Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—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 evil sorcerers.
When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother’s next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother’s plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.
Dear Ms. Kingfisher,
Oooh, this one sent a shiver down my spine a time or two. The opening scene involves a kind of horrific “thing” that gets worse each time we hear about it and especially when we see it in action. It’s like ink in a glass of water, spreading from one drop until everything is coated with darkness and evil.
Fourteen year old Cordelia loathes her mother who is a sorceress. Evangeline can “take over” anyone’s body and work it like a puppet. She also (sinisterly) knows what Cordelia is up to and uses that to her advantage. When Evangeline has used up the resources of her protector, she sets her sights on a bluff, hearty Squire as marriage material. Only, Sam’s sister Hester realizes that “Doom” (as she silently calls Evangeline) is up to no good and vows, along with her friends, to stop her. But can they discover what to do and are Evangeline’s powers too great?
I’ve tagged this one as Young-Adult, and Cordelia is certainly one of the MCs but she is not the only main character. I have to be honest and say that I am glad that there are several other adult MCs who help carry the action. While I certainly understand Cordelia’s initial demeanor given how much her mother has put her through, Cordelia’s stammering, meekness, and frightened rabbit-ing would have gotten old in a hurry if that had been all we get from her. I will give her credit that when the rubber meets the road and she realizes she has to, Cordelia screws her courage to the sticking point, stands up and speaks out then becomes an integral part of ending the horror.
Yes! Older people standing up to evil and making a difference. Hester is an astringent fifty year old whom I adore. Imogen, the card sharp aristocrat, is also not to be messed with while Richard is a love who has faithfully loved Hester for decades. Old retainer Willard somehow manages to retain his butlerly dignity even while letting his hair down a bit – and keeping a sharp pair of scissors where they are needed. Alice is brave and kind while Mary is devoted to her lady. And Penelope – I want to be Penelope. They are all ready to pitch in where needed and kick some ass if it comes to that.
Another good point for me is that Hester remains skeptical of Cordelia for a while. Cordelia is, after all, the daughter of Doom and it would have been silly for Hester to immediately trust the daughter of someone she knows is there to wreak some kind of havoc. Many of the other characters are, believably, hesitant to buy into the full immensity of what they’re up against because of the prevalent belief that, hey, all sorcerers are dead, right?
The setting is historical with (my opinion only) bits and pieces of Regency and Victorian England tossed together with an “old country” vs where the action occurs in a “new country.” Elk are mentioned. I just tossed that last one in so readers would know it’s not actually taking place in England. I also caught the brief reference to “Nettle and Bone.”
One CW thing to mention is that Cordelia is, basically, abused by her mother for almost the entirety of her life. The full weight of dread that the story evokes takes a while to build, brick by brick, horrible action by horrible action. And at times, yes, the action slows way down. People die in this one – well, people usually do die in all of your books – so Here Be Death. I’m still mentally debating if the deaths here are gentler than those in the Paladin books. Quicker perhaps but still, dead is dead.
So yay for older characters and creeping horror. Thumbs up that Hester and Richard finally work out their relationship. Hmmm for some slow moments. I will be honest and say that for those who have not enjoyed Kingfisher books in the past, this one will be unlikely to win them over. But for me it’s a solid entry that I inhaled in a day and a half. B
~Jayne
Richard, who was fundamentally an honorable man, folded his arms and tried not to look completely appalled. “I was not expecting this house party to involve quite so much premeditated murder,” he muttered.
“If the alternative is having my brother end up like Parker, I’ll premeditate all kinds of murders,” Hester told him, “with a song in my heart.”
“Fair enough.”
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
