A House With Good Bones & Girl Forgotten

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Narrator: Mary Robinette Kowal
Published by Macmillan Audio on March 28, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Length: 6 hours 52 minutes
Pages: 256
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
What Moves the Dead

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This was fantastic! Sam needs a place to stay for a while so she goes home to her mother only to find that things have taken a strange turn. Her mother is not acting like herself and the house seems to have reverted to the way it was when her grandmother was still living. Not to mention the fact that vultures have taken up residence in the neighborhood. I really had a blast with this audiobook from beginning to end.

I love the thread of humor woven throughout the story and couldn’t wait to find out what was really going on. I liked how Sam’s expertise in entomology plays a role in the book and some of her observations raised a lot of questions. I thought the story was incredibly original and I loved that every time I thought I had things figured out, I quickly realized that I was completely wrong.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Mary Robinette Kowal did an excellent job with the story. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I liked the voices she used for the various characters in this story. She did a great job of adding just the right amount of excitement into her reading which helped to bring the story to life. I believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of this wonderful story.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thought that many great elements came together to tell a very original and entertaining story. I hope to read more of T. Kingfisher’s work very soon.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Girl Forgotten by April Henry
on March 28, 2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / Crime
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

Piper Gray starts a true-crime podcast investigating a seventeen-year-old cold case in this thrilling YA murder mystery by New York Times bestselling author April Henry. 

Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray, who is determined to reopen Layla’s case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas—who has a secret of his own—Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla’s murder. But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else. The killer is still out there, and Piper must uncover their identity before they silence her forever. 

I thought that this was a very entertaining story. Piper has recently moved in with her father, stepmother, and half-siblings. She feels out of place and starting a new school in her senior year is less than ideal. She decides to start a podcast investigating the death of another student 17 years earlier as her senior project. She is paired with another student, Jonas, who runs his own podcast and will serve as her mentor. I loved the way that Piper dived into this project headfirst and couldn’t wait to learn what really happened to Layla Trello.

Layla Trello went missing after a party and her body was found in a secluded area 2 weeks later. Some people think her boyfriend or his brother was involved but the case remains unsolved. Piper starts interviewing people immediately, and I was surprised by some of the things she discovered. Piper has her own issues to deal with and I feel like she grew a lot over the course of the story. Jonas was also a great character and I thought his story added a lot to the story as well.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to others. The pacing of the book was very well done and I felt like the short chapters helped to make this feel like a very speedy read. I hope to read more of April Henry’s work again very soon in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

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