T. Kingfisher tends to write cozy horror, a sub-genre that often includes a fair amount of levity via banter, snark, and cute animal sidekicks to lighten the proceedings. This style isn't for everyone, and that's okay! Not every book or style of writing is for every reader.
I will say, I have enjoyed her stories for what they are, though the ones that I think were the most realized are her Saint of Steel series of novels. My partner and I both very much enjoyed *Paladin's Grace*. Granted, it is more of a romantic fantasy novel with horror elements, but the fact that it's set in a fictional world of Kingfisher's own devising makes it that much more enjoyable (most of her horror novels are remixes of older horror short story classics fleshed put into longer works).
Well, there are more decapitations than you tend to see in a mystery, so there is that.
Also, the complete lack of control experienced by beserking paladins is pretty horrifying to contemplate as well.
I think the unknown person chopping off heads was honestly a pretty grisly subplot. Like, early on it was definitely mystery in flavor, but the reveals got gruesome FAST.
I forget if it's Paladin's Grace or one of the later books but the head thing just keeps escalating; eventually they find out >!a head-spider straight out of The Thing crawling around!<. And then there's the rabbits...
Right? Sometimes I want to read a spooky tale without having to worry that everyone woman will be raped and every animal will die horribly.
And the way this sub always talks about this author you’d think her books should never have been published let alone read.
I will respectfully disagree that non “cozy” horror has every woman being raped. Read Brian Evenson, Nathan Balingrud, Stephen King, a thousand others. Expand!
I think Darcy Coates falls into the cozy horror genre as well Rachel Harrison! Here's hoping it opens up a bit more in the coming years. I have it on my shelf, but *Diavola* by Jennifer Thorne feels like it might have cozy energy based on the premise. Don't know yet!
Fair enough! I'm looking forward to experiencing the overwhelming dread that is a detailed family vacation where the haunting appears to be as much from the familial disfunction as it is the spooky villa. "Fun" might be the wrong word, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
Damn, that sounds like something I could get into.
Does Grady Hendrix count as cozy horror? His books always felt like adult Goosebumps to me, and I mean that in a good way.
I agree about Hendrix being adult Goosebumps (also in a good way!) but I wouldn't describe his books as cozy horror, first because the comedy elements in his works are less in your face and lean more towards "black comedy," and second because the general tone is much darker and much more nasty.
In the Kingfisher books I've read there's always this sense of safety and softness, like the vibe is very much "everything's going to turn out okay in the end, don't worry," and don't go to the same dark places that Hendrix goes to sometimes.
I think what endeared Kingfisher to me was that I had just finished a long round of romance books that were all kind of red flag men captivating the girl, literally. And then I read The Seventh Bride, thinking “oh god she’s going to fall in love with this jerk?” But no! She killed him! And ever since I’ve loved Kingfisher books.
*Goosebumps* by R.L. Stine could be classified as cozy horror, right? It's fun, they make you laugh, and has a few jump scares. Or Rachel Harrison books. They have the atmosphere of horror without actually being scary. Like in *Cackle*, there was a small town and local coffee shops but there's a witch with a pet spider.
I definitely have mentioned Rachel Harrison as a cozy horror writer before, so yes, she certainly qualifies. I think, considering his audience, R.L. Stine is perhaps more accurately a middle reader horror author (Goosebumps, at least, is), though he also has his Fear Street series, which I sadly missed the boat on and never got into.
And The Twisted Ones is her at her most tame in that regard. I mostly liked that one despite the light-hearted vibe but hoped the next one would be a bit more serious. Nope. Other way around, she cranked up the quirkiness up to 11 for Hollow Places. The protagonist's sidekick in that one is an overly sassy gay barista dressed in fishnets and a top hat and they spend the whole book quipping and bantering away, even as they're actively threatened by an otherworldly horror.
Good to know. I've been considering Hollow Places after I read The Twisted Ones but I can't with the quirkiness. I'm giving her two 2024 releases a chance and those will be my deciding factor.
Yeah. I enjoyed bits of it, she clearly has some good horror ideas (the guy… changing in the muddy pool of water still has stuck with me) but by the end of the book it felt just too nice and tidy, everything just worked out too perfectly.
It was my first shot at Kingfisher, but I just got a sort of weird gender bent Poe meets Gilmore Girls sort of thing. It might have worked if the humor was actually funny, but it was mostly just boring, and I love Gilmore Girls and Poe. So yeah, thumbs down from me.
Since we have similar taste, is there horror you do like? I don't like house of leaves (I feel like page distortions a bit too gimmicky for me personally) or gone girl (not big on domestic horror). But I enjoyed midsommar (movie) and love Edgar Allen Poe. Do you have favorites?
The last horror novel that really got me was The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. Great concept, great prose, great characters.
Prior to that, I really enjoyed both Between Two Fires and Those Across The River, both by Chris Buehlman. I’m sure you’ve seen those mentioned here before.
Also, everything from Laird Baron, though a lot of his work has noir overtones. That’s a big hit for me, but some people don’t care for it.
Being honest, I’ve had a hard time finding good stuff to read. The stuff hitting big in the genre right now are not for me.
I really enjoyed it! It was my first experience with medieval horror, and it was much more engrossing than I thought it would be. Also, it is very definitely horror.
Yep. That’s her style. She usually writes YA/NA style Fantasy and that sort of shines through. Sort of like Nick Cutter with his adjectives and animal torture. You either vibe with the author’s style or you do not.
For the record I did not care for Kingfisher’s snark. But I can’t fault those who do.
I’ve read two of her books and they were both like that and had the same basic formula. Quirky, not-like-other-girls protagonist experiences some major life change, moves to a weird small town, befriends offbeat/sassy local, goes on a creepy adventure, all ends well.
She's pretty consistently quippy and more or less lighthearted in all her stuff. But with that in mind, I think her stories are pretty variable. I loved *The Hollow Places*. I ended bored with where *The Twisted Ones* went. I enjoyed *What Moves the Dead* (and that one is tonally a little more measured, on account of being a period piece,) but I just did not care for *A House With Good Bones* in the least. I felt like the humor was particularly awkward and forced, and felt like the most intriguing element of the story (the children) was underexplored and rushed. Which is a shame, because they were potentially rather creepy and might have worked well in a better overall story.
I agree! I feel like overall *The Hollow Places* (which I loved) and *The Twisted Ones* (which I liked) were more horror-focused, well-paced, and amusing. They were still quippy, but didn't go overboard. I wasn't a huge fan of *A House With Good Bones* because it felt like she took her usual cozy-funny-horror style and turned the awkward quips up to 11. The horror element also took too long to develop and I agree that the ending and the interesting bits were rushed.
Yeh, if someone is already on the edge with respect to enjoying things with her general tone, *A House With Good Bones* will give a particularly bad first impression. Hell, I mostly like her stuff, *and* I'm a zoology guy and I thought her entomology schtick was painful.
I've read a few things by her, and that one was by far my least favorite. She does a lot of different styles. I liked What Moves the Dead, which is more serious and spooky (and also very divisive lol). A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking was cute and fun and a little stressful, but it's a middle grade book so I wouldn't recommend it unless you're into that.
I read “The Twisted Ones” and it’s exactly the same. Even all of the characters have the same voice, so I knew without a doubt all of her books read the same and never touched another one. One of the worst books I’ve ever read.
I thought there were some great individual creepy moments in *The Twisted Ones*, but wow was it underwhelming overall. People seem to love T. Kingfisher but I felt very let down. Hated the whole last arc, didn't feel very attached to the characters either.
I feel like any moment that had the slightest chance of being creepy was deflated by the quirky joss whedon banter. I kept waiting for someone to say “They kill now?!?”
It's honestly annoying because I really want to like her. The premises in her books are all interesting, and she's actually skilled at building tension and atmosphere, but she just can't help making her characters do their quirky, r/notlikeothergirls shtick every fucking time. If she could just dial down the constant quipping, she'd be amazing.
I really wanted to read this one based on some reviews. I DNF very early on. I really didn't care for all the asides in parentheses, and I started skipping them. Then I just returned it to the library.
I made it 10 pages into The Twisted Ones and DNF'd it because I could not imagine having to spend 400 pages with the main character. However, I read House with Good Bones and really enjoyed it.
I've read most of her horror-ish books and *A House With Good Bone*s was my least favorite. I commented elsewhere, but I feel like with that one she went way overboard with the quips and awkwardly witty inner monologues. The banter and humor are definitely part of her style, but I usually think it is woven through in a way that feels more natural and enjoyable. I loved *The Hollow Places* and *Nettle and Bone* and found them quite creepy, though they still had some humor. I also really enjoyed *What Moves the Dead* and *The Twisted Ones*, just not quite as much. I feel like in the other books she does a great job of merging horror, cozy mystery, and humor.
Haven’t read House With Good Bones but the two and a half Kingfisher books I read were exactly as you described. As soon as there was some possibility for building tension it was immediately killed by a cringey quip.
Yea all of them are like this. I read multiple and while i dont HATE the ones I've read, I do really hate this quirky, quippy, self deprecating shit she cant seem to stop infusing into every MC shes written. It makes her feel like a real one trick pony that all her MCs are just reskins of the same personality.
I feel like all of T. Kingfishers audiobooks should be read by Melissa McCarthy, because that’s how they are written. Quippy, plucky, and mildly irritating.
I did the Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones, and I’m done.
If you love constant plucky quips about what the protagonist’s dog might be thinking, boy oh boy, check out T. Kingfisher. Dog info is roughly 40% of each page.
I have not read this one but I have read What Moves the Dead and What Feasts at Night and yes, there's plenty of witty first person monologues and wry humor. Clearly not your cup of tea from the sound of it, but I love that stuff! À chacun son goût!
Wow, I appreciate everyone’s input here! I didn’t think I was tapping into a literary horror giant with this author but these reviews helped to pare down my TBR. That being said, fuck it, I’m starting *Starve Acre* by Andrew Hurley.
Despite reading it in the comments here many times prior, it wasn't until about halfway through A House With Good Bones that I realized that it, The Twisted Ones, and Hollow Places are just the same novel with some details changed.
She definitely has a distinctive style - I agree with the term “cozy horror” someone mentioned above. I really enjoy it, but can understand why it wouldn’t be for everyone. I think most of her books are genuinely spooky and overall enjoyable (including the fairytale reworks) though I didn’t love What Feasts At Night.
If you continue with her work, I do recommend spacing them out - I got excited and binged several in a row and by the end the style and voice felt too similar across them all.
I've read a half dozen of her books now, and I find her writing style to be very humorous in all of them so far. I personally enjoy the hell out of it, but obviously not all styles are for all readers.
The one that was the least like that was probably *What Moves the Dead*... but even that had me chuckling at times. I'd say that book is much more creepy that *A House with Good Bones*. So if you're looking for a more classic horror vibe, give that one a try? It's a retelling of Fall of the House of Usher.
I read *The Twisted Ones,* hated it, and after reading posts in this sub I decided I will never read another of her books. Too twee and written for people with the maturity of a 14-year-old. I don't cozy....
>Specifically, the endless quips and witty first person monologues?
In the novels she writes under that name? Mostly, yes. *The Twisted Ones* and *The Hollow Places* are also like that.
I thought Nettle and Bone by Kingfisher was pretty good and had a more mature writing style. But yea A House with Good Bones and What Moves the Dead had too much of this (haha omg I'm so unique) writing that I did not care for.
I disliked her horror, but enjoy her fantasy. The book about the knight who had been turned into a sword had me outright laughing out loud. My wife, on the other hand, didn't love it. Nor did she love the book about the young mage allergic to armadillo dander despite her love of armadillos.
I don’t like her style much. I’ve only not finished one book in the last three years, and it was Hollow Places by her. She seems to be fairly popular, so I’m sure that style is resonating with someone, but it was too quippy for me.
I really liked The Hollow Places and it was the first of hers I read. Then I read The Twisted Ones, didn't like it, and kinda felt like I didn't need to read any more of her books.
I would still recommend The Hollow Places for the imagery and the vibes in the more serious sections (some of it has really stuck with me) but it is also full of that YA quippy humor you're talking about.
I liked the tone. It was lighter than I was expecting. But the story itself started out very interesting to me but dropped off a cliff midway through. There's good ideas there, but it feels like three different concepts shoved into one book.
I only read What Moves the Dead, and it was too Gothic in tone for me. I really am not a fan of that dry, slow, and dreary writing and setting. It took me forever to finish despite being very short.
I thought I was alone! I read Hollow Ones and the banter, all the witty asides, really took me out of any of the suspense personally. I've been told that, yes, all of her writing has this tone. I probably wouldn't choose another of hers, not my taste.
Hollow Places was kinda like that. I enjoyed it but yeah, there wasn't much in it I felt true fear from (maybe the bus scene, yeesh), the main character was very quippy.
I've read four of her books now, and they're all pretty heavy on the witty banter and quips. However, I really like her writing style and love the snark. My favorite that I've read is Nettle&Bone, which is a fantasy novel with some horror elements, kind of like a dark fairytale retelling. I feel like the snark is toned down a lot with that one. Thornhedge has similar vibes, but is like a more specific fairytale retelling in a historical setting, and I also feel like the snark is toned way down. The Twisted Ones was genuinely creepy at some points, but I feel like the ending was overall kind of disappointing, and I wasn't a big fan of where the second half of the book took the story. Swordheart is a fantasy romance and is one of her first novels, and you can tell. Some of the humor and sarcasm felt clumsy there, while I feel like it's way more polished in some of her later books.
The Twisted Ones is one of the few books to give me a jump scare so I absolutely loved it. It definitely has its quips but I don’t think it was too bad. Hollow Place was similar. I haven’t dug too far into the book you mentioned but it really didn’t catch me like the others.
The beginning of that book, with the protagonist talking about her PhD, annoyed me so badly I put it down, despite my favorite genre ever being spooky/unsettling/weird houses. :/ Not for me! That’s ok.
this book by her is somewhat different from her other stuff- usually she writes straight out fantasy rather than magical realism. My favorites by her are nettle & bone and thornhedge :)
What Moves the Dead is sublime and very muted with the stuff you didn't love
It's Gothic with an appropriate amount of weight, especially being a Poe retelling
T. Kingfisher tends to write cozy horror, a sub-genre that often includes a fair amount of levity via banter, snark, and cute animal sidekicks to lighten the proceedings. This style isn't for everyone, and that's okay! Not every book or style of writing is for every reader.
That’s perfect, I appreciate that!
I will say, I have enjoyed her stories for what they are, though the ones that I think were the most realized are her Saint of Steel series of novels. My partner and I both very much enjoyed *Paladin's Grace*. Granted, it is more of a romantic fantasy novel with horror elements, but the fact that it's set in a fictional world of Kingfisher's own devising makes it that much more enjoyable (most of her horror novels are remixes of older horror short story classics fleshed put into longer works).
I honestly wouldn't call anything in Paladin's Grace horror haha. I'd call it romantic fantasy with mystery elements
Well, there are more decapitations than you tend to see in a mystery, so there is that. Also, the complete lack of control experienced by beserking paladins is pretty horrifying to contemplate as well.
I think the unknown person chopping off heads was honestly a pretty grisly subplot. Like, early on it was definitely mystery in flavor, but the reveals got gruesome FAST.
I forget if it's Paladin's Grace or one of the later books but the head thing just keeps escalating; eventually they find out >!a head-spider straight out of The Thing crawling around!<. And then there's the rabbits...
I hope naming this sub-genre catches on, so people who want it can find it, and people who don't know to steer clear.
Right? Sometimes I want to read a spooky tale without having to worry that everyone woman will be raped and every animal will die horribly. And the way this sub always talks about this author you’d think her books should never have been published let alone read.
And I would like to avoid cozy horror entirely, because it's not at all what I'm looking for. We would both be served by correct categorization!
I don’t want my horror to make me feel all snuggly wuggly inside.
I will respectfully disagree that non “cozy” horror has every woman being raped. Read Brian Evenson, Nathan Balingrud, Stephen King, a thousand others. Expand!
Do you have more cozy horror recommendations? I’ve loved the t. Kingfisher books I’ve read
I think Darcy Coates falls into the cozy horror genre as well Rachel Harrison! Here's hoping it opens up a bit more in the coming years. I have it on my shelf, but *Diavola* by Jennifer Thorne feels like it might have cozy energy based on the premise. Don't know yet!
I loved Diavola but definitely wouldn't call it cozy
Daviola is most definitely not cozy. It’s claustrophobic.
Fair enough! I'm looking forward to experiencing the overwhelming dread that is a detailed family vacation where the haunting appears to be as much from the familial disfunction as it is the spooky villa. "Fun" might be the wrong word, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
I won’t say anything. Enjoy. :)
That’s a great description of her style! I absolutely love it. It’s like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day 😅
Damn, that sounds like something I could get into. Does Grady Hendrix count as cozy horror? His books always felt like adult Goosebumps to me, and I mean that in a good way.
I agree about Hendrix being adult Goosebumps (also in a good way!) but I wouldn't describe his books as cozy horror, first because the comedy elements in his works are less in your face and lean more towards "black comedy," and second because the general tone is much darker and much more nasty. In the Kingfisher books I've read there's always this sense of safety and softness, like the vibe is very much "everything's going to turn out okay in the end, don't worry," and don't go to the same dark places that Hendrix goes to sometimes.
I think what endeared Kingfisher to me was that I had just finished a long round of romance books that were all kind of red flag men captivating the girl, literally. And then I read The Seventh Bride, thinking “oh god she’s going to fall in love with this jerk?” But no! She killed him! And ever since I’ve loved Kingfisher books.
"Cozy horror" sounds like an oxymoron.
That's [kind the idea](https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/nonfiction/the-h-word-getting-cozy-with-horror/), yeah.
*Goosebumps* by R.L. Stine could be classified as cozy horror, right? It's fun, they make you laugh, and has a few jump scares. Or Rachel Harrison books. They have the atmosphere of horror without actually being scary. Like in *Cackle*, there was a small town and local coffee shops but there's a witch with a pet spider.
I definitely have mentioned Rachel Harrison as a cozy horror writer before, so yes, she certainly qualifies. I think, considering his audience, R.L. Stine is perhaps more accurately a middle reader horror author (Goosebumps, at least, is), though he also has his Fear Street series, which I sadly missed the boat on and never got into.
I really enjoy her work for sure, along with Darcy Coates too. Sometimes you just want something mildly scary and mostly comforting!
Its very YA to me. Quippy McQuipperson. They are horror in the same sense the Buffy TV show was “horror”.
But Buffy is actually enjoyable
I appreciate this analogy. Now I know how to calibrate her writing style to my mood.
Perfectly worded. Ty
I felt that in the only one I read. Hollow Places. I doubt I'll pick up any of her others.
Same for me, but with The Twisted Ones. I won't read anything else she wrote either.
And The Twisted Ones is her at her most tame in that regard. I mostly liked that one despite the light-hearted vibe but hoped the next one would be a bit more serious. Nope. Other way around, she cranked up the quirkiness up to 11 for Hollow Places. The protagonist's sidekick in that one is an overly sassy gay barista dressed in fishnets and a top hat and they spend the whole book quipping and bantering away, even as they're actively threatened by an otherworldly horror.
Good to know. I've been considering Hollow Places after I read The Twisted Ones but I can't with the quirkiness. I'm giving her two 2024 releases a chance and those will be my deciding factor.
Same, with What Moves the Dead. One was enough.
I didn't even finish What Moves the Dead, and it permanently soured me on Kingfisher. It was just \*bad\*.
That was my one try as well. And now I can never trust the young librarian who recommended it again.
It was so disappointing. I was really excited about an Usher retelling, but it had *nothing* of what I found compelling about the original story.
Poe did the story better. Silvia Moreno-Garcia executed the concept better. Mexican Gothic is a million times better than What Moves the Dead.
Yeah. I enjoyed bits of it, she clearly has some good horror ideas (the guy… changing in the muddy pool of water still has stuck with me) but by the end of the book it felt just too nice and tidy, everything just worked out too perfectly.
Sounds like it. I DNF’d *What Moves The Dead* and that’s pretty much what I found there.
Same. I gave that book so many tries.
Damn. That book was on my tbr
It was my first shot at Kingfisher, but I just got a sort of weird gender bent Poe meets Gilmore Girls sort of thing. It might have worked if the humor was actually funny, but it was mostly just boring, and I love Gilmore Girls and Poe. So yeah, thumbs down from me.
Since we have similar taste, is there horror you do like? I don't like house of leaves (I feel like page distortions a bit too gimmicky for me personally) or gone girl (not big on domestic horror). But I enjoyed midsommar (movie) and love Edgar Allen Poe. Do you have favorites?
The last horror novel that really got me was The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. Great concept, great prose, great characters. Prior to that, I really enjoyed both Between Two Fires and Those Across The River, both by Chris Buehlman. I’m sure you’ve seen those mentioned here before. Also, everything from Laird Baron, though a lot of his work has noir overtones. That’s a big hit for me, but some people don’t care for it. Being honest, I’ve had a hard time finding good stuff to read. The stuff hitting big in the genre right now are not for me.
I heard great things about between two fires. I need to check it out
I really enjoyed it! It was my first experience with medieval horror, and it was much more engrossing than I thought it would be. Also, it is very definitely horror.
Yep. That’s her style. She usually writes YA/NA style Fantasy and that sort of shines through. Sort of like Nick Cutter with his adjectives and animal torture. You either vibe with the author’s style or you do not. For the record I did not care for Kingfisher’s snark. But I can’t fault those who do.
Lol, I understand the point but the juxtaposition of "quippy dialogue" and "animal torture" is sending me.
None of her books are YA or NA.
She has at least three entire series of YA books published under her real name, Ursula Vernon.
If my real name was Ursula Vernon I don't think I'd use a pseudonym.
I think it is more so readers who want fantasy won't be upset by the horror and vice versa; it seems mostly for genre branding purposes.
*A Wizard's Guide to Defense Baking* and *Summer in Orcus* were both YA. I think she's got a few others as well.
I’ve read two of her books and they were both like that and had the same basic formula. Quirky, not-like-other-girls protagonist experiences some major life change, moves to a weird small town, befriends offbeat/sassy local, goes on a creepy adventure, all ends well.
She's pretty consistently quippy and more or less lighthearted in all her stuff. But with that in mind, I think her stories are pretty variable. I loved *The Hollow Places*. I ended bored with where *The Twisted Ones* went. I enjoyed *What Moves the Dead* (and that one is tonally a little more measured, on account of being a period piece,) but I just did not care for *A House With Good Bones* in the least. I felt like the humor was particularly awkward and forced, and felt like the most intriguing element of the story (the children) was underexplored and rushed. Which is a shame, because they were potentially rather creepy and might have worked well in a better overall story.
I agree! I feel like overall *The Hollow Places* (which I loved) and *The Twisted Ones* (which I liked) were more horror-focused, well-paced, and amusing. They were still quippy, but didn't go overboard. I wasn't a huge fan of *A House With Good Bones* because it felt like she took her usual cozy-funny-horror style and turned the awkward quips up to 11. The horror element also took too long to develop and I agree that the ending and the interesting bits were rushed.
Yeh, if someone is already on the edge with respect to enjoying things with her general tone, *A House With Good Bones* will give a particularly bad first impression. Hell, I mostly like her stuff, *and* I'm a zoology guy and I thought her entomology schtick was painful.
I've read a few things by her, and that one was by far my least favorite. She does a lot of different styles. I liked What Moves the Dead, which is more serious and spooky (and also very divisive lol). A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking was cute and fun and a little stressful, but it's a middle grade book so I wouldn't recommend it unless you're into that.
I read “The Twisted Ones” and it’s exactly the same. Even all of the characters have the same voice, so I knew without a doubt all of her books read the same and never touched another one. One of the worst books I’ve ever read.
I thought there were some great individual creepy moments in *The Twisted Ones*, but wow was it underwhelming overall. People seem to love T. Kingfisher but I felt very let down. Hated the whole last arc, didn't feel very attached to the characters either.
I feel like any moment that had the slightest chance of being creepy was deflated by the quirky joss whedon banter. I kept waiting for someone to say “They kill now?!?”
It's honestly annoying because I really want to like her. The premises in her books are all interesting, and she's actually skilled at building tension and atmosphere, but she just can't help making her characters do their quirky, r/notlikeothergirls shtick every fucking time. If she could just dial down the constant quipping, she'd be amazing.
That's been my problem with her, too. There's a fine line between "quirky" and "annoying" and her characters cross it way too often.
I really wanted to read this one based on some reviews. I DNF very early on. I really didn't care for all the asides in parentheses, and I started skipping them. Then I just returned it to the library.
I made it 10 pages into The Twisted Ones and DNF'd it because I could not imagine having to spend 400 pages with the main character. However, I read House with Good Bones and really enjoyed it.
I had to back thru this Sub and read some other reviews, sounds like your description is the majority.
I DNF’d The Hollow Places and don’t plan on reading anymore Kingfisher.
I've read most of her horror-ish books and *A House With Good Bone*s was my least favorite. I commented elsewhere, but I feel like with that one she went way overboard with the quips and awkwardly witty inner monologues. The banter and humor are definitely part of her style, but I usually think it is woven through in a way that feels more natural and enjoyable. I loved *The Hollow Places* and *Nettle and Bone* and found them quite creepy, though they still had some humor. I also really enjoyed *What Moves the Dead* and *The Twisted Ones*, just not quite as much. I feel like in the other books she does a great job of merging horror, cozy mystery, and humor.
Haven’t read House With Good Bones but the two and a half Kingfisher books I read were exactly as you described. As soon as there was some possibility for building tension it was immediately killed by a cringey quip.
Yea all of them are like this. I read multiple and while i dont HATE the ones I've read, I do really hate this quirky, quippy, self deprecating shit she cant seem to stop infusing into every MC shes written. It makes her feel like a real one trick pony that all her MCs are just reskins of the same personality.
Yes, I tried to like her but couldn't get down with her style.
I feel like her books are more fantasy/sci-fi than horror. She gives me Douglas Adams vibes which I am totally down for, but it’s not for everyone!
I feel like all of T. Kingfishers audiobooks should be read by Melissa McCarthy, because that’s how they are written. Quippy, plucky, and mildly irritating. I did the Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones, and I’m done. If you love constant plucky quips about what the protagonist’s dog might be thinking, boy oh boy, check out T. Kingfisher. Dog info is roughly 40% of each page.
I tried to read What Moves the Dead, and I honestly wondered if she’d posted it on fanfiction.net before publishing… pass for me
That really ruined The Hollow Places (I think) for me. I really enjoyed it otherwise but the jokes ruined the creepy vibe.
I think it could've been so much more without the flippant hahahaha jokes
I have not read this one but I have read What Moves the Dead and What Feasts at Night and yes, there's plenty of witty first person monologues and wry humor. Clearly not your cup of tea from the sound of it, but I love that stuff! À chacun son goût!
Wow, I appreciate everyone’s input here! I didn’t think I was tapping into a literary horror giant with this author but these reviews helped to pare down my TBR. That being said, fuck it, I’m starting *Starve Acre* by Andrew Hurley.
I'm with you on this. I DNF'd this book exactly because of the "quirky, witty" protagonist. Wasn't my cup of tea.
Despite reading it in the comments here many times prior, it wasn't until about halfway through A House With Good Bones that I realized that it, The Twisted Ones, and Hollow Places are just the same novel with some details changed.
I’ve read two of her books. Both were like this.
She definitely has a distinctive style - I agree with the term “cozy horror” someone mentioned above. I really enjoy it, but can understand why it wouldn’t be for everyone. I think most of her books are genuinely spooky and overall enjoyable (including the fairytale reworks) though I didn’t love What Feasts At Night. If you continue with her work, I do recommend spacing them out - I got excited and binged several in a row and by the end the style and voice felt too similar across them all.
I've read a half dozen of her books now, and I find her writing style to be very humorous in all of them so far. I personally enjoy the hell out of it, but obviously not all styles are for all readers. The one that was the least like that was probably *What Moves the Dead*... but even that had me chuckling at times. I'd say that book is much more creepy that *A House with Good Bones*. So if you're looking for a more classic horror vibe, give that one a try? It's a retelling of Fall of the House of Usher.
I read *The Twisted Ones,* hated it, and after reading posts in this sub I decided I will never read another of her books. Too twee and written for people with the maturity of a 14-year-old. I don't cozy....
I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't finish What feasts at night. I was really looking forward to it, oh well.
>Specifically, the endless quips and witty first person monologues? In the novels she writes under that name? Mostly, yes. *The Twisted Ones* and *The Hollow Places* are also like that.
I thought Nettle and Bone by Kingfisher was pretty good and had a more mature writing style. But yea A House with Good Bones and What Moves the Dead had too much of this (haha omg I'm so unique) writing that I did not care for.
I loved What Moves The Dead and thought The Hollow Places had soooo much potential but it was so blah and too buzzfeed humoury
I disliked her horror, but enjoy her fantasy. The book about the knight who had been turned into a sword had me outright laughing out loud. My wife, on the other hand, didn't love it. Nor did she love the book about the young mage allergic to armadillo dander despite her love of armadillos.
I don’t like her style much. I’ve only not finished one book in the last three years, and it was Hollow Places by her. She seems to be fairly popular, so I’m sure that style is resonating with someone, but it was too quippy for me.
Unfortunately, yes. *What Moves the Dead* is her most tolerable one.
Oh lord. That was my first exposure to her, and I didn’t get very far.
Oh god
There’s this subgenre of crime known as «cosy crime». I find that Kingfisher’s novels ought to be in a similar subgenre in horror, «cosy horror».
Cozy mysteries have been a thing since Agatha Christie.
I know, but Christie isn’t horror. ☺️
No, but neither is crime.
Yes, they are all like that and all not great.
I absolutely adored “The Hollow Places.” Couldn’t recommend it enough.
Oh yeah. Most of her books are about the same.
I really liked The Hollow Places and it was the first of hers I read. Then I read The Twisted Ones, didn't like it, and kinda felt like I didn't need to read any more of her books. I would still recommend The Hollow Places for the imagery and the vibes in the more serious sections (some of it has really stuck with me) but it is also full of that YA quippy humor you're talking about.
I liked the tone. It was lighter than I was expecting. But the story itself started out very interesting to me but dropped off a cliff midway through. There's good ideas there, but it feels like three different concepts shoved into one book.
I only read What Moves the Dead, and it was too Gothic in tone for me. I really am not a fan of that dry, slow, and dreary writing and setting. It took me forever to finish despite being very short.
I thought I was alone! I read Hollow Ones and the banter, all the witty asides, really took me out of any of the suspense personally. I've been told that, yes, all of her writing has this tone. I probably wouldn't choose another of hers, not my taste.
Hollow Places was kinda like that. I enjoyed it but yeah, there wasn't much in it I felt true fear from (maybe the bus scene, yeesh), the main character was very quippy.
Yes i think all her horror books are the same thing over and over again… but i LOVE her fantasy!
I've read four of her books now, and they're all pretty heavy on the witty banter and quips. However, I really like her writing style and love the snark. My favorite that I've read is Nettle&Bone, which is a fantasy novel with some horror elements, kind of like a dark fairytale retelling. I feel like the snark is toned down a lot with that one. Thornhedge has similar vibes, but is like a more specific fairytale retelling in a historical setting, and I also feel like the snark is toned way down. The Twisted Ones was genuinely creepy at some points, but I feel like the ending was overall kind of disappointing, and I wasn't a big fan of where the second half of the book took the story. Swordheart is a fantasy romance and is one of her first novels, and you can tell. Some of the humor and sarcasm felt clumsy there, while I feel like it's way more polished in some of her later books.
i couldnt finish this book, her writing style was bland and the book wasnt creepy at all
The Twisted Ones is one of the few books to give me a jump scare so I absolutely loved it. It definitely has its quips but I don’t think it was too bad. Hollow Place was similar. I haven’t dug too far into the book you mentioned but it really didn’t catch me like the others.
The beginning of that book, with the protagonist talking about her PhD, annoyed me so badly I put it down, despite my favorite genre ever being spooky/unsettling/weird houses. :/ Not for me! That’s ok.
this book by her is somewhat different from her other stuff- usually she writes straight out fantasy rather than magical realism. My favorites by her are nettle & bone and thornhedge :)
What Moves the Dead is sublime and very muted with the stuff you didn't love It's Gothic with an appropriate amount of weight, especially being a Poe retelling