Very fun and addicting to read as evidenced by me finishing it in one sitting. It's cool to see how it all unravels and I think the author does a good job of making you wonder and want to know. The simple delivery feels fresh.

To me though, this and Strange Pictures is capped at 4 because as fun as it is, it's not much more than that. But that's okay! I'm docking extra points on this one (3.75 on SG) because I didn't find it as scary or thrilling as Pictures. I think it's worth a read, especially if you are new to mystery.

This book immediately struck me as beautifully and genuinely written and it continued that way the entire duration. It was also delightfully nerve-wracking and kept me on my toes, wondering how and where it would go wrong.

A very interesting and emotional exploration of what it means to exist and to matter in the absence of connection with others, of how it feels to be the tree that falls with no one around to hear the sound.

Fun story with good characters and worth a read. From my perspective, as a T. Kingfisher fan, it suffers a bit from loose ends and from confusing timeline building.

This was exciting, tense, and well-written. My second favorite T. Kingfisher (after Thornhedge).

Cute vibe, easy pleasant read. Interesting conclusion. That said, I am not sure what to take away from it - which particularly matters in this case because it felt like it was trying to teach a lesson. Maybe the challenges and evolution of sisterhood? The language aspect I found more about the vibe than about making a point. YMMV.

(PS: the $/page ratio is way too high to not borrow it from your local library.)

Amazing & impactful - heavy themes delivered elegantly and artistically. I learned something.

A fun, engrossing mystery/thriller where odd pictures and their particular details are interwoven with the incidents and how they are unravelled and tied together. Lots of fun twists and ties that show a well-crafted narrative. I just had to know what happened! I read 90% of this in one sitting and you probably will too.

I loved this story and I thought its development was wonderful. I was touched by the social commentary of academia - and just, life in general when put under the stress of performance - at the more micro and interpersonal level especially, and I was very attached to the characters, I felt for both of them a lot. I also feel like I gained a new perspective on myself and on my life afterwards, which to me is a hallmark of a great book.

In a way I felt like this combined the character work of The Poppy Wars, the social issue commentary of Babel, and the tone and style of Yellowface. I expected the first two, but having just finished Yellowface and feeling how different it was to her usual prose, it was fun seeing elements reminiscent of that style in Katabasis.

I also didn't think this was particularly heavy or textbook-y at all. I thought it was very easy to read actually, and to date it is the fastest I have ever finished a 500+ page book. Also, I am framing this as being from someone who personally didn't do any of the "pre-readings" and felt like the general tone of that push on social media was a little odd. Thankfully, I did not feel particularly penalized by this because everything was explained well.

Personally, I have a few minor qualms I've identified after some heavy internal deliberation. There were a few times where I felt a little bit unsure or unstable in the storytelling (but it eventually came together), and I felt like the magic system was a little bit less approachable than Babel's (but still well explained).

Basically a more interesting retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher. It was fine, but definitely missing the charm I usually feel from Kingfisher's work. I didn't connect to the characters that much and it was very vibes-focused. I think I prefer her fantasy work.