When There Are No Experts to Call

Hester wakes up sweating because she feels something wicked coming her way. Not long after, the evil presence, Evangeline, knocks on the door with her daughter Cordelia in tow. Evangeline is intent on seducing Hester’s brother by any means necessary. After Hester sees how eerily Cordelia is controlled by her mother, Hester fears that her brother might face the same fate. How will Hester outsmart Evangeline to save her brother and Cordelia from ruin?

I found it interesting that the characters have to struggle to find a solution in handling Evangeline. Usually, in fantasy stories, there is a go-to person who can help defeat the evil lurking around or a detailed list of instructions to follow. Hester gathered her friends for help against Evangeline. While all of them realize that Evangeline is sinister, they don’t have a clue on how to vanquish her. There are no experts in town about the supernatural, which leaves the group only one thing to do: pray that one of their libraries contains anything about the supernatural that could help them in the quest to get rid of Evangeline for good. 

It is a hard task since they are not exactly sure what they should be looking for. For example, do they need a sacrifice, an incantation, or a potion to rid themselves of evil? It’s similar to real life. If most people were faced with evil, they wouldn’t know where to start. I think that is why I liked the book so much because it felt as if I was along for the ride as Hester and her friends search high and low for a solution to their Evangeline problem. It illustrates that finding solutions takes long, hard work and a bit of ingenuity. 

Hester and her friends were not the only ones that realize Evangeline is a threat. Hester raises geese. She noticed that the geese can’t stand Evangeline or her horse, and how they tried to make them go away. It shows how animals are great judges of character. They can sense intent and danger more than humans can. Instead of dismissing their strange behavior, more people need to be like Hester and her friends who take the geese’s actions directly to heart. 

But what do you do when evil enters the home and takes control? That is something that is explored in the relationship between Cordelia and her mother. In my review of T. Kingfisher’s Wolf Worm, we talked about how scary parasitic insects are for animals because parasites take over the animal’s functionality and agency, and what would happen if Dr. Halder figured out how to use parasites to control people. T. Kingfisher takes the thoughts around possession to a whole new level in A Sorceress Comes to Call. Cordelia is possessed constantly by her mother. Cordelia has to watch in horror while her mom controls how her body speaks and moves. Cordelia is constantly weaponized to lie and physically harm herself and others.

The mental and emotional toll that it takes on Cordelia is heartbreaking, especially since Cordelia sees no way out of the situation without herself or others being hurt. It is terrifying to read because of the implications. If someone can easily take control of a person, they are never allowed to be their true self.

Overall, I liked the book a lot. There wasn’t a straightforward answer to defeating Evangeline. The characters had to throw solutions at the wall to see what sticks, which is very true to real life when facing the unknown. I also liked how it explored the concept of possession. While Evangeline gets everything that she wants out of the act, it leaves Cordelia powerless and afraid. Losing your autonomy is one of the worst things that can happen to a person.

I can relate to Cordelia in a way because I can’t use my arms and legs like I want to. However, I would be terrified if a puppet master had control of my body. Having the freedom to say, think, and do your own thing is a right and shouldn’t be forced away from you. In the spirit of the book, I ask the following question: Do you think that there are people like Evangeline in the world who try to force their will on others without regard for their needs or wants?