The number of times I think “burn it all down” while tiptoeing my way through horror books is uncountable.

The story starts innocently enough, with small oddities you can brush off (could never be me, the moment a vulture starts guarding my house, I’m out without ever looking back while grabbing the vulture to keep as a pet 🤭). Sam’s arc from hyper-rational scientist to slowly skeptical to full-on wtf was brilliantly rendered. Once again, Kingfisher has crafted a female lead who’s smart, independent, level-headed, uncompromisingly quirky, and funny, and simply a joy to read.

The overlaying themes of coming to terms with your family and childhood and generational trauma as women through horror was well done.

The book’s humor hits exactly my taste and kept me going through the scariest parts instead of putting the book in the freezer.

This was my third Kingfisher and I can't wait to read more by her. Her FMCs alone are worth the read.

Going back home as an adult can be challenging enough. The passage of time, aging family members, and complicated childhood memories suddenly resurging can be unsettling by themselves.

Now, add to that a vulture waiting for you on top of the mailbox when you get there.

Sam's unflappable and scientific approach, contrasted by her sense of humor, was a great vehicle for this haunting story.

How long can you hold on to your skepticism before reality becomes too overwhelming and you have to shift your perspective on a situation that goes against everything you previously believed in?

Kingfisher crafted an unsettling story that goes beyond creepy phenomenons and explores what we really inherit from our ancestors.

What a treat this was! I need more Kingfisher.

A House with Good Bones was such a weird, creepy, funny little ride. I went in expecting a haunted-house story and got something that felt much more interested in family, memory, and the things we inherit from the people who came before us.

What I loved most was the slow tightening of the dread. Kingfisher is so good at taking something that could have a perfectly rational explanation and making it just a little more wrong each time. The unease builds so gradually that by the time I realized how uncomfortable I was, I was already fully invested.

Sam was also such a fun protagonist to follow. I loved watching her scientific, rational brain try to make sense of everything. She doesn’t just abandon her skepticism when things get strange; she keeps questioning, observing, and looking for explanations. That made her progression feel really natural within the plot.

The generational trauma was probably my favorite thematic element. The story does such a good job exploring how family dynamics, expectations, shame, and control can get passed down through generations. And how breaking those patterns can be its own form of survival.

And the humor!!! 😂 Kingfisher has this fantastic ability to drop it into a genuinely creepy moment and it immediately make me laugh. The balance between horror and absurdity worked SO well for me and kept the book from ever feeling too heavy.

I did wish the final stretch had a little more room to breathe. There were things I wanted to know more about, and after such a carefully built slow burn, the ending felt like it moved a little faster than I wanted.

But overall, I really enjoyed this. It’s atmospheric, creepy, weird, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful about family and what we carry with us.

Also, I maintain that the house should have been burned down the second the vulture showed up. 🦅🤷🏻‍♀️

She is portrayed as uptight, while he is the type who takes things in stride. A recipe for disaster—BUT: contrary to my initial expectations, they don’t constantly blame each other for this. They find themselves in crazy situations where reason goes out the window and trying to make sense of it all is pointless. Ultimately, I found their relationship convincing, though the book could've used a bit more editing in that regard: why devote 300 pages to eight days at a marriage camp, while the actual process of building a solid relationship takes up only 80 pages and an epilogue?

Was it my favorite book? No. Was the MMC much better than the one in Just For the Cameras? Yes, because he actually deals with his issues like an adult (the bar is in hell). Should another book influence my ratings here? Probably not, but it's my review and I can do whatever I want.

Last year, I vowed not to read any more books by Meghan Quinn, having been disappointed four times in a row. I have to say, this book is one of the better ones of hers I’ve read—yet I’m sticking to my original resolution.