Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher starting on December 19, 2025.


Happy Reading!

Excited!

Read this tonight, almost done now, enjoyed a lot...

Similar setting to another Kingfisher book this year, the third Sworn Soldier book...

Real Midnight Texas vibes...

Easy to forget this is contemporary-ish since everyone lives in the middle of nowhere and few people use phones/Internet for 99% of the story...

Then around 80% I was shocked to hear this is set in the future... The 1950 Ford F150 is over 100 years old it said, unless I misheard...

Glurp Glurp MFer (iykyk)

I read this by eye last week, and I absolutely loved it. I should eye-read more Kingfisher.

For one, I caught on to the futuristic setting right away. Though I probably wouldn't've if I'd done audio. This is basically climate fiction, maybe solarpunk--people have all moved away from the country and are living in the cities, there's colonies on the moon, and there are historic areas like the one the MC lives in... also all electricity seems to be solar and there's an impression that the world is warmer, though the government might be trying to do something about that...

I love Kingfisher's MCs. She does have a trope--(view spoiler)[downtrodden women, finding themselves again--but it's one I'm not tired of yet. There's a lot to identify with in our MC. For one, does anyone else do scripts like she does? I do, all the time. Maybe not as detailed as the MC, but through trial and error I've learned what scripts I can pull out in what kinds of situations, and I always practice conversations if I can, beforehand.

I also really loved how this story is all about the found-family, and that there isn't a romance. Not a common move for Kingfisher... I think only Nettle & Bone didn't have a romance so far? Maybe the Sleeping-Beauty changeling one. And EXTRA kudos for Grandma Billy, going on the list of Kickass Grandmas. I also love the reveal about why she and Grandpa Billy couldn't have (biological) children, taken in stride as just a part of life. Kinda sucks that she had to stop taking hormones at 70 though.

The vibes I got made me think of Jane Lindskold's books, especially Child of a Rainless Year, though it's been an age since I read it. Also some Silvia Moreno-Garcia, mostly for the magical realism aspects. Otherwise, pure Kingfisher.

I was kind of hoping that the name Jackrabbit Hole House was a sign to the MC, that her aunt was giving her a safe bolt-hole to jackrabbit to when she needed it. I feel like I can still hope for that. No reason it couldn't've been both.

I love that DJ Raven was actually Raven himself. And I knew the scorpion would come into play at the climax. (hide spoiler)]

I see how much of my daily life I can get through without talking at all... Head and hand gestures instead of talking out loud to give right of way, only to have to repeat myself when people go "what?"

And yet we're both so chatty here...

That was weird. For one moment goodreads spoilers worked fine in mobile mode

Finished the book too! It's my favourite horror book from her.

I didn't caught the fututistic setting. I though that maybe historic areas existed just like exist the old slave plantation houses and people visit them.

@Nirkatze (view spoiler)[ I also love Kingfisher MC. They are very relatable and awkward. I also do scrips in my head although not as detailed either. Like when I have to call someone I think of what to say and don't like to improvise. I remember how some classmates could do PP presentations on the fly and I was the one who memorised a script.

I also noticed the no romance. Didn't miss it , the story was perfect like this. I think Nettle and Bone did have romance. With the bodyguard or something? Hurray Grandma Billy!

I also loved how Kingfisher described Coppers bahviour, it was so funny (hide spoiler)]

Chatting about books is way better than chatting about...the weather...

OMG yes, how could I forget (view spoiler)[to comment on Copper? I loved the observational detail--both noting Copper's behavior and also how much of Selena's care and focus in general was centered around Copper. From having a small dish in her bag to give her water, or always being on the lookout for things that could harm her, like rattlesnakes. I imagine pet owners probably feel seen... (hide spoiler)]

I agree, really like how (view spoiler)[ present Copper is on Selena's thoughts (hide spoiler)]

I did not know about this BR - might start in January then ;p

We talk about the weather here too :D

I love Kingfisher... I do some scripts, I guess, when I have to make phone calls... and I definitely think of all the things I could have said better AFTER...

In high school, I knew those PP pantsers, too... did all the prep in study hall 1hr before class on a 1 month project...

I hated giving presentations/speeches... I was in Honors English in high school which got to debate instead and I just NOPED, which tanked my grade from an A to a C for the semester/year, I think... (this was 20 years ago now)...

In college, I knew there would be a Speech class I'd need to take for general education credits to graduate, and I put it off until junior year, but also didn't leave it until the end in case I failed out for similar reasons to high school...

I think I talked myself into making it easier in college... you don't know the students the same way you do in high school (probably never see them again)... and I made sure to pick topics others were unlikely to know anything about ahead of time, and go first, so I wasn't stressing or comparing during presentations... I survived...

Meanwhile, Nirkatze is a teacher, which is all presentations :D

Thinking all the things you could have said is so true.

I only had one debate once and I just repeated what one classmate said changing the wording a bit and shut up for the whole debate.

Thankfully I hadn't a Speech class in uni, that sounds nightmarish. Yeah, in uni presentations are only listened by the teachers that are grading then students. Even when we were supposed to grade the other groups presenting we just half listened and gave them good marks

Kudos to Nirkatze, I wouldn't want to teach anything to anyone

I spend my time falling asleep practicing what I'm going to day every day. The hard part is when I have to talk to students one-on-one... or have to do discipline... I keep trying scripts out and rejecting them, or hearing things other teachers say that work and copy them...

My dad liked to tell a story about a speech class he took in community college. They had to do a how-to presentation. So he did how to make a molotov cocktail. His presentation ended with him lighting it and walking out of the room. :)

Viva La Revolucion

That needs a "Carl" at the end.

Viva La Carl

I started. Ch 1 (view spoiler)[Kingfisher sure has a type for her heroines. Middle aged, relationship issues (divorced, etc.), self-esteem issues and a dog. Have to love the dog. (hide spoiler)]

Wow, this voice narrator talks slow to my ear. I had to speed her up so she sounded normal. I can only imagine what it was like for you all.

Grammatically it would be: Viva El Carl 😂 But I like more: Viva La Resolución Carlera