A House with Good Bones

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A House with Good Bones

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Nightfire

Release Date: 3.28.23

Publisher’s Summary 

"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.

My Review

I thought this would be a quick read because my ARC is 243 pages but the print was small and it took much longer than I expected. I really loved the first 3/4 of this story. It was perfect Southern gothic and the dark humor was very well done. The final 1/4 had me a bit grossed out but really I was more sad about the change to a paranormal horror story. That being said, I would recommend this to someone who likes BOTH Southern gothic AND horror stories. If you are also an avid gardener, this is your perfect trifecta book.