What Feasts at Night is the second installment of the Sworn Soldier series centered around Alex Easton. After just having survived the events of the previous book, this one picks up with Ms. Potter visiting Angus and Easton at Easton's lodge in Gallacia. Focusing more on folklore than on an established story like the Fall of the House of Usher, What Feasts at Night was a wonderful follow-up. I enjoyed the shift to a folklore base and thought it lent itself to a horror story very well. While I did not find this one quite as creepy as What Moves the Dead, it still had a very gothic and eerie atmosphere. I love stories that border on supernatural with many realistic elements. I find that line to be fascinating and love to see what authors do with the possibilities of it. T. Kingfisher does a wonderful job crafting a story that perfectly toes that line for me.

I absolutely loved the narration of this. It fit Alex Easton perfectly and the narrator did a wonderful job differentiating for the other characters as they appeared. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful next installment Alex Easton's story, and I look forward to reading more about them in future books.

This follow-up to T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead , is just as creepy and horrible as part 1. It's a dark, gothic story about a monster that steals your breath. Alex and crew arrive to his hunting lodge in Gallecia for a holiday to find the caretaker dead. Things become weirder and stranger as the town whispers about something supernatural. I enjoyed the descriptions and atmosphere but also the humor. It's a quick but fun read. Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Very solid follow up to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, however it suffers from the same issues as its predecessor with pacing. I was ENTHRALLED with the stable scene.

T. Kingfisher books are so wildly transportative in so few pages. What Feasts at Night is no exception. 10/10 highly recommend this and the audiobook.

Thanks NetGalley, I enjoyed the sequel but I felt that is was a bit slow for a 147 page book. It didn't draw me in quite as much and was a bit harder to get into the story than the first and it just wasn't enough horror for my taste and wanted more of an explanation of the breath stealing monster. I will continue to read other titles by Kingfisher but this one wasn't my cup of tea.

After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.

In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for this ALC. Kingfisher's second installment in the Sworn Soldier series is an interesting take on the "soul catcher/vampire" legend. It was definitely interesting, slow at first, but the climax will not disappoint. Much to her form, Kingfisher's writing is eerily gothic, remininscient of Poe. The narrator of this audiobook did quite a great job of embodying the fluid nature of the main character's sexuality. Overall, the story is quite interesting.

Rating: 3.41 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3.5/5
-Cover: 3.75/5
-Story: 3/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Gothic, HisFic
-Fantasy: 4/5
-Horror: 1/5
-Gothic: 4/5
-HisFic: 3/5
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yes

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

This books, in my opinion, was better than the first. The first one was based on The Fall of the House of Usher and the story isn't my fav to begin with and has been done SO MANY TIMES but this one was nice. I hadn't heard about the lores and myths before so I was more attentive. That being said thought the story was fine it wasn't great and Alex is just... a pain 60% of the time.

This was so not as good as the first one and it pains me to say that because I absolutely love everything by T. Kingfisher. I was bored from the very start and it never truly picked up for me or piqued my interest. I even love the premise but it didn’t come together. Don’t let that stop you because lots of people really liked it and I will always recommend anything by this author. The audio was done well. At first I thought the narrators voice would be annoying but it actually worked for this novella. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced audio for my honest review.

T. Kingfisher's "What Feasts at Night," the highly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed "What Moves the Dead," fell short of expectations set by its predecessor, in my opinion. While I still enjoyed following Alex and meeting the new side characters, this sequel lacks the depth and horror elements that made the original so engaging. Despite a promising start as a horror mystery, the story becomes slow-paced, with a prolonged buildup leading to a less satisfying and underwhelming ending. The protagonist's inner thoughts dominate the narrative, sidelining the plot. Although there are moments that I really enjoyed, it overall left me longing for more horror and a more climactic conclusion.

I was initially drawn to "What Feasts at Night" because I loved the deliciously gothic creepiness of the first book in this series, "What Moves the Dead." There are many similiarities between the two that will leave fans of T. Kingfisher more than happy to sink back into the world of Gallacia. Repeat characters Alex Easton, Angus, and Miss Potter travel through the forests of Gallacia to reach his family's hunting lodge. Upon arrival, they find the lodge's caretaker dead and a deep sense of something plaguing the lodge.

Both "What Feasts at Night" and the first book in the series are delivered with the feel of a journalist's narrative, observed and reported by Easton. While this worked perfectly for me in book one, for some reason this writing style kept me more distanced from the action in book two, and I wasn't always eager to pick this book back up. That said, the action did pick up significantly and delivered some real tension horror, so my reading experience definitely ended stronger than it started. Avi Roque really delievered on the narration, adding to the tension perfectly. I can never put my finger on how I feel about these books, but Kingfisher's ability to get under my skin likely warrants my attention on a book three, should one ever come to pass.

3.5 stars rounded down. A big thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book in advance.

I actually did a e-book/audio mix on this one. This was my first time listening to a horror type book on audio, and I think it was just too slow for me. I was just dying to know where it was all going, and ended up having to switch to ebook for the last 40% because I can read so much faster than I can listen. The narrator was fantastic, @aviroque captured the haunting atmosphere of The Lodge perfectly and how they portrayed Alex was perfect.

T. Kingfisher is chronically underrated in every way. I'm not even a fan of the horror genre, and yet I'm here eating up these books like they're candy! This was the perfect follow up to What Moves The Dead. It was amazing, and I have no notes.

I was looking forward to this book, as I enjoyed What Moves the Dead. I have read a few of T. Kingfisher's books and like the way she writes horror, but this book came up short for me.
I did not feel as immersed in the story as I did with What Moves the Dead. Whereas when I read WMTD I felt a sense of dread (and also developed a slight fear of rabbits lol) What Feasts at Night just did not feel as atmospheric and dreary.
This could be because I listened to the audiobook version of this book, instead of reading it like I did the first book. I did not much care for the narrator. The voice was fine, but felt a little detached from the story.
To me it was just okay. I like Kingfisher's novels and the way she incorporates in some dark humor, but this one bored me. It felt bland and took too long to pick up. I think What Moves the Dead works better as a standalone.

Retired Galician soldier Alex Easton (What Moves the Dead) is back with a short Gothic horror adventure bringing back redoubtable mycologist Miss Potter, batman Angus, and mighty old steed Hob. Something dreadful is happening at the ancestral hunting lodge, something haunting and terrifying...Fans of What Moves the Dead will hurry to catch up on the latest of our gender-bending hero and his Victorian friends.

The novella is short, with excellent atmospheric horror, and while I cannot place the referent story (Poe's House of Usher was the inspiration for the first novel)––is it The Sphinx?–– the sense of creepy strangeness and Alex's quirks make this wholly enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightmare for the free eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.
(sub to Amaz 2/20)

I enjoyed T. Kingfisher’s “What Moves the Dead” and was expecting much the same from “What Feasts at Night”.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
I had to force myself to finish it.
Nothing much happened for more than half of the book, and then when things did start happening everything seemed so rushed I’m not quite sure what exactly Did happen.

My first introduction to T. Kingfisher was “What Moves the Dead”. I was ecstatic to find out about “What Feasts at Night.” I called my mom (she introduced me to WMTD), and we shared equal levels of excitement. That was somewhat dimmed when my NetGalley request for the eARC was declined. But then I got approved for the audiobook, which was even better as that had been the medium I used for “What Moves the Dead.” Huzzah! Excitement back on!

Avi Roque was the perfect selection as a narrator, and they did not disappoint for this novella. They perfectly embodied Easton’s ingrained manners, soldierly attitude, and complex sensibilities. Throughout their performance, they were able to vary their voice enough to make each character distinct - Angus being one of my favorites. Very well performed!

As for the story, I wanted to love it as much as I did WMTD. Alas, I was left wanting. The unsettling feeling in WMTD felt universal. Every once in a while, I think of certain scenes of that novella and feel such a pleasant “ick!” Even when the house of Usher was referenced in WFAN, I had goosebumps, literal goosebumps recalling those memories. I am sad that was missing here. It made the impact of the big-bad a dull thud instead of a meteoric boom, which WMTD contained. The climax was a little confusing, which, I guess, makes sense for the story, but it didn’t click for me.

This novel was in no way a loss, but it just won’t resonate the same way WMTD does. Kingfisher continues to be the empress of imagery. There are many atmospheric amateurs out there using simplistic language in their novels. Kingfisher is NOT one of those writers. The opening scene was so vivid that I felt like what she was describing was a memory of my own instead of a landscape I had never seen. “Limbs like arthritic fingers.” “Mud like cheap gravy.”” We traveled from smell to smell - woodsmoke and damp.” Brilliant and fully immersive (with the help of Roque).

If T. Kingfisher comes out with another Alex Easton novella, absolutely will be requesting it. I am still a loyal reader even if this novella didn’t quite live up to the hopes I had for it.

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher is book 2 in the Sworn Solider series. I enjoyed book 1 and was very excited to read book 2. As with all of this author's work that I have read so far, the imagery is gorgeous. The lush descriptions place you into the story. I also like quirky characters within unusal environments which is what we have with What Fests at Night. There are moments when the story gets deliciously dark and creepy which I liked. I hope to continue in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A taut thriller that would be perfect for spooky season reads. The author kept me engaged throughout the entire book.

Ok I listened to the audiobook ARC from Netgalley. I sped it up to 1.5x the narrator is the same as was used for the first book in the series. Overall the book was okay not much horror in it. The narrator was good but I still say the voice reminds me of Rumpelstiltskin.

I liked this book as much as the first Maybe even a little more actually. The narrator did an amazing job and I even felt myself cringe at some points. I love the MC and his wittiness, made me laugh.

I recommend this author 100%.
3.5 ⭐️

I only gave the first book in this series 3 stars, but I enjoyed it enough to continue with the second book and I'm so glad that I did. I love T. Kingfisher's writing and have given the majority of her books 5 stars.

What Feasts at Night was creepy and atmospheric. I didn't know what to expect from this sequel but I really like the direction that it went. It felt like a movie playing inside of my mind. It felt unique because I have only come across the Moroi in horror games and this is the first time I read it in a book. It was fascinating.