Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother. She seems anxious, jumpy, and she’s begun making mystifying changes to the family home on Lammergeier Lane. Sam figures it has something to do with her mother’s relationship to Sam’s late, unlamented grandmother.

She’s not wrong.

As vultures gather around the house and frightful family secrets are unearthed under the rosebushes, Sam struggles to unravel the truth about the house on Lammergeier Lane before it consumes her and everyone else who stands in its way…

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Be warned, if you have a bug ick, go into this book knowing there is a lot of talk and descriptions of bugs. Lots of bugs.

That being said, we follow Sam, who is an entomologist as she goes home to visit her mother. Not just because her job is on hold, but also to check on her mom and make sure she’s ok. When she arrives, she definitely understands why there is concern, as it seems her mother has lost a lot of weight and her personality/memories seem to have been altered in some way – or have they?

I thoroughly enjoy T. Kingfisher’s brand of horror and am slowly reading a lot of her backlist, but I wouldn’t say this one was my favorite. For me the pacing seemed a little slow, though it was very atmospheric and definitely creepy. I enjoyed Sam as a main character, with her blend of scientific logic and fierce concern for her mother. I also really appreciated the twist on family and generational trauma that this put a lens to, specifically how those who raised you can shape you and their flaws, good or bad.

Happy reading!

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