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