In my opinion, T. Kingfisher never fails to impress. She skillfully combines dry humor with eerie settings to create a unique story, whether a novella or a full-length novel.

In What Feast At Night, the tension slowly builds as T. Kingfisher explores the darker side of superstitions and country folklore. I enjoyed the atmospheric gothic vibe of the book, but I wished it had more horror elements. This book is perfect if you are new to the horror genre or prefer a lighter horror experience. The story can be read as a stand-alone, so you don't need to worry about reading them in order. However, I must add that I found the horror elements in Book 1 to be scarier.

Avi Roque narrates the series; I listened to Book 1 as well. I hope they continue with future books because, to me, Avi Roque is Alex. Roque expertly handles the subtle dry humor while delivering the eerieness of the story.

This amazing book its the sequel of one of my favorite books from last year, What moves the dead.
I really enjoyed this book, but the horror elements appear so much later in the story, so you need to be a little be patient.
4 stars

Rumors of a breath-stealing monster, coming in the cover of night, has taken up residence at the hunting lodge. The former caretaker has died and Alex returns to check on the property and has difficulty backfilling the position. Alex generally doesn't put much stock in local rumors, or the monsters of lore being real, having just survived what they did at the Usher manor but it's hard to write off the possibility entirely. But soon Alex encounters nitemare-ish situations for themself and maybe the stories are real afterall.

I liked the concept at the center of the story but I didn't love all of the slow filler. I think Alex is a great character and Kingfisher does a wonderful job using a fictional land in parallel with a real country's war and building up the character's PTSD.

✨ Review ✨ What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher; Narrated by Avi Roque

Thanks to Tor Nightfire, MacMillan Audio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This book follows after What Moves the Dead and returns us to Alex, former soldier, who's now recovering from the horrors faced in the first book. Alex, Angus, and her horse head of to their family hunting lodge in rural Gallacia, where they will soon be joined by the mushroom expert Miss Potter.

While the horrors were apparent in What Moves the Dead from early on, the horror elements appear much later here. It does have great dry humor and gothic vibes thorughout the book, but you definitely have to be patient to get to the spookiness. I enjoyed this book overall, but would have enjoyed a bit more from the horror. I saw one review describe this as endearing horror which really resonates -- we spent a lot of time in the book in Alex's head, learning more about their experiences in and after the wars they fought in. As always, Hob, Angus, and the crew provide plenty of good laughs along the way.

(also I spent most of the book trying to figure out if it was also a Poe adaptation like the first, but I don't think it was?)

🎧 This has the same narrator as the previous book in this series which provided nice continuity. Roque voices Alex well and her inner world that really shines through in this book! I split between audio and ebook here and both were good experiences.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Genre: fantasy, horror (light), queer representation
Setting: rural NW Europe/UK maybe?
Length: 5 hours 2 minutes
Pub Date: Feb 13 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ T. Kingfisher's gothic world-building
⭕️ horror that's not too horrifying
⭕️ rural settings
⭕️ so much mud

This was so good. I will read anything this author writes. It was a perfect book two. I also loved book one. It’s just just a good series and worth reading.

This was a fun addition to Kingfisher's repertoire of eerie horror. I, for one, was delighted to revisit Alex, our sworn soldier with an excellent sense of humor, and a little more trauma after the events of What Moves the Dead. I liked the shift from fungal horror to paranormal horror, and as always, Kingfisher's characters are simultaneously very believable and very funny to behold. While I didn't personally find this installment in the Sworn Soldier series to be as spooky as the first, it was still a perfectly enjoyable read.

I actually liked this more than the first one in a lot of ways, even though it wasn’t a retelling. I think the characters and the horror were both better in this second book. That being said, I still find the pronoun discussions more interesting than anything else in the story and I’m not sure that’s the intent. The thing with the main character and the horse (avoiding spoilers) was genuinely disturbing and horrifying.

This was a fun follow up to 'What Moves the Dead' and it was great to be back with Alex, Angus and Miss Potter. I thought the exploration of PTSD was done well as Alex struggled with memories of the war and I also thought it was interesting to see them in their native land. I thought the plot was solid, albeit a little basic in parts and the pacing was generally good, although I do think that there was a lot of setup without a great deal of pay off. Overall, I enjoyed this one but primarily for being back with the characters and not for the story alone.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

T. Kingfisher does it again - she just can't lose. I loved this as a follow up to "What Moves the Dead." I love the way that Kingfisher builds atmosphere.

This is a sequel to What Moves The Dead and we follow soldier Alex Easton back to his home where he finds that something strange is going on. People are being plagued by a succubus of sorts, that kills men after several nights. Eugenia Potts is back, coming to visit Easton, and if you really loved these characters in the first book you’re going to continue loving them in the sequel too. There are very light hearted and hilarious moments in this novella, as well as some very dark and creepy moments. I don’t want to give much of the plot away as the novella is short – but rest assured that this is an excellent and fun read, and personally I can’t wait to embark on another adventure with Easton and Potts!

This can be read as a stand alone – although there are some references to book one, it’s not vital to have read it to enjoy this book. I recommend this book to those that like horror with a side of hilarity. But if you enjoyed book one, then you will like this one too, although the mystery isn’t as intricate as in the previous book.

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

Solemn, atmospheric, and portentous, "What Feasts at Night" follows Alex Easton who we know from their adventures in T. Kingfisher's novella "What Moves the Dead." Alex brings their friend Miss Potter to their hometown of Gallacia only to discover the caretaker is dead, drudging up old folklore from the villagers who believe a creature called the moroi is responsible. I love Alex's spirit in this book! Even in the most ominous of circumstances and among Alex's war memories, they are still able to come up with the funniest quips and dialogue throughout. It's relatable and cute to see the friendship continued with Miss Potter. Perhaps my favorite Miss Potter moment in the whole book is when she does not discount the validity of paranormal activity- just because one is a scientist in something like mycology, does not make them an expert on all the fields of science! There's plenty of superstition throughout, and coupled with the gothic decor of the hunting lodge they reside in, it really paints the picture of isolation in a dark forest. I also appreciated Alex's memories of war interspersed throughout (and which become more vivid the further into the story we get). This was a great sequel, and I hope we continue to receive more dark tales in the realm of these characters, Alex and Miss Potter. They are a great duo! Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Tor Nightfire for the ARC!

T. Kingfisher has created a strange, creepy little world for herself in the Sworn Solider series in which she can do whatever weird and dark things she wants. And it works so well. This book is very different in premise than WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, but our group of odd, loveable characters helps connect this gap and drew me right into the premise of this story just as quick as the first book. This was a quick read that never felt dull, but still managed to improve on the relationships established in the first book.

I do think the premise of WHAT MOVES THE DEAD was a little creepier to me than this plot, but I still really enjoyed myself and think I'll probably pick up a physical copy at some point, which is something I almost never do with ARCs. I really enjoy the intrigue of the worldbuilding and atmospheric elements of this series and I really hope Kingfisher continues with these episodic novellas. So good!

T. Kingfisher is another favorite at our library. When I started reading horror this author jumped right out. I love the mind and body of these stories. They are quick reads that leave you wanting more, yet satisfied.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

So me and Netgalley have this thing. I request Kingfisher's books and Netgalley approves (thank you).

I found this one to be underwhelming. I soooooo wanted to like this more. What Moves the Dead is absolutely my favorite Kingfisher book, and I couldn't help but compare this to its predecessor. There was less intrigue because the plot wasn't as compelling.

Despite this minor bump, I will always read Kingfisher.

What Feasts at Night is the second adventure we have with Alex Easton. When Alex returns to their cottage they find their caretaker has died. The locals are very tight lipped about what happened but there is definitely something night quite right about Codrin's death.

I enjoyed getting another Alex Easton story and I hope there are more to come. I was able to get into this story a little more than the first. I do kind of wish that maybe this had been a full length novel and I hope one day we see one with Alex Easton.


Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC!

This novella is incredibly spooky -- if I were allowed to adopt this for my curriculum, I would! However, it does require that you have read the first installment: What Moves the Dead. I, sadly, had not.

Even so, the descriptions are breath-taking--literally! This is nicely done thrilling horror in a bite size novella. It's incredibly unsettling, and I think it would've made more sense to me if I'd read the previous book. Which is entirely on me, and not on T. Kingfisher. It's delightfully creepy and I think it may deserve a re-read after I've familiarized myself with the first book.

Thank you for letting me read this!

3.5 stars/5

I think this book unfortunately suffered by the fact that it is a sequel. The first book is so strong and rooted in certain aspects that this book drifts away from.

I was glad to go back and spend time with the characters from What Moves the Dead, and I think they were the strongest part of this book. Alex Easton continues to be fun to follow, and Angus and Eugenia's dynamic was arguably even stronger in this book than in the first. I liked the background characters of What Feasts at Night more than I did the Ushers, mostly because they feel more present and fleshed out. The Widow is a wonderful combination of harsh and caring, and Bors is just so pure that most of the tension for me was just making sure that he would be okay.

Unfortunately, I don't think that was enough to properly set the atmosphere. What Feasts at Night is nowhere as creepy or atmospheric as What Moves the Dead, and left the majority of the book just feeling empty.

One of my favorite things about What Moves the Dead is the lack of anything supernatural. The fungi definitely stretch the bounds of science and reality, but it was still inherently rooted in nature and reality. What Feasts at Night is a purely paranormal creature horror, and on the heels of What Moves the Dead, it just wasn't as interesting.

I did enjoy this book and Kingfisher has never fully disappointed me, but I couldn't help but compare this book to the first one and, unfortunately, I found it lacking.

What Feasts at Night is a marvelous continuation of the first book. Kingfisher once again manages to combine horror, humor, and diverse representation in a marvelous way that keeps you engaged until the very end.

Kingfisher's "What Feasts at Night" is a wonderful mix of humor, atmospheric creepiness, and the supernatural. I devoured and loved "What Moves the Dead" and was very excited for this sequel. There's this sense of familiarity and kinship that stretches over the entire story that pulls you in, and it does not disappoint. I'm a mood readers and this book satisfied my craving for dark and eerie.

The writing is a beautiful mix of haunting and humorous. The year is young, but "What Feasts at Night" has claimed the title of my favorite book of 2024 and is easily in my all-time top 10.

Although this is a sequel to What Moves the Dead, this can be read as a standalone and still be completely enjoyable. To be honest, I don't remember that much about the first book, except that I liked it tremendously and there were some creepy mushrooms and bunnies, and I was able to be immersed in this one.

T. Kingfisher's ability to create this light gothic atmosphere, solving more creepy deaths, and well-developed, diverse characters who are actual adults make this a stellar read. I don't consider myself a horror fan, but Kingfisher's books manage to dip into that genre without pulling me out of my comfort zone.