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A review by christinecc
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So this was a joy and I'm so, so excited to recommend it to people.
"The Return of the Sorceress" is a novelette or novella (approx. 100 pages long) about Yalxi, the Supreme Mistress of the Guilt of Sorcerers. Except she just got deposed. And she lost her magic diamond, i.e. the source of her tremendous powers. And also she was deposed by her lover and longtime friend (named Xellah) from whom, at the start of the story, she has just barely escaped with her life. Neat, right?
And this is all wrapped up in a world built as easily as if the author had done it by magic. As usual with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work, the story is based in Mexico--or rather a world drawn from pre-Columbian Mexico.
What's ingenious about this story isn't just where we start (i.e. at a super low point for our protagonist), but also how Moreno-Garcia tells two stories at once. One track follows Yalxi's scrappy efforts to stay alive, regain a bit of magic, and retake her title, or at the very least kill the man who betrayed her. The other weaves in allllll the backstory we need, which I won't spoil, but boy is it a masterclass in exposition and character arcs told in retrospect (culminating at the end of the book).
Seriously, this is some of the most efficient writing I've seen in terms of content and structure, even if the prose doesn't look like much at times (Moreno-Garcia makes writing look easy, which says a lot about how skillful she is). I say "at times" because at OTHER times, the prose is noticeably spectacular.
Plot-wise, we get a story about a person who's had to compromise and rationalize her actions over many, many years, and now that she's in danger, she's not the young, spry woman she used to be. But she has the benefit of experience, cunning, and determination. It's a real joy to see those qualities colored by the facts Yalxi chooses to ignore, until eventually she has to face them.
Enthusiastically recommended to anyone who likes character-driven stories, revenge tales, and masterclasses in world-building, character development, and threading backstory into the main narrative.
Thank you (really, really thank you) to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
"The Return of the Sorceress" is a novelette or novella (approx. 100 pages long) about Yalxi, the Supreme Mistress of the Guilt of Sorcerers. Except she just got deposed. And she lost her magic diamond, i.e. the source of her tremendous powers. And also she was deposed by her lover and longtime friend (named Xellah) from whom, at the start of the story, she has just barely escaped with her life. Neat, right?
And this is all wrapped up in a world built as easily as if the author had done it by magic. As usual with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work, the story is based in Mexico--or rather a world drawn from pre-Columbian Mexico.
What's ingenious about this story isn't just where we start (i.e. at a super low point for our protagonist), but also how Moreno-Garcia tells two stories at once. One track follows Yalxi's scrappy efforts to stay alive, regain a bit of magic, and retake her title, or at the very least kill the man who betrayed her. The other weaves in allllll the backstory we need, which I won't spoil, but boy is it a masterclass in exposition and character arcs told in retrospect (culminating at the end of the book).
Seriously, this is some of the most efficient writing I've seen in terms of content and structure, even if the prose doesn't look like much at times (Moreno-Garcia makes writing look easy, which says a lot about how skillful she is). I say "at times" because at OTHER times, the prose is noticeably spectacular.
Plot-wise, we get a story about a person who's had to compromise and rationalize her actions over many, many years, and now that she's in danger, she's not the young, spry woman she used to be. But she has the benefit of experience, cunning, and determination. It's a real joy to see those qualities colored by the facts Yalxi chooses to ignore, until eventually she has to face them.
Enthusiastically recommended to anyone who likes character-driven stories, revenge tales, and masterclasses in world-building, character development, and threading backstory into the main narrative.
Thank you (really, really thank you) to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.