The Twisted Ones

T. Kingfisher has definitely worked her way up to becoming one of my favorite authors! In this novel, she has once again managed to give life to such unique and human characters, that instantly managed to crawl their way into my heart, while also creating a deeply unsettling and creepy storyline that stayed in my mind long after I put the book down. The protagonist Mouse and her dog Bongo made for such a sweet and humorous duo, which, combined with the terrifying creatures and situations they encountered, created a perfect mix for this novel. With an easy and engaging writing style this is an excellent folk horror novel, for people that are new to the genre, but also experienced horror readers looking for something new and a bit different.

"And I twisted myself about like the Twisted Ones..." These eerie words might haunt everyone, who is reading this book. What starts out as a potential haunted house story, evolves into something bigger and more profound. The main character mouse is tasked with cleaning out her absolutely not beloved grandmothers house who turned out to be a total hoarder. As if sifting through never-ending stacks of uncomfortable rubbish - the dolls, oh my, the dolls!- isn't enough, mouse starts to hear ominous knocking outside and encounters things in the woods that are nightmare enducing. Wittily written dialogue and loveable unique characters are the heart of this story and make a fantastic read. My only gripe is that the book feels a bit lengthy in the middle , probably because the story is heavily focused on dialogue and character devlopement. But that aside, is the story everything a spooky ghostly haunt-story should have and then some.