Title: A Sorceress Comes to Call

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Books 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

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.

Loved loved loved this book! I have loved almost everything that T. Kingfisher has put out. I love her blend of horror, fantasy, and fairy tales. The blend makes her book shave a great atmospheric quality mixed with solid plots. For this book, I wasn’t sure what we were getting at first. I was not super excited to spend 300+ pages with Cordelia as our narrator. Thankfully, we are introduced to Hester pretty quickly and from then on we get two narrators. Much better! I loved seeing the story and the situations play out from each perspective. The suspense ratchets up throughout the first half of the book leading to some great scenes. And then the plot kicks into high-gear and we get one long adventure leading to the conclusion of the book. I loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile: