My thanks to Netgalley, 47North and T. Kingfisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Within reason, course. Preferably where the fairytales live, where I can see where all the magic takes shape and forms into these worlds that Kingfisher let's readers live in for a short time in each of her books.
I've been slowly making my way through Kingfisher's books because each and every time I finish one, I wish there was more to it. I bought several for my Dad and he just started reading What Moves the Dead. I want to give copies to every reader in my family and tell them there are so many more awesome books by Kingfisher, they'll thank me later. I have every book set for release this year already pre-ordered and the one for next March. I'm going to start collecting her children's books so I can have something that I want to read for my kids at bedtime. If that doesn't show how much I admire and enjoy her books, well, then, I'll work on it. There's always room for improvement.
Snake-Eater follows Selena, who has moved to Quartz Creek in search of a place to stay for a while, hoping to live with her Aunt Amelia. When she arrives with her dog Copper, she discovers that her aunt passed away a year earlier but she's encouraged to check the house over and stay for as long as she needs. Selena feels out of place, certain she can't remain for long but surely it couldn't hurt to make some money and then move on? While Selena and Copper start to settle in, Selena sees something in the garden helping her new plants grow and is suddenly having to accept that Quartz Creek has more than just the usual people she'd expect to live in a small town. There are spirits and gods around the town too, and one has ties to Selena's aunt. Now that she has moved in, it thinks Selena will take over for Ameliabecause they were kin. Selena has to figure out what the spirit wants with the help of the new friends she's made and hope that she can stay in the new home she has found.
Selena felt familiar the moment her inner monologues started. Selena works through conversations in her head, trying to come up with practiced answers for any and every variation of how talking will go in every encounter she has. She worries about if her answers will offend, if she's made her points clear enough, if she's sounding stupid, if she needs to try harder or how she can get out of conversations faster. I've never felt such a kinship to a character before because I do the EXACT SAME THING. I practice what I'll say to cashiers at the stores so I can seem friendly but hopefully not annoying because they've been on their feet for who knows how long. I work out stories in my head to tell for family gatherings so relatives will think I'm well-adjusted and so they won't make comments about my being too "shy" to talk to people when I just want to sit to the side and read a book or watch others while being on my own. When Selena used the word "shy" to describe herself and then went into all the facets of what "shy" was supposed to encompass I thought yes, that's exactly it. "Shy" isn't the right word, but it's the best people can come up with. Don't get me started on the over-analyzing I do when talking is done.
Selena felt like a version of myself in book form and because of that, she was immediately endeared to me. I would take up arms for Selena and for Copper, which is why Grandma Billy and I would get along so well. Grandma Billy is Selena's closest new neighbor, who goes above and beyond to help Selena get settled in her new home, setting up the garden, bringing supplies, introducing her to neighbors and even staying with Selena when spirits start to heckle her. Grandma Billy was tough, sassy, quick to give a helping hand and I LOVED her. Then there was Father Aguirre, the local Catholic priest who helps Selena understand the ins and outs of the town. I thought it'd be difficult to like a priest for a character, but Father Aguirre is no ordinary priest and the fact that he was another character with knowledge of the spirit world around Quartz Creek was surprising and yet, it just worked so well in the long run. Father Aguirre provided the last stable presence needed for the quartet of characters and I wanted to follow them anywhere. They showed Selena that she could be herself, no second guessing her words necessary, and when she needs help figuring out what to do about Snake-Eater, they picked up everything they needed in order to help her.
The world is so interesting. The ideas of how spirits are formed and how they interact with our world was intriguing. The details about the desert and the animals that lived there made everything feel real (the house search for black widows in hidden places when Selena first moved in gave me chills and then made me think, yeah, I've been there). Quartz Creek felt like somewhere I've been, somewhere I've heard of, and somewhere I want to go in the future. If it's at all possible, I hope Kingfisher tries setting up another book in this town. I'd love to learn more about these characters in another adventure. The spirits that are seen, Snake-Eater in particular and others readers eventually find, were detailed and yet vague enough to allow for their existence to seem like something that could have been true once upon a time. Like I said, I want to know more about this world. A sign of a great book in every respect, I assure you.
Rating on my scale: 10 Stars, obviously. I don't think it's possible for me to give anything less to a T. Kingfisher book. I've loved all the ones I've read so much and I look forward to every book to come. Thankfully, I have some of her horror novels to get to. Considering her talent as a writer, I fully expect to end up with some kind of nightmares before I'm finished reading. I'll make sure to have excuses ready for just why I needed to leave a light on at night. And keep my baseball bat by my pillow. And....you get the picture.
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