Spoiler Warning Below: I went into this as a big fan of T. Kingfisher, and honestly, the first half reminded me exactly why. The atmosphere was creepy in that slow, unsettling way she does so well, and the writing felt sharp, immersive, and genuinely tense. There’s this underlying dread that builds really effectively—like something is off, but you can’t quite put your finger on it yet. That part? Loved it. But once the grandmother shows up… it starts to fall apart. The pacing shifts in a way that feels rushed, and the story loses a lot of the tension it spent so long building. Instead of escalating in a satisfying way, it kind of just… wraps up. The ending, for me, was a huge letdown. It felt abrupt, underdeveloped, and honestly pretty weak compared to the strong setup. There were so many directions this could have gone that would’ve been way more impactful, and it just didn’t land. And this is coming from someone who likes her work—so it’s frustrating, because you can see how much potential was there. As for the audiobook: I’ve now listened to two books narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, and I have to be honest—it’s becoming an issue. I actually love her natural voice and her narration style overall, but her male character voices are… rough. Like, genuinely distracting. Every time a male character spoke, it pulled me right out of the story. It borders on cringe, and instead of enhancing the experience, it made parts of the audiobook frustrating to get through. Overall: strong start, weak back half, and an ending that just didn’t deliver. I wanted to love this—I really did—but it ended up being more disappointing than anything else.

Another great story by T. Kingfisher! Few authors get me audibly gasping or laughing but her stories always do and this one didn’t disappoint.

Not too scary! Just the right amount of spooky. (:

engaging writing, excellent narrtion

Absolutely loved this book, and LOVED the narrator. Such a good blend of uncanny horror and comedy. Definitely recommend.