What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (Sworn Soldier #2)
When Easton travels to Gallacia as a favor to Miss Potter, they find their home empty, the caretaker dead, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence.
The locals whisper of a strange breath-stealing being from Gallacian folklore that has taken up residence in Easton’s home . . . and in their dreams.
CONTRIBUTOR(S): Avi Roque (Narrator)
PUBLISHER: Macmillan Audio
YEAR: 2024
LENGTH: 151 pages (5 hours 2 minutes)
AGE: Adult
GENRE: HOrror
RECOMMENDED: Highly
Queer Rep Summary: Genderqueer/Nonbinary Main Character(s).
Alex is still unsettled by the events at the house of Usher, but is looking forward to a reunion with Miss Potter and a chance to show her their home in Gallacia. Trying to not let their newly-rooted fear of mushrooms damped their joy in the mycologist's company, Alex instead downplays rumors of a breath-stealing being who can be a woman or a swarm of moths. WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT is a story of haunting and fear, of stolen breath and terrible dreams. It's an excellent sequel to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, building on Alex's previous experiences but featuring an entirely new disturbance to their life.
This doesn't specifically wrap up something left hanging, but it continues several of the relationships first developed in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD. The main storyline is new, and the breath-stealing threat is both introduced and resolved. Alex's narration somehow contains even more stories of their fondness for and exasperation with Gallacia as a place they don't want to inhabit but can't seem to leave behind. The actual narrative can stand on its own, and Alex conveys the relevant backstory succinctly enough, but certain elements of Alex's fear will resonate much more to a reader who is familiar with the events of the previous book.
I enjoyed this and look forward to where Alex's frightful travels take them next!
Graphic/Explicit CW for body horror.
Moderate CW for grief, xenophobia, blood, gore, medical content, war, terminal illness, death.
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