Maddy‘s Spoiler-Free Review of A House With Good Bones
Pages: 256
Genres: Horror, gothic, mystery, paranormal, thriller
Published date: 28 March 2023
Stars: 5 out of 5
*Disclaimer: Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book.
Publisher’s Blurb
“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.
Review of A House With Good Bones
I love T. Kingfisher and was so excited to read another book by her. My favorite book by her is What Moves the Dead, but this is a close second. I will read any book she publishes. I enjoy her dark humor, writing style, descriptions, world-building, and characters. A House With Good Bones is a horror, gothic, paranormal mystery. Kingfisher is a writing chameleon. She can write in any genre, though the horror/mysteries are my favorites.
Sam is my favorite character in this story, which doesn’t always happen with main characters. Kingfisher writes strong main characters, though I love all of the characters in this story, and love to hate one of them. Sam is a relatable and wonderful character to follow. She is kind, intelligent, and digs for the truth of what is going on with her mom and her mom’s house. The world-building is great, I felt like I was there with Sam, Edith, the vultures, and the other characters. I like how everything unfolded slowly over time. The book has some creepy scenes along with some dark humor and I loved it. If you enjoy horror, gothic, mystery, thrillers, and/or paranormal books, you should definitely pick this one up.
