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anna_hepworth's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is creepy, and dark, both in the real world and the fantasy world sections of the story. And yet it never made it over the line to horror for me, and I'm feeling a little bit let down by that.
In the real world sections, our protagonist--Melissa, known as Mouse--is dealing with the house of a recently deceased family member. Said family member was nasty through and through in their dealings with other people, and the house turns out to be a hoarding nightmare. I found myself repeatedly baffled by sections of this, which I think just come down to the reality that other people's families are weird. I did rather love the bit part player, Enid, who is the barista in the nearest town, and who seems rather unflappable. And the nearby household of Skip, Foxy, and Tomas, who are integral to the story. So, Vernon has done very well (as ever) with bringing together a fabulous cast.
In the fantasy sections, there are any number of nasty body horror things going on, although for a long time Mouse writes them off as either dementia (their grandfather's writing) or suggestibility (their own observations). Which should bring with it a creeping sense of dread for the reader, but I found that Mouse was overly analytical about the horror tropes, and so kept throwing me out of the feeling. No idea whether that was the plan.
The author's note discusses other texts that this is in dialogue with -- I wasn't familiar with the primary one, and possibly if I had been this might have worked better.
But as ever in Vernon's work, solid writing, fascinating premise, good world-building and character development, and a generally good story.
In the real world sections, our protagonist--Melissa, known as Mouse--is dealing with the house of a recently deceased family member. Said family member was nasty through and through in their dealings with other people, and the house turns out to be a hoarding nightmare. I found myself repeatedly baffled by sections of this, which I think just come down to the reality that other people's families are weird. I did rather love the bit part player, Enid, who is the barista in the nearest town, and who seems rather unflappable. And the nearby household of Skip, Foxy, and Tomas, who are integral to the story. So, Vernon has done very well (as ever) with bringing together a fabulous cast.
In the fantasy sections, there are any number of nasty body horror things going on, although for a long time Mouse writes them off as either dementia (their grandfather's writing) or suggestibility (their own observations). Which should bring with it a creeping sense of dread for the reader, but I found that Mouse was overly analytical about the horror tropes, and so kept throwing me out of the feeling. No idea whether that was the plan.
The author's note discusses other texts that this is in dialogue with -- I wasn't familiar with the primary one, and possibly if I had been this might have worked better.
But as ever in Vernon's work, solid writing, fascinating premise, good world-building and character development, and a generally good story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Mental illness
There are two individuals with explicitly mentioned mental illness; the stories of both are handled well by my standards.ghostams's review
adventurous
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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved this book! It was an insanely amazing mix of folklore, family history, isolating energy, small town vibes, and childhood-level fear. Definitely a book I wish I could forget, just to read again, even though it was terrifying in the best way. Plus, the characters are so unique while being regular folk. Also, the dog doesn't die and is arguably the hero!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Mental illness and Grief
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
breazatoth's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
Satisfying Appalachian folk horror, complete with roots of where some of our monsters began. Ending didn't hold up to the rest of the book, but the cast of characters was the shining star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Dementia
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
kimberlyswalters's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
I started off reading about 60 pages and then finished the rest of the book the following evening, so it is pretty fast paced and fun to read. It gets pretty wild and outlandish, but it doesn't make the story seem dumb or unbelievable. Mouse even talks about how the trauma of the experience is causing issues and that her Aunt has even mentioned that she may need therapy, but Mouse can't talk to a therapist about how she wondered into another world with creatures made of roadkill, earth, and garbage and was almost trapped there to breed for an eternity, so y'know.... It builds up the crazy at a good pace and the characters are written well, so it's fun to imagine them going through this scenerio in heeled boots and pink lipstick like Foxy does.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, and Dementia
There isn't a tag for stillbirth that I see, so I did tag miscarriages as a content warning instead, but they were likely stillbirths. It doesn't go into explicit detail about the births, but the deaths are mentioned briefly.ju_shi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Dementia, and Death of parent
jerusha's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Pregnancy
rachelunabridged's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
Loved it the first time I read it, loved it even more the second time. I adore the way T. Kingfisher writes horror. This story was full of really great spooky moments, but also full of some great humor. I love a story that can give me goosebumps, but also make me laugh; this is that kind of story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, and Dementia
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