Kingfisher, T.

Retold Gothic classics and fungus-themed horror are both having a moment, and Kingfisher’s well-paced, immersive novella will satisfy those seeking read-alikes for Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. Also suggest Moreno-Garcia and Orrin Grey’s excellent anthology Fungi and the nature field horror of Jeff VanderMeer.

Blending fairy-tale familiarity and common-sense characters, Kingfisher’s prose balances grim circumstances with humor and heart. Readers of Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered and Melissa Albert’s “The Hazel Wood” series should pick this up immediately.

This unsettling, character-driven story of a young woman in search of herself reads like a darker, more macabre version of Alice in Wonderland, keeping readers turning the pages long after dark. Suggest with confidence to fans of Jeff VanderMeer’s “Southern Reach” trilogy or Zoje Stage’s Wonderland.