Scan barcode
heather_harrison's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A surprisingly funny and disturbing horror story.
The horror veered more towards Lovecraftian than scary, definitely disturbing moments. The story was unique and was engaging… right up until the last 15% of it.
Loved Kara and Simon’s relationship.
The horror veered more towards Lovecraftian than scary, definitely disturbing moments. The story was unique and was engaging… right up until the last 15% of it.
Loved Kara and Simon’s relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
killmoore_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this alot, despite it feeling more whimsical horror adjacent than actual horror. It held no real thrill for me. I would love to see it as a well done movie, but as a book, Kara's monologuing felt a bit repetitive. Definitely a unique read that I would recommend for those looking for a visual treat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
dcnireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
SPOILERS AHEAD
im sorry i just have to say it: i cant help feeling annoyed that they went through with exploring the willows in the first place (even if it was necessary to move the plot forward, i have common sense, ofc).
both kara and simon were aware of what a stupid decision they were making but they still did it anyway! like guys, come on. yall knew something sinister was happening. you're in a horror story, act like it. i know how shit simon's depth perception was and that absorbing his twin in the womb probably screwed him up just a tad bit (though that sister third eye of his helped a LOT), and that the divorce was messing with kara more than she cared to admit, but couldn't there have been a little more common sense present in the room with them? i know that none of this happening would mean that we wouldn't have like, half of the entire book but they were really stressing me tf out there.
that being said, for the sake of the story, i do wish that we got more of the hell between worlds other than the impromptu journey simon and kara did. whatever happened to singer and bible? did they even make it out? (i like to think they did). i wish we had more light monster encounters in their true form, or more boatman scenes. it would've also been nice if we got real glimpses into the other worlds that the willow opens up to, besides the artifacts from there that kara and simon have collected.
but i do get the idea that doing this would take away the connection that the willows has to the world that our characters live in. in the end, using the museum as the setting for the last stand down with the corpse otter was a decision that grew on me, because it was a great way to emphasize kara's fear of the willows and all its horrors finding their way into our world and taking over it.
anyways, i never thought i'd end up liking a bunch of creepy taxidermy animals in a bizarre little wonder museum but hey! here we are. special shout out to prince the giant guardian antelope, you horned legend, and of course: the man, the myth, the legend, the museum mouse catching master, beauregard himself. you deserve all the tasty fish leather in the world, good boy. thank you for throwing hands with that nasty otter.
speaking of the latter, this book literally has terrifying, uniquely described light monsters that can move through the interdimensional veil of reality and universes and hunt you by listening to your thoughts, so making it choose to take the form of an animal that is universally loved by humankind in the final boss battle was crazy in an absurdly good way that i didn't see coming. i have to admit, i was gagged.
this story only really got exciting towards the end, and despite my opinions regarding the lack of exploration and content on the lore of the willows and beyond, i was really, really glad that they didnt get into this world and that kara didn't get trapped out there like i was so afraid she would. this book didn't go down the "it all goes wrong and the protagonist loses" ending route that a lot of horror stories like to do and i appreciate that. it ended on a much more positive note than im used to seeing in this kind of genre, but i like happy, comforting endings! im fragile! sue me!
in conclusion, i didn't have as much of a fun time as i hoped i would, but there were many things that i enjoyed, and im still glad i gave it a shot. the overall fun reepiness of the wonder museum and the tiny hole into multiverse hell hole is something ill look back on with fondness on this spooky journey of mine. 3.75 stars <3
im sorry i just have to say it: i cant help feeling annoyed that they went through with exploring the willows in the first place (even if it was necessary to move the plot forward, i have common sense, ofc).
both kara and simon were aware of what a stupid decision they were making but they still did it anyway! like guys, come on. yall knew something sinister was happening. you're in a horror story, act like it. i know how shit simon's depth perception was and that absorbing his twin in the womb probably screwed him up just a tad bit (though that sister third eye of his helped a LOT), and that the divorce was messing with kara more than she cared to admit, but couldn't there have been a little more common sense present in the room with them? i know that none of this happening would mean that we wouldn't have like, half of the entire book but they were really stressing me tf out there.
that being said, for the sake of the story, i do wish that we got more of the hell between worlds other than the impromptu journey simon and kara did. whatever happened to singer and bible? did they even make it out? (i like to think they did). i wish we had more light monster encounters in their true form, or more boatman scenes. it would've also been nice if we got real glimpses into the other worlds that the willow opens up to, besides the artifacts from there that kara and simon have collected.
but i do get the idea that doing this would take away the connection that the willows has to the world that our characters live in. in the end, using the museum as the setting for the last stand down with the corpse otter was a decision that grew on me, because it was a great way to emphasize kara's fear of the willows and all its horrors finding their way into our world and taking over it.
anyways, i never thought i'd end up liking a bunch of creepy taxidermy animals in a bizarre little wonder museum but hey! here we are. special shout out to prince the giant guardian antelope, you horned legend, and of course: the man, the myth, the legend, the museum mouse catching master, beauregard himself. you deserve all the tasty fish leather in the world, good boy. thank you for throwing hands with that nasty otter.
speaking of the latter, this book literally has terrifying, uniquely described light monsters that can move through the interdimensional veil of reality and universes and hunt you by listening to your thoughts, so making it choose to take the form of an animal that is universally loved by humankind in the final boss battle was crazy in an absurdly good way that i didn't see coming. i have to admit, i was gagged.
this story only really got exciting towards the end, and despite my opinions regarding the lack of exploration and content on the lore of the willows and beyond, i was really, really glad that they didnt get into this world and that kara didn't get trapped out there like i was so afraid she would. this book didn't go down the "it all goes wrong and the protagonist loses" ending route that a lot of horror stories like to do and i appreciate that. it ended on a much more positive note than im used to seeing in this kind of genre, but i like happy, comforting endings! im fragile! sue me!
in conclusion, i didn't have as much of a fun time as i hoped i would, but there were many things that i enjoyed, and im still glad i gave it a shot. the overall fun reepiness of the wonder museum and the tiny hole into multiverse hell hole is something ill look back on with fondness on this spooky journey of mine. 3.75 stars <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
k_noodlesoup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
This book tries to walk the line between quirky and terrifying, and in my opinion fails to maintain a good balance.
Some of the things that happened were truly horrifying (the bus, the unraveling of lost travelers, the taxidermy coming to life ) but Kara and Simon’s bizarre decisions undercut the horror.
The pacing also threw me off at times. The jumping between worlds from the otherworldly domain of the willows to the quaint life at the museum gave me whiplash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, and Infidelity
chicken_steadicam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was so much scarier than I expected it to be, but not in a bad way, just maybe don't read it before bed. Similar vibe to The Twisted Ones and A House with Good Bones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
smitha_r's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
4.8/5 stars. So close to perfect! But alas, horror is not my genre; I'm just a Kingfisher stan. There were also some parts that idk, dragged? There was a lot of grave mulling and excessive conversation that I think could have been pruned. Also I figured out from the very start that the otter-corpse carving would be the thing to get the plot going/the root of all evil. Seeing Carrot not get it was a bit frustrating. But overall, this is a fascinating but creepy book that I'm glad I read only during daylight hours hahaha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
rhi_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
jems_'s review against another edition
5.0
Should I keep reading scary books in the dark, knowing I get terribly paranoid from them? Probably not, but I really wasn’t able to stop myself with this one. This is my third T. Kingfisher I believe and I still really love her writing. It’s funny without being eye-roll level ridiculous and still holds enough seriousness to keep the suspense and make you eat up the story.
I‘ll try with a list again to keep my thoughts concise.
+ entertaining writing
+ enjoyable characters and character dynamics
+ interesting setting and world building
+ actually gave me the creeps/made me feel unsettled/made me paranoid ofseeing an albino raccoon in the dark hallway at home at night
+ the end (or rather close to the end but keywordPrince ) had me tearing up a little and I didn’t see it coming
+ there was a cat and I love him
- only „negative“ I have is that sometimes the explanations end up feeling a biiiit too alien-y to me. I‘ve had that same thing with A House With Good Bones, though it wasn’t as „bad“ here. (It’s not bad, it’s just personal preference and something I‘m getting used to with her books so I really don’t want to actually deduct any points in my rating for it.)
In conclusion, this book did everything it promised for me. It unsettled but also entertained me and while I was quite scared reading it last night (I get scared easily I‘m discovering) that was exactly the point and I wouldn’t fault it for just doing a good job.
Recommend if you‘d like to be unsettled while still having fun with enjoyable characters.
I‘ll try with a list again to keep my thoughts concise.
+ entertaining writing
+ enjoyable characters and character dynamics
+ interesting setting and world building
+ actually gave me the creeps/made me feel unsettled/made me paranoid of
+ the end (or rather close to the end but keyword
+ there was a cat and I love him
- only „negative“ I have is that sometimes the explanations end up feeling a biiiit too alien-y to me. I‘ve had that same thing with A House With Good Bones, though it wasn’t as „bad“ here. (It’s not bad, it’s just personal preference and something I‘m getting used to with her books so I really don’t want to actually deduct any points in my rating for it.)
In conclusion, this book did everything it promised for me. It unsettled but also entertained me and while I was quite scared reading it last night (I get scared easily I‘m discovering) that was exactly the point and I wouldn’t fault it for just doing a good job.
Recommend if you‘d like to be unsettled while still having fun with enjoyable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
emmjay's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
Sufficiently creeped out. Moved quickly and kept me interested. The otter carving was obvious from the jump but but it didn’t distract too much. A very atmospheric and immersive read. I too love weird little earnest museums.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Gore