One thing I love about this author is that she can tell a heck of a story without rambling on into 400 plus pages. She is able to get right to the heart of each book efficiently and while still giving you the full experience. I loved the southern setting and gothic atmosphere. This novel was original and thought provoking.

Once again, T. Kingfisher has written a spooky book that makes your heart race from page one, full of dread and the fear of awful consequences (while light on violence.). The supernatural threat - while present - takes a backseat to family fears in this one. Beginning with a daughter's sudden realization that her mother isn't herself (and the creeping, paralyzing fear of dementia, which robs us all of our loved ones), it circles into realizing how the effects of terrible parents can trickle down through the years, and how we choose to express those effects can stretch beyond the grave.

I can't recommend her work strongly enough.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Standalone
Horror
Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Sam returns to her childhood home for an extended stay but it quickly becomes evident that her mother is acting strange and Sam can’t let it go. There is a buried jar of teeth in the garden and vultures circling overhead and she is desperate to find out the rationale behind these rather odd occurrences.

What to say about a book where I really think the less you know, the better your reading experience will be? I guess thank you to the author for unlocking a new fear… GARDENING. I will not be sticking my hands anywhere near a flower or worse… into the ground *shutters* anytime soon. Kingfisher has managed to take the mundane and twist it into this creepy crawly tale releasing just in time for gardening season in the northern hemisphere!

Written in her usual twisted but charming manner, Kingfisher tells a tale about an intergenerational trauma in a family home. Snarkier and more sarcastic than her last novel, it still packs its punch.

If Kingfisher writes it then I will read it (and during so frequently question her sick and twisted brain and then mine for picking it up and enjoying it)!

Thank you to Tor for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was another great T. Kingfisher novel! I really enjoy Kingfisher's ability to create and entire cast of likable characters and her ability to weave them into complicated and increasingly-weirder situations. A House With Good Bones was a perfect combination of humor, horror, and the supernatural.

Based on the ratings, I may be one of the few that had a terrible time reading this. “A House With Good Bones” was a bore and once I reached the halfway mark, I just couldn’t find it in myself to finish the remainder.

The synopsis checked off everything I enjoy in a suspense/horror novel. Like who doesn’t like to read about haunted houses, possible ghosts/demons and with creepy vultures thrown in? Nonetheless, the pacing was too slow and the passages seemed drawn out. Maybe it was just me but a whole lot of nothing happened beside the small photo capture of a hand after the 60% that literally did nothing for me. I quickly dropped the novel after that.

Additionally the characters were bland AF. Sam, the main character, of the novel had a very interesting background, but personality-wise, very one-dimensional. The grandmother, mother, and gardener had more depth and caught my interest.

I can’t pinpoint if I am being affected by the reading slump or I am being picky, but this doesn’t live up to the hype but considering how the author is a fan favorite, I may go back to read other works to see if it’s really me or this novel in general.

A House With Good Bones is wonderfully done. A southern gothic firmly set in present day featuring strange familial ties at the heart of horror. It's one of my favourite tropes, that vaguely unsettling, something is wrong in the family feeling. Sam is a wonderful main character and I fully appreciated her lack of belief of the more fantastical horror moments, attempting to play them off just as one does in reality. While the set up felt a bit slower than need be, everything else really came together and the ending was gruesome and wonderful.

4⭐

Man this was such a wild, crazy, entertaining ride. This is my 4th read from T. kingfisher, and she is becoming a favorite. This story, like her others, is so out there. You just have to enjoy the ride she takes you on. This story starts as a haunted house story, and goes into a crazy direction. I will say, the first half of the book has such creepy descriptions. You are really unsettled reading it. I didn't at all mind where the story went. I really enjoy her writing, and the way she tells the story. I know this won't be for everyone, but if you have read another of her books you will enjoy this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Sam who specializes as a bug archaeologist, returns to her hometown in North Carolina to her mother’s house. But she realizes right away that her childhood home has no longer same charm and everything starts to feel off. Then she ends up seeing more bizarre things in and around the house and even finds her mom acting weirdly. Now, it’s on her to investigate and come to face the horrors unleashed by this house that seems to have become an entity by itself.

I liked the subtle creepy and the whole spooky vibes the author has managed to maintain throughout the book. There is some mystery, history, bit of horror and humor all weaved into this one. Overall, a neat atmospheric read with some chills and thrills, a perfect Halloween read!

I have found myself continuously recommending T. Kingfisher's books to fans of folk horror and this books will be no exception. There are moments in this book that were deeply scary and I am glad I wasn't home alone when I read this title. And like the other books that I have read by this author A House with Good Bones is filled with warm humor, excellent character development, and obscure information that you can use to impress your friends (in this case, archaeoentomology).

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I love T. Kingfisher so I was excited to read this book! Some of the writing felt a little off, maybe rushed, but I was able to overlook it because the story was great. Our main character, Sam, is witty and spunky, the atmosphere is creepy and eerie, which I think the author does well. Also...insects. if you know you know.

Ahhhhh my first T. Kingfisher book! I wasn't approved for the last one, so you can imagine my elation at this approval. I was 100% not disappointed at all and this lived up to the hype.

Our protagonist, Sam, returns back home after her dig gets cancelled (in short form, she's a bug archeologist). She quickly realizes that something is off and not quite right. Her mom is starting to act more like her deceased grandma and denying it. The neighbors rescued vultures start watching the house. Bugs start crawling swarming. I don't want to give too much away, but you'll feel a little squirmy after reading this.

I expected this book to be creepy, but I did not expect it to be funny too. I love the writing style, I loved the plot, and I loved the characters.

Seriously, this was such a fun read. I will recommend this book to everyone. I'm not sure I'll ever look at roses the same though.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Nightfire for the ARC!!!

Another win for T. Kingfisher! A spunky, relatable protagonist, a creeping evil, and a fresh look at the garden witch and unexpected horrors, this book was as horrifying as it was lovely. Full review to come on Rue Morgue.

T. Kingfisher has succeeded yet again in taking very specific fears of mine and turning them into reality. Horror insects AND horror vultures? Throw in a dash of good old-fashioned southern gothic terror mixed with the more contemporary but equally chilly suburban gothic and you've got a story to stoke the fires of fear in the strongest of hearts. As usual, Kingfisher does an incredible job of balancing humor and heart with the darker elements of folk horror. I was quick to add Sam to the ranks of my other beloved Kingfisher protagonists, and was impressed by the level of research that went into her entomologist background even as it made my skin crawl. Sam's relationship with her mother is strong and sweet and anchors the supernatural goings-on in real human issues, as the two of them struggle to escape the shadow of Sam's grandmother's abuse. Kingfisher is also a brilliant side-character creator: Gail, Phil, and even the curmudgeonly Mr. Pressely felt exactly as real as the hodge podge crew of southerners I used to people-watch at my Virginian family's barbecues.

I didn't find this as sleep-ruining as some of Kingfisher's other books (looking at you, Twisted Ones), but it will certainly give you the right kind of shivers just in time for Halloween.

Once again Kingfisher delivers a beautifully written novella. I found the atmosphere to be spooky and creepy which added to the story. It was plenty creepy as well. Characters are interesting and I particularly like the relationship between mother and daughter. I like the author's writing style and how well they describe creepy settings. Kingfisher is becoming a favorite horror author of mine. Her stories are sweet and spooky. Perfect for Halloween time or anytime.

Thank you, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, for allowing me to read A House With Good Bones early!

There is a reason T. Kingfisher is an award-winning author. She is always hits it out of the park and A House With Good Bones is no exception.

The familiar setting of a relatively modern housing development takes a turn for the very, very weird just when you're starting to wonder where the horror is. Classic Kingfisher, if not quite as scary as The Hollow Places.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. I love this author and this book did not disappoint. When her archaeological dig is put on hold, Sam visits her mother who lives in an old house that used to belong to her grandmother. Strange things start happening, like a vulture sitting on the mailbox and invasions of ladybugs in the bedroom. Sam's mom is acting weird, what is going on?

I just started reading T Kingfisher this year and I think I’ve found a new favourite! She takes seemingly innocuous things and turns them into horrific stories. I love the nature motifs she uses and this follows in the footsteps of What Moves the Dead and The Hollow Places.

This story follows Sam Montgomery who is an archaeoentomologist. Basically this means, she is a bug archaeologist and is an expert on all things creepy crawly. When a dig is postponed, she goes to stay with her mother in the interim.

The house her mother lives in carries a lot of conflicting and upsetting childhood memories concerning her long deceased Gran Mae. Somehow Sam’s mother is still feeling the influence of Gran Mae and Sam has to get to the bottom of what’s really going on.

A quick and atmospheric read, A House With Good Bones is a perfectly spooky read and I kind of want a pet vulture now?

"We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us." (Charles Darwin)

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.

But she's currently on hiatus from her recent dig. A perfect time to visit her mother, Edith, in North Carolina. After a long, long drive from Arizona, Sam crashes out at her mother's house. Sam notices that there's a noticeable change in her mother. Edith was always a carefree soul. Now she is overly nervous and cautious about everything. And everything within the house seems to have reverted back to when Gran Mae lived there over twenty years ago. Could Edith still be mourning her mother after all this time? Or is Edith showing signs of dementia?

That's when Sam goes up into the attic looking for a replacement for the eerie painting that now hangs over the fireplace. And things eventually will go bump in the night. Strange things. Very strange things. Will Sam get to the root of it all or will the root eventually get to her?

T. Kingfisher has a way with words. A House With Good Bones will have those teeny, tiny hairs on your neck standing in high alert. And at the same time, Kingfisher adds outrageously crazy humor to the dialogue and to the situations. I mean laugh out loud moments with Sam's quirky demeanor. So be prepared for chills and thrills here as only T. Kingfisher can deliver.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Tor/Forge Books and to the talented T. Kingfisher for the opportunity.

While this was not my favorite T. Kingfisher book I still enjoyed it. I think it felt a little rushed which may be why I didn’t love it as much. I liked the characters and of course loved the author’s trademark humor. It was a quick ready but a good one!