‎"maybe we should leave" ‎"nah, what's the worst that can happen?" ‎"idk maybe the dead walks?" ‎ ‎════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ‎ ‎this is the first book that i've read of this author, so i don't know how t. kingfisher did it because i wouldn't have imagined that horror and satire goes surprisingly very well together. i have not read poe's original work "the fall of the house of usher", but upon reading the author's note, t. kingfisher also took from mexican gothic by silvia moreno-garcia, and although i have read (and absolutely loved) that book years ago, i could still see the vision. no wonder i adored this book. the suspense and tension before a revelation never failed to have me on the edge of my seat. i really like the author's writing style as well — the intricacy in details, the disgustingly graphic descriptions, the world-building, and the compelling story? i'm sold. ‎ ‎i wish i've read poe's original work prior to reading this, not that this is not great on its own, but i like having the whole picture similar to how i wanna read the book first before watching the movie and making comparisons and pointing out new and deleted scenes, which i think will make me enjoy this a tiny bit more :) ‎ ‎let's get one thing straight though: i LOVE mushrooms but damn, after reading this, i will now always wonder if they came from the bottom of a tarn.

‎me: surely we've learned something from book one ‎the moroi: shakes her head ‎ ‎════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ‎ ‎if there's one thing that i love when it comes to horror elements, it's a house in the middle of the woods in buttfuck nowhere with history of deaths tied to it in one way or another. again, i love kingfisher's writing style and her amazing world-building was so atmospheric and gothic. i love that we still get returning characters from the previous book as well as the fact that we also get references as to what happened in "what moves the dead" (i still think about it). ‎ ‎that being said, unfortunately, this book was a bit of a let down. the pacing was a bit of a slower burn compared to the prequel, and i spent half of my time reading bored out of my mind and the other half plainly wondering what was going on. the road towards the climax was not unpleasant, but once i'd gotten there i found the journey too long with not enough gothic horror payoff. "what moves the dead" had me shaking head to toe whilst "what feasts at night" had me... shaking my head. the ending was a bit anti-climactic for me, and i was waiting for something crazy to happen, but all we got was one scary part. the build up was great, but somewhere along the way it became more of a storytelling, something heavier on the dialogue with not enough horror. i had high expectations for this book after the first one, and although i still found it enjoyable, it was a bit underwhelming and didn't have the same pull as the first book had on me. this book had the potential and could've been so much better, but it just wasn't. ‎ ‎anyway, i'm still gonna be continuing the rest of the series and hope the next one is better!

‎“someone's following me. my soul is cursed.” ‎“have you tried going to the doctor?” ‎ ‎me: screams aggressively into the void ‎ ‎════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ‎ ‎it's been a while since i read something gothic, and this book definitely delivered. i'm amazed at how silvia was able to maintain the sense of dread, suspense, and eerie atmosphere all throughout. i love that the story unfolds in multiple timelines, with characters from different generations having similar experiences, which will make you wonder how the story and their experiences will all come together in the end (spoiler alert: it was seamless). i personally did not find the multiple timelines confusing at all and even think it added to the experience. the historical aspects (1934 and 1998 Massachusetts and 1908 Mexico), the dangerous witches, curses, the supernatural and some unidentifiable entities in this book all weave together to form a cohesive horror occult novel that i absolutely adored. ‎ ‎personally, i did find the beginning (up until 10-15%) a little too descriptive, which made it hard for me to follow the plot because the info-dump is a bit much for in me. i was curious enough to keep going until the story eventually picked up, but it is a slow-burn. i also think it would've been a bit more enjoyable if there was some plot twists as it was very on the nose for me who the villains are. arturo and alba's incest scenes also made me really uncomfortable. ‎ ‎if you're a fan of gothic horror, witchcraft, and supernatural, i would definitely recommend. this book had me ✨ bewitched ✨