A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.
"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 …
A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.
"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.
Another solid T. Kingfisher messed-up horror story. It has everything: a relatable protagonist, great writing, weirdos, and a twist.
It was obvious to basically everyone but the protagonist what was going on the whole time, but I feel like the point wasn't a big reveal of what was going on, but going along on her journey of discovery with her.
Another solid T. Kingfisher messed-up horror story. It has everything: a relatable protagonist, great writing, weirdos, and a twist.
It was obvious to basically everyone but the protagonist what was going on the whole time, but I feel like the point wasn't a big reveal of what was going on, but going along on her journey of discovery with her.
A great cruel power, doing almost nothing. Like a dormant volcano. All she did was grow roses.
This didn’t quite beat The Twisted Ones as far as my favorite horror books by T. Kingfisher go, but it’s coming as a very close second! I just absolutely dig the entire thing: the plot, the escalation of tension and horror, the sense of setting, the characters, the vibes. There wasn’t a single dull moment for me here. Just. The way the narrative unfolds? How bad it gets toward the end? How then it gets so much worse and more complex? Chef’s kiss.
I knew rather little about the novel going in, besides the basics like “haunted house horror with southern gothic vibes and family stuff.“ The cover, alongside the first couple of pages, led me to think this would be, at least in some part, bird horror. Without going into spoilery …
A great cruel power, doing almost nothing. Like a dormant volcano. All she did was grow roses.
This didn’t quite beat The Twisted Ones as far as my favorite horror books by T. Kingfisher go, but it’s coming as a very close second! I just absolutely dig the entire thing: the plot, the escalation of tension and horror, the sense of setting, the characters, the vibes. There wasn’t a single dull moment for me here. Just. The way the narrative unfolds? How bad it gets toward the end? How then it gets so much worse and more complex? Chef’s kiss.
I knew rather little about the novel going in, besides the basics like “haunted house horror with southern gothic vibes and family stuff.“ The cover, alongside the first couple of pages, led me to think this would be, at least in some part, bird horror. Without going into spoilery detail, that conclusion was debunked in a really fun way. I mean, the vultures are definitely around a lot and very important for the story! It’s just that there are much scarier things around. Like roses and ladybugs. (Fun fact: I love roses and ladybugs. Both scream safety and sunlight to me. It’s truly a testament to Kingfisher’s talent that she managed to make me fear both for the duration of reading this.)
My favorite part about the book was the relationship between the MC and her mother. Apparently, I’m really interested in exploring dynamics between independent adults and their parents, and I’m not getting enough of it. Edie—the mom—is my favorite character here, in fact. I really admire how she’s done her best to stop the cycle of abuse in her family and be a good parent to her kids. Yes, she wasn’t able shield them from her own mother completely, but she stood up for them and made sure they knew when things weren’t okay rather than normalizing those things. She really did her best to heal that generational trauma, and I admire her so much for that.
All in all, I loved this for the atmosphere, the twists, the humanity of the characters, and the great writing. Definitely goes on my “best of 2024“ list.
I am a huge fan of everything T. Kingfisher writes and have slowly been working through her backlog of work. A House With Good Bones is a very southern (United States) sort of horror story. The setup is that Samantha has to go back to live with her mother in small town North Carolina, and her mom and the house have changed while she's been gone.
I love the wry tone and joking asides. There are some deeply creepy moments, both big and small that ratchet up the tension right up to the climax of the book. I love the weaponized horror of southern white racist grandmas. Also, an info-dumping entomologist protagonist is exactly what I'd expect out of Ursula Vernon.
I am a huge fan of everything T. Kingfisher writes and have slowly been working through her backlog of work. A House With Good Bones is a very southern (United States) sort of horror story. The setup is that Samantha has to go back to live with her mother in small town North Carolina, and her mom and the house have changed while she's been gone.
I love the wry tone and joking asides. There are some deeply creepy moments, both big and small that ratchet up the tension right up to the climax of the book. I love the weaponized horror of southern white racist grandmas. Also, an info-dumping entomologist protagonist is exactly what I'd expect out of Ursula Vernon.
Sam, a thirty-something entomologist, temporarily moves back to the family home to cover a housing gap. The house, where her mother now lives, was originally the home of her now-deceased grandmother, the cruel and overbearing Gran Mae. Sam notices some jarring differences in both her mum and the house, and the story unravels from there.
This book was the perfect easy and entertaining read to end and begin the year with. I enjoyed it and finished it very quickly. I could have done with more tension and a bit more length once the horror really kicked off. Also more insects! Still, T. Kingfisher remains one of my favourite recently-discovered authors and I will read every horror book she puts out.
Horror is not usually my genre, but I like T Kingfisher. This is a really good examination of just how weird "southern" culture can be.
Very small suggestion of romance. Which mostly felt out of place because the way the narrator voiced the man was... not how I usually hear romantic interests voiced. (his voice annoyed me)
Overall, very good, despite it not being my usual fare.
Horror is not usually my genre, but I like T Kingfisher. This is a really good examination of just how weird "southern" culture can be.
Very small suggestion of romance. Which mostly felt out of place because the way the narrator voiced the man was... not how I usually hear romantic interests voiced. (his voice annoyed me)
Overall, very good, despite it not being my usual fare.
Review of 'A House With Good Bones' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Thank you to Tor for the ARC.
A House with Good Bones is a light contemporary gothic novel. Based on the blurb, I expected something more atmospheric and creepy. What I got instead was something far more bizarre.
As a narrator, Sam is fun, witty, and sarcastic. I loved her inner monologues and felt they added a lightness to the novel that it wouldn't have had otherwise. But I could have done without the entomology lessons.
I liked the build up of oddities. Without spoiling anything for potential readers, the first two acts are slow, delivering tension and unease by the teaspoonful. Then you're thrown into what reads like a fever dream and leaves you scratching your head, pondering how everything got so far off the rails. The last 50 pages were disappointing. It all felt too odd in the context of the story, and I found none of it …
Thank you to Tor for the ARC.
A House with Good Bones is a light contemporary gothic novel. Based on the blurb, I expected something more atmospheric and creepy. What I got instead was something far more bizarre.
As a narrator, Sam is fun, witty, and sarcastic. I loved her inner monologues and felt they added a lightness to the novel that it wouldn't have had otherwise. But I could have done without the entomology lessons.
I liked the build up of oddities. Without spoiling anything for potential readers, the first two acts are slow, delivering tension and unease by the teaspoonful. Then you're thrown into what reads like a fever dream and leaves you scratching your head, pondering how everything got so far off the rails. The last 50 pages were disappointing. It all felt too odd in the context of the story, and I found none of it scary because it was so outlandish.
While this book ultimately didn't land for me, there was a great deal I did enjoy.
I loved the main character being an archaeological entomologist meant that certain elements of horror didn't make her freak out like you would expect. Also, lots of bug facts!
I loved the main character being an archaeological entomologist meant that certain elements of horror didn't make her freak out like you would expect. Also, lots of bug facts!
