The fact that I live in a part of the world where there are both deer and roadrunners is rather terrifying, and it’s all T. Kingfisher’s fault.

Anyway, Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher follows Selena, who flees from a toxic relationship to Quartz Creek, a tiny town in the desert. She’s seeking her aunt, but finds out that she died a year prior—and that her property has yet to be claimed. So Selena, low on cash and options, decides to stay there for a few days until she decides what to do next. However, as she gets to know the town, particularly her neighbor Grandma Billy, she realizes that Quartz Creek contains more than just scorpions, spiders, and old houses. There are spirits that roam the desert, and one has its eye on Selena due to a promise made by her aunt. This being’s attention soon turns sinister, and Selena wonders if she can stay—or if she can make it out alive.

This is a lot like The Twisted Ones, an earlier novel by Kingfisher, at least in terms of the general narrative and some superficial details, like the facts that the protagonist has a loyal dog, there are quirky neighbors, and strange creatures roam the wilderness. However, since I personally liked The Twisted Ones, I didn’t mind reading a similar story. Also, I just like Kingfisher’s writing style and characters in general.

Speaking of the characters, wow I love these side characters. Grandma Billy is a delight, such a snarky badass, but also someone who cares deeply about her chosen family. She takes Selena under her wing immediately, and I quickly started to adore her. And then there’s Father Aguirre, the town priest. He’s got such a wonderfully dry sense of humor and is so unimpressed by drama that he’s a joy to read about. Even when the danger escalates, he’s so nonchalant. I just love him.

Selena is also a good character. Her plight of fleeing her ex makes her sympathetic, and it’s understandable that she’s feeling lost, low on confidence, and unsure of her future. I wanted to see her gain some assertiveness, and it was great to see how she grew and allowed herself to open up to people over time. She’s not the best character of the story (see above paragraph) but she works as a narrator.

I also enjoyed the supernatural horror elements that gradually creep into the story. It’s an interesting mythos, the idea of various desert deities that loom on the outskirts of town and in the wild expanse beyond. They’re unsettling in their inhuman nature, but also intriguing because they still have a logic and certain way they conduct themselves, sort of like fairies in various folklore. As for the titular being himself, he is so creepy! Some of his descriptions were downright gross and off-putting, which is of course intentional, but some of it I could have gone without. But it did make me feel quite invested in defeating him, because no thank you.

Another element of the story I thought was cool, even if it was quite minor, was the general setting. It seems that this is set a few decades from now, and has a vaguely post-apocalyptic feel without being super overt about it. There are just enough hints in the story to tell us that this is after some sort of climate change–induced restructuring of the world, where wild and more natural spaces are governed differently than we do now. This isn’t belabored, but serves as an additional layer of interesting worldbuilding.

In the end, Snake-Eater is a curious book for me, considering I’ve read so many of Kingfisher’s works. It’s easy to see the influence of The Twisted Ones, but she does slightly different things with this. The focus isn’t so much on the protagonist’s ancestor’s mindset, but rather on the protagonist herself and how she must change and adapt to what’s happening. There is also a lot more development of the side characters, in my opinion. Yes, they’re very similar books, but they’re more in conversation with each other than this newest one simply rehashing the first. It’s not my favorite Kingfisher novel, but it was still an enjoyable, creepy read.

Snake-Eater is available now!