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.

Cordelia is my precious baby and I will fight everyone who tries to hurt her.

I really enjoyed that while if you’re familiar with the story of The Goose Girl, you can definitely see the inspiration, but that the story had been twisted enough that it doesn’t feel like a retelling.

I loved Cordelia’s growth through the book from terrified and timid to terrified and brave (and let’s face it, still incredibly timid). It was very gratifying to see all of the non-terrible adults take her under their wing.

While the story’s opening was an immediate hook, I felt like the first quarter of the story didn’t suck me in the way I hoped it would, but by the time I was a third of the way through, I was completely hooked and finished it in an evening.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

4.5/5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is quite different from what I am used to reading from T. Kingfisher. I enjoyed the regency time period and it still had some horror elements like the gory description of the headless horse ride at the end. I absolutely adored Hester who was one of the main characters. She’s a 50 year old spinster who is very canny and I love her wit. She had me laughing despite the fact that terrible things were happening. The other main character Cordelia annoyed me a bit but I ultimately felt bad for her. I wish she had done more for herself and others but given her backstory and age it makes sense the way she behaved. She also had a decent arc of growth in this book. Penelope was another fantastic character and I wish we could’ve had more of her!! Overall the story was good and the characters were fantastic. I really enjoyed this book.

Like most mothers, Cordelia's wants her to marry a rich man. However, unlike most mothers, Cordelia's has the ability to make others "obedient" while she uses them as human puppets. Her mother wishes to marry well herself to better situate Cordelia for a match to a wealthy suitor, despite Cordelia's reticence at socializing and terror of her mother's powers.

Now, much to her absolute horror, Cordelia and her mother, Evangeline, have made a hasty escape from their small town following a gruesome murder to the country estate of a generous bachelor Squire. Evangeline intends to make the wealthy Squire fall in love with her and propose. Hester, the Squire's sharp-tongued sister, immediately senses the sinister undercurrent between mother and daughter. But can one spinster stand between a sorceress and her quarry?

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. This latest novel has everything I have come to expect (and adore) from T. Kingfisher: unlikely heroes, witty dialogue, droll servants, and dark magic. As with Swordheart, our romantic leads are middle-aged. Hester is round, uses a cane, and worries that she's not worthy of love. Relatable.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a captivating tale that exceeded my already high expectations. Kingfisher’s masterful storytelling and rich world-building make this a must-read for fans of fantasy and character-driven narratives.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on July 31, 2024 and Instagram on August 1, 2024.

I have only ever read Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, and now A Sorceress Comes to Call... I can say without a doubt that I am a T. Kingfisher stan. She's an incredibly talented writer and I'm impressed by the way she creates her characters. I loved the twists and turns in this book, the complex mother-daughter relationship, and the dark fairy tale vibes. I'm looking forward to reading more T. Kingfisher books!