First of all, I have to say I loved the main character, Sam. She had the perfect level of snark that felt very real, complete with little tangents where her brain would seem to side track a bit before coming back to the task at hand. It made her feel very natural, very believable and very relatable.

The story itself builds the tension very well, and the resulting climax was a nail biter for sure. All in all this was a great read. Highly recommend.

"A House With Good Bones" by T. Kingfisher is a Southern Gothic horror tale that is as chilling as captivating. Kingfisher's unique blend of humor and horror makes for a reading experience that is both thrilling and enjoyable.

The protagonist, Sam, is a scientifically-minded archeologist who returns to her childhood home, only to find her mother acting strangely and the house filled with an eerie sense of unease. As Sam delves deeper into the mystery, the story unfolds into a chilling narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Kingfisher's writing style is engaging, with a perfect balance of suspense and humor. The characters are well-developed, and Sam's scientific perspective adds a unique twist to the traditional haunted house story. The book is filled with unexpected turns and creepy details, making it a truly memorable read.

What I appreciated most about this book was its ability to blend the mundane with the supernatural. The horror elements are subtly woven into the narrative, chilling the story. The book also explores themes of family trauma and the lasting effects of the past, adding depth to the horror elements.

I gave "A House With Good Bones" a solid 4 stars. It's a well-crafted horror story with a unique twist, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good scare with a side of humor. Kingfisher's unique blend of horror and humor makes for a reading experience that is both thrilling and enjoyable.

I absolutely loved this book! Generational trauma with plenty of creep induced twists! Kingfisher does it again!

I have so many Kingfisher books on my TBR, but this was my first. I can honestly say after ‘The House with Good Bones’ the rest will be making their way to the top of that pile!

Kingfisher blends horrific imagery and humour in that seamless and realistic way your favourite horror movie does. Horror lovers love to be scared, but its a non fact we will laugh in the face of the moments, crack a joke while scrambling to survive.

Regardless I loved this book, I want a pet vulture, and Ill always be thankful for Lady Beetles

Samantha, an archaeoentomologist who studies bugs in archaeological digs, temporarily moves back in with her mother into her late grandmother's house after the dig she was working on got put on hiatus. Pretty quickly Sam starts to notice odd changes in her mother's behaviors and she begins having nightmares. After noticing that there is not a single insect in the garden, Sam begins digging deeper into the mysteries of her mothers behaviors and the missing insects. What she finds is as unbelievable as it is horrifying.

With a well placed sprinkling of humor, this frightening haunted house novel is a fun and exciting read that will keep you captivated until the very last page. I loved the main character and her sense of humor. I very much connected with her and her interests which are generally not that common in horror novels. This was a unique read that went in directions I did not expect! Highly recommend!

A House with Good Bones is a fun, quick read with some wonderfully eerie and strange moments. While a ghost story at the core, it’s also a story about a woman willing to dig up scandalous and dangerous family secrets in the hope of setting herself and her mother free from their grasp.

Obsessed. This entire book from start to finish was so entertaining and kept me completely enthralled. I've come to love T. Kingfisher's work and I truly believe each book has excited me more as I've come across them. I luckily got to listen to the audiobook while reading along with the ebook and I have to say the narrator on the audiobook did such a good job in keeping me drawn completely to the story. Learning about Sam, and her mom, and her grandmother had me making wild assumptions only to figure out my assumptions weren't correct. I cant recommend this enough.

4.5 stars.

This book had me laughing out loud to myself while it told a gothic tale about a woman who comes back to live with her mom in the house she grew up in but things are more than a little strange this go round. I loved Sam's character and her fun little insights about bugs and just life overall seemed so astute and relatable. I loved the way the story was told but Kingfisher has a great writing style that never disappoints so I'm not surprised! Admittedly, I'm not sure I ever truly understand the symbolism in gothic stories but I'm always happy to have read one...

A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: THE TWISTED ONES, WHAT MOVES THE DEAD

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781250829795

Release Date: March 28th, 2023

General Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Thriller/Suspense, Southern Gothic

Sub-Genre/Themes: Comedy, Multi-Generational Family Saga, Mothers & Daughters, Magical Realism/Occult/Paranormal, Female POV

Writing Style: First-Person POV, Compelling, Intricately Plotted, Character-Driven, Dialogue

What You Need to Know: You need to know that I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was great. I had a tedious task that would take about 5-6 hours so I decided to listen to a book while I accomplished my task and this was what I chose. It was perfect because there is a small cast of important characters that are mostly all women and it was narrated by a woman, so there were no awkward child voices (which I hate). There was one male character, Phil, and the narrator chose to have a sort of dopey voice for him that I didn’t care for but that’s really my only complaint on the audiobook.
You also should know that while there are some creepy scenes, and a sense of dread building, for the most part, this book is light horror–even humorous. It doesn’t lean into traditional horror elements until the end

My Reading Experience: This will be a memorable experience for me. I needed to sign stacks upon stacks of my books which, by my estimation, was going to take about 5-6 hours. To keep my mind occupied, I decided to get an audiobook. Typically, I don’t have a lot of time for something like that, so I was eager to settle in with it. Over the course of three days (about 2 hours each day), I listened to this book and had the best time.
Sam is a quirky lady. We get the privilege of being inside her head as she heads out to rural neighborhood in North Carolina to spend some time with her mom in her deceased grandmother’s house.
Immediately she notices things are a bit “off”. Her mom is acting strange. During her stay, we get to know the family dynamics through scenes of hilarious dialogue and weird, random stuff happening in the house/garden. A few interesting characters are introduced, a neighbor who had a bit of an on-going competition with the deceased grandma and the gardener, Phil. Who may or may not be, a love interest for Sam.
If bugs give you the heebie-jeebies, this one is pretty unsettling. I loved all the fascinating trivia and descriptions but people who get wigged out over that stuff will have a difficult time. The building dread as Sam continues to uncover family secrets does unfurl slowly. Toward the end, things dive into horror headlong and it gets pretty gruesome but up to that point, I’d say this is a solid horror comedy; lighthearted and fun.

Final Recommendation: This is perfect for when you are craving something a little less dark and brooding. It’s a great summer read. The MC has a feisty, bubbly personality. Her asides and self-depricating humor sprinkled throughout keeps the mood of the book on the sunnier side. She’s an interesting, dynamic character with her quirky worldview and specialized job as an archaeoentomologist (studies historical bugs) There’s also witchcraft, family drama and secrets, and an exciting climax. A very entertaining, enjoyable read. I had a good time.

Comps: MOTHERTHING by Ainslie Hogarth, HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE by Grady Hendrix

For everyone who has felt like a house was hiding secrets, or felt that a house was holding on to the good or bad things that had happened within its walls, this book is for you. This felt like a return to old school T. Kingfisher and I was there for it! I enjoyed the family relationships and the descriptive language. This book was short, but it packed a punch when it comes to family and generational trauma, along with a healthy dose of healing and breaking the cycle. Loved it!

Nobody does creeping dread the way T. Kingfisher does.

More specifically, this story works SO WELL if you're genre aware because of how genre aware the protagonist isn't. Sam is a cheerful, bubbly, sensible entomologist who knows bugs and science and is able to absolutely miss all the warning signs that she is in a supernatural horror story in the best possible way. It creeps and it builds, and her pov is relentlessly cheerful and funny while you, the genre-aware reader keeps going oh no, oh NO.

So good. Absolutely fantastic horror here. Highly recommend.

This is the second book I’ve read from Kingfisher and I absolutely loved it. The protagonist Sam Montgomery is hilarious, so although the novel has very creepy and terrifying moments, her humor lightens the darkness. I love that the book explored generational trauma in ways that were very unexpected and new. Sam stays with her mother during a time when she’s currently not working and soon discovers that her mother’s actions and words are off from how she recalls her. In fact, she’s reminded more and more of her deceased Gran Mae. As Sam tries to make sense of what is happening to her mother, she soon discovers very dark family secrets and how those may also be the answer to saving her mother. I don’t want to say much else about the plot as it’ll be a treat for you to discover all the twists and turns, but rest assured that this is one hella fun novel that you can absolutely read at the beach or by the pool as it moves very quickly and the humor is very amusing.

I recommend this book to anyone that loves ghost-adjacent books and family secrets.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Creepy haunting atmospheric Gothic horror. An engaging read that was hard to put down. A classic horror, well executed.

I've enjoyed other books by T. Kingfisher but I think this one is by far my favorite! Such a fun, throwback type of horror story!

T. Kingfisher is an auto-read for me. “A House with Good Bones” was a delightfully creepy, atmospheric read. Just lovely. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This wasn’t my favorite Kingfisher, but not my least favorite either. When I first noticed the formulaic nature of her books it bothered me, but now I’ve pretty much embraced it and can enjoy it so long as I space them out a bit. This was a solid entry in her horror cannon, if a little esoteric in its climax compared to the rest of the book. Thank you to Tor/Macmillan and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the hauntingly atmospheric novel "A House with Good Bones," a Southern gothic tale unfolds, revealing the secrets of an old family home, vultures, roses, and supernatural encounters. Samantha Montgomery's archeology expedition comes to an abrupt end, prompting her to return to her childhood residence after her brother expresses concern. The house, once inhabited by their malevolent grandmother, Grandma Mae, holds a history of misery and darkness. As Sam arrives, a chilling omen manifests in the form of a foreboding vulture perched on the mailbox, seemingly scrutinizing the house. The unsettling sights intensify when she reunites with her ailing and peculiar mother and starts witnessing unexplainable phenomena herself, including her grandmother's haunting voice and roses that defy nature, lacking any insect presence.

Haunted by memories of her traumatic past with Grandma Mae, Sam embarks on a journey to unravel the long-buried family secrets hidden within the house's walls. The deeper she ventures into the mysteries that shroud her childhood home, the more she confronts unimaginable horrors beyond rational comprehension.

"A House with Good Bones" is a mesmerizing read that masterfully captures the essence of Southern gothic fiction, cleverly employing the symbolism of roses and vultures to add intrigue and depth to the narrative. This novel is a true delight, offering an immersive and spine-chilling experience.

My heartfelt thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything about this book. Kingfisher has a unique way of horrifying you but also making you laugh. Her characters are also oftentimes super relatable, and I love that she doesn't have teenage characters, that they are aged up because that also makes things more relatable. I also really loved the way that she handled the characterization of the character in this book as being a little overweight, because she handled it so well, it felt so authentic to me. I also have to say that I look at crows very differently now! A super great read, one of her best!

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher is an absolute gem of a book that captivated me from start to finish. With its blend of mystery, fantasy, and heartwarming moments, it offers an unforgettable reading experience that I wholeheartedly recommend.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its characters. Our protagonist, Hallie, is a refreshing and relatable character with her determination, resilience, and a dry sense of humor that had me chuckling throughout. As she navigates her way through the peculiar house, her growth and transformation are beautifully portrayed, making her a character you can't help but root for.

This was such a good read! I'm on a T. Kingfisher streak and this did not disappoint. I couldn't stop reading to see where the mystery would go next and why mom was acting so weird on Sam's return. Down the rabbit hole we go!