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A review by breacommelafromage
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"I did not know how to deal with this sort of death, the one that comes slow and inevitable and does not let go."
Jesus fucking christ. THIS BOOK.
What Moves the Dead was both a stunning retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story and an ode to grief. I was truly unprepared for how hard this book would hit me, and how it would force me into reminiscing about losing someone too soon and in such a slow and deteriorating manner. However, I will admit it was weirdly comforting to sit in that grief with Alex Easton.
This book was disturbing, suspenseful, and so creepy but yet I couldn't look away. The descriptions were incredibly detailed and made my skin crawl in ways I didn't expect!
Kingfisher really honors the work of Poe by staying true to the nature of the plot but still manages to make it her own by building upon his work and giving detailed explanations to places that he left unexplored. There were a lot of Mexican Gothic vibes in this one, and Kingfisher even acknowledges the similarities to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, however, I think this is a book that stands on its own and should be understood as a compliment to the genre of Sporror and not a comparison.
It's funny, as someone who has a touch of mycophobia, I can't seem to get away from horror books about mushrooms, but maybe that's what draws me to them; that desire to be well and truly disturbed. Sporror just might be my literary calling...?
Jesus fucking christ. THIS BOOK.
What Moves the Dead was both a stunning retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story and an ode to grief. I was truly unprepared for how hard this book would hit me, and how it would force me into reminiscing about losing someone too soon and in such a slow and deteriorating manner. However, I will admit it was weirdly comforting to sit in that grief with Alex Easton.
This book was disturbing, suspenseful, and so creepy but yet I couldn't look away. The descriptions were incredibly detailed and made my skin crawl in ways I didn't expect!
Kingfisher really honors the work of Poe by staying true to the nature of the plot but still manages to make it her own by building upon his work and giving detailed explanations to places that he left unexplored. There were a lot of Mexican Gothic vibes in this one, and Kingfisher even acknowledges the similarities to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, however, I think this is a book that stands on its own and should be understood as a compliment to the genre of Sporror and not a comparison.
It's funny, as someone who has a touch of mycophobia, I can't seem to get away from horror books about mushrooms, but maybe that's what draws me to them; that desire to be well and truly disturbed. Sporror just might be my literary calling...?