This along with its predecessor What Moves the Dead is the perfect addition to the high school library where students are always asking for another Edgar Allan Poe anthology. Gothic and ghoul filled delights await the horror fan, and both of the novellas in the Sworn Soldier storyline will appeal to adults and teens alike. Perfectly readable, and perfect length for busy readers. T. Kingfisher brings the darkness with a perfect pitch, a bit of humor and loads of frightening imagery to think about.

I’m among the few that didn’t really enjoy What Moves the Dead that much when it was released. I found it to be underwhelming when I reviewed it, but I like Kingfisher so much I decided to read the sequel anyway and I’m glad I did because I loved What Feasts at Night so much better than What Moves the Dead.

I think what threw me off with What Moves the Dead was the inevitable comparison with Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I just couldn’t let it go and I think that may have compromised my ability to enjoy that story. With What Feasts at Night, we’re removed from the Usher household and on a new journey with Alex Easton. There’s no prior story association for me to be hung up on and so I got to enjoy this story just as it’s presented.

What I loved the most about this book was the dry witticism of Alex Easton. Alex’s voice is strong and clear and so funny to me. I laughed so many times reading this book because my sense of humor is skewed much the same way. Alex is a genuine character and one I loved reading. I could read an entire novel in Alex’s voice, but if Kingfisher wants to keep writing novellas featuring Alex Easton in creepy gothic occult horrors then I’ll totally keep reading them just to laugh the way this book made me laugh.

It was lovely to see the esteemed Miss Potter and the besotted Angus again, as well as meeting new supporting characters that made for a colorful and entertaining cast.

The world building and story in this installment were so much more my speed this time around. Some nice moth core (it’s a thing) aesthetics, nightmare lore, superstitions, folk treatments, and musings on PTSD. It’s well-constructed, even if I felt the writing could’ve been better in a few places. The imagery was top-tier though.

It’s a great sequel to What Moves the Dead. I totally recommend it.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Disability Rep/Gothic Fiction/Historical Fantasy/Horror/LGBTQ Fiction/Novella/Occult Fiction/Occult Horror

I will read anything T. Kingfisher publishes, and this was no exception. Another great, atmospheric tale of horror! While I feel that What Moves the Dead was a little more gripping for me, personally, What Feasts at Night was fascinating, terrifying and definitely worth a read. This is great for anyone that likes folklore, as well as a good creepy tale.

I enjoyed the heck out of this. It was like taking a side quest from a Witcher game and making a short book out of it. An old hunting lodge that has been taken residence by a woman/creature from an old folktale who sits on your chest while you sleep and steals the breathe from your lungs like a damn sleep paralysis demon. All horror aside though, the friendship and chemistry between Alex and Angus are pure gold just like Geralt and Dandelion. Need more of them PLEASE.

I really enjoyed this! What Feasts at Night brings back the spooky vibes as Alex Easton is back and in this one comes to their family's old hunting lodge to discover the villagers believe it is haunted by a creature of nightmares. I like that this story was more grounded in folklore and had a more ambiguous ending than the sci-fi feeling that the first book had for me. Easton is still processing trauma from events of the previous book as well as their experiences as a soldier, and T. Kingfisher does an excellent job of exploring PTSD through the lens of horror here. I love Alex as a narrator, they are very witty and anxious at times and you can see how their past experiences have made them into the person they are today. And the side characters are so fun, especially Angus and Miss Eugenia Potter. I appreciated that this book is short but still feels complete, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Similar to the first novella, the book has a slower pace until things ramp up at the end and Easton faces what's haunting their home. If this does become a longer series, I would like to see more direction/connection between the stories if possible - so far it has felt like Alex is just stumbling their way into strange situations. I'd love to see more books written in this series in the future!!

This was just fine, but it felt incredibly slight in comparison with "What Moves the Dead" (which already felt fairly slight to me). The horror here developed even more slowly, and the fallout was less intense.

What an amazing follow up to What Moves the Dead. Here we catch up with the crew - Alex, Angus and Miss Potter as they head to Gallacia. We also find out Hob the horse is fine! When they arrive at the hunting lodge it is learned the caretaker has passed away in such a way rumors of a moroi have spread through town. With these rumors it was difficult to find a helping hands for the lodge, but a local duo reluctantly agrees. Alex himself doesn’t believe in the morori, at first, but when events start unfolding the idea seems to feel more real.

I am a HUGE fan of T. Kingfisher’s works, and this was no different. It was fun learning about the history, customs, and folklore of Gallacia! Looking forward to reading the crews next haunting adventure.

I could read about Alex Easton's brushes with the unknown forever and never tire of the stories. I was obsessed with What Moves the Dead, devouring it in a single night, and What Feasts at Night was the same. These novellas are deliciously haunting, the perfect mix of deeply personal, character-driven horror and supernatural thrill to keep you turning page after page. I also enjoy the casual queerness interwoven in the world building with Alex's status as a sword soldier and kar's use of non-traditional pronouns because of that status.

Best read on a cold winter night in front of a fireplace with a glass of wine in hand (or something like brennavin aquavit, which I imagine would be somewhat similar to livrit, if not better tasting).

I love T. Kingfisher! Her books are some of the most amazing and engrossing books that I have read. I also love that they tend to be fast reads but still hold your attention as though they were hundreds of pages long. In #WhatFeastsAtNight we get to meet up with Alex Easton, Angus and the mycologist Miss Potter, whom we previously met in #WhatMovesTheDead.
The trio once again finds themselves in the midst of a strange supernatural force that seems to be stealing the very breath out of men and women. In Gallacia they believe a Moroi is at the heart of it, a superstition of a woman who sits on your chest and pulls the breath from your body until you die.
Alex struggles to believe in such a thing even after the results of what happened in the previous novel What Moves The Dead.


Thankyou to #TorNightfire and #Netgalley for the chance to read #WhatFeastsAtNight by #T.Kingfisher in return for a fair and honest review.

This is the second story in the Sworn Soldier series, but you don’t have to have read that one to read this one. I’m calling it a series because I’m hoping there are more! I really like these novellas. T. Kingfisher’s writing is immersive without being wordy, and the way she writes- the language is so beautiful sometimes.

The folk horror story grips you. I read it in one sitting! The story build and builds in intensity. It’s hard to describe the plot without spoilers. I went into it knowing almost nothing. The characters are at a hunting lodge and something might be coming for them in their dreams. Or in real life. I loved it.

This was an interesting tale and the 2nd book in the Sworn Soldier series. Alex Eastin, the soldier from the previous novel must take on a Moroi in this story. It was interesting to see what all the people of the town believed as people's lives are being taken. Some believe old superstitions, while others believe the church and/or doctors. I enjoyed this novella, and trying to figure out what was actually going on when Alex Easton encounters the Moroi.

First off, the body horror was excellent as always with T. Kingfisher, especially in the nightmare sequences where flesh and faces fell apart with such ease. So gross, but so captivatingly vivid, especially with the horses and the spirit haunting them. There was quite a bit of lore and backstory for Easton and their time as a soldier, which helped build their character and give context for how they react to certain situations.
I found the first half of the story fairly slow and wasn’t a big fan of the main character breaking the fourth wall to speak to me, as well as some of the humor just not being for me personally. However, I felt similarly during the first novel, so I should have remembered to expect these things. I feel that the story wasn’t as fleshed out as What Moves the Dead and that in comparison to that story, it felt like nothing happened. To me, it felt like the only things of consequence that happened plot-wise was that a few characters got sick, had sleep paralysis, and then recovered. Although there were reappearances of characters who were in the first novel, they felt kind of flat and inconsequential to the story, especially Miss Potter, who seemed to have a lackluster and domestic role compared to how dynamic, independent, and important she was in the first book. It also frustrated me that Easton was so skeptical of anything happening in the novel being due to paranormal causes after everything that happened in the first book, which other characters did bring up, but I think it took way too long for Easton to come around to believing in the supernatural or their townspeople’s beliefs. Overall, I was a little disappointed reading this sequel, and I wish it had more substance to it. If the series continues, I hope that more happens in the next book because I did really enjoy the fungal/body horror and relationships explored in the first book.

I love Kingfisher and all that she writes (though I haven't quite managed to make my way through everything, I am trying). I loved "What Moves the Dead". It was a wonderfully haunting retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher". I would have been just fine leaving the book where it ended, but was surprised and excited to hear that it was getting a follow up with "What Feasts at Night".

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book, though I usually feel that second books aren't as good as their predecessors and that was kind of the case with this one. Alex is back again facing mysterious circumstances and creatures that go bump in the night, though this time they hit even closer to home. Its kind of surprising that he doesn't believe in superstition just because he has already delt with the weird and uncanny...but then again mushrooms and fungi are a naturally occurring phenomenon so maybe the events of the first book were just easier for him to write off.

Nevertheless, he persists in getting to the bottom of the supernatural issue. Is something rooted in facts or something else entirely. Alex will get to the bottom of it one way or another.

The world building, plot and narrator voice are consistent and this was a good follow up to the first book.

Equal parts terrifying and charming, Kingfisher's once again takes a classic tales and folklore and superbly turns them on their head.

Breaks my heart to say this but this second book was so not as good as book #1.

This should have been left alone as a standalone. Alex was annoying and boring in this one and there’s nothing in this that makes you want to read more. I think without the Fall of the House of Usher, this falls flat and flails to its unimportant ending.

Full Review:

"Sworn Soldier" follows Alex Easton as they return to the country of Gallacia. Alex does not want to return, but does it as a favor to Angus since Ms. Potter (see Sworn Soldier #1) wants to tour the country to inspect mushrooms. Alex is confused though when they arrive and realize the person that was hired to keep the family's lodge in good shape is missing. And that the village seems terrified of working there.

So the good, the book was funny. I did laugh a bit about interactions between Alex and Angus. Things in my mind got really good when Ms. Potter finally arrived. And the initial interactions between Alex and the widow were great. But a horror book having funny parts was not enough to get me to give this more than 3 stars.

I think the biggest thing is this book is so freaking slow. It just stop and starts. I felt at times that pages must be missing because the book just felt off in some weird way while I was reading it. And the Alex who has gone through the things in book #1, I can't see why they were so resistant to what could possibly be happening in this book. It didn't pass the smell test for me.

And I don't mind folk lore horror, it just didn't make a lot of sense to me and Kingfisher kept adding things like and this was never explained and sometimes that is just what happens. What? I want explanation. It felt like at some point Kingfisher realized there were plot holes galore but wanted to get to the ending.

And the ending. I don't even know what to say. I just felt let down after the juggernaut of "What Moves the Dead." I think that book should have stayed an excellent standalone.

I loved WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, so when I heard there'd be a second book featuring the same cast of characters, I was so excited! Thanks to the publisher & author & NetGalley for the early copy!

This was just as creepy and atmospheric as the first book, and it was so much fun spending time with our lovable protagonists again. Easton, Angus, & Miss Potter are joined by a few more new folks in this dark little adventure, this time set in a hunting lodge that's been inherited by the main character. I loved the ghostly aspects of this, but felt like the lack of belief in the moroi initially was really strange considering all the weird mushroom-y shenanigans of the first book! Still, Easton is such a complex, endearing character, and I loved the way they talked about and dealt with their PTSD here,

Overall, a super fun sequel -- I definitely don't recommend this as a standalone 'cause the first book adds a lot of context and backstory, but I do recommend it highly if you loved WHAT MOVES THE DEAD.

Really enjoyed this! Excited to see where the story goes from here! Thanks for the opportunity to let me read this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: February 13, 2024

3.75 stars. This was a quick, bingable read that kept me interested. It wasn't as strong as the first book I didn't think but I still enjoyed it overall. As much as I love Potter's character and I'm glad she was in this book, I'm not sure why she was in it; I don't think she was necessary to the story.

While mushrooms are objectively scarier, I think I enjoyed this much more!

I finished this in a single day and could not put it down. I read What Moves the Dead and I enjoyed it, but I don't remember it being as entertaining and honestly as *funny* as this follow-up was. The voice of Alex Easton is so unbelievably strong and I need someone to explain how Kingfisher had me cackling about ostriches in the midst of talking about ghosts and people dying from a monster. Easton is such a wonderful character and I love the skepticism and witty humour kan bring to the table. This was an oddly light-hearted horror and I'm definitely recommending it to others.

If Kingfisher just so happened to write more Alex Easton adventures, I wouldn't mind at all *hint hint*

Thank you so much to Netgalley and TorNightfire for approving me for this book. I think I may have liked this one more than the first and that's definitely saying something. This is the second book in the Sworn Soldier series, and I really do hope we get to read more about Alex, Angus, and Miss Potter. Even thought it is the second book, it could be read as a standalone novel, but I don't recommend doing that because you lose the love, the backstory, and the introduction of the characters from the first book, especially the description of the pronouns from book one.

After the terrifying conclusion of the house of Usher, Alex, Angus, and Miss Potter want to return to the hunting lodge deep in their home country, Gallacia. When they arrive, they find the housekeeper has died, and the lodge in disarray. Alex and Angus find themselves looking for another housekeeper who brings along the folklore of a breath-stealing monster that is now haunting the Easton house. Alex doesn't believe in superstitions but suddenly starts to realize something may be lurking within the shadows and their sleep.

I definitely thought the book started off a little slow, hence why the book only has four stars. It takes a little while to get into the backstory of the Easton house and what happened to their housekeeper, but it definitely felt a little boring at first. You start to learn about the backstory of the folklore that the townsfolk are whispering about, about halfway through the book, and then it takes off running. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The climax of the book is a dream, and is really well done. Once the dream ends, the book is pretty much done. Reading the book late at night will definitely give you chills. Not going to lie, I had a hard time going to sleep because I kept thinking about this thing in the book, haha.

Overall, this is a creepy and tense book, and if you're into horror stories, I definitely recommend this series. I can't wait to see what Kingfisher comes up with next.