than outright horror), funny, and the most sympathetic portrayal of a vulture that I've ever read.

It's also about family and how sometimes we can recognize that family members were awful people and you don't actually have to forgive them for that and that's okay.

T. Kingfisher is one of my must-buy authors and I've never been disappointed (scared out of my ever-loving mind, I"m looking at you "The Twisted Ones"!) by a book of hers.

If T. Kingfisher writes it, I'm going to be thrilled to keep reading it... this was terrifying and hilarious and bonus points for the vultures. I love the protagonist in this, the supporting characters, the novella format of the story was structured, paced, and wrapped up well!

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advance reading copy <3

This was, like all of T. Kingfisher’s novels I have read, completely delightful. While it is classified as horror, I feel like the horror element is gentle enough for even a more sensitive reader (like me). Instead, we get a narrator whose voice is so naturally conversational and whose interests are so specific that you can’t help but love her (bugs! and archeology! and British murder mystery shows! and drinking boxed wine with her mother!). It’s a testament to Kingfisher that while the thought of insects makes my skin crawl, the narrator’s total (and totally geeky) love for them made me look up different species online (and it still made my skin crawl, but baby steps). In terms of plot, the book moved at a healthy pace, though it is a bit of a slow burn. And the story was great, though I was left wishing for more story: more history of the family, more about the different generations’ relationships, and more about the vultures (I loved the vultures). While I usually enjoy books that are concise, I would have enjoyed even more of this novel. If recommending this for horror fans, be sure to temper expectations (slow burn and not terribly scary), but anyone looking for a contemporary speculative novel, with wonderful side characters and a smart, humorous, and resourceful protagonist should give this a shot.

This is my first book by this author. It was a struggle. This book started off sooo slow and boring. I also struggled getting attached to any of the characters. I loved Sam's career, definitely not one that you read about everyday. So I thought that was neat. The story builds quickly towards the end but getting there took awhile. Maybe this just isn't my type of book but I will be continuing to try out this author because the writing is done very well.

Creepy and gripping, this southern gothic novella was a fun read and inspired me to look into other T. Kingfisher stories, but I think I expected it to go a little further than it did? There was one memorably revolting, horrifying dining room set-piece involving roses that I won't readily forget, but my expectation in this genre is for a little more survival horror than we got – and a little more backstory only hinted at here regarding the g-grandfather, etc. Maybe in a novel version of this story, there'd be room for that? Ultimately, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, writing, and the eerie supernatural elements and will definitely take a look at Kingfisher's other books. Think this is a treat of a one-sitting novella.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book, but I can confidently say it won't be my last!

Horror is pretty hit or miss for me, but I absolutely devoured A House With Good Bones. There was a lot of build up and suspense, which made the creepy moments hit that much harder when they did occur. As someone who lives in North Carolina, occasionally has sleep paralysis and has recently had a ton of vultures in their yard, this book got to me in a way that no other horror book ever has. I always read at night, and I was genuinely spooked during some of the scenes.

One of the reasons horror is hit or miss for me is because I feel like as soon as the "monster" or entity or whatever you want to call it is revealed, any unease I felt immediately disappears. This was not the case with A House With Good Bones. The Gran Mae scene was genuinely creepy and the underground children even more so.

Unexpectedly, there was a lot of humor in this book, which I greatly appreciated at 2 am. Sam had me laughing out loud multiple times. Her dry wit, bluntness and fascination with bugs reminded me so much of my sister it was uncanny. Her head was a delightful place to be in. Such a great protagonist, and I really enjoyed the side characters as well!

Overall, this was a great spooky read and I definitely recommend!