A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Pages: 326
Format: Hardback (Special Edition)
Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.
But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.
When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother’s next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother’s plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.
A Sorceress Comes to Call was such a fun fantasy read – a unique Regency romance and (loose) retelling of the Grimm tale “The Goose Girl” that had me hooked from the first page. The narrative is presented through the perspectives of Cordelia, the young daughter of the titular sorceress, and Hester, a middle-aged/older spinster with a fondness for geese. I was initially worried that Cordelia would dominate the story because younger characters are often given more time in the spotlight, but the novel is evenly divided between Cordelia’s chapters and Hester’s. Cordelia is quite timid, at least at first, so it was nice to have that balanced out with Hester’s pragmatism and determination. Also, the fact that the true romance of the story is centered around Hester and her situationship, as it were, with her lifelong friend is such a refreshing change of pace. Even though she’s past her prime, Hester is still a vibrant character, and her part of the story is given as much detail and attention as Cordelia. Her chapters were always my favorites, especially as we see her take on a motherly role for Cordelia and work with her clever friends to stop the sorceress.
This isn’t a true horror/thriller novel, though it does lean towards the creepier side of writing. However, Kingfisher injects a delicate, artful dose of humor – usually through Hester and her companions – that adds depth to the novel beyond the terrifying weirdness of the magical horse (according to Kingfisher’s afterward, she was working through some early-life horse trauma, which is not at all surprising) and the villainous sorceress, Evangeline. Evangeline was the perfect villain for this story, and not just because her magic gave her the upper hand. She was dangerous and self-centered, uncaring for “normal” people, giving her the confidence and self-assurance needed to enact her grand, manipulative plans. Even though I despised her from the start, I had to admit that she was a very compelling villain. Her nonchalance toward everything and everyone is an unnerving trait, and the controlling power she exerts over Cordelia is straight out of a nightmare. Evangeline really is the embodiment of the “otherworldly sorceress.”
While the plot and characters were the highlights, the setting is what made everything work. Kingfisher placed the majority of the narrative in a small, almost rural area where even the nearby town is offset from Hester’s manor. The quaint, quiet atmosphere borders on isolation except in a few rare circumstances, making the eerie threat of Evangeline’s magic all the more sinister and possible. While we get some explanation about the intricacies of the magic, just enough is left unexplored that the supernatural is still mysterious and awe-inspiring in its enormity beyond the normal world. The tension between the magical and non-magical drives the story ever forward and reveals the cleverness and resilience of humanity.
All in all, this was a fantastic, creepy, inspiring retelling – once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it back down. Kingfisher’s writing style is mesmerizing, and I would consider this a must-read for any fantasy fans.
AMBER BUDD - Author 