Special thanks to netgalley and tornightfire for the arc of this book.

Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother. Her mother is acting strange. She’s changing the decor in her house back to how their overbearing grandmother used to keep it. Sam decides to come stay with her mother until she can figure out what all is going on with her. But while she’s there, she soon finds that something strange is happening inside the house. Vultures are staring at the house. Jars filled with teeth are found in the garden. Mysterious figures are popping up in family pictures. Will Sam be able to get to the bottom of the mystery before it’s too late?

This book was an absolute blast. I have read several of T. Kingfisher’s books and have loved every single one of them. Like the others before it, this book expertly blends horror with humor, keeping readers on the edge of their seats while still letting out a laugh or two. I really enjoyed the haunted house aspect of the novel, while still having a unique twist to it. I also loved Sam’s job as an entomologist. It was fun seeing some insights on big species.

I gave this book 4.5 stars. It was a delight from beginning to end and highly recommend it.

A House With Good Bones is the latest horror offering from T. Kingfisher. I had previously read The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places, so I had a good idea of what to expect in terms of terror. Bones is told from the first person perspective of Samantha “Sam” Montgomery and is set in a quiet North Carolina suburb with Southern Gothic trappings, including vultures that watch over her mother’s house and a greenwitch who lives down the street. The house itself, very much like the one from The Haunting of Hill House, is a character of its own, and seems to be angry at something, or someone. Sam notices her mother acting out of character and sets out to find out why. What she uncovers is a roiling underbelly of family history better left buried. Bones, at its heart, is about unhappy families, the harm they can do even across generations, and how to get free from their iron grip. This is a slower burn than some of Kingfisher’s books with a strong focus on psychological horror. Sam, a scientist, doesn’t believe the evidence of uncanny happenings right before her eyes, which can be frustrating for the reader who knows that something strange is going on. This is supposed to create an internal conflict but it feels forced and makes the protagonist seem not very smart. Overall, it was an enjoyable, terrifying read, and for the most part I enjoyed Sam’s quirky point of view. Recommended for fans of creepy Southern Gothic fiction.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

This is one of my favorite stories about the horrors of complicated families. Most people have some monsters in their family tree but this family takes it to a new level. The narration bordered a little too much on stream of consciousness for my taste but I really liked all of the characters. Especially Hermes!

Not my usual genre…but this was enjoyable reading although a bit bizarre. A humorous and odd take on the haunted house theme.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784409

I always look forward to a new T. Kingfisher book and this one doesn't disappoint! Perhaps a little more slight than her recent books, but a fun haunted house family trauma drama read. If anything I'd like it to be longer!

T. Kingfisher's A House with Good Bones artfully crafts a family dynamic that was once one of love and light between mother and daughter to one shrouded in darkness by the family's matriarch. In true Kingfisher fashion, nature's elements are utilized as a metaphor for life and loss while also operating as a means of character and world building. It was truly an honor to get to know these characters and understand the dark lineage that plagues their present and potential future. Generally, the use of foliage and flowers creates a world that feels vibrant while the creatures that exist within it shroud their home with darkness. The twists were incredible and the unearthing of a hereditary curse was exquisitely executed. This is not a book you will want to miss. It kept me hook from start to finish with well-crafted characters, believable relationship dynamics, dark whimsy, phantasmic disbelief, ancient historical alchemy, and the powers that bind mysticism to family and places. I am looking forward to reading to again.

She did it again y'all! She did it again!
And here I thought she couldn't top her previous books.... Pshhhh! I was dead wrong!
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher is her best yet IMO! I know it's my favorite.
The way she creates the atmosphere is so chilling and creepy.
Her writing as well was so intricately written, beautiful and just completely captivating. As usual.
T. Kingfisher certainly knows how to pack a punch and end with a bang that is both satisfying and leaves you craving more.
Dark, twisted, suspenseful, A House With Good Bones has all the elements of a Southern Gothic tale.

Give me more please!
It's official I will read anything she creates. She writes it, I'm reading it!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Nightfire,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES was simply...wonderful!

This is a tight novella with short chapters you can rip right through, and I'll warn you now, you probably will. The story is a compelling mix of southern family drama, Southern Gothic, witches, folk horror, humor and vultures. That's right, vultures.

This novella is so charming that it's easy to downplay the horrors of it, but horrors there are! Mark my words there are a few jaw dropping scenes here that I won't soon forget, nor will you. Kingfisher writes characters that you can easily relate to and care for, which helps to make those horrific incidents even more tension filled because you want these people to survive.

I'm relatively new to T. Kingfisher's work but the last two novellas of hers I've read worked so well for me, they've motivated me to read more of her work, and soon. As for now, I highly recommend A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES!

Available March 28, 2023

*Thanks to Tor Nightfire the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Book Title: A House with Good Bones
Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge Tor Nightfire
Genre: Horror/Gothic Thriller
Pub Date: March 28, 2023
My Rating: 3 Stars!

I have not read anything by this author. I have to admit her caught my eye.
T. Kingfisher is the pen-name of Ursula Vernon. http://www.redwombatstudio.com/portfolio/writing/books-for-kids/
As Ursula Vernon, she writes children's books and comics; has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.
She states that T. Kingfisher is the name she uses when writing for grown-ups. I down loaded this because I liked her

Samantha "Sam" Montgomery knows creepy and crawly up close and personal. She's an archaeoentomologist currently living in Tucson, Arizona. Bugs are her thing. Sam is the expert when it comes to identifying insects that burrowed their way into ancient civilizations and cultures. Even things with hard shells that scurry along the floorboards nowadays get her attention.

Sometimes I am good with horror but sometimes not. Doesn’t mean this isn’t good ~ Perhaps right now I just might need a nice cozy mystery!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Tor Nightfire for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 28, 2023

Thanks NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There’s nothing worse than when an author tries to be hilarious and just bombs entirely. The constant forced comedy in the prose here does not land at all, and in contrast made the story pretty cringey and hard to read for me. This MC was relentlessly aggravating by trying to inject SO MANY pointless little sarcastic barbs that only made me roll my eyes—please stop trying so hard, it’s super distracting. I would describe the dynamic of the writing as style over substance (and even at that, the style is hollow). I wish the “look at how funny I am!!” one-liners were way toned down or edited out completely so I could have focused more on trying to get into the story as opposed to feeling embarrassed for the author for trying so hard to be quirky and relatable. I just couldn’t get into it.

The story became slightly more enjoyable after I started heavily scanning to pick up the key bits without the beating-a-dead-horse failed comedic gobbledegook. If this was longer I definitely wouldnt have been able to finish. I also felt like some of this plot was borrowed from the NoSleep story “Horsehair Bundles”, but that story is more atmospheric, scarier and more impactful in every way. I regretfully cannot recommend this one to anyone as I did not find it compelling in the least bit.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy - all opinions are my own.

This book is INCREDIBLE - it is the exact perfect mix of mystery/horror/paranormal and is so uniquely done that I could not set this book down if I tried.

I loved everything about this book - the characters (a lead character who is a socially awkward nerd who studies bugs?? Possible witches? Crazy conspiracy theory neighbor? Yes, love it), the pacing (steady build up to explosive conclusion), the intensity (things aren't quite right, but you don't quite know why), the twists....its all so wonderfully packaged together, and executed to perfection.

Paranormal horror can be a bit hit and miss for me, but I was 100% in to how this story unfolds. It has all the right elements without being insanely over the top and wild. I would pay good money to see this book made into a movie - it would be phenomenal on screen.

Overall, this is a must for winter reading lists - its the perfect story to escape into on a cold wintery day.

T Kingfisher has quickly become my favorite horror author. I found this book so mysterious and haunting…not quite knowing what was happening and then BOOM huge plot twist that was so wild I beg of everyone not to spoil it! Fantastic, wild read.

T. Kingfisher's novel "A House With Good Bones" builds beautiful tension from the very first page. Sam's world and family seems to just be completely and fully formed from the first word. The overall building of suspense is accomplished with such skill that you can almost feel the hairs on the back of your neck standing up one by one. The journey that Sam takes through this story to discover if there's something going on with her mother is an absolute roller coaster that is worth every twist and turn.

T. Kingfisher's novels have been a hit or miss for me so far, only read two though, so I was a bit hesitant going into this one. But, right off the bat, I was completely enthralled by this one. As an archeological student (both ancient and biological archaeology), I immediately took a liking to Sam. I have never read a novel that includes my career and it made me so excited to continue reading to see how Sam includes her skills in the horror. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed and almost giddy whenever it came up.

Gothic ghosts stories are some of my favourites, but they rarely live up to the hype in my head. But this one did not disappoint and I found myself reading well into the night because I could not put it down. Kingfisher's writing style is always full of humour and coupled with the creepy atmosphere, I was always left on my toes as I didn't know what was coming next. Should I be calm because of the humour? Scared because of the horror? Both? How does she makes those feelings mix SO WELL? I'm not sure, but I can say that she did it phenomenally.

I can now say I am a T. Kingfisher stan and I will be purchasing this book when it comes out (I need the physical copy too!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher!

I loved this book. The building of dread was very well done. I also loved the main character Sam. This is a ghost story told from the view of a character who believes in science and hard facts, which was really interesting. This story was very well written and I couldn’t put it down once I started.

Every time I read a book by T. Kingfisher I love it a little bit more than the last. This book was absolutely no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that my love for T Kingfisher is nothing new. Everything the woman writes is pure gold so as soon as I got a copy of her newest work, A House With Good Bones, I immediately began reading.

Sam Montgomery is on leave for her job as an archaeologist in Arizona and heading to North Carolina to spend time with her mother. As soon as Sam steps foot into her childhood home, she quickly realizes something is off, not just with the house but also with her mom. The house is constantly surrounded by vultures and the homey charm that the house once held now contains sterile white walls with alarming decor. Her mother always seems like she's on edge looking over her shoulder while she’s alone and forgetting important things. Sam is determined to discover what is going on when she soon learns that some mysteries are best left undiscovered.

Steeped in southern gothic, A House With Good Bones is another highly entertaining read by the brilliant mind of Kingfisher. Along with most of her works, we again get a delightfully charming female protagonist full of quick wit. Sam was a highly relatable main character who I immediately fell in love with. I also loved all of the well written sub characters. The plot was incredibly original and full of depth.

The story goes from a slow-burn character and setting an introduction to something truly otherworldly. I'm not going to say much about the story because I'm afraid I would give too much away. The horror elements were reminiscent of HP Lovecraft and were nothing short of terrifying. The ending perfectly wrapped everything up and left a lasting impression.

A House with Good Bones both exceeded and lived up to all of my expectations! I highly recommend this one to horror fans. A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher will be available on March 28, 2023. A massive thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

there are no flowers in this
place only the roots of
roses and the things that
move between them
only roots and runners
only thorns
This has the bones of a better story, but takes a distressingly long time to get going. I tend to like more credulity from my narrators (Dr. Faraday, I am looking in your direction, o you disbeliever), Kingfisher's Sam is an entomologist who likes science and ration and reason and so looks for answers within those realms when it is obvious to the reader that Sam's mother's house is haunted. But I can't necessarily blame Sam for searching for less supernatural explanations, since so few things actually happen to <i>her</i> to justify any belief in a haunted house; most of what has caused Sam's mom's eerie behavior happens off-page (and here is where I will mention that I hope some of the more obvious errors will be corrected before publication, which is a long ways off! so there's time), and even though I'm a seasoned horror reader, if I'd experienced <spoiler> </spoiler> any of the very few things that Sam actually does, I'd probably chalk it up to more reasonable explanations myself. Which is all well and good, it's just not very interesting to read about. Sam and her mom drink boxed wine and watch British mysteries, something kind of odd happens and they drink more boxed wine. There are no bugs in the garden, a fact that gets mentioned many, many times, and there's some reading aloud of internet research, which advances the plot slightly, but in a dull fashion. Events pick up satisfyingly three-quarters of the way towards the end, but it was too little, too late of a payoff for this reader. Two and a half stars rounded down for all the times Sam says, "Heh."

“Anywhere there’s people, there’s a possibility of evil, wouldn’t you say?”

A House With Good Bones is everything you want in a horror/thriller/gothic book. Creepy, weird, mysterious, fast paced, and did I mention, weird! Throw in hilarious dialogue, a hugely likable cast of characters, and great setting and you have a 5 star book. Kingfisher made it impossible to put this book down and had me thinking about it when I was not reading it. I did not expect it to go where it was going and I loved the weirdness of it all. Do yourself a favor and pick this up!

If you’ve ever had the privilege of living for a time in a haunted house, then you’ll be pleased to know that T. Kingfisher does a superb job of perfectly capturing what it is like. If you are like me, scientifically minded and quite skeptical regarding supernatural occurrences than you will completely relate to the protagonist of A House With Good Bones, Sam - an archeologist specializing in insects who ventures home to live with her mother in her grandmother’s house in between digs. Sam quickly realizes that all is not right with the house or her mother who starts to exhibit signs of being nice and normal, mimicking the personality quirks of her deceased grandmother.

A House with Good Bones is a cleverly written horror story with enough snappy wit to keep things real and enough action and creeping horror to keep the pages turning. Kingfisher’s newest novel is sure to delight fans of Grady Hendrix and anyone who grew up watching The ‘Burbs. Highly recommended!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and T. Kingfisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.