Review: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful, weird book!  This is set in the desert and follows Selena and her Labrador Copper to a strange little town to visit her Aunt Amelia in Quarts Creek.  Upon arrival she finds that Amelia has passed away, with no where to go, no money, and no true desire to return to her controlling ex-boyfriend and no other family, she decides to stay for the night in her aunt's house.  On the long walk from town she runs into Grandma Billy, who is a delightful character, who helps Selena get settled.  One day turns into another, and the people of the town help Selena make a bit of a life for herself in the desert.  With the help of Grandma Billy, the local priest Father Aguirre, and Aunt Amelia's travel journals, Selena finds herself making the house a home.  She also finds that the desert is home to gods and spirits of the supernatural kind and one has taken a liking to Selena now that her aunt is gone.  She isn't interested in him and he isn't too happy about it.  

This starts off slow, but as Selena gets to know Grandma Billy and Father Aguirre and the other people of town it picks up.  It also picks up as strange things start to happen around her house and around town.  She is slow to accept that the supernatural exist, but once she accepts the possibility things really start moving.  I loved that the townsfolk took Selena and her dog in without batting and eye and helped her without asking any questions.  They were exactly what she needed.  Grandma Billy was hilarious while Father Aguirre added some calm and logic to the situations.  

This was light on the horror side of things.  Is cozy horror a thing?  This doesn't have any gore, but it does have a creepy and unsettling vibe especially when it comes to Snake-Eater he's super creepy and weird.   The found family aspect makes it kind of cozy and heartwarming.  I liked the mix either way and really enjoyed this.

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