Blurb:
“With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt's house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.
Because in Quartz Creek, there's a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena's ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena's house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn't ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can't begin to imagine. And when Selena's search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It's the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as "Snake-Eater," who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.
Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he's hell-bent on collecting everything he's owed.”
5/5 STARS
This was my first time reading T. Kingfisher, and I am immediately in love. Snake-Eater is probably the best time I’ve had reading a book in a long time. There are dark elements, sure, but mostly, this book is just fun.
Selena, our “shy,” reserved main character, could have been me. Her thought processes, inner dialogue and dilemmas, and overall persona remind me of me before I remembered who the F I was. That’s not said in an egotistical way, more like a “I’m allowed to take up a space and pursue peace in my life,” kind of way. I cheered for Selena throughout the whole book, and while some folks found her insecurity annoying, I found it relatable and true to the way she had been treated by those who were supposed to be the most important and loving people in her life.
And her dog, Copper - I love how the pup was, in a sense, her alter-ego, demonstrating what she wanted before she accepted it herself. As a matter of fact, all of the characters in this book are vibrant and unforgettable. The bantering between Grandma Billy {a 78-year-old hippy with an attitude} and Father Aguirre {a Catholic priest} is hilarious and heart-warming, as are the interactions between the whole community.
This book felt alive. The desert mythologies are creepy as hell, for sure, but there is also humor and a lightness to the way they interact with humans and each other, and in the end, the way they bring it full circle is, in my opinion, perfect.
Like I said: this book is just fun. Arizona setting + vibrant characters + vengeful desert gods/spirits = a very good time.
{Pair this one with Saguaro Sunrise or Crimson Canyon.}