Helloooo and welcome back. It’s been a long time hasn’t it… The last 6 months have been a whirlwind of different forms of bookish content but one of the things I have been happy to get back into were longer form reviews. It’s something I wanted to do more of which is why I switched over to YouTube as my blog posts weren’t giving me much joy. But I am slowly making my way back to blogging. So let’s jump back in with my first review since September 2024….

• Author: T. Kingfisher
• Series: Standalone
• Genre: Horror/Fantasy
• Star Rating: 5 stars

Plot: Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, 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 sorcerers. After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister. Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

An incredibly engaging, character led fantasy following a young woman whose terrifying mother schemes to try and marry rich to elevate their status. (Simplified one line I must say)

On the surface it seems very simple and something we have seen in the likes of The Gilded Age, Bridgerton or Downton Abbey for example but Kingfisher adds a secondary layer to her story following a narrative of abuse, manipulation and dark magic. Cordelia, the daughter of a very powerful sorceress, struggles to exist through the day dealing with her mother’s machinations and emotions. Never being allowed to close a door to not being able to control her own body when her mother puts her under a spell.

Reading the pages and pages of suffering Cordelia goes through and how that impacts how she views and interacts with the world is a heartbreaking read. But I loved watching her grow, learn how to trust and how to gain strength in herself.

I loved the comedy of manners style to this book. The fantasy, especially in the first half, is minimal as we focus on our collection of characters. Their motivations and their wants. And honestly I was so entertained by the the plotting of our Sorceress to woo a man under the confines of polite society. I felt like I was watching a historical piece of scheming and plotting but don’t worry if you came for the fantasy Kingfisher is known for you will NOT be disappointed. That second half is a gut punch but you need that more characters focused half to really set the groundwork for why you should care about these characters and why the magic is important.

This would be perfect as a play! I want it on the stage!