The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher - Book Review

  

The Twisted Ones

by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Genre: Horror

Age Range: Adult

Goodreads Avg. Rating: 3.64 stars

Table of Contents:

• Summary
• First Thoughts
• Setting
• Characters
• Plot
• Formatting
• Story Resolution
• Ending Feelings

Wow, I read something classified as a horror and am not traumatized. Either I have grown a backbone or this just wasn't that far into the horror trenches. Probably I would guess it's in the horror lite end. Most of the creep factor was in the unsettling environment and tension of what we were finding out. Then there were the things in the woods, those were definitely nightmare creations. Besides a few odder moments I'd say that the book went pretty well.

Starting the book was a slow process. I was quite nervous. The first chapter though made the character seem very relatable, at least to me, in the way she was speaking to us.

The book takes place in Pondsboro, North Carolina. A smallish-sounding town in the more woodland area instead of the hill country. For most of the book, we are in the house. The sheer amount of stuff makes the house sound dark and claustrophobic. Besides the descriptions of hoarding throughout not too much detail is given of the two-story house. Still, it feels oppressive giving the unsettling feeling as things slowly start to work on the nerves of the narrator. Then there are the woods surrounding the house. Each time she goes into them there doesn't seem to be the normal sounds. 

Our narrator is Melissa, but everyone calls her Mouse supposedly, though I feel that this didn't actually come up that much. Mouse is an Editor living in Pittsburgh who needs to get away after a recent breakup. She feels that the time out of town will be good to clear her head. Luckily she is also between projects right now so the timing seems perfect. Mouse seems like a pretty normal sane person from a relative point of view. When everything starts to go wrong I think she held herself together better than lots of people might.

Honorable mentions of excellent characters would have to go to Bongo and Foxy. Bongo for being the best lovable doofus of a dog. He was loyal and tried to be brave. Foxy for being awesome and apparently super prepared in dangerous situations.

The plot centers around Mouse being asked by her father to help clean out her Grandmother's home. As he never asks for anything she accepts with no regrets. Until she gets to the house and finds that her mean-spirited Grandmother was a hoarder. Now she might have a few regrets. Mouse is determined to stick it out though. 

Piles of newspapers later Mouse stumbles across the journal of her long-deceased step-grandfather. Believing it to be nothing but the ramblings of a sad old man she sits it to the side. The more time she spends in the house the odder things become though.

This book was written in a way that makes it seem as if Mouse is writing it for us at some point in the future. In this way, there are interjections sometimes to explain her thinking (or lack thereof) in certain situations. Then there are the pages included from the journals that are exerts in a different writing style. No mixed media in the ebook, just changing font styles but maybe the physical copies do have a difference.

I finished the book yesterday at this point, but still, the ending seems to have eluded me. It's not that there wasn't a conclusion. However, the way in which it ended, I'm not sure what words to describe it. I don't dislike it for being an open/ambiguous ending as several books do. No this is just an ephemeral ending maybe. It just wrapped up and life is supposed to go on knowing that the world is not what you believed it to be. Mouse now knows the world to be more and still has to go back to a normal life. 

Overall I found the story pretty easy to get into. The chapters went by pretty quickly. They also normally left me with an urge to go ahead and pick up the next one. However, this could have been aided by taking my time and sticking to only about four chapters a day. There were definitely points where I didn't agree with the thought process so it made sections a tad bit irksome.

 Also, this gives me hope that I might like more of her books, I'm 2 for 3 now. 

You can find this book from the below retailers or many others:

Amazon     Simon & Schuster