Calling by Molly Harper young adult YA fantasy book reviewsCalling by Molly Harper young adult YA fantasy book reviewsCalling by Molly Harper

Calling (2022), the final installment in Molly Harper‘s SORCERY AND SOCIETY trilogy, brings Sarah Smith’s journey to a close. You’ll want to read Changeling and Fledgling first (expect spoilers for those installments in this review).

This story continues with Sarah, Alicia, and Ivy hiding out in the English countryside with the changeling children they’ve rescued. They’re trying to protect them from the looming threat of Miss Morton’s zombie army. The stakes are high, as the girls must not only save the world but also remake their inequitable society. Fortunately, Sarah and her friends are getting better at their magic and acquiring more power, but they hope that once they save the world, they can return to their normal teenage lives where they can think about normal teenage girl things, like boys.

Reading Calling with my daughter, we found it, like the previous books, to be often witty and charming, though not always as funny as it thinks it is. Some scenes that aim for humor don’t quite hit the mark, but we did laugh aloud together several times.

Sorcery and Society trilogy by Molly HarperThe story feels rushed at times – there’s a lot to accomplish in this final installment and certain dangers and climactic plot developments resolve too swiftly, diminishing the tension. The evil villain, Miss Morton, comes across as a bit comical and hard to take seriously, which also undercuts some of the tension. We were mildly entertained while reading Calling, but mostly we were ready for the trilogy to conclude. It felt like the expected wind-down of a YA series where everything turns out right in the end.

Overall, Calling serves as a fitting conclusion to Sarah’s journey, offering moments of enjoyment and laughs amidst a predictable and sometimes rushed narrative. I’d encourage fans of this trilogy to check out Gail Carriger‘s FINISHING SCHOOL series (it starts with Etiquette & Espionage). It’s the same sort of thing, just better done.

Amanda Ronconi did a wonderful job with the narration of the audio editions of SORCERY AND SOCIETY.

Published in March 2022. After discovering and rescuing a group of magical Changelings just like herself, Sarah Smith must now figure out what to do with the unruly children – and how to keep them and the rest of the magical world safe! Having left the structure of Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magic Instruction of Young Ladies behind, Sarah and her two best friends, Alicia and Ivy, hide out with the Changeling children in the countryside while they try to formulate a plan. They have no weapons, no guidance, and the Mother Book is gone. They only have each other and the creeping threat of Miss Morton’s revenant army on the horizon… New alliances must be forged, and old friends provide what support they can, but the trio wonders who they can truly trust. They are searching for the mysterious artifact that may prove to be the undoing of the undead, after all! As the rest of magical society prepares for what they think is the highlight of Lightbourne’s endless party season, Sarah, Alicia, and Ivy throw themselves headlong into planning for the night that holds their last chance to protect the safety of the entire magical world! Join the ladies of Miss Castwell’s in this adventurous tale of magic, mystery and, occasionally, young romance!

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.

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