The Twisted Ones

Pages ‘n Pines Grading Scale:

5 - Amazing
4 - Really liked it
3 - Liked it
2 - Okay
1 - Didn't like

Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. I wanted to like this book, really I did! It has everything I like in it: loveable animal companion, snarky/wisecracking MC, folklore inspired horror, and a setting I'm intimately familiar with irl. For whatever, despite all these things coming together, I just couldn't click with the book. 

I don't blame the writing or the plot, I think Kingfisher did a fine job with her writing, I just think the pace was the main problem for me. I noticed other people mention in their reviews that not enough was happening for over half the book and I find myself agreeing with them.

I got roughly 200 pages in (give or take) and by that point only one particularly creepy thing had happened. I don't feel the book, at least up to this point, had enough suspense in the atmosphere to keep me turning pages and there certainly weren't any sort of jumpscare or gross outs in my opinion. 

Other issues I had with the book include Mouse being, perhaps, a bit too snarky? She suffers the same problem movie characters often do, Marvel movies for example. Many people feel that Marvel movies use jokes far too often, particularly immediately after an important moment. For most people, I think, this lessens the impact of said moment and I feel that's what happens here. What was charming and genuinely funny at first quickly became unrealistic and a touch annoying while also ruining any suspense or sense of danger there might have been. 

A few other nitpicks I had were things like Mouse constantly talking about Bongo and his DNA ingrained hound behaviors. It's cute to mention how hounds go blank when they catch a smell or how dopey your dog is but after a while it gets pretty repetitive. Another would be the supporting characters. Now I'll admit I only read about half the book and I understand this story is first and foremost about Mouse (and to a lesser extent Bongo) but I just didn't feel very attached to the supporting cast and they didn't seem fleshed out much beyond the stereotypes they were based on. One last thing, and this one may just be me and I acknowledge that, I didn't really care for the part where Mouse considers asking Officer Bob about her neighbors and the reason she doesn't ask about Tomas specifically is because since he's Hispanic she just assumes he doesn't get along well with the law? Idk maybe it was just me and I'm making something out of nothing.

Anyways, that about wraps it up. I absolutely see how folks could enjoy this read and for those that do, I'm so happy you could get a scare in! Unfortunately for me, it wasn't a good fit but that's alright, I've got more books on my TBR than I know what to do with anyway!