Cosy, hilarious, slighly creepy evil roadrunner god to deal with…
Snake-Eater is written in T. Kingfisher’s easily identifiable style which includes a protagonist in her 30s, a fairytale-esque quest against a villain that is not sympathized, a quirky found family, and animals (most likely chickens somewhere).
Our protagonist with severe anxiety runs away from a toxic relationship to the desert where her aunt lives. Only, her aunt has passed away and no one in town seems to mind her moving into the house. In fact, they seem to want her there. Then, a few strange things start happening and before you know it, she might have some creepy creatures to fend off with her new small-town found family.
Snake-Eater is what some might call a “cosy horror” story. I get nightmares quite easily and tend to stay away from horror but I really enjoyed this book! I’ve been wanting to read more “horror” but make it lighter and cosier and this fit that bill so perfectly.
T. Kingfisher excels at creating quirky found families that make everything feel like it’s going to be alright and you know the dogs aren’t going to die. At least not in this one. I love how she pulls in chickens often into her books (coming from a backyard chicken owner). Anyone who owns and loves their chickens (as opposed to pure livestock) from a backyard perspective has got to have a good sense of humor!
There’s something about Kingfisher’s writing that makes the book from about 40% to 70% feel slow. This happened in Hemlock & Silver, in Nettle & Bone, and in Snake-Eater. I’m not sure why but I do reach a point where the pacing easily disconnects me but once I get closer to the end, it’s a mad dash to the finish line.
Content warnings: For much of this book, the main character is dealing with and working through a high level of anxiety due to childhood trauma from their mother (including religious indoctrination) and current gaslighting from their now-ex partner (since the beginning of the book). If you don’t want to read about a character struggling with their mental health due to an manipulative partner with strong gaslighting techniques, maybe steer away from this one until you are ready.
There is also occasional discussion of religion and beliefs. One of the characters is a Catholic priest but one that not traditional. Even so, this may also be a trigger to some.
I would still recommend Snake-Eater overall though with always a caveat for checking the trigger warnings for any book first. Without giving spoilers away, I will say that the character arc for the protagonist is immensely satisfying.
I wanted to stay in this world in the desert myself in a small house with a backyard garden and hilarious neighbors with chickens that come over with drinks and we can shoot the breeze on the porch. After we’ve cleared all the scorpions out though…
Check your library for a copy or buy direct from a local indie bookstore! This can offset this book being unfortunately published by an Amazon imprint, 47North…something I didn’t realize until after.
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