A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (ARC Review)

Title: A House with Good Bones
Author: T. Kingfisher
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Gothic, Fantasy, Horror
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Published: March 28, 2023

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Tor Nightfire in exchange for an honest review.

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I had no idea what to expect with A House With Good Bones. I read two other T. Kingfisher books before this and the other books were so different from each other, I definitely anticipated this book to be different from the other two as well. And I was so right!

The setting definitely played an important role in the plot of A House With Good Bones and it might also have been one of my favourite things about the book too. The plot moved a little slow, but I enjoyed it because of the anticipation it was building.

As the creepy moments and aire of unease increased, I would get more and more shivers up my spine—in a good way—anticipating the moment the horror would reach its peak. Every reveal was also fun to experience, making me ask or squawk in a mix of delight and fear. The last two thirds of the book were especially enjoyable as the story took unexpected turns and kept me guessing until the very end.

Overall, I found A House With Good Bones to be a delightful read. It had all the elements of a great horror story, with strong characters, a well-crafted setting, and a plot that kept me invested until the very last page. I highly recommend this book to any fans of horror or supernatural fiction—this might be my favourite T. Kingfisher book yet!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children’s books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections. This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups. When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.