This T. Kingfisher book is a regency-esque novel about an abusive sorceress trying to magically worm her way into a marriage for money with her terrified daughter in tow.

The setting feels like regency mixed with fantasy, but also where all the identifying details of either genre have been blurred out. There's sorcery, social classes, and concerns about money and inheritance. However, there's no specific sense of place here in either a regency or fantasy genre here, and instead the novel comes off as a character-focused comedy of manners and dark fantasy/horror mashup.

As with most T. Kingfisher books, I adored the characters and the character dynamics and that carried a lot of story for me. Maybe this is too personal, but some of the abusive dynamics hit a little too close to home for me (especially the bits around doors and privacy), but it made Cordelia finding safety and trust again all the stronger.