Reading Skywards – Your Friendly Bookshelf

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK
Publisher ‏ : ‎  Tor Nightfire
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 2023
Format:  Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, and ebook
Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
Genre:  Horror Fiction

MY PERSONAL OPINION OF “A House with Good Bones”

I have been trying to do more audiobooks, and I mean really trying. English as a second language can be tricky with audiobooks, especially books with a complicated plot. Also, I always see people reading audiobooks while doing other stuff… and I cannot do that. I can only do audiobooks if I am walking (not running) or driving. First, because, as mentioned, English is not my first language, and second, because I can easily get distracted and my brain cannot “recall” anything I was not fully paying attention to. With that said, I want to try to do more audiobooks, one at a time, for as long as it takes (about two weeks, honestly). The whole point of doing audiobooks is so it can be read faster… well, that escapes me.

I got this audiobook from Libby. I have started to really like Libby for audiobooks; it gives you two weeks… and that is a good timeline. This book took me about a week to read. I really liked it. From the very beginning, it was engaging and easy to follow. I liked the main character, Sam, who is a scientist at heart. I enjoyed Sam’s backstory and her overall personality; however, not so much how she starts reacting to the weirdness that she encounters moving back to her mom’s house (previously owned by her turn-out Evil, but not so Evil, but Evil nonetheless, Grandma).

Things start going wacky soon enough. We all see it. Things are not normal, but the main character, as a good scientist, tries to make sense of all the weirdness. The mom is obviously worried/scared, but as the story develops, we understand the gravity of the matter. Turns out, through research, the Evil Grandma had reasons to be Evil…, but as the story develops towards its ending… oh crap… I was not expecting it to go freaking hellish.

I truly enjoyed this book, it was all I wanted from a horror book, with all the chillis and nervousness, but nothing revolting or nauseating. I will for sure plan on reading more books by this author.

I am thinking on getting the Hardcover copy of this book. It is a book I can see myself reading over and over, specially towards the end of the year when I usually pick books to read again.

PREMISE OF THE BOOK AS FOUND IN AMAZON / GOODREADS:

“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 RATING: 4.5

OTHER BOOKS BY T. KINGFISHER

• What Moves the Dead
• What Feasts at Night
• Nettle & Bone
• Thornhedge
• A Sorceress Comes to Call