Scan barcode
ravensandpages's reviews
585 reviews
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!
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
3.0
I received an ARC eons ago in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Penguin Teen.
The Keeper of Night follows half Reaper, half Shinigami Ren Scarborough, a girl who has never had a place in the violent hierarchy of reapers in her "home" of London despite her best efforts to navigate its cruelty. When defending herself leads to exile and a death sentence, she leaves behind everything she knows to seek refuge in Japan, only bringing along her younger brother in her quest to become a true Shinigami and serve the Goddess of Death, who requires Ren to prove herself by slaying three demons.
Ren's narration really left me torn. There were aspects of being her head that I truly did not enjoy, but the parts I did like were enough to help me finish the book! I liked the honest expression of anger and regret portrayed in her journey, and how she pushed the person who cared for her away to keep reaching for something she only thought she wanted. I really liked how this came together in the ending. The way her struggles with her heritage weave into the narrative was well done, and I am not surprised to glance at other reviews and see so many readers it resonated with! I also enjoyed the historical aspect and the exploration of Japanese folklore.
Overall, though, I think there were too many aspects that fell flat for me. There was a bit more telling than showing for me, especially when it came to the romance between Ren and Hiro, and at the end of the day, I did not enjoy the chosen portrayal of Reapers and Shinigami. They felt far more like humans with powers than the otherworldly spirits and specters of death I would have expected them to be. I recognize this is purely a personal preference, but it became very hard for me to appreciate the book for what it was rather than what I wanted it to be, and the more I thought about the more that the worldbuilding around them felt really underdeveloped. I think just approaching it as humans with powers or servants of Gods would have served the narrative a bit better.
I will be trying Kylie Lee Baker's other work, but I don't think I'll be reading the sequel. I would still recommend you try this if you read the summary and think it might be something you'll enjoy!
The Keeper of Night follows half Reaper, half Shinigami Ren Scarborough, a girl who has never had a place in the violent hierarchy of reapers in her "home" of London despite her best efforts to navigate its cruelty. When defending herself leads to exile and a death sentence, she leaves behind everything she knows to seek refuge in Japan, only bringing along her younger brother in her quest to become a true Shinigami and serve the Goddess of Death, who requires Ren to prove herself by slaying three demons.
Ren's narration really left me torn. There were aspects of being her head that I truly did not enjoy, but the parts I did like were enough to help me finish the book! I liked the honest expression of anger and regret portrayed in her journey, and how she pushed the person who cared for her away to keep reaching for something she only thought she wanted. I really liked how this came together in the ending. The way her struggles with her heritage weave into the narrative was well done, and I am not surprised to glance at other reviews and see so many readers it resonated with! I also enjoyed the historical aspect and the exploration of Japanese folklore.
Overall, though, I think there were too many aspects that fell flat for me. There was a bit more telling than showing for me, especially when it came to the romance between Ren and Hiro, and at the end of the day, I did not enjoy the chosen portrayal of Reapers and Shinigami. They felt far more like humans with powers than the otherworldly spirits and specters of death I would have expected them to be. I recognize this is purely a personal preference, but it became very hard for me to appreciate the book for what it was rather than what I wanted it to be, and the more I thought about the more that the worldbuilding around them felt really underdeveloped. I think just approaching it as humans with powers or servants of Gods would have served the narrative a bit better.
I will be trying Kylie Lee Baker's other work, but I don't think I'll be reading the sequel. I would still recommend you try this if you read the summary and think it might be something you'll enjoy!
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3.5
All dads are secretly whimsical in their own ways.