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alrauna's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
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? No
3.5
somelittleinfamyreads's review against another edition
4.0
What can I say, I’m a sucker for the ‘rational science person doesn’t believe the clearly supernatural things happening around them’ trope, and T. Kingfisher pulls it off fantastically in this latest novel!
When science and rationality can’t explain away her mother’s strange behavior, or the sudden swarming of ladybugs, or the not-really-sleep-paralysis she’s experiencing, or-- well, or anything that’s happening to Sam Montgomery from the second she steps foot into her old home.
Once things get going, they keep going. From bugs to jars of teeth to familiar whispered voices and cold touches in the middle of the night, the longer Sam stays in that house the less she can explain away, until one day the only choice she has is to face what's right in front of her. Literally.
I loved the way the action built at the end, and how it wasn't over when when you thought things would be safe.
My only issue is that it’s very obvious from the start what’s happening. I usually like a little more guesswork and suspicion before I’m set on a ‘why’ for supernatural things, which is the reason I’m landing on a 4 for this one.
When science and rationality can’t explain away her mother’s strange behavior, or the sudden swarming of ladybugs, or the not-really-sleep-paralysis she’s experiencing, or-- well, or anything that’s happening to Sam Montgomery from the second she steps foot into her old home.
Once things get going, they keep going. From bugs to jars of teeth to familiar whispered voices and cold touches in the middle of the night, the longer Sam stays in that house the less she can explain away, until one day the only choice she has is to face what's right in front of her. Literally.
I loved the way the action built at the end, and how it wasn't over when when you thought things would be safe.
My only issue is that it’s very obvious from the start what’s happening. I usually like a little more guesswork and suspicion before I’m set on a ‘why’ for supernatural things, which is the reason I’m landing on a 4 for this one.
barista_with_books_bookstagram's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
scijessreads's review against another edition
3.0
Is modern southern gothic horror a thing? Because this book makes it feel as if it should be a thing. I do love a good gothic horror, haunted house story. Really, it's my preferred version of a horror story to read. And this one definitely had a definitely haunted house, a terrible grandmother, and a main character that was an archaeoentomologist. I mean, a book with a lead that likes bugs? It definitely treads new ground with that one.
It took a bit to get going, as many books of this nature do. But once it started rolling, I was fascinated and couldn't stop reading. The family history, the weird neighbors, and the urge to want to classify things based on logic when nothing that is happening is logical... all of it makes for a delightfully creepy book.
It took a bit to get going, as many books of this nature do. But once it started rolling, I was fascinated and couldn't stop reading. The family history, the weird neighbors, and the urge to want to classify things based on logic when nothing that is happening is logical... all of it makes for a delightfully creepy book.
witch_of_bywater's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised at the humour in this book, very cleverly placed too. Well done.