TL;DR: I don’t know why I was so pleasantly surprised by this, but I was and I’m so glad that I read it! Kingfisher has definitely won her way into my auto-buy author list by this point. I love her writing and the way she balances the dark and hopeful moments, and still manages to work in witty banter between the horrifying without diminishing or cheapening the seriousness of such events. Cordelia and Hester were fantastic characters who I had no trouble rooting for—I loved the found family in this so much! I will say that if you’re interested in an unlikely band of protagonists (who are older!), good overcoming evil, fantastic found family, and delightful banter amidst darker moments, I would highly recommend checking it out!

This would my third book by Kingfisher and one thing that I can always say about her books is that, despite the macabre topics and the darker tones the stories can take, there’s still always an odd sense of comfort that I get from them. I think it’s a testament to the writing—that it can be about dark themes yet it’s still infused with that fairytale-esque quality that’s warm and hopeful, and most importantly it doesn’t diminish the gravitas of the issues that are brought up.

So, despite being a rather harrowing story about abuse, coercive control, and murder, I had an absolutely delightful time reading about Cordelia, Hester, and the other secondary characters that made for a great “found family”, overcome Doom’s evil machinations. I was reeled in from the opening scene where we’re immediately introduced to just how evil and powerful Cordelia’s mother is. Awful and horrified does not even adequately capture how I felt when reading about the monster that Cordelia had to live with!

Cordelia and Hester were such fantastic characters and I loved seeing them open up and learn to trust each other in such a precarious situation. I found Cordelia’s youthful naiveté and unwavering determination to ensure her mother does no further harm paired well with Hester’s wisdom from a lifetime of experience and resolve to free her brother from Doom’s clutches. They were both so courageous, but of course they wouldn’t have been able to outsmart Doom without the support from Hester’s crew and the manor staff, who were incredible. I loved that the majority of the characters were older and far from your typical storybook heroes and heroines, and how this combination made for superior found family vibes!

Honestly, I low-key wanna be Hester when I grow up. She’s a total baddie and I loved how she stays true to her convictions even if it goes against society’s “rules” and expectations. Despite everything, including massive heartbreak and yearning, she still manages to find peace and joy in her life. I admired her. I also admit to having developed a soft-spot for Richard and how much he loved Hester. 🥹 Cordelia was equally great though. Despite being raised by an absolute hag of a woman, she has such a kind and soft heart, and it was so amazing to see how much she grew throughout the story to become this strong and courageous young woman who overcame her fears and learned to trust in herself. 💜

While the majority of the story wasn’t overly gruesome/graphic or horrific, I will say that there’s a point towards the end where that changes and it becomes increasingly apparent why this does get that ‘horror’ label. The scenes were terrifying and grotesque and I get goosebumps whenever I conjure the images in my mind! But it was done so well, and it didn’t feel gratuitous, rather it served to highlight the horrors of this story and the lengths evil will go to achieve what they want. I never thought I’d say this but it was delightfully weird and genuinely horrifying and I loved it!

This definitely does not cover everything I loved and want to rave about in a review, but I don’t want to give too much away. It’s safe to say that I recommend it though!

Have you read A Sorceress Comes to Call or is it on your TBR?

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