I’m going to confess, I know I’m in for a good time if I pick up a fantasy novel and the protagonist is an older lady with a bit of life experience under the belt. Someone who’s seen some things. One of the very best examples of this is the main character from A Paladin of Souls (Although giving her name might spoil other books in the series), several protagonists in the Divine Cities series, and the of course, T. Kingfisher has made this a bit of a habit as well.
A Sorceress Comes to Call is T. Kingfisher’s latest addition, told through the eyes of dual protagonists. Cordelia is barely 14 and under the thumb of her selfish and vindictive mother Evangeline, whose sorcery only enables the worst of her traits. After extracting terrible vengeance on a male ‘benefactor’ for some perceived slight, Evangeline starts teaching for a wealthy man to wed – for both her and her daughter.
A comfortable spinster in her autumn years with a set of bad knees, Hester experiences an unexpected premonition; waking in a fit of dread, she feels something terrible is about to arrive on her doorstep. So when Doom makes an appearance with her daughter in tow, Hester knows she’s not like all the other attractive ladies who have flittered in and out of her brothers life. While she cannot quite put her finger on it, Hester is certain that there is something so deeply and fundamentally wrong about this woman. So she is spurred into action – how to get Doom away from her brother?
And how to help the daughter?
Aside from her love of older-in-life protagonists, I love how well T. Kingfisher balances tone. There are sone chilling scenes early on in the novel with Cordelia where you feel the psychological horror she experiences through the actions of her mother and the betrayal of another. But A Sorceress Comes to Call is not just cold and macabre; though Hester, you can’t help but feel buoyed and reassured by her stubborn reasonableness and practical approach. There’s also a smattering of romance (that’s almost a little Hallmark), and if you’re looking for a touch of humor, one of Hester’s wine drunk friends is more than willing to provide.
This is some high tier Kingfisher content. It’s not quite up there with Swordheart (a personal favorite of mine which I will review shortly – also with an older protagonist) but it delivers considerably more horror. If you’ve not really made Kingfishers acquaintance before, this is not a bad place to start.
And more older ladies in fantasy novels, please!
For cbr16bingo, this is Horses.
If you read it, you’ll know.
I’m on the side of the geese with this one
That’s 2 more bingos with that square, I believe.