Cordelia lives with her mother in a house without doors. Her only allowed friend is her mother's white horse Falada, whom she rides daily. Her mother forces her to be silent and motionless for hours or days on end and is an evil sorcerer. Her mother moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his sister Hester. They're likely her mother's next victims, but Cordelia feels at home for the very first time. Now she must decide whether to obey her mother or save the people who have become like family.

Cordelia's punishment is horrifying: her mother literally controls her body and keeps her from moving, speaking, eating, or even using the bathroom without her mother's explicit direction. This is the only world she has known, with no agency, belongings, or privacy of her own. She's pushed into the world of polite society under her mother's thumb, but Hester is aware that Cordelia has been abused, but not how. Hester feels protective and has friends of her own that she tries to enlist to help Cordelia and her brother, but isn't aware she's up against a ruthless sorceress willing to do anything to get what she wants.

Poor Cordelia literally shakes and has no idea how anything works when she first arrives at the manor and slowly comes out of her shell. Hester felt sorry for herself and her age and soon moved beyond her own immediate needs to try helping others. Like other T. Kingfisher books, it's a subtle battle. There are some flashy moments, and I was surprised by them. The clues for how the story would end are there, and I enjoyed the way we got a fitting conclusion for the characters.

I’m here all day long for T. Kingfisher’s aging, aching protagonists, with bad knees and big hearts and a well-honed sense of doom. The plot is a very loose retelling of The Goose Girl, minus princesses and kings and plus a conniving, murderous, sorceress mother. Evangeline, aka Doom, is determined to marry herself and her trapped, obedient daughter to the highest bidders in proper Regency-esque fashion, plans thwarted when she encounters a squire’s spinster sister who sees her for exactly who she is. There’s a coterie of women to the rescue: the no-nonsense Hester, the ruthless Imogene, the enchanting Penelope, and eventually Doom’s daughter Cordelia herself.

It’s not rah-rah feminism so much as it is changing the terms for who we deem worthy of consideration, agency, and power in these stories. In T. Kingfisher fashion, that includes the animal world as well. I’d happily read a whole series of Hester and her geese and her friends (including Richard) living their best life and thwarting the monsters in whatever form they take.

**4.5-stars**

A Sorceress Comes to Call is an Adult Fantasy release from T. Kingfisher, one of my favorite authors. It's a release I've personally been anticipating for almost a year. This is a re-imagining of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl fairy tale, and while I've never read the original source material, I am familiar enough with it to appreciate the clever connections Kingfisher made here.

In this story, we meet our girl, Cordelia. She lives with her Mom and her Mom's equine companion, Falada. Cordelia's Mom is...let's say, eccentric. Reading of their relationship is a bit painful at times, be forewarned. Her Mom rules their house with an iron fist. Cordelia is made to bend to her will, always. One may wonder how Cordelia's Mother is able to exude such authority and I guess, the answer is fairly simple, she's a sorceress.

After a suspicious death in their small village, Cordelia is forced to flee town with her Mom and Falada. They end up at a remote country manor, where a wealthy bachelor, known as the Squire, lives with his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia's Mom sets her sights on the Squire, hoping to lure him into a marriage arrangement. Cordelia sees her Mom's intentions and fears for the well-meaning older gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister. Hester isn't fooled though and has no desire to see her bro end up with such a conniving witch. It's not just her brother she's worried about though. She's noticed Cordelia shrinks into herself anytime her mother approaches.

That can't be a good sign.

What follows is an insanely humorous romp where good battles evil. There's magic and intrigue, hijinks, betrayals and lies. Humor and love and kindness and wrath, all rolled into one. Witty banter and lovable characters like only Kingfisher can do. Unsurprisingly, I fell in love with this story. It was so creative and well-crafted. I was transported while reading it. It felt all-consuming.

I'm sure some of you are wondering, if I loved it so much, why didn't I give it 5-stars? I think upon reread, I probably will bump it up. There's a lot happening, bordering on chaotic, and I feel like I maybe missed some of the finer details. Now that I know where it's all going, I feel like upon reread, I'll be able to pick up, enjoy and retain more of those smaller details.

Let's be clear though, a 4.5-star is still a super stellar-rating from me, and I do absolutely plan on reading this one again; as I do with most of Kingfisher's works.


The character development was fantastic. I felt so bad for Cordelia initially. She was such a timid thing, all at her mother's hand. It def tugged at the heart-strings. The best thing that ever happened to her, IMO, was meeting Hester. Hester was by far the star of the show for me. I loved her so much. Maybe because we have a lot of common. We're both old maids, both way more witty than people give us credit for and both ready to kick some ass if necessary.

With Cordelia and her Mom staying at the Squire's, Cordelia and Hester get the opportunity to spend time together and it was nice to watch their relationship blossom. There was such a fun element too involving a house party, planned by Hester, and the horrific aftermath of that leads to a bit of a suspicious death investigation. I wasn't expecting it to go in that direction, so was delighted when it did.

Our good characters band together to try to vanquish the evil which surrounds them. It was hilarious and wacky and wild and fun. Kingfisher's writing is sure to make you forget everything else going on in your life. This story becomes your life when you're reading it. It was just as darkly magical and enchanting as I was anticipating.

This was an absolute delight to read. I can't wait to get a hard copy for my shelves, although I would recommend the audiobook to anyone who has that available to them. The narration by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens truly brought this story to life.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Kingfisher is such a talent.
This is a perfect blend of humor with darker Fantasy elements! Recommended for all!

This started dark and sad, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but once we got into the meat of the story I was *hooked*.
I adored the magic, the truly wonderful found family, the character growth we see in the MC, and the whole cast of supporting characters!
If you’re a fan of T Kingfisher’s other work, or just enjoy a dark, tense, but funny read, I would highly recommend A Sorceress Comes to Call!

Thank you Tor Nightfire for my free ARC of A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher — available Aug 6!

» READ IF YOU «
🖤 are a big fan of dark fairytales and fantasy
🧙‍♀️ love quirky, immediately-in-you-heart characters
🐦‍⬛ enjoy anything else written by T. Kingfisher

» SYNOPSIS «
Cordelia knows her mother likes control, but sometimes she goes too far with the need to compel of those around her, including Cordelia. But fortunately, Cordelia can escape her troubles with a ride with their beautiful horse Falada, until one day when everything goes wrong. When her mother drags her to the home of a wealthy Squire she hopes to trick into marriage, Cordelia will discover unlikely allies in her quest to break from from control and save those she cares about.

» REVIEW «
Listen, if you haven't read a T. Kingfisher before, you are seriously missing out. Her characters are just so well-written and so deliciously quirky — they immediately worm their way into your heart, even the side characters. Cordelia and the gang are no exception. I love how these light, adorable characters are always placed into such dark, sinister stories; it's a juxtaposition that is a true specialty of T. Kingfisher, and probably why I love all of her stories so much. It's kind of like Tim Burton movies, in book form?

But I digress. Cordelia's story enraptured me from the very start and I never really put this book down. I love me a dark fairytale, and this one checked all of my boxes. Highly recommend it if you like similar vibes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well. This was compulsively readable. Did I enjoy it? I'm genuinely not sure. It was shocking, addictive, and well-written, but not necessarily a pleasant experience. 4/5.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is eerie, mystery, dark, and a regency horror at the same time.

In this story, Cordelia, a young adult, lives with her mother, who is manipulative and is a powerful sorcerer. They find shelter with a squire and his sister Hester. Hester is aware of some danger, but will she be able to save her loved ones in time?

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but I did know that their books have themes that are dark as well as maybe a bit eccentric and macabre. This book is all of that and more. I enjoyed reading this book, but I had to take breaks because this book's theme of parental and animal abuse is not easy to read. So please beware that it is high on content warnings. I have read only one other book like this one, and I am slowly liking this genre of books.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review! Kingfisher is always a joy to read. The darker elements are balanced out by interesting characters, humor, and a reliable flock of defense geese.

⇢➤ Plot: Cordelia is the daughter-- and frequently victim-- of a sorceress. Her mother uses her magic to compel and control those around her. When her latest benefactor falls through, they travel to the home of the Squire, a wealthy bachelor. They find he is not alone: His sister Hester, a 51-year old with a bad knee, appears to be a harmless, senile woman. But Hester is sharper than she looks. She quickly realizes something is wrong and must unravel the sorceress’s plot to save Cordelia and the rest of the household.

*Please note there are scenes of parental abuse that may be triggering.

⇢➤ Pros: This is a Grimm retelling of “Goose Girl.” Kingfisher manages to keep the core uncanniness of a Grimm retelling through a less-gorey lens for the majority of the book. The description of obedience is so eerie, even from the onset of the novel, it disquiets the reader. The true uncanniness and violence is packed into the last 20% of the book. (Falada, if you have no haters, it is because I’m dead.)

The rest is counterbalanced by Hester’s dry satire, the absurdity of upper society rules, and the side characters pulling together a hare-brained scheme in the last half of the novel. I loved all of the side characters, especially Evermore and Willard. Imogene and Penelope round out the absurd friend group. With them in the wings, Cordelia is able to grow throughout the story. Though it’s deeply rooted in trauma, having a 14-year old shut-in as the main narrator helps introduce the world. Hester’s perspective then helps flush out the severity of Cordelia’s abuse and her mother’s villainy.

⇢➤ Cons: As the story is told through Cordelia and Hester, there is little backstory regarding Cordelia’s mother. There is discussion in the middle of the novel about the perception of sorcerers (largely that they’ve died off and the remaining are of little consequence) so I was interested how the titular sorceress managed to hold onto such power. Having more details into her backstory may have helped flush out the ending. Other than that, I thought the pacing, humor, and side characters really brought the story to life.

⇢➤ Recommended for fans of: Naomi Novik

I really enjoyed this Grimm retelling. T Kingfisher delivers as usually. I appreciated the dual perspectives between Cordelia and Hester and loved to hate Evangeline so much. I can’t wait for more readers to find this story and fall in love, I’ll be reviewing and raving about this book to my community for sure.

Kingfisher is on fire lately! I've read a lot of her books, and they are always so unique and charming. I'm sometimes a bit hard to convince with fairytale retellings, but this is a great adaptation of The Goose Girl.

This is a dark retelling of The Goose Girl (which I was completely unfamiliar with). I’m a fan of the way that Kingfisher twists fairy takes and this was no exception. Packed with humor and loveable characters, I definitely see this fitting into the cozy horror genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Nightfire for the copy of this ARC! This is out now!

Thank you to Tor publishing group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

T Kingfisher has no misses! I enjoyed this fast paced standalone fantasy very loosely Interpreted from The Goose Girl. I enjoyed the unlikely friends and enjoyed the multiple POVs from different characters at play. Pacing was good and it kept me interested the whole time. Overall, fun fast paced read that kept me engaged the whole time.

First, a disclaimer: Idk anything about Goose Girl. As such, I have no idea how this compares. So good luck with that part.

Gosh I love T. Kingfisher. This was so quirky and fun, yet also quite heartfelt. From the start, my heart broke for Cordelia, being raised by this awful mother Evangeline. By like chapter 2 I was thinking off ways to off this B. She sucks. And now she's whisked Cordelia away to some stuffy old manor, where she's going to try to seduce the older gentleman who lives there, and try to marry off Cordelia while she's at it. Also, Cordelia is fourteen. See what I mean about feeling homicidal?

Luckily, the gang at the manor isn't going to let this happen without a fight! Hester, the sister of the aforementioned older gentleman, is feisty and wonderful. So she gets to scheming, and enlists the help of some friends to do so. What ensues is all kinds of shenanigans, from both Hester & Co as well as Evangeline, who we can tell isn't going to go down without a fight either.

The humorous bits absolutely balance out the darker bits perfectly, which is always my favorite part of a T. Kingfisher story. Sure, it's dark and messed up, but it's funny and whitty too. I will say, there were maybe a few bits that I felt dragged a wee bit, but this is a very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Overall, I adored the book, especially Hester's character, and the adventure of trying to stop Evangeline from ruining all their lives.

Bottom Line: It's dark and it's fun, which is how you know it's another hit from T. Kingfisher!

I fell in love with T. Kingfisher's fantasy novels after I read Nettle & Bone a few years ago, and while I was a less impressed with Thornhedge I hoped that this book would blow me away again. Unfortunately it did. That's not to say I didn't like it, because I did. I thought it was a fun story with great characters, but it just felt slightly lacking to me. I'm not even really sure I can communicate why, because there was nothing about it that really stood out as something I didn't like. It was even longer than usual, an honest to god book instead of a novella, which I also enjoyed. I think in the end perhaps it was just a little...plain. Nettle & Bone was so different, and while this certainly wasn't ordinary/run of the mill by any standards, it also didn't feel like anything mind-blowing. The one thing I do appreciate was that one of our main POV characters was older (50+ at least, maybe even 60+, I don't remember exactly). One issue I can pinpoint was that it ended so abruptly. It went from "we've defeated the big bad" to "epilogue tying things up" in the span of a few pages, and I just feel like it could have expanded a little more between the two. Again, that's not to say it was bad. Kingfisher once again writes about a rather heavy subject with grace and tact, and she sprinkles some humor into her stories so that things never get TOO heavy, but so far I still have failed to recapture that magic I felt when reading Nettle & Bone for the first time. And while that may be the case, I will still happily recommend this book to those looking for a fun, inventive fantasy novel while eagerly awaiting the next fantasy novel Kingfisher writes, because I'm not going to give up hope that the next one will remind me of the first.

This was such a phenomenal fairy tale retelling! I'm not overly familiar with the Goose Girl, although I think it might have been in a large book of fairy tales I read often as a child. It seems vaguely familiar.

The retelling was a dark and compelling read. This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and I loved the writing style.The story is filled with wit and a good amount of tension. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I enjoyed watching Cordelia grow as the story progresses, and Hester was a fantastic character from start to finish. I adored her romantic storyline! It's always nice seeing romance between more mature couples.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This took me a bit to get into,
I didn’t really start to like it till the 30% mark but once I got to that point. I liked it so much more, it went from a 2⭐️ to a 4⭐️

A Sorceress Comes to Call is unconventional and delightfully dark—which is impressive considering its source material, the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, is already so macabre.

Readers can pinpoint the villain from the start, which is an interesting—and well-executed—authorial choice. The story then becomes not about identifying the evildoer but about bringing her to justice. For fourteen-year-old Cordelia, sorceress Evangeline’s daughter, stopping the abusive woman is of outmost importance. Despite her isolation and lack of received affection, Cordelia is timid but not weak, awkward but not unintelligent, and clumsy but unfailingly kind. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the wider world through her eyes and rooting for her as she grew out from under her mother’s thumb.

The side characters complement Cordelia perfectly and add the extra grit and wry humor to the story that would have been otherwise difficult, given Cordelia’s age. I adored Hester and Lord Evermore and rooted for them to somehow end up together—but not officially together—the entire time. Hester’s friends were just as quirky, and their generosity toward Cordelia struck me again and again. Not a single one of them was unlikeable, even Hester’s older brother, the oblivious target of Evangeline’s machinations.

I’m hesitant to give a full five stars mostly because I found the plot a bit insular, though it suits Cordelia’s upbringing. I suppose throwaway mentions of other magic-wielders as nuisances—and thus Evangeline as powerful beyond belief—were too intriguing for me to settle for not learning more. I also found the pacing to be just a tad off; Cordelia’s pre-marriage scheme life felt prolonged, though again, it enhanced the despair of her circumstances. So, although not a perfect read, A Sorceress Comes to Call fulfilled everything I could have wanted, from misunderstood spinsters to raucous dinner parties and familiars that are far too creepy for their own good.

TL/DR: This was such an enjoyable read. Sly humor + fairy tale action... Really fun, especially for fans of traditional fairy tales (think Brothers Grimm).

If you're a fan of bad-ass heroines, funky magic, spells, friendship and fairy tales, then this is a book for you. In "A Sorceress Comes to Call" you find the familiar shapes and storylines of traditional fairy tales, but pay attention because T. Kingfisher makes this story their own and this is not your grandmother's fairy tale.

I don't want to divulge too much of the plot but you will enjoy the rollicking ride all the way through to the end! I am now on the hunt for more books by T. Kingfisher!

Many thanks to the publisher (Tor Publishing Group) and to NetGalley for the ARC allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you very much for the arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this. T. Kingfisher is a master storyteller and this was such an interesting and unique take on the Goose Girl, much darker and more devious. It was a bit of a darker Ella Enchanted as well I suppose. I love her prose and the audiobook was fantastically done. Just overall a beautiful tale!

Another winner from T Kingfisher! I'd recommend this book for fans of dark fairy tales. It's almost a cross between two of her previous books - "What Moves the Dead" and "Nettle and Bone."

Cordelia and Hester are our main characters - the naïve "Goose Girl" from the fairy tale, and the kind of wise older woman that T Kingfisher writes so very well.

This is not an exact retelling of the story, more "inspired by" the Goose Girl. In this story, Cordelia has been controlled by her mother her entire life. Her mother is the Sorceress in the title of the book, and she is a real piece of work. She decides to enchant and marry a wealthy squire, who happens to have an unmarried sister, Hester. Hester is not ok with this plan, and begins to scheme to stop the wedding.

There's a lot more, and it's worth knowing that this is quite dark and has some moments of real horror. Even so, T Kingfisher cannot stop herself from making it quite heartwarming, and giving us some memorable and loveable side characters. I loved every minute of reading this and highly recommend it!