Book: Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 4.5/5
This is my first T. Kingfisher novel, and let me tell you—it definitely won’t be my last. The gothic atmosphere and tension in Wolf Worm hit just right. The audiobook narration added so much depth, with Mary Robinette Kowal capturing the tone perfectly. It’s an insect and body horror, so if that’s not your jam, maybe skip this one.
The main character, Sonia, is incredibly relatable with her internal critic and self-doubt feeling so real. As a scientific illustrator in Post-Civil War 1899 North Carolina, she takes a job for a Dr. Halder that entails drawing insects (soooo many creepy crawlies). Naturally, something is off. Everyone at the house (including the animals) is acting strangely, and I now have a permanent new fear of barflies. So thank you for that, T. Kingfisher. My stomach is still churning just thinking about the parasitic infestations in these pages.
Although this is firmly gothic horror, Kingfisher laces the nightmare with extremely likable characters. I reached a point where I was legitimately stressed for their safety because they’re so endearing. The dry humor and deadpan observations also hit just right, providing the perfect relief to break up the mounting tension.
I’m convinced T. Kingfisher and Brandon Sanderson must be related by the way they both pump out quality books. The consistency is unreal. I’m now so eager to read her other works. Wolf Worm was a quick listen, gripping for me, so I would recommend picking this up as a breather between all the tomes on your TBR!