Past Due Reviews [9]

I am really behind on reviewing some of the books I read this year (and last), so I'm going to knock out a few right now! I'll try to squeeze another Past Due Reviews post in before the end of the year, but I'm not making any promises. Hopefully this will at least make a dent!

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

🎧 Eliza Foss & Jennifer Pickens

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic.

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

I really enjoyed A Sorceress Comes to Call and thought the narrators were amazing! I loved both Cordelia and Hester as characters, and I think they did a wonderful job of bringing them to life and making their individual perspectives unique. 

Cordelia lives with her mother and has no idea who her father is. She was raised in a home with an abusive parent that would control her body, lock up her mind, and forbid her from closing doors or having friends. Cordelia was something to be used by her mother to further her plans, and you can see the toll it starts to take on her after awhile. She's terrified of upsetting her mother, and the fear she feels when she can no longer move her body, or when she accidentally misjudges what mood her mother is in, can be felt through the pages. 

Her mother has a horse familiar, Falada, that is tasked with keeping an eye on Cordelia. For the first part of the book, Falada is her only friend and confidant. She tells him her secret thoughts and feelings, whispers ideas of escape and a better life into his mane, and enjoys the false freedom she experiences when they go out for rides together. I thought this was really well done on the author's part. You can feel how much trust and love Cordelia pours into Falada, and how his wellbeing is more important to her than her own.

Cordelia has to go along with her mother's plans whether she wants to or not, so when she sets her sights on an unmarried man living with his sister, Cordelia is helpless to stop her. She is forced to play the obedient daughter, and her mother doesn't hesitate to take control when her performance is unsatisfactory. Luckily for her, Hester isn't fooled by Evangeline. She will do whatever it takes to keep her away from her brother and hopefully save Cordelia in the process.

I loved the relationship between Cordelia and Hester. Despite the age difference, they form a bond out of necessity, but quickly come to rely on and genuinely care for one another. Once Hester learns the truth about the body control, and believes what Cordelia tells her, Hester and her friends (a quirky bunch of ladies and an old lover) come up with a plan to get rid of Evangeline. Unfortunately for them, Evangeline has no desire to relinquish control and leave quietly. She fights dirty and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants.

Also, the geese! They were a force to be reckoned with and I absolutely loved them.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. I loved the characters and even liked hating Evangeline. She was written really well and I was so satisfied with the ending. Kingfisher wove a captivating tale of magic and unexpected friendships, and I can’t wait to dive into more of their books. (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Curse of Penryth Hall (Ruby Vaughn, #1) by Jess Armstrong

Synopsis (via Goodreads): An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

I had so much fun reading The Curse of Penryth Hall. Ruby is such a relatable character and I enjoyed experiencing this story from her perspective. 

Ruby had an affluent upbringing but was sent away from her family due to a scandal involving her and someone else. She ends up working for an old bookshop owner that frequently sends her on errands to deliver and pick up books. Occasionally, these trips end up being more exciting than they should be. The old bookshop owner has secrets of his own that he's unwilling to share, and demons from his past that haunt his waking moments. I loved their friendship and somewhat familial relationship. 

One of these errands puts Ruby in close proximity to an old friend, Tamsyn. Due to a falling out, the two haven't spoken since Tamsyn's wedding. After receiving a letter, Ruby feels compelled to visit and check on her friend. Unfortunately, Tamsyn’s husband dies under mysterious circumstances while Ruby is visiting, setting off a series of events that she isn’t prepared for but is drawn into nonetheless. 

I thought the author did a wonderful job with the magical realism in this book. It was hard to tell if there was a curse that required the Pellar's involvement, or if it was just superstitious townsfolk trying to justify something terrible with something unexplainable. It's easier to believe there's a curse than to think one of their own is capable of murder. 

I really enjoyed the relationship between Ruby and the Pellar, Ruan Kivell. He's the town healer and the person the townspeople believe will solve and break the curse. Ruby is understandably skeptical of his abilities, but the two form an unlikely team that quickly turns into more as they try to solve the mystery together. 

This is a really well done whodunit mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. The second book, The Secret of the Three Fates, was published last year, and I'm looking forward to going on more adventures with Ruby (and hopefully Ruan). (★★★★☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Raiders of the Lost Heart (Raiders of the Lost Heart, #1) by Jo Segura

🎧 Frankie Corzo

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.

It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true...and she’s right.

As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.

But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.

I wanted to like Raiders of the Lost Heart more than I did. A romance with an Indiana Jones vibes? Yes, please! Unfortunately, neither character was all that likeable, and the romance left a lot to be desired. I honestly thought Corrie could have done a lot better than Ford. He didn't treat her well, and it wasn't the enemies-to-lovers I thought it would be. 

Ford needs Corrie to complete a very important - very expensive - dig. Why does he need her? Because he's using her research to find an artifact about her ancestor. She's also the person his benefactor initially wanted for this expedition, but Ford stole it from her before she was ever approached with the offer. Then he has the audacity to trick her into helping him? It was impossible to like him and I found no redeeming qualities for him as their "relationship" progressed.

Corrie has every reason to hate Ford and be upset with him, but she also doesn't know the entire truth regarding their current situation. She's very childish in her interactions with him, and she didn't always act her age. I found her personality to be a little annoying and not very relatable. 

All in all, I was curious about the archeological aspects of this book, and thought the history and lore behind Chimalli was interesting, but the characters left a bad taste in my mouth. (★★★☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.