I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher Published by Gallery/Saga Press on October 1 2019
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Horror and humor combine in just the right amounts to make this fast-paced story a must read for fans of spooky and weird fiction.
Happy Halloween, everyone! I don’t think I could have picked a better book to review today. The Twisted Ones was an unexpected combination of creeping terror, humor and delightful characters. I know what you’re thinking, that is a weird mix of elements! But boy did it work for me. T. Kingfisher, in case you didn’t know, is a pseudonym for the award-winning author Ursula Vernon. I’ve only read a couple of her shorter works, but now I’m anxious to see what else she’s written.
Kingfisher sets her story in the backwoods of North Carolina, a suitably creepy setting for a story that gave me all kinds of nightmares. Mouse is a young thirty-something editor who lives in Pittsburgh. One day her father calls and asks her for a big favor: he needs someone to clear out Mouse’s deceased grandmother’s house in Pondsboro, NC. Mouse agrees and sets off on the long drive with her laptop and her trusty Redbone Coonhound named Bongo. When they arrive, Mouse gets the shock of her life: her grandmother’s house is stuffed from floor to ceiling with all sorts of junk. Turns out grandma was a hoarder, and now it’s up to Mouse to get rid of it all and put the house up for sale.
But the house isn’t the only surprise Mouse finds. There’s something weird about the woods surrounding the property. Mouse hears strange tap-tap-tap noises in the middle of the night, and there’s a large white stone with strange carvings on it near the house. One day on a walk with her dog, Mouse and Bongo wind up on what she thinks is an Appalachian bald, a hill cleared of trees and brush. The problem is, the land around the house is completely flat and there isn’t a single hill in sight. So where the hell are they, and how did this bald get here? Even weirder are the large, carved stones seemingly growing out of the ground, which seem to be “calling” to Mouse.
When Mouse finds her grandfather Cotgrave’s old journal in a bedside drawer, she realizes she’s stumbled upon an unsettling mystery. Cotgrave’s fevered ramblings talk about a Green Book, someone named Ambrose, and “the twisted ones.” As Mouse pieces together clues from the journal, she realizes that Cotgrave was involved in something very strange and dangerous, involving eerie local folklore and some mysterious people called “holler people.” Now all Mouse wants to do is finish her job and go home.
By far my favorite thing about this story was Mouse herself. What a wonderful character! The story is told in first person from Mouse’s point of view, so not only do we get to experience the weirdness of the house and the surrounding woods through her eyes, but her personality and humor leap off of every page. Mouse has a wry way of looking at the world, even when she discovers the horrors hiding in her grandmother’s house (piles of newspapers, a room full of creepy dolls, and mountains of junk stuffed into every nook and cranny) and later, the awful things in the woods, she still reacts to everything with a refreshing sense of humor. I loved her homey voice and her practical way of tackling challenges, and it was Mouse who kept the horror in this story bearable. I don’t know if I could have made it through without her voice in my ear!
I also loved the side characters, people who Mouse meets and befriends while she’s cleaning out the house. There’s Foxy, a woman who lives on the next property over and is a big part of Mouse’s adventure. I simply adored her, a wise-cracking older woman who dresses like a teenager and doesn’t take shit from anyone. Foxy’s seen things in the woods too, and immediately believes everything Mouse tells her about the strange goings-on. Then there’s Frank at the local dump, where Mouse hauls all the crap in the house, and a barista named Enid who offers much needed hot coffee and a friendly ear. All these characters were fully developed, even though some of them didn’t have a lot of page time.
But you’re probably here for the scary bits, right? Well, don’t worry. Readers looking for a chilling tale are in for a treat. Kingfisher’s story is full of atmosphere and creeping horror and even a few jump scares. I do most of my reading at night in bed, and I’ll admit that wasn’t the best idea for this book. The author also includes snippets of Cotgrave’s crazy journal entries, which added a nice layer of creepiness to the story. I raced through this book because I was afraid to stop reading!
And I can’t finish this review without talking about Bongo. The Twisted Ones is going on my list of books with awesome dog companions for sure. Dog lovers will adore the relationship between Mouse and Bongo, and the author must be a dog person herself because she nails some things about dogs that had me chuckling in agreement (there’s a part about how Bongo loves to splash in muddy puddles but refuses to touch wet grass with his paws—dog owners will relate, I’m sure!) Bongo is nothing more than a really good dog in this story—Kingfisher doesn’t anthropomorphize him at all—but I think that made his story even sweeter. And here’s my usual spoiler when it comes to stories about dogs—Bongo makes it out the other side just fine!
The only misstep for me was the supernatural/mythological aspect of the story. The parts where Mouse is seeing weird figures in the stones, and later when she actually enters another realm and gets caught up in Cotgrave’s battle with the evil on the hill sort of lost me at times. I’m just not sure I understood everything that was going on, although the author certainly keeps things lively during these scenes with plenty of scary parts and frantic chase scenes. In her Afterward, Kingfisher tells us that she took inspiration from an old horror story called The White People by Arthur Machen, and now I’m very curious to track it down and read it.
Overall I had a blast reading this book. T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon is now on my “must read authors” list, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Also, I think I need my own Redbone Coonhound!
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Humour AND terror is a combination I never thought I’d see or want to read so much right now. (And Bongo! BONGO Love the name!)
I love the name Bongo too! And as the author says, he’s named after the antelope, not the drums, lol.
Fantastic review Tammy! I’ve been looking forward to this release and I’m glad to see a positive review. I also hear a lot of overwhelmingly positive things about T. Kingfisher so you wouldn’t be wrong to check out her other stuff too.
I will definitely be checking out more of her work, can’t wait!
um, YES, I am here for this! I believe I read a book under T Kingfisher a while back, it was a Beauty & the Beast retelling and I laughed so much reading it, I loved the personality and humor of the main character that leaped off the page! this sounds like it’s more of the same on that front, so I’m excited to read this – especially as there’s spooky horror to boot, what a great combo!
I get the feeling that Mouse’s personality might be very close to the author’s. Obviously I don’t know that for sure, but I can see it:-)
I love that it has humor built into it. This sounds like a treat of a read and perfect for fall. Lovely review, Tammy!
It’s got the perfect fall atmosphere:-)
Okay, wow! This sounds like a must read! Humor and horror — right up my alley!
Definitely a must read:-)
You’re the second person I’ve heard say they loved Foxy so much. I really need to pick this one up. And BONGO! He sounds adorable. And Stormi already clued me in on his fate so I think this is a safe bet. Why can’t I quit work and get paid to read all day??? Would there STILL be enough hours in the day? Great review.
And yes, mud vs. wet grass – so true!
I seriously want to quit work too!! It’s just not as important as reading:-)
This one is definitely on my TBR! Horror and humor is definitely an odd combination but if it works, it works. Great review! 🙂
Bonnie @ For the Love of Words recently posted…Happy Halloween!
Yeah, you don’t run across well done humor/horror, but I was pretty impressed with this one:-)
Fantastic review, Tammy! I’m looking forward to digging into this one next month. We’re doing it for the HA Group Read on Goodreads.
This is a perfect book for a group read, enjoy!
The main characters in horror stories usually suffer from inner darkness or from some past trauma that’s enhanced by the situation at hand, so your description of Mouse makes for an interesting, and truly refreshing, change from the usual mold.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story: DILATION SLEEP (from Galactic North), by Alastair Reynolds
Great insight, you’re right. Mouse is pretty happy go lucky, so it definitely makes the story unique:-)
I love the character names, and it sounds like an interesting read. I’d like to see how the humor mixes with the horror, that’s sometimes a great combo. Added it to my watch list. Thanks, Tammy.
The character name are pretty cool, I hadn’t really thought about that:-)
No, you really couldn’t have chosen a better book to review on Halloween! This one was brilliant, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it because I had a feeling it would be right up your alley! This book needs to be on more people’s horror lists! I definitely loved Bongo as well 🙂
I would love more people to read this, I feel like it’s a hidden gem:-)
Ooh. I so wish I’d had this to read. It sounds so good
Lynn
Lynn recently posted…Friday Face Off : A cover that is predominantly grey
It was a lot of fun, also a dog character which gets me every time:-)
I knew you would like this one better than I did! You liked Mouse more than me which is probably one of the reasons…lol. I loved Bongo so much! Foxy was my favorite character! She cracked me up! I am curious to try something else from this author and see how it goes as I did like this one.
Foxy was pretty great! I’m anxious to read more of her work too.
Well this sounds awesome!! Is it weird that you had me at the having to tidy up after a hoarder? (I am ALL ABOUT the tidying!) Mouse and Bongo sound so cool too. This was a great review – you’ve totally sold this book to me! 😀
Oh you would go crazy in that house if you love tidying up, lol. Mouse and Bongo were fantastic characters:-)
Horror and humor? I’m not usually a big horror reader but you have me so curious about this one, especially since Mouse sounds like a character I would absolutely love. Great review!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Weekly Recap #128: Week of 10/27 – 11/2
This is a good one for non horror lovers, because there is so much humor.
I’ve only read one T. Kingfisher book but absolutely loved it, mostly because of the humor. It was so unexpected and delightful! Definitely have to read more. Great review, glad you liked this one so much!
OUTSTANDING review!! Thank you so much for the dog spoiler. I can’t stand reading a tale when a pet dies. I probably would have avoided this book, simply because of the worry about Bongo. I cannot wait to read this. I’ve been looking for a great horror read.
You are the second person I’ve heard say great things about this book. Having just come back from NC this intrigues me. And Bongo, who could pass up a book with a name like that!
Sounds very intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
It has been awhile since I’ve read a good horror book. This book sounds great!
This sounds awesome! Thanks for your review.
For me, horror definitely needs some humor! And I would particularly enjoy the dog characterization!
The Twisted Ones sounds like a delectable creepy treat.
Now that I’ve read the book, I’m back! Terrific review, and I agree, Bongo is the best! I also think the actual bits about what happened with the rocks and the hill, etc was maybe not entirely clear, but that’s okay. I loved the creeepiness and Mouse herself, and Foxy is an absolute hoot!