Simplicity Is Not Always the Answer: a review of A Sorceress Comes to Call

I have read books that tried too hard to do too much, but this was a first: a book that tried too hard to NOT do too much. Don't get me wrong, this story had a ton of potential. I remember reading about it on Goodreads before it came out and being completely intrigued. The problem is that it never went beyond its potential.

This was my first book by Kingfisher, although my husband read What Moves the Dead last year. He finished that one rather underwhelmed, and I finished this one with similar sentiments.

First of all, the story couldn't decide on a genre. Was it attempting to capture the vibes of a medieval fairytale (like the one it was loosely retelling)? Or was it trying to fit into the cozy fantasy vibes that are so popular these days? I felt it flip-flopped between those too aesthetics until the end, when there was an attempt at turning the whole thing into something of a cozy horror story. This frustrated me, but more because of how it wrecked the narrative on a more granular level.

In what era is this story supposed to be taking place? One moment (or rather, at the beginning), the characters are speaking in very old fashioned ways-- horses and dresses and lords and ladies are discussed-- making you feel as if you were immersed in some sort of old-fashioned fairytale world. But then, as the story progressed, there were no landmarks or descriptions to hint at where or in what world you were, and added to this was the increasingly modern language used by the characters.

It seems as though, in an attempt to write and short and simple fairytale retelling, what was left out actually became a distraction.

The plot itself had me hooked, and started off so strongly. But the middle dragged on. Characters that had so much potential to be well-rounded and believable, fell flat, and ultimately, the ending was anticlimactic, drawn out, and lackluster.

But I am getting ahead of myself. The plot surrounds the life of Cordelia, whose mother is a powerful Sorceress and controls her life. Her only companion is her mother's horse, Falada, but the reveal of Falada's true nature (which should have been a major plot twist), was glossed over. Ultimately, the potential for the tense mother-daughter relationship, the horror of emotional (and even occasional physical abuse) by a parent, the intrigue of why magic is outlawed, and the beauty of (other than Cordelia) having the majority of the cast of characters be middle-aged, was passed over as simply an acknowledgement and nothing more.

This short retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale fell flat. Each introduction to a character in the story was wonderful, but then their development never went anywhere. And finally, in the conclusion of the story, everyone just was magically happy... even Cordelia who had literally been raised in an abusive home, didn't have to acknowledge or account for any of that trauma. Additionally, Hester, who, upon her introduction was instantly a favorite character, could not explain her reasoning for how she answered the man she loved it was just [REDACTED].

The redeeming qualities to the novel, were the idea that draws you in, and the colorful characters. Unfortunately, the plot felt rushed and incomplete, the characters didn't develop at all, and the ending was rushed and anticlimactic. I wanted so much more from this book, and the most frustrating thing was that it COULD HAVE been so much more than it was. Two stars for interesting characters and a decent idea.