Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

6 reviews

earl_grey_without_lemon's review

fast-paced

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

2.5

I was really excited to read this book because a lot of friends have recommended me T. Kingfisher before, and I am trying to read more books in the horror genre, but I really didn’t enjoy this one, sadly. Read this on audiobook from my library.
To start with the good parts, I really liked the info dumping about insects and plant varieties. The book’s initial premise was also interesting to me (love a good haunting and the line between house and home), although I think where the book really shines is in the middle-end when there’s more action. I found that the most chilling scenes were

the ones where the Gran May rose puppet was seated at the dinner table and talking to Sam and her mother. I wasn’t expecting the rose puppet twist at all, and I thought it was delightfully horrifying imagery!

.
Unfortunately, for a horror book, there is not a lot of tension, or sense of dread. One of my issues with the book is its pacing. I felt like the twist was fairly obvious from the beginning, and I really couldn’t connect with the characters at all. Props to T. Kingfisher for making Sam a fat intelligent woman who loves her job and is passionate about bugs and the ecosystem, because those parts of her felt so real and refreshing to me! But my god, I found her insufferable as our POV character. I can’t remember the exact line, but it’s after

she’s standing in the garden devoid of all the insects, and I thought (as someone who used to keep outdoor plants)

that was such a heartfelt sad moment, and then she immediately ends the scene with some sort of quippy response. I just personally don’t like that sort of snarky POV, it felt like watching a 2010s comedy sketch. Or there’s a line about a goth girl who looks like she cries black eyeliner, and how Sam is OBSESSED with coffee - the humor just feels dated, and Sam talked like that pretty much throughout the entire book.
The

plot line with the homunculi

was bizarre to me, as if the book was in two separate genres at once (family trauma horror vs

fantasy horror

), but I DID really like the way the Underground Children were integrated and foreshadowed.
Overall, A House With Good Bones had an awesome title and intriguing premise with some interesting action scenes, but just didn’t end up being my cup of tea.
(On a much lighter note, I may have missed a lot of cultural references, too, not being from the south myself, but Sam is so wrong about Cheerwine, it’s really yummy)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Terminal illness and Dementia

The protagonist does call out racism, and it is not directed at any characters in a detailed manner.

cranshrooms's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I love T Kingfisher's books! I have to admit, this one went a very different direction than I expected, and it contained a few more mystical elements than I expected in a souther Gothic. That being said, it was a delight and an easy read. As I said to a friend, it was almost like listening to a Tumblr mutual tell a story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

charlieeee's review against another edition

dark funny medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cwerber's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming and Terminal illness

I liked this book.the first 3/4 felt slow but ramped up in the last quarter of the book. I enjoyed it and would like to see more of Gail, Hermes, and Edith.

blacksphinx's review against another edition

funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I got this book because I've seen a lot of people talk about T. Kingfisher's work but hadn't read any myself yet, and this was her latest release. As someone who tried going to school for forensic anthropology and

has a strong interest in ceremonial magick

, it felt like it was written just for me? It is a deeply WEIRD book that didn't go in the direction I originally expected, and I loved it. I wish there was more of it, or that it was longer, perhaps the pacing being a little different? Maybe a touch more explanation to really take it to the 5-star finish line.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

acwhite's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious fast-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

5.0

I simply could not put this book down. I read the back 1/2 in a single sitting. Very little I can say except that it was engrossing, expertly woven, and extremely fun to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury