There were good discussions in A Sorceress Comes to Call, but I was never engaged in the plot. I liked Hester as a character more than Cordelia.

I will still definitely pick up more books by T Kingfisher, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. I do think it will appeal to readers who enjoy darker retellings.

This story reimagines a Brothers Grimm story, a fantastical jumping-off point rather than an original concept. The writing is clear and approachable. It was easy to differentiate between internal thoughts, spoken words, and silent communication. However, the main character, Cordelia, felt insufferably slow and naive, as if she were written for a much younger audience. Her ineptitude made her unrelatable as a narrator and diminished my enjoyment of the book. I was more engaged when it shifted to the older character, Hester's, perspective. The plot itself was interesting but felt predictable. It had its moments, and the overall concept was interesting. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this story in early access, thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Tor Books. If you don't mind a younger-feeling protagonist, you might find this book to your liking. For me, it didn't deliver enough to warrant a strong recommendation.

Initial thoughts after finishing this book: not my thing.

The story is a dual POV from Cordelia and Hester. Cordelia is the daughter of the main sorceress in the story, and her world collides with Hester's as the Sorceress does her best to satisfy her greed and need for social climbing. Cordelia is a young teenager girl, whose mother is controlling, manipulative, and of course homicidal in the means to get anything she wants. Hester on the other hand, is an older woman who suspects the Sorceress to be up to no good, and does her best to undermine their evil ways. Both characters in the end team up to work against the Sorceress, and along the way a strong relationship is built.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is my first book by T Kingfisher. I had high expectations of this book because I have had seen great reviews about their work. It's not my thing! But I can definitely say that it could be for someone else. It's light murder mystery, some what in the vein of an Agatha Christie type of book, with magic thrown in there. The second half of the book was definitely favored over the beginning, which was difficult for me to get through. Overall, it was a good read.

Thank you Netgalley, Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I will be posting to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

T. Kingfisher is back in excellent form with this dark retelling of the bloody fairy tale, "Goose Girl." Somehow in my formative years I missed this particular story, so Kingfisher's new novel and Wikipedia gave me a quick run dow on this version and the different variations of the story. Kingfisher's goose girl offers sympathetic characters in the parts of Cordelia, the sorceress' abused daughter, and Hester, the spinster sister of the old Squire upon whom the sorceress has cast her evil plans. This was a great read that kept me up way past my bed time, and I was especially intrigued by the enchanted horse Falada.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Powers That Be for an ARC of this book. It was lovely indeed.

I am absolutely heartbroken right now, but I have to give this one a DNF. 😭 I was raised in an abusive household with a step-mother that was incredibly similar to Evangeline. I tried to push through, but I only managed to get through about 4 chapters and I just had to stop.

Thank you so much to TOR for granting me access to the e-galley. I'm so sorry I am unable to fully read and review this title. 😭 I was really looking forward to it. But for my mental health, I have to put the book down.

From what I can tell, this is beautifully written. T. Kingfisher does a wonderful job quickly establishing the characters and their backgrounds. I so wish I could continue on without risking triggering my PTSD. 😭

I can always count on T. Kingfisher for a moody dark fantasy, and ‘A Sorceress Comes to Call’ did not disappoint. Full of magic, charm, wit, and a touch of macabre, this retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl is wonderfully imaginative. The story has complex characters that you’ll absolutely loathe and completely adore. While you’ll surely be rooting for our timid but sharp FMC, for me, the supporting characters really put the story over the top. Hester, what a gem. Penelope, let’s be besties.


Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for this advanced digital copy.

A Sorceress Comes to Call follows a young lady Cordelia as she navigates through life with a sorceress for a mother. Cordelia has grown up very lonely. Her mother does not allow her to have friends, nor is she allowed to have much control of her life. When her mother, Evangeline, decides it is time to get out of their little town, Cordelia doesn’t know what to make of it. Evangeline’s only goal in life is to marry rich and marry Cordelia off to a rich man. She finally decides to take action when things go south with her lover living near by. Hester is the mistress of her brother’s house, but when Samuel brings home Evangeline, Hester knows that something isn’t right. In this retelling of the Grimm Brother’s Goose Girl all seems amiss, especially the horse.

This book was magically delightful. The characters were fun and I tremendously enjoyed the growth of Cordelia’s character. This story reminds me of Olivia Atwater’s The Witchwood Knot, as it’s set in a more historical fiction setting with magic. Kingfisher can write a grocery list and I would read it/enjoy it so it comes at no surprise that I loved this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC!

What happens when a Sorceress comes calling? Secrets, mayhem, and manipulation all come to play. At the heart is Cordelia, the sorceress's daughter, who finds herself uprooted from her small town and moved to a wealthy man's home where she befriends others and begins to step out from underneath her mother's stifling shadow. Hester, the spinster-sister, to the man the sorceress has her sights on, knows that there is something going on and does her best to ensure that her brother and home are protected from whatever doom is headed their way.

I have never read a book by T. Kingfisher, but this was a pretty good one to start with. It was quick read and the pacing and voice were very hypnotic. It read like a mystery-thriller and I was on my toes just waiting to see what was going to happen next. I felt bad for the characters at times, but enjoyed learning about the different players in the game.

I'm not sure if this is a standalone, but it does leave some paths open for a potential second book if the author wanted to extend Cordelia's story.

I could definitely feel the fairytale-ness and I liked that aspect, but something was a little off for me with this book. It was a little juvenile, which can sometimes work for me, but the plot wasn’t engaging enough at times and my enjoyment was up and down throughout. I liked the characters and some elements of the plot but it just fell a little short for me.

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a dark, enchanting take on the classic "Goose Girl" fairy tale. In this tale, Cordelia is living under the thumb of her sorceress mother, Evangeline, who casts spells of magic to warp her life and will according to her whims. With their sights set on snaring a rich man, however, they stumble into Hester—the rich man's sister—who turns out rather perceptive and starts unraveling their sinister plot.

Kingfisher does well in creating relatable, complex characters, especially in Cordelia and Hester. The growth that Cordelia undergoes—from a young, timid, controlled girl into the brave young woman she becomes—is at once heartbreaking and inspiring. With her wit and determination, Hester rapidly became a favorite of mine for adding depth and humor to the story. One of the real strengths this work has is its blossoming friendship between these two characters, bringing light warmth and hope in lighter shades into the otherwise dark subject matter Kingfisher explores.

From the beginning to the end, this work deftly weaves horror, fantasy, and dark humor into its tapestry with ease, keeping the reader enthralled. The descriptions of the magic and setting provided are eerie, fitting most fittingly into the beauty of the tale. "A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a compelling, character-driven story that shows off Kingfisher's talent for storytelling to great effect. Very highly recommended, especially for readers who like a little dark in their fantasy.

3.5 stars
Cordelia lives a sheltered life with her sorceress mother. It’s actually not so much sheltered as it is involuntary. She has no friends and no say in her life. Because her mother’s magic is so powerful, she often forces Cordelia into submission. When her mother hears news of a wealthy unwed man, they set out to lure him into marriage so her mother is able to have control of his estate and money. They are welcomed into his house and her mother works on him immediately. Hester, the man’s sister notices the oddities of Cordelia’s actions and puts together that her mother controls her.

Hester and Cordelia and others fight to bring her mother down from power. What ensues is adventure, triumph and a beautiful friendship. I felt it was more paranormal than horror but was a fun story that ended so well! The relationship of my two favorite characters Cordelia and Hester brought in an affectionate atmosphere that each woman needed. I recommend this to magic lovers with a touch of darkness!

Thank you to Tor, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the copies!

The book releases August 6, 2024.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a fairy tale retelling with clever, original characters and a terrific twist on the original story. The characters are superb, and made me care deeply about all the magic-laden ups and downs of the story. It's funny, it's scary, and even has elements of horror to really raise the stakes.

T. Kingfisher’s fantasy/fairy tale stories are among my favorites, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is a terrific addition. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. I sympathized greatly with the main character Cordelia and everything she was dealing with; it was clearly so hard for her to do what had to be done but she did it - she was so brave! And I loved the way she was able to gather friends around her to help her out. Exciting and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Every single Kingfisher book I read is somehow better than the last, but this one is truly remarkable! The characters have so much depth, it is easy to jump into and stay enthralled in, and all that fairytale magic is there. I adore it so much that I have already pre-ordered and purchased my own copy. Bravo and take ALL the stars!

I love T Kingfisher and I love this book. If I’m being ho eat I have no idea what the Goose girl is about but I’m happy I got here. It’s dark and twisty. It’s funny and morbid all at the same time. Highly recommend this one!

In True Kingfisher fashion I am utterly obsessed. This book was everything I expected and so much more. I loved Cordelia and thought that she was very enduring. Her mother was a true to brand love to hate villain and I was eager for her to truly get what she deserved. I think that character wise my favorite was definitely Esther. She was an absolute delight, truthfully she through me some serious Lady Danbury vibes and I loved it! The magic system was complex and it didn't entirely make sense to me at first but once the entirety of Evangeline's story and powers came to light it was really neat to see how the pieces all fit together. The story was definitely dark and had some sensitive subjects that were brought mostly stemming around the abuse that Cordelia was subjected to. I think that this was done very tasteful and well. I liked the story line and the way that it progressed. The world building was fun and made sense with the over all plot.

T Kingfisher's mind is a mystery. She writes such unique stories all of which feel so different. I've loved so many of her books, I knew I needed to read this one as well. This was a much darker story than I was expecting. I love the dysfunctional family dynamics and the found family. I wasn't expecting so much of a mystery plot though. I enjoyed the older character povs and even the slight love story going on in the background. The horse familiar was a shock. I wasn't expecting that to go in the direction it did. I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the characters though. I ended up on a 3.5 star rating. Enjoyable and different but not the best from the author.

As a dark retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl, this one simply doesn’t miss (like off of Kingfisher’s books for me, honestly.) Our main character, Cordelia, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her mother, who controls every moment of Cordelia’s life, has decided it is time for her to wed. They leave town after a suspicious murder and make themselves quite at home in the lodgings of Hester and the Squire.

These characters simply jump off the page. The writing is engaging and often times funny. Each character is distinct and their motivations sound. I especially loved Hester, though Cordelia holds a special place in my heart. Again, Kingfisher shines in their ability to write relatable and comedic reactions to horrifying events. If she writes it, I’ll read it, enough said.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I have not ventured into T. Kingfisher's repertoire before, and I had heard from many people that her books could be quite spooky. But I was so intrigued by the premise of this book that I simply had to check it out.

This book grabs you almost immediately, despite the fact that you're given very little information. It is nonstop from the first page to the last, and it is really quite unputdownable. The more I read, the more I wanted to see where the story went and how it was ultimately going to be resolved. And it did not disappoint.

Not my usual flavor of fiction, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Something about this storytelling was absolutely addicting. Compulsively readable, even for non-fantasy lovers, Kingfisher knocks it out of the park again.