Snake-Eater

What's not to love about a young woman escaping city life and a gaslighting boyfriend only to end up finding refuge in a desert Southwest bungalow while being courted, without her knowledge, by a local god? I found this Kingfisher both humorous and touching. It's a 'found family' gem, plus there is an awesome dog! The mix of local folklore and Catholicism was perfectly done. It's set about 25 years in the future, so I guess technically it's both fantasy & science fiction. And it's basically romance-free! (Except for the god, of course.)

Highly recommended if you enjoy Kingfisher's style.

Small towns in the desert are great, as long as you are careful around the gods

T. Kingfisher did it again! What a nice book...

Selena is on the run from her psychologically abusive relationship with Walter. Walter sounds like a very very big manipulative asshole. No wonder she is traumatized…

She comes to a tiny desert town of Quartz Creek where her aunt lives. It turns out that the aunt is dead… Selena and her dog Copper move into Aunt Amelia’s house. It’s only for a few days, of course, while Selena figures out what to do.

The people of Quartz Creek are quirky, fun and kind. They welcome Selena and Copper with open arms. Of course they do. I loved Grandma Billy, I loved Father Aguirre. If they have a fan club, I will join show more immediately.

Strange things begin to happen. It turns out that there are people out in the desert that are not human people. Beware of dark and dangerous gods and spirits!

There are books that challenge you intellectually, there are books that pulverize you emotionally, there are books that pet your soul gently, then scare you a little, then heal you little. I think this is the latter kind. If there is such a thing as pastoral horror, Snake-Eater does it very well. I also loved how Selena found healing, courage, faith in herself, new friends and a home.

My favourite quotes:

”Copper gazed at her soulfully and attempted to convey that she had never been petted, not once, but would like to experience it.” (You are a such a good dog, Copper.)

”Are you going to do some kind of magic?” asked Selena.
[…]
”Maybe, if it comes to that,” said Grandma, and grinned. ”First, though, I’m gonna try a shotgun.”

”Father Aguirre leaned against the fireplace. ”It is a tenet of faith that trials endured in this life will be rewarded greatly in heaven,” he told the ceiling. ”Another twenty years in a town with you, and surely I will stand among the saints.”. show less

Selena arrives in Quartz Creek with a few dollars in her pocket and her dog Copper, fleeing a bad relationship and hoping to stay with her aunt. Unfortunately, she finds out her aunt passed away about a year ago. But Quartz Creek is a strange place, and Selena ends up moving into her aunt's old house until she can figure out what she's going to do next. Before long, she's pulled into the Quartz Creek community and becoming friends with Grandma Billy, her next-door neighbor, and Father Aguirre, the local Catholic-ish priest. And when strange things start happening in and around her aunt's house, Selena will need all the help she can get dealing with whatever it is that seems to be offended by her presence.

This book is classic T. show more Kingfisher -- a little spooky, a little weird, a little cozy, and all-around delightful. There's a fun cast of characters, a sweet, loyal dog, and weird desert magic. I ate this up; it's not my favorite ever T. Kingfisher, but I had a great time all around. 4 stars. show less

Is cozy horror a genre? If so then Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher definitely fits. The story in a nutshell: a young woman (Selena) flees a bad relationship and starts a new life in a tiny, remote desert town where she is confronted by malevolent supernatural forces and quirky neighbors. Plus she has a dog. Yes, the dog lives.

T. Kingfisher definitely has some themes she enjoys writing about - found family, small towns, fun characters, second chances and finding your own strength - all wrapped with a side of humor and some paranormal weirdness. These are all tropes I enjoy and Snake-Eater tics all the boxes. I enjoyed getting to know Selena, the residents of Quartz Creek and Copper the dog. Selena is a highly sympathetic character and it show more was great going along on her journey as she figured out who she is as a person.

I was not expecting the story itself to be so cozy. While some scary things happen, they aren't too bad and the story takes its time. It's more slice-of-life about Selena's move and character growth than the supernatural bits, though they definitely play a role. I really enjoyed it.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Elena Rey. Rey did a good job of bringing Selena and the residents of Quartz Creek to life. show less

Someone has to turn this into a movie!

Don't ask me what genre of fiction this book is, I have no idea. I can tell you what it not is: it's not romance, it's not Sci-Fi, it's not erotica, and it's not a children's book. Anything else? Yeah, probably, to some degree. And I'm here for it, I love me a good genre bender!

An absolutely fantastic cast of decidedly weird and wonderful characters - I even loved the (kind of) Catholic priest, and I am usually not a fan of the clergy.

A mysterious story, and so many instances that made me laugh out loud. Yes, it's kind of a folk-horror story, but also not. Mostly it's a warm hug, a drink with good friends, and a lot of laughs along the way.

One of the best books I've read this year, and definitely show more one of my 2026 favourites.

Read this via KU but will buy it regardless. As I consider it to be one of my comfort reads, I'll likely end up wanting to re-read this every now and then - and I like to own books of this rare variety (the re-reading candidate ones, that is). show less

I loved the characters and the way the Selena - who had been abused, not physically but mentally and emotionally, all her life - was portrayed. I felt her deep in my soul, because she is me. I loved the diverse characters who lived in Quartz Creek - Grandma Billy, old and crochety with a heart of gold and a past; Father Aguirre, priest with a secret; Lupe, who wants to feed everyone; Rosa the cranky vet; Jenny, the skeptical mayor/postmistress/chief of police; Gordon, who leads birdwatching expeditions; Galadriel, who runs the Rivendell sheep ranch; and Connor, the proprietor of the general store. And most of all I loved Copper, the faithful friendly lab for whom Selena would give her life. I also loved the descriptions of the desert show more and of the houses/offices and furnishings of the residents of the town. The supernatural aspects were woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story. There were parts that made me laugh out loud and tear up (not at the same time) (well, once or twice at the same time). A very satisfying and well-written story. show less

Selena has finally had it with her old life, driven to eventual frustration by her partner Walter and her relationship with her overbearing mother. After her mother's death she finds herself at an emotional crossroads and seizes the opportunity to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Amelia. What she finds when she arrives in the small town of Quartz Creek, Arizona is not quite what she expected. T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and I've read quite a few of her books and have enjoyed all of them. I enjoyed this one too, but it feels like a little bit of a departure from what I'm used to from her (i.e., fantasy/romantasy with a great deal of peril mixed in). There are supernatural elements at play in this book (and some peril), show more but they are slow to emerge story-wise and at times feel over-shadowed by Selena learning to live on her own and her growing confidence in herself. This felt a bit less intense than some of her other books, but it worked for me just fine since the writing quality and reading enjoyment is on par with previous books. I loved Selena's desperate efforts to match what she's experiencing with reality, and her bafflement when reality loses. Very relatable in a book like this, which asks you to willingly suspend disbelief (Selena obviously didn't get that memo lol). Although the first half of the book reads more like fish-out-of-water women's fiction, odd things do eventually start happening so stick with it. I really like this author's approachable writing style, she matter-of-factly presents the odd and bizarre in such a way that it's easy to accept in the context of the story. This was a relatively quick and engaging read, and it went fast once it got going. There's a heavy emphasis on found family, and what a family they are! (And just like with most families, you take the good with the bad.) There are bits of wry humor, Selena's inner voice frequently made me chuckle as did her interactions with towns people. This author has a recurring them in her books of people getting what they need, whatever form that takes, and this story was no different. Selena's journey of self-growth and learning how to trust yourself and be brave, and the lesson that little things can amount to great feats, was ultimately a satisfying read. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own. show less