A House With Good Bones is a fun, quirky, and exciting ride of a ghost story. Our protagonist, Sam, easily pulls you right in and keeps you fully engaged with her conversational narration; and it’s fun to watch her slowly wrap her scientific mind around the reality of magic and ghosts. That leads me to my biggest point: this story was just as entertaining as it was eerie.

The one thing I am coming to appreciate about Kingfisher’s writing, above all, is just how funny it can be. I have never been so amused reading horror. The best thing about it is that the humour- for me, anyhow- doesn’t take anything away from the horror. It just all works together to make a richer reading experience. I was still plenty creeped out by all the weirdness going down in Gran Mae’s house. I’ve come to judge the merit of a horror novel not by how edge-of-your-seat, can’t-read-fast-enough thrilling it is, but by how much of an excitable, running commentary I keep for my husband. You know I’m really into the story if I can’t stop interrupting my own reading, just to tell my husband how screwed the characters are or how creepy-crazy things are getting. As I read this one, I just couldn’t shut up.

I also love when I’m able to recognise people I know in books, and Sam reminds me so much of my own biologist sister that I’m considering buying her a copy, when it releases. My inner pop culture geek was positively screaming when Aleister Crowley made his way into the narrative (fun unrelated fact- Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin, bought Boleskine House, because he was just that much of a Crowley fanboy). Little connections like that always amuse me endlessly, and they always make the story seem all the more real.

I can’t wait for this to hit the shelves.

I think at this point I can say there isn't a horror (or any other genre) I won't read from T.Kingfisher. Would it be impossible to just have the arc's sent to me without me requesting them? Pretty please?

I started reading this the moment this digital ARC found its way to my Netgalley shelf. and I regret nothing!

This was such an interesting take on a haunted house story filled with unique visuals and pervaded by a perfect sense of ominous dread. I felt an immediate connection to our protagonist, a single woman in her 30s with an unconventional career and passions as she navigated a prolonged visit to her childhood home where things aren't quite right... with the house and her mother.

Why are there so many vultures? And why do I absolutely want one as a pet? (but probably only Hermes in his pancake form)

This book left me on the edge of my seat several times as I navigated my way through this unraveling gothic horror garden. I am so glad that this was my first T. Kingfisher experience.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This is the perfect book to read on a stormy night, assuming you don't want to be able to sleep until the following day. It moves from disturbing to scary to downright terrifying.

The author continues to present us with well developed characters who feel real, and who we can't help but root for as they dig themselves into and out of some horrifying situations. We get vultures and ladybugs and roses and good family and bad family and good neighbors and bad neighbors and plenty of bug-talk.

First off, thank you so much to #Netgalley, the publisher and especially the author for this ARC!

Okay so T. Kingfisher is in my top 3 favorite authors…. This book was incredible! I love every book they have written, they are so easy to read and keep you on the edge of your seat. When I got the ARC for this book I actually did a little dance I was so excited! My favorite book by them this far was the hollow ones but this book gave that a run for its money…. This book was so creepy and atmospheric and I already preordered a copy for my own collection. Do yourself a favor, go in as blind as you can to this book and enjoy!

My fifth Kingfisher read and, needless to say, I’m a huge fan. I really love her writing style. Her stories are just so original and a breath of fresh air into the horror genre. This one, The Hollow Places, and The Twisted Ones have hilariously relatable protagonists that act like people who haven’t caught on to the fact that they’re living a horror story, and it really reminds me of how a normal person would act if the unexplained started happening to them. I also love when characters have a science background! The main character, Sam, is an archaeologist that specializes in entomology and I loved reading her try to rational everything happening to her, all the way down to applying the scientific method. I learned quite a bit about bugs, too!

A House with Good Bones is an excellent addition to her roster of horror with her quintessential humor, no romance (although this one does have a straight, male side character), North Carolina backdrop, the uncanny in the mundane, and iconic animals. I loved the building tension and how Kingfisher created so much uneasiness before everything cranks up in the last quarter of the book. And why is it that the grandparents always have something crazy going on in her books? Because same, my grandma literally lives in a haunted house. Is it weird that this book made me want a pet vulture? You can say it, I know it’s weird. Overall, recommend to fans of light horror, first person narrative, and haunted house stories with funny protagonists.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

A House With Good Bones builds with a slow eerie sensation. The characters are well-rounded and fit perfectly with the story. This isn’t your typical haunted house story, it was much creepier than others I have read with a chilling ending.

Highly recommended to fans who love haunting, creepy horror.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review. Expected Pub Date: March 28, 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and T. Kingfisher for this eGalley copy of A House With Good Bones.

Kingsolver has done it again! The characterization is solid, the plot captivating, and the horror visceral. And then the twist?!? Excellent.

T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. I absolutely love her writing style, and her horror novels are always unique and completely chilling. I love a good haunted house story, but Kingfisher takes it to the next level with A House With Good Bones. I really like how much thought Kingfisher puts into her main characters: they're not just cookie-cutter final girls. Sam was a great main character, and I liked the fun facts and witty remarks her knowledge of insects brought to the story. The tension was built up perfectly as Sam struggled to figure out why her mother was acting so strange. The last bit of the book was unbelievably creepy, and I don't think I'll ever want to have a rose garden now. 5/5 stars.

T. Kingfisher gets better with every book - this is her best yet in her growing collection of horror titles. I loved the way this book has a very slow creep. For the first quarter of the book, it's still, "This all seems pretty normal, and something is just a little, tiny bit off, and knowing that I'm reading a Kingfisher horror book makes me very suspicious about these rose bushes." By the time things start going terribly wrong, it's almost a relief, because the tension of waiting for the shoe to drop was getting unbearable. Strong recommend.

Samantha Montgomery returns home to her mother when the archeological dig she was on is put on hold. What she finds, shocks her, her mother has repainted the family home, and redecorated the house to look like it did when Sam and her mom moved in to live with her grandmother many years ago. That was not a happy time, nor did grandma have many progressive thoughts or beliefs and Sam becomes very worried about what's going on. Add in some vultures hovering nearby and an infestation of ladybugs. Something very bad is happening here!

Sam is glib and sarcastic and the tone, while starting out creepy and dark is fairly light and humorous. I greatly enjoyed this tale and recommend it to all who like their ghost stories with a bit of humor. If you like hearing from beyond the dead, like a dysfunctional family tale or just want your next read to be a funny Southern Gothic, A House With Good Bones is for you!
#MacMillan #TorForge #Tor

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Macmillan-Tor/Forge and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Vibrant characters in a story that will resonates many.

This has become an author I'm utterly devoted to. And I'm never let down. Every plot is wonderfully original, even when taking on themes others have done before. Characters come alive on the page. Compulsively readable. Is this my favorite? No. But it's heads and rose bushes above so many other books that it stands out. It's a fun, spooky read with a great narrator. I'm hoping there's a prequel told from Mae's perspective. As always, recommend.

4.5 stars. T. Kingfisher is one of those authors that I just connected with right off the bat. I've always loved the way she writes and the eerie vibes I get. This was no different. I feel bugs crawling on me as I write this.
What seems to be a fairly straightforward haunted house story gets kicked up a notch at the last quarter and goes into overdrive. It's something I now realize is usually missing from so many ghost stories and that is a fake climax. I was able to guess the "haunting" aspect pretty early, but it seemed like it was intended for the reader to know almost the whole time. That's what I choose to think anyway.
Ultimately, this is an amazing haunted house story that will be a hit with fans and newcomers alike.

I thought this story was just ok for me. I almost felt like it moved too quickly, like time passed really fast in this story, not in the "can't put it down" way but more like I couldn't keep up because things were happening so fast. I liked the book and finished it and will recommend but it wasn't my favorite

Kingfisher does horror in her own wonderful way. A House with Good Bones is a witty, clever, and fresh take on the haunted house sub genre of horror. I especially loved Hermes, what a good boy!!

I enjoy T. Kingfisher's horror novels, as they are always entertaining and compulsively readable. As the title would seem to indicate, this is a haunted house story. I liked the protagonist's investigation of the mystery and her relationship with her mother, and I thought there were some fun creepy moments as the story inches toward its reveal.

Another winner from T. Kingfisher! I love the gothic elements of the book and the plot is creepy. One of the best things about her writings are the well developed characters and the touches of humor.