What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)

T. Kingfisher is in the house! Or shall I say, Easton is in the house and not alone!!!! What Feasts at Night is the addictive and brilliant follow up to the gripping and hard to put down What Moves the Dead novella. Seriously, Kingfisher is on a roll with these books (novellas). Woohoo!!!! Bring it on!

First things first, read What Moves the Dead first. It introduces Alex Easton, a retired soldier, Miss Peacock, a mushroom researcher, and Hob, a grumpy yet trusted horse. Their backstories are important and What Moves the Dead knocked my socks off. Can this be read as a stand-alone? Sure, but you will be missing out on the backstories of some of the characters and references to the first book.

Alex Easton, Hob and Angus have returned to Easton’s family hunting lodge after the events at Usher manor. Needing some rest and down time, only to find that the Lodge has not been kept up and the caretaker is missing. Upon learning that they poor man has passed away, Angus and Easton set about finding help and getting the Lodge back in tip top shape. That will prove to be easier said than done.

There are whispers in the village about what is happening at the hunting lodge. But it’s all talk right? Easton was not raised to believe in superstitions, but things are quite right at home, so…….

T. Kingfisher brings on the chills, the thrills, and the spooky creep factor in this book. I loved the atmosphere; it was out of this world! I could almost feel the chill and dampness in the air. Plus, the manor house and surrounding grounds provide the perfect setting. It has an isolated feel as it is several miles from the village.

I could visualize everything due to Kingfisher’s vivid descriptions. I felt as if I was a fly moth on the wall watching as things became more tense and spooky in the house. Then there are the characters: Hob the grumpy horse with a distinct personality who cracks me up, Miss Potter the proper English mushroom researcher, Angus who is straight to the point and has a mouth on him (gotta love it), Widow Botezatu, who cooks and cleans when not being sarcastic and mouthy, Bors, a sweet young man who helps around the lodge, and of course Easton who provides witty comments, bravery, and let’s face it, is an interesting character.

This was such a wonderful and creepy book. It’s in the horror genre but don’t let that scare you away. It is spooky and creepy. There are no gory scenes. I place it in the gothic category with some horrific scenes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a very fast read (160 pages). I was glued to the pages from the very beginning. T. Kingfisher’s writing dazzles me every time with lush and vivid descriptions. I loved the feeling of unease that permeated throughout the book. The is a sense that something isn’t quite right from the very beginning. I loved the feeling of anticipation that I had while waiting to find out how things were going to unfold. This book left me satisfied and wanting to go on another adventure with Easton.

Well written, atmospheric, tense and gothic.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.