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pandimensional 's review for:
A Sorceress Comes to Call
by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
T Kingfisher is always a bit like this for me. Premise - superb! Tone - wonderful! Characters - adorable! And yet the overall story falls flat.
I think in this case it's a combination of some very odd set up and pay off in the character arcs (one character's major obstacle is resolved with a solution that has nothing to do with their established problem) and some lacklustre scene framing (a lot of characters sitting around and thinking about things which could have been reframed into conversations or action sequences that would drive their arcs/the narrative forwards and help ground them in their world).
Some amazing concepts were introduced and then just kinda petered out as the story progressed. The horror elements ended up feeling a bit half-hearted despite some gorgeous descriptive passages, because the scenes between them had nothing to really maintain the tension that should have been suffusing the situation.
All in all, I loved the bits that worked, it just felt like it needed another editing pass. I'd still abslutely recommend picking it up if you want an easy-reading, dark-fairytale-feeling story.
I think in this case it's a combination of some very odd set up and pay off in the character arcs (one character's major obstacle is resolved with a solution that has nothing to do with their established problem) and some lacklustre scene framing (a lot of characters sitting around and thinking about things which could have been reframed into conversations or action sequences that would drive their arcs/the narrative forwards and help ground them in their world).
Some amazing concepts were introduced and then just kinda petered out as the story progressed. The horror elements ended up feeling a bit half-hearted despite some gorgeous descriptive passages, because the scenes between them had nothing to really maintain the tension that should have been suffusing the situation.
All in all, I loved the bits that worked, it just felt like it needed another editing pass. I'd still abslutely recommend picking it up if you want an easy-reading, dark-fairytale-feeling story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail