I couldn't put this book down, the characters where fun and I loved that it had a dog! The only thing I'd have liked would've been more explanations and background on tbe twisted ones and even her grandpa, it makes sense that she doesn't know it all but I'm just curious now I still have so many questions 🤭

This might be my favorite horror book yet! It was unpredictable, the characters were loveable and the horror elements were written very well. T. Kingfisher manages to put in humor, even in the scary parts. The ending felt a little rushed, but the first three quarters of the book make up for it. 4.5 stars rounded up! :)

'I made faces like the faces on the rocks, and I twisted myself about like the twisted ones, and I lay down flat on the ground like the dead ones.' Honestly, this was a true highlight of my 2025 reads. The atmosphere Kingfisher creates is absolutely amazing and I love her style of writing. Even though this is a horror-thriller type book I found myself laughing so much at the commentary and narration style of the main character. For some reason it really resonated with me and even made the plot-wise slower first third of the book genuinely enjoyable to read. I also loved that not everything was completely explained and solved at the end and left many things open to interpretation and for you to form your own thoughts and theories about the origin, history and life of "the twisted ones". This book had me theorizing about the mysteries and monsters inspired by Appalachian folklore and genuinely care for all characters involved. It had me tachycardic during suspenseful scenes, had me cackling and literally laughing out loud because of the writing style and relatable and funny descriptions of situations and, unexpectedly, even had me shedding a few tears at the end. The first Kingfisher book I read and safe to say, I absolutely recommend it! I will definitely be reading more of her works in the future. Really genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one! 4.7/5 strange stones.

Nachdem ich ein paar Kingfisher Werke mit klassischem Gothic-Vibe gelesen habe, war der Folklore-Horror von "The twisted ones" eine schöne Abwechslung. Für mich hatte das Buch leichte Blair Witch vibes und dabei erstaunlich viel Humor. Es hat mein Leben nicht verändert aber gut unterhalten - perfekt für den aktuellen Spooktober!

In The Twisted Ones begleitet man Mouse, die das Haus ihrer verstorbenen Großmutter aufräumen soll. Was zunächst wie eine einfache Aufgabe wirkt, entwickelt sich schnell zu einem unheimlichen Albtraum. Zwischen mysteriösen Aufzeichnungen, gruseligen Funden im Wald und einem immer bedrohlicheren Gefühl von "etwas ist hier nicht in Ordnung", entfaltet sich eine düstere Geschichte mit Lovecraft-Vibes und folkloristischem Horror. Ein atmosphärischer Horrorroman, still, schleichend, unheimlich. Es gab ein paar echte Jumpscare-Momente. Was ich an T. Kingfisher so schätze, ist, dass ihre Hauptfiguren sich wie echte Menschen anfühlen. Keine überstilisierten Helden, sondern Menschen, die zufällig in eine gruselige Situation geraten und mit trockenem Humor, Unsicherheit und viel Menschlichkeit reagieren. Auch in The Twisted Ones begleiten wir eine Protagonistin, die irgendwo zwischen "ich will nur meine Ruhe" und "was zur Hölle geht hier eigentlich vor?" schwankt und genau das macht sie so sympathisch. Die düstere Atmosphäre, die sich langsam aufbaut, hat mir genauso gut gefallen wie die grotesken Ideen, die nach und nach ans Licht kommen.

Mouse, Bongo and Foxy go on an adventure in the woods... Okay my main problem with this book is the writing style. The book is laid out to be written by the MC as a way to deal with the events that happended to her. Now here´s the thing: I get that in this context it is supposed to be not that well written because the MC isn´t a writer but - SHE´S AN EDITOR!!! How is the MC an editor and yet doesn´t edit her own book?!?! There were so many paragraphs of inner monologue that could have been easily cut but here I am having to read about how the dogs´ farts smell bad and that she says hi to some cows. Her unnecessary thoughts constantly took me out of the story. For example: When she´s reading Cotgraves manuscript and the only thing she cares about is that he spelled it 'grey' instead of 'gray'??!?!? That does absolutely nothing to the story and just makes me want to throw the book against a wall. That being said, I still somewhat enjoyed the first half of the book. But around the middle the story and the mystery kinda lost itself. The conclusion was very underwhelming and just seemed convenient. A lot of questions are still unanswered but I don´t even care about them anymore. I was just happy that I didn´t have to listen to her ramble anymore. Quick side note: What was up with the names?? How does a grown ass woman actually introduce herself as 'Mouse'??? Why do they all sound like characters from a children´s book??

Leider nicht ganz so stark wie die anderen Horror-Bücher von T. Kingfisher, aber ich liebe ihre Bücher einfach. Es war spannend, lustig, gruselig und hatte einfach alles, das ich an einem T. Kingfisher Buch liebe. Nicht meine Top-Leseempfehlung von ihr, aber definitiv eine Empfehlung.

Nachdem mir Hollow Places von Kingfisher sehr gut gefallen hat, habe ich mir ein zweites Buch von ihr zum lesen gesucht. Leider konnte diese Geschichte nicht an meine Euphorie von Hollow Places anknüpfen. In diesem Horror Roman hat es die Autorin für mich nicht geschafft, eine bedrohliche und gruselige Atmosphäre zu schaffen. Bei Hollow Places habe ich immer die Gefahr und das Unheil im Nacken gespürt, ich bin jedes Mal in eine düstere und atmosphärische Welt eingetaucht. Das war hier leider überhaupt nicht so. Die Geschichte hat auch ewig gebraucht, um etwas Action und pace reinzubekommen. So richtig spannend wurde es tatsächlich nur zum Ende und auch da hat es mich einfach nicht abgeholt. Natürlich war auch dieses Buch keineswegs schlecht, aber es war auch einfach nicht mein Ding. Folklore Horror (Blair witch vibes aber in schlecht) ist anscheinend nicht so meins. Ging aus dem Klappentext leider nicht so wirklich hervor. Naja, das wird mich dennoch nicht davon abhalten, weitere Bücher von ihr zu lesen, denn eigentlich hat es die gute Dame absolut drauf :-)

T. Kingfisher / Ursula Vernon is so good at making you feel comfortable with her characters. I loved spending time with Mouse and Bongo and the way she described the supporting characters made them grow on me really fast. The writing is full of humor and Mouse's reactions to things, which subvert the way people normally act in spooky stories. Sometimes it can be too heavily relying on relatability, but mostly it worked really well. I loved little details in Mouse's narration, like her thinking like an editor (which made me notice how little most book character's job matter in their way of thinking) or remembering experiences with her family. The plot takes some time to get going, a lot of the first half is just spent doing mundane things, though it is described interestingly. The diary Mouse finds effectively builds suspense throughout this part. I really liked where the ending went (also that little thing with the radio station). This is a lighthearted read for the most part where spooky bits are often disarmed by jokes and comments by the protagonist but that never keeps you from becoming engaged in the story.