Book review: A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

The Goose Girl is my all-time favorite fairy tale. This fact surprises a lot of people because it is not one of the Grimm Brothers' more well-known stories, and it is absolutely messed up. There are blood curses, identity theft, and a talking decapitated horse head. And much more! So when I discovered T. Kingfisher's A Sorceress Comes to Call was a dark retelling of The Goose Girl, I was truly puzzled because I could not imagine making this story darker.

However, reading this book taught me not to doubt the author's genius. Not only is A Sorceress Comes to Call darker and weirder, but it is set against the rules and etiquette of the Regency Era which made me believe this book is exactly how Bridgerton would read if it were a horror series.

it is not very often I find a character who I relate to as strongly as I did the character of Hester. Even though she is twenty years older than me, I found the two of us had very similar physical ailments, views on independence, and a tendency to work best when we are underestimated. Hester, as a result, was the most compelling of the main characters, because of the way she showed how to work against the society standards we are used to seeing in books set in this timeframe. However, the rest of the characters are just as amazing and vibrant as Hester. Her best friend, Imogene, is an intelligent woman whose main hobby is cheating at cards and learning everyone's secrets. Cordelia is our titular Sorceress' daughter, who is desperate to get away from her mother's "obedience" - a magic that allows the woman to take over Cordelia's body, voice, and mannerisms leaving the girl a prisoner in her own body. And then, of course, is the Sorceress herself: Evangeline.

Evangeline felt like she was the weakest part of the book, even though I could tell the way she was written was very intentional. As a reader, we never learn how her magic works, which as someone who has a fascination with unique magic systems was especially disappointing. But we also never truly understand her motivations. Evangeline's entire motivation is to get Cordelia to marry a rich husband, to the point she will take over her daughter's body to make her seem like the type of charming Evangeline believes people want to see. However, while she lies that Cordelia is seventeen instead of fourteen to get her married immediately, we never understand why she is so determined not only to see her daughter married off so quickly but why the man has to be rich. There are some hints when she talks about her past, but I think the book would have been stronger if there was just a touch more development to the Sorceress' background.

That being said, the vibes of this novel more than make up for any of its few shortcomings. From the start, the atmosphere is delightfully weird and spooky. The details and descriptions easily immerse the reader into the world. From the first page, where Cordelia is frozen in her mother's "obedience" internally screaming because a fly was walking over her hand and she couldn't move it, the reader knows exactly the kind of book this will be. I truly adored the way the setting came to life, and the descriptions let me feel like I lived there.

I also really enjoyed the way the power of women's friendship was one of the strongest themes of the books. It's the friendship between Cordelia and Hester, two women who are continually underestimated, that I feel drives the plot the most. It's not a pair people typically see in fiction, but their bond shows exactly how friendships can work across age groups. We also have the friend group of Hester, Imogene, and Penelope - each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Each is confined by society, and each shows how they can use those confines to their advantage. I found each of the four main women truly made the story worth reading, even if the murderous sorceress hates their guts.

This book is a powerful example of how to escape an abusive situation. It's creepy and dark, with a surprising amount of hope that always finds a way to peek through. I truly loved it, even if I believed there should have been more murderous geese. After all, any story is improved by murderous geese. However, this book will be in my regular spooky season rotation, as I can't wait to read it next year to get the Halloween vibes.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is available through Macmillan Publishers