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ravensandpages's reviews
573 reviews
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Far more slow-paced than I'm in the mood for and not what I was looking for. Tried both ebook and audio. Audio has a pleasant narrator and got me through a good chunk, but I need to pack it up. I might try again physically as a true last ditch.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much, Tor Books!
My favorite part of finishing a T. Kingfisher book is closing the last page and getting to lean back, knowing she's done it again. It's the perfect bow on top, the little chef's kiss, another point in the running for favorite author. A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL became one of my most anticipated reads for the summer as soon as I saw who'd written it, and I am beyond glad I was blessed with an ARC.
A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is an inventive twist on the Brother Grimm's Goose Girl tale, following Cordelia and Hester as they contend with an evil sorceress who will stop at nothing to get her way. For Cordelia, that woman is her mother; for fourteen years she's done her best to survive under her roof, knowing any misstep or sign of dissent will give her mother an excuse to take over her body and force her to be obedient—not that she really needs one. When her mother has them flee in the middle of the night to enact her plan of snaring a richer husband to give Cordelia a better position to find an even richer one, all Cordelia can do is what she asks.
For Hester, that woman is the doom angling to marry her brother. She doesn't trust Evangeline for a moment, and the worrying behavior of her young daughter only builds Hester's suspicion. Summoning her allies, including a few of her closest friends and her old flame, she prepares to go head-to-head with the worst kind of witch there is.
I was charmed by this book, start to finish. I am always so enamored by the way T. Kingfisher builds her characters and the diversity of the age ranges. I've felt this way for the last several books I've read by her, but this one truly cemented how excited I am to reread her work for the rest of my life. The care and attention paid to the rich lives of older characters add something truly special, and I think Hester and Richard emerged as my favorites because of it.
This is definitely the book to pick up if you love character-driven stories that balance the heavier aspects with humor and compassion. The plot isn't full of twists and turns to the end, though it certainly has its moments, (the biggest one for me was revealed right at the beginning, especially given the original tale!), but there's no less drama and stakes for it. I enjoyed watching Cordelia grow into her own while Hester and the other side characters wormed their way into my heart, and I am very much looking forward to revisiting this world in the future!
My favorite part of finishing a T. Kingfisher book is closing the last page and getting to lean back, knowing she's done it again. It's the perfect bow on top, the little chef's kiss, another point in the running for favorite author. A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL became one of my most anticipated reads for the summer as soon as I saw who'd written it, and I am beyond glad I was blessed with an ARC.
A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is an inventive twist on the Brother Grimm's Goose Girl tale, following Cordelia and Hester as they contend with an evil sorceress who will stop at nothing to get her way. For Cordelia, that woman is her mother; for fourteen years she's done her best to survive under her roof, knowing any misstep or sign of dissent will give her mother an excuse to take over her body and force her to be obedient—not that she really needs one. When her mother has them flee in the middle of the night to enact her plan of snaring a richer husband to give Cordelia a better position to find an even richer one, all Cordelia can do is what she asks.
For Hester, that woman is the doom angling to marry her brother. She doesn't trust Evangeline for a moment, and the worrying behavior of her young daughter only builds Hester's suspicion. Summoning her allies, including a few of her closest friends and her old flame, she prepares to go head-to-head with the worst kind of witch there is.
I was charmed by this book, start to finish. I am always so enamored by the way T. Kingfisher builds her characters and the diversity of the age ranges. I've felt this way for the last several books I've read by her, but this one truly cemented how excited I am to reread her work for the rest of my life. The care and attention paid to the rich lives of older characters add something truly special, and I think Hester and Richard emerged as my favorites because of it.
This is definitely the book to pick up if you love character-driven stories that balance the heavier aspects with humor and compassion. The plot isn't full of twists and turns to the end, though it certainly has its moments, (the biggest one for me was revealed right at the beginning, especially given the original tale!), but there's no less drama and stakes for it. I enjoyed watching Cordelia grow into her own while Hester and the other side characters wormed their way into my heart, and I am very much looking forward to revisiting this world in the future!