Review by Booklist Review
Kingfisher (What Stalks the Deep, 2025) returns with a stand-alone dark fantasy, an original story linked to the southwestern roadrunner. After burying her mother, Selena decides to leave the city, her job, and her overbearing partner behind. Her plan to stay with her aunt Amelia in a small desert town in Arizona changes when the mayor informs her Amelia has died, but as the only surviving relative, Selena is welcome to her aunt's house. The townsfolk welcome her to their community, although they are a bit quirky, sometimes referencing mystical beings that live in the desert. As she begins to settle in, Selena discovers for herself there actually are such creatures in the area. Most, like the small one in her garden, are harmless, but she is warned that some can be dangerous. And one in particular, Snake-Eater, the god of roadrunners, appears to have taken offense to Selena living in her aunt's house. Readers will enjoy the found-family theme but should beware--this roadrunner is nothing like the one from the cartoon.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hugo and Nebula Award winner Kingfisher (Hemlock & Silver) provides all the chills, thrills, and laughs she's known for in this dextrous dark fantasy. In heroine Selena's "last thrash toward self-preservation," she takes her dog and flees her emotionally abusive fiancé, Walter, for her aunt Amelia's house in the tiny Western town of Quartz Creek, only to find that Amelia died a year ago. Selena is broke and out of options, so she stays in her aunt's abandoned home, slowly learning about Amelia through her travel journals--including the dark truth about her literally draining relationship with the mysterious "S," who now wants Selena to take her aunt's place. This time out, Kingfisher's prose is as stark as the desert setting, but still preserves all the usual charming creativity of her worldbuilding, including a host of supernatural spirits, like the friendly little squash gods in Selena's garden. The quirky townsfolk similarly delight (Selena's Grandma Billy is particularly hilarious) and "S"--eventually revealed to be the eponymous Snake-Eater, another desert deity--makes for a particularly sinister villain: amoral, vicious, and terrifying. Kingfisher remains extremely good at what she does. Agent: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Selena has left her overbearing partner, without any real plan of where to go or what to do. She decides to head to her Aunt Amelia's home in Quartz Creek, even though she hasn't heard from her in a few years. Arriving in the tiny desert town, Selena discovers that her aunt has died, but the mayor (also the postmistress and chief of police) agrees that Selena should feel free to stay at her late aunt's home, known as Jackrabbit Hole House. As Selena settles in, she meets the odd inhabitants of Quartz Creek: Grandma Billy, her next-door neighbor; Father Aguirre, head of the local church; plus all of the local spirits and gods that live in the desert. When one takes a special interest in Selena, she finds herself caught between the desires of gods and an awakening on several levels. VERDICT Delightful supporting characters, intriguing mythology, and a neurodivergent protagonist come together for an entertaining story. Besides fans of Kingfisher's (Hemlock & Silver), place it in the hands of readers of Katherine Addison and Lois McMaster Bujold.--Kristi Chadwick
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