I've recently stepped in to what I like to call my gothic or dark academia era, picking up stories with a more sinister undertone and spooky vibe.
A Sorceress Comes to Call definitely delivered on the sinister vibes and the darkened setting and was overall a very fun read. IT didn't really blow me away in terms of its writing style and it definitely leaned heavily into that fairy-tale-esque feeling. Complete with an evil sorceress with absolutely zero redeeming qualities that also happened to be the protagonist's mother. But in the end, the story was a delight and very entertaining.
I especially related to Cordelia and Evangeline and their mother/ daughter dynamics, though I am not entirely sure why. It was strange and surreal to follow them throughout the story as Evangeline used her magic to control Cordelia, and all the while, something rang true in my subconscious, tickling an uncomfortable place between my ribs, even if I couldn' quite put my finger on it.
“Instinct took over. Cordelia snatched the edge of the blanket and dragged it over her head, curling into the smallest ball that she could. If there were monsters, they couldn’t get her through the blankets. Those were the rules.”
This story was told from a dual perspective which I usually don't enjoy. I've found I prefer settling into the mind of one character as deeply as possible, learning everything I can about them, the way they think and feel and move through the world. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed switching between Cordelia and Hester's views on the same situation occurring before them. Maybe it was because the overarching narrative was written in 3rd person omniscient which created a kind of fluidity that wasn't as jarring as multiple POVs from 1st person perspective? Plus, the two characters were thrown into a situation where they closely related to one another. The dual perspective gave us, the reader, an opportunity to see another side of the equation and how Hester viewed Cordelia and her mother and vice-versa, which I found fascinating.
Balanced with the dark nature of this story there was quite a bit of humor thrown in. I found myself chuckling at quite a few quips from various side-characters. I especially loved Imogene's wry sense of humor, and Penelope was an overall favorite for her overall calming, witty presence.
“I go to confession whenever the guilt gets to be too much.” “And how often is that?” “It hasn’t happened yet, but you never know.”