I thought this was a great showing by T. Kingfisher though the beginning of the book moved a bit too slow and was really surprised this was pushed as horror, I mainly got cozy vibes while reading it (that is not a bad thing). I do hope that we get to see these characters in future works, I loved Selena, Copper, Grandma Billy, Father Aguirre, etc.
Snake-Eater follows Selena who we find has left her long-term partner with her dog Copper and a few of her belongings. She is going to stay with her aunt she has not seen in many years. All she knows is that her aunt lives in Quartz Creek and has a home there. When Selena arrives though, she finds a small town with not a lot of people and that her aunt has passed away about a year earlier. Selena has nowhere to go and doesn’t want to stay at her aunt and rely on the townspeople she meets, but she quickly finds out that Quartz Creek is welcoming, but something seems to be watching her and could cause her harm in the end.
I felt for Selena, her mother and her ex did a number on her. She doesn’t feel strong or capable, but farming the land and “seeing things” that should not be there, definitely changes her for the better. As I said above, I loved all of the characters and the time that Kingfisher spends on Grandma Billy and Father Aguirre.
The setting of Quartz Creek was great and I would love to explore more about that place and residents in other works in the future.
The ending was solid, and the additional ending to wrap up Selena’s past didn’t hurt.