Ahoy there me mateys!  I continue the foray into this author's works and am so loving it.  I actually loved this fantasy horror novel even better than the hollow places.  Like that book, this one is inspired by prior works in the genre.  Like that read, I didn't read the original before tackling this one.  I be okay with that.

This book follows Mouse, who has to go to rural North Carolina to clean out her now deceased grandmother's house.  It gets worse when she finds out that her mean grandmother was a hoarder.  It gets even worse when Mouse realizes that the evil may not have been limited to her grandmother but may have overtaken the house too.

Like other works by Kingfisher, there is a nice blend of humor and horror.  I loved Mouse.  I loved her silly dog Bongo.  I loved the hippy neighbors.  I did find this story to be creepy and unsettling.  It wasn't scary but I do not usually find books to be so.  I enjoy suspense and this one worked well.  I loved the use of the grandmother's evil in the story and thought it was clever.

I found the diary parts to be the least favorite but the author's note at the end made me respect those choices more.  I also enjoy that the events of the books have consequences for Mouse even once her adventures are over.  It kinds makes me crazy when characters go through weird things and then live happily ever after.  I don't think I would have survived Mouse's trials and tribulations but anyone should be scarred after what she went through.

An excellent book that I recommend.  I need to get a hold of all the other books on the author's backlist.  Arrrr!