BOOK REVIEW. A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL BY T. KINGFISHER

 

Written by Safa Alhassan 

This book, A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, is a good read though perhaps not exactly suited to my audience. I remember the first time I got the book, I was a little disappointed by its size. It looked rather small, and the font wasn’t particularly appealing to my eyes. However, I must admit, it’s a beautifully made hardback. The quality of the printing, the sturdy cover, and the soft beige pages were all lovely touches.

The story is about Cordelia, a fourteen-year-old girl trapped under the oppressive rule of her mother Evangeline, a sorceress whose ambition is unbounded. Evangeline’s goal is to secure a wealthy husband for herself and perhaps for Cordelia and to elevate their status. Their journey takes them to the estate of the Squire, where his sister Hester immediately senses something was off. 

The mother–daughter relationship was very unsettling for me. Cordelia is controlled in body and mind by her mother’s magic. She is silenced, made obedient and rendered powerless by the spell. I felt queasy a lot of the time, and I suspect it even affected my mood. Because I wanted to finish the book, I kept reading and was just stuck with it at a point. I found it grew less interesting for me. Although it has a coming‐of‐age thread, I’d say it skews younger than I often prefer; it felt a bit too “teen” in its perspective for my tastes.

On the upside, I did enjoy the fairy‐tale feel. The old English / Regency‐style setting, the hint of magic, the horse (Falada) and geese, the wands and carriages, the Cinderalla-meets-dark-magic energy. They brought me back to childhood, reminding me of the sort of stories I devoured in the library and gardens of my high-school, Essence International School. That mix of nostalgia and discomfort was strange, but intriguing. 

All in all, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a decent book. I’d recommend it for younger readers who enjoy magical stories with witches, aristocrats, talking animals, and fairytale royalty. For me though, it didn’t quite hit the mark but it’s still a well-written story with a lot of charm.