Reviews with content warning for Body horror - A House with Good Bones

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

65 reviews

witcheep's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Horror usually isn't my thing, but liking T. Kingfisher's fantasy books, I decided to give this one a go. I'm glad I did!

Kingfisher is great with writing multidimensional characters with flaws of their own and their interpersonal relationships. That is what shines bright in this book as well. I enjoyed reading about the difficult relationships between the different generations of the same family, and their own ways to deal with mysteries and difficulties. The neighbors offer a good place to compare with the main character's life. A House with Good Bones ponders over some hard themes, such as loss of a family member and grief, doubting one's self-worth and emotionally abusive family relationships. The book, however, offers more hopeful outlooks on the same issues in the form of caring for one's community, forming new friendships and finding new insight into oneself.

The horror elements get increasiongly more creepy, from a slight feeling of something being off up to creeping uneasiness,

supernatural affairs, and slight body horror

"You're a scientist," said Gail, watching me. "I realize that makes this hard for you. I'm telling you, what's happening isn't something you're going to be able to put under a microscope. I'm hoping it'll go away on it's own."
"Does anything ever go away on it's own?" I asked.
"More often than you think. In this case I truly can't be sure. I don't know everything.
"I'm starting to be sure I don't know anything", I muttered.
She smiles. "That's a good place to start."

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xangemtheelibrarian's review against another edition

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funny 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? Yes

3.0

This was so good until the very end? I loved the main character: her sass and her confidence. I loved this idea of playing with generational trauma and family bonds. But the plot twist was very out of left field. I feel like I can't say too much without spoiling the story.

I'll have to read other T. Kingfisher books because so far the only other one I read is "What Moves the Dead" and I adored that story.

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albernikolauras's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Kingfisher balances a light hearted character with a house seeping with tension. It was a fun read, just a bit eerie, and truly depicts KIngfisher's love of flowers.

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albaface's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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taylormoore's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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trips's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

First off, if you can't handle insects/bugs: don't read this book!

For those that can, this is a haunted house horror book about family bonds, bugs, vultures, and gardening. And some creepy stuff too, but that's up to you find out what it is!

Overall I enjoyed this book, T. Kingfisher's writing is again, just a really nice reading experience. Her way with words is entertaining and also inspiring. I was thinking this story was going to be quiet? horror? but no, its not, just wait till the twist lol.

If you like horror, give it a try!

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whimsicalish's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Sadly I did not enjoy this one as much as T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead.

This one felt lacking the mystery. You figure out early on what is happening in the house. The set up with the main character and her family is appreciated but it's a slow pace in the first half. Before any hauntings have happened, you're learning more about Latin names to insects than anything else.

I did enjoy most of the characters. They felt like real people. I'm not sure why the book had to flirt with the idea of a budding romance. It didn't have anything to do with the story or characters. It's just kinda there.

The thriller was the climax at the very end. Bummer that it ends so quickly when you get a taste of the creepiness.

It's not a bad book. It didn't enthrall me like her previous one. I'm still interested in her future stories.

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