The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher is Not What You Think

Mouse, The Twisted One's protagonist get's news of her grandmother's death. This puts her in charge of cleaning her house in order to sell it. Little does she know that her house holds many things, including deep, dark secrets that might be true. However, when Mouse arrives at her grandmother’s house, she realizes that not only was her grandmother a severely mentally ill woman who might as well have had her own episode of Hoarders, but there’s also a stone with a depiction of The Twisted Ones that she has yet to know anything about.

So What’s The Twisted Ones Really About?

The description above is just a synopsis of the book. But let’s dig a little deeper. The Twisted Ones follows Mouse as she tries to escape a bad breakup. She’s all about diving herself into a big project to forget about the jerk she was with.

She heads to the country to clean out her grandmother’s house, only to find it full of junk.  As she cleans the messy house, she finds her grandfather's journal, which becomes the main premise of the entire book.

The Twisted Ones reads more like a book within a book. It’s more of a twisted tale into someone’s mind that may or may not have dementia. The journal is strange and, to be honest, I was secretly hoping for more.

Once you get past reading the grandfather’s journal, Mouse finds yet another book. This one has more descriptions of The Twisted Ones, as well as an interesting verse that appears over and over.

And I twisted myself like the twisted ones, and I laid on the floor like the dead ones…

This verse becomes an earworm in Mouse’s head throughout the book.

Therefore, the premise of a book within a book continues for more than half of the book. If I had known this, I might not have purchased the book.

Here’s What I Loved

The Twisted Ones is actually an incredibly well-written and very funny book. It’s joke after joke. The main character, Mouse, is witty and personable. In fact, all of the characters, like her spit-fire neighbor Foxy, are fun.

Both Mouse and Foxy grow on you throughout the book. T. Kingfisher develops the characters throughout the book, and at the end you honestly feel like you’re leaving your two best friends behind.

Foxy is sassy and somewhat rude and says it like it is. She’s prepared and always one move ahead of you.

When the book ended, I was very sad to say goodbye to Foxy. Something about the way the book ended made me feel like I needed to pick up the phone and call Foxy just to hear her say something else. I couldn’t believe I wouldn't read more about her.

Here’s What I Didn’t Like About The Twisted Ones

I honestly didn’t like reading a book within a book. Even though it was funny and I loved the characters, I felt like nothing happened. 

Mouse spends most of the novel learning what’s inside that journal and the Twisted Ones Manuscript she later finds, which her grandfather tries to recreate.

Only a few things really happen outside of the two books she reads. At one point, she sees a weird effigy hanging from the tree that freaks her out. It could be artwork made out of deer bones, or it might just be a monster. But you won’t know until the last quarter of the book.

By the end of the book, it is all fire and brimstone and monsters made out of disposed doll parts. However, I feel like I waited FOREVER to get there.

A Few Disappointing Words

Although some of the visuals of The Twisted Ones are great, I felt like the book was very slow. Not much happened for a long time. However, that’s not to say I didn’t appreciate the character development. That’s one thing I love.

The Twisted Ones builds throughout the entire book. It keeps you engaged with its witty sense of humor. However, it wasn’t until the last 50 pages or so that the action finally starts. 

Even though this book is supposed to be horror, it plays out more like a fairy tale. It’s folk horror. So if you’re into that sort of genre, then it might be up your alley.

What I Didn’t Realize about this book

At the end of the book, you realize that the manuscript that Mouse finds (the second book within a book that you read) is actually something out of H.P. Lovecraft. It’s a reference to something he writes about. I think this is awesome, but since I’ve never read his stuff, I didn’t realize it until the author literally says it. However, you’ll only realize this if you read the author’s notes at the end of the book.

T. Kingfisher goes on to explain some things and why she wrote them that way. I thought this was great. Honestly, this small explanation made me like the book a lot more. However, if you’re the type of person who doesn’t read the author’s notes, you might not get the references.

Final Verdict

I am not a fan of slow-burn horror. Even on my iMonstre fear profile, I tell the movie rec widget to never show me slow-burn movies. Considering how slow it was and that things don’t really get started until the last 50 pages, I wasn’t too happy with the overall book. 

I give The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher 2 out of 5 bloody hatches because I was expecting way more.