Whether you call them gods or spirits, the Southwestern United States has always had its stories about Coyote, Raven, Dog, and many others who dwell in a plane alongside ours and sometimes crossover. In this fantasy set in the twenty-third century, Selena flees an abusive relationship to a small town in the Historic Zone with only a small suitcase and her dog Copper. Sadly, the aunt she hoped to stay with has died, but everyone assures her that she's very welcome and the small house is hers if she wants it. Can it be that easy? Well, there's scorpions, rattlesnakes, and the strange visitors her aunt took in, but they tell her it will be fine. Turns out those visitors weren't human and while I don't agree with this being classified as "horror" that is one evil Roadrunner and getting him to back off involves a shotgun, a demi-god, and a trip to the Spirit World. 

I've found that I like some of T. Kingfisher's work, but not all of it, and I'm definitely not into horror at all but picked this up on sale and I'm glad I did. This is an odd atmospheric novel set at least a century from now where most Americans live in arcology style cities but where some rural areas have been preserved for posterity and tourism. It's an odd state of preservation because the houses have solar panels "dating from the Obama era" but no televisions or telephones and the town only has two trucks. The characters are all somewhat quirky as well and Selena isn't sure if this is normal for a Historic Zone or not. She thinks she's hallucinating the first time she sees a spirit, a squash spirit, but most of her neighbors take that for granted, even the catholic priest. The squash spirit is certainly benign and her squash plants look great, but Snake-Eater is another story. Turns out roadrunners can be very mean birds and they do in fact kill snakes, but the spirit Snake-Eater is easily offended by the ignorant Selena. Snake-Eater was also her aunt's boyfriend and decides that her kin, living in her house, is also his lover. Still not horror...but eww. Selena's allies are her lab Copper, an elderly trans woman armed with a shotgun, and a Catholic priest with some unusual family members, but it's Selena's words and actions that will be judged by the gods when she needs help in the Spirit World.

The setting and fantasy elements are more original than most these days, although the themes of finding yourself and standing up for yourself weren't unusual. Some reviewers complain it was slow to get started, while I'd say it was more that scene in the Spirit World seemed too quick and easy. Or maybe it's that I was expecting the "unexpected" support Selena received. I was definitely not expecting the javelina, but that's Arizona for you.