Not interested in watching my video review, then look below for the major bullet points.
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Rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror
Technical Reasons to Read it: Combining two unlikely themes, unique characters, and lite horror.
Hello friends!
In this blog, I’m reviewing A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. As usual, the first half of the review will be spoiler-free, and more about my overall thoughts, whereas, for the second half, I’ll be doing a technical review. There will be spoilers there to help you strengthen your craft.
Kingfisher strikes again with the eccentric characters — one of the reasons that I love her writing so much. She gave them interesting careers and not the typical writer or editor professions that many writers lean on. I know that you’re supposed to write what you know, but we need to do better as writers. Kingfisher fed A House with Good Bones from her hobbies. I recommend reading the acknowledgments at the end because they give insight into her inspiration for the story.
The first half of the book was lacking Kingfisher’s whimsy storytelling. The story was bogged down with the protagonist’s internal monologue. I’m a fan of internal monologues. I use them myself. But I guess there is a point when it’s too much.
A great option for new horror fans who don’t want something terrifying. The story wasn’t scary for me. The “monster” isn’t something to keep you up at night – not like in the Hollow Places. Perfect for Halloween when you might want an atmospheric read.
I appreciate how Kingfisher took average people and made something fantastical happen to them. I appreciate the normal mixed with the mystical. The world is ours, but this version has a tiny vein of magic. Also, hats off to the reference to Wicca and good magic.
I know that I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but A House with Good Bones was missing the spark for me. I wasn’t into as much as The Hollow Places. The book was a solid two stars until the end when Kingfisher’s whimsy made an appearance. I also think that I’m getting overly picky about writing styles. Even though this was in first person, I was disconnected from the story.
Now look away if you don’t want spoilers.
Because here we be entering the technical review.
Repeating myself, the unique career of the protagonist was a thumbs up for me.
The internal comedy was really thick. It slowed the story down and turned into a crutch to make the protagonist unique. It watered down the writing and broke the tension.
I’m obsessed with Kingfisher’s style of whimsical horror. It’s light and dark at the same time. The ending highlighted her skill. It’s a great example of mashing up two very different things. And you should take a chance to do it yourself.
Happy Reading!
Love,
Kait