I wanted to pause and talk about Cordelia’s character and the way her relationship with her mother is portrayed. The depiction of an abusive parent/child dynamic feels incredibly well done; the constant fear, the hypervigilance, always watching over her shoulder and making sure her mother doesn’t hear her thoughts, etc.

I don’t have personal experience with abusive parents myself, but I work in social work and youth care, and from my professional perspective the way T. Kingfisher writes Cordelia’s inner world feels very real and accurate. It makes me feel very protective over her; in the same way I’ve felt protective of the kids and teens I’ve worked with in the past. It’s both heartbreaking and fascinating to read, and it adds so much depth to the story.