This was as lovely as all of Kingfisher’s work! I was particularly struck by how realistic and terrifying the domestic violence element of the story was rendered, the “obedience” conceit is such a brilliant way to think through the kinds of control and disassociation domestic abuse creates.

4.5 stars rounded up

A Sorceress Comes to Call blends historical fantasy with horror elements in a dark retelling of The Goose Girl that deals with parental abuse and narcissism. I love when Kingfisher leans toward horror and I thought this was excellently written.

It's a dual perspective story, which I thought was great. The contrast between the two main characters of such different ages and experiences works really well and I was invested in both of their stories. Cordelia is a sheltered young woman with a mother who never allows her a closed door and can physically control her body through magic. But she seeks a wealthy husband who can in turn open doors for Cordelia to marry well. What she goes through is harrowing at times, but I found the story to be incredibly compelling. The original tale is already quite dark and this leans into that. If you enjoy Kingfisher's horror, I would absolutely recommend it! The audio narration is great and works perfectly for the historical narrative. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy of A Sorceress Comes to Call.

I have been a huge fan of T. Kingfisher for a while now, and the way she blends horror, fantasy, humor, and romance is always perfect to me. This is definitely the case for her newest novel, A Sorceress Comes to Call. Based on the fairy tale "The Goose Girl" by the Brothers Grimm, she once again adds her own spin and modern twist to make it impactful for newer generations.

The characters in this were completely lovable, and the banter was fantastic as always. Penelope's and Hester's friendship was iconic, along with their goofy banter. The love between Lord Evermore and Hester was swoon worthy, and I loved that even though those two were clearly soulmates, Hester not wanting to be married was such a refreshing change from typical romance-esque stories. Alice and Willard the Butler were also top-tier employees, and went above and beyond for their employers (who treated them well and were gracious to them, which was also nice to see). Cordelia was amazing as well. She showed so much character growth by the end, from being this meek, shy, weird girl, to becoming this strong, brave young woman who would do anything for her new found-family. The ending definitely brought some tears to my eyes.

As usual, the story was very well-written and the pacing was great. I was sucked into the story from the first chapter and didn't lose interest at any point. Everything wrapped up well and I didn't have any lingering questions or need for closure. Such a wonderful novel, I can't wait to get my published edition to add to my collection.

T. S. Kingsolver has created one of the creepiest, most selfish characters I've ever encountered in a book. This story is supposed to be based on The Goose Girl from Grimms' Fairy Tales but I thought the resemblance was slight. There are some guardian geese in the book.

Cordelia is 14 years old and lives with her mother, Evangeline, who is purely awful. One of the worst things her mother does to her is to control her physically and to even speak through her mouth. I felt for Cordelia. Her only 'friend' growing up is her mother's horse. She is so shut away from other people that she doesn't realize that not all people live as she and her mother do.

Then Evangeline loses her lover and the sparse income he had been giving her. She decides that the best solution is to marry. She finagles her way into a wealthy Squire's house, then into a house party at a nearby Lord's house. The Lord's sister, Hester, knows something is amiss with the woman and her young daughter. There is a romance in this book which was very enjoyable.

I received an e-arc from the publisher Tor Publishing Group/Tor Books via NetGalley and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

4.5⭐️ this was really enjoyable (I tandem read this with the audio) I am not familiar with the Goose Girl story but this was entertaining and mysterious , with great characters and some nice surprises. I also appreciated the Easter egg of Nettle and Bone.

Cordelia knows her mother isn't like other mothers, but it's much worse than she thought - her mother is a sorceress who doesn't hesitate to use her powers to get what she wants, damn the consequences. When she decides that it's time for Cordelia to marry, only a rich man will do, of course, and she sets in motion a plan that will endanger the lives of a group of people Cordelia grows to love, and vows to defend.

I've read books by this author before, and I've never been disappointed. The blend of good and bad keeps you on your toes and makes for a very interesting and compelling read. Watching Cordelia grow a spine (she starts out very timid because she's used to blending into the woodwork to avoid her mother's wrath) was impressive, and I really found myself rooting for her at that point. I loved the side characters as they were well written and fully fleshed out, and the plot was interesting and moved along at a quick pace, making this an easy read.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and T. Kingfisher for the opportunity to read and review A Sorceress Comes to Call.

Cordelia lives in a small town with her mother. She has all the typical worries of a teen in Victorian England: ensuring the house is clean, attending classes, and making friends. Oh, and also following her mother's instructions or else she will be made "obedient" where her mother takes over control of her body. When her mother decides she is ready to marry, it's up to Cordelia to keep the damage caused by her sorceress mother to a minimum.

I can’t emphasize enough just how much self-control it has taken to diligently get through my June and July books before reading this one. Thanks to NetGalley/Edelweiss/publishers, I have the opportunity to read these books sometimes months in advance, and man is it tempting to skip right to my most-anticipated titles! But, at last, here we are! Another T. Kingfisher book to review!

It’s hard for me to say which type of Kingfisher book I like best. I’ve love all of the original fantasy books that she’s written that exist within one world (there are several different series and a few stand-alones all in this same world). I’ve enjoyed her horror stories, several of which Kate and I have joint reviewed on the blog. And then, of course, I’ve gobbled up her fairy-tale re-imagings. This book is one of the latter, this time seeing Kingfisher tackle a loose re-telling of “The Goose Girl.”

Honestly, I’m not as familiar with this fairtyale as I am with others, but in some ways that may have worked in my favor. Not only did I not have expectations about which story beats needed to be hit when, but I was also better able to flow with the shifts in focus that Kingfisher took in the story. That said, there are elements that she takes from the original and twists in very…um…disturbing ways! If you’re familiar with the original story, you’ll remember that the talking horse companion ends up meeting a fairly grisly fate. Kingfisher saw that version of the story and decided to raise the creepiness factor to about an 11! (Another side note: I love reading her author note’s at the end because they are often just as entertaining as the book itself. This time it was particularly funny because as I read this book, I found myself getting stuck on the thought that this author sure does write a lot of creepy horses. And then low and behold, in her author’s note she goes “You may be wondering just what my problem with horses is…” Why, yes, I was! I won’t spoil the explanation, but it’s as amusing as everything else from her!)

One of the things that most impresses me about Kingfisher’s work is the manner in which she balances many different tones all in one, fairly contained book. In this story, we not only have the trappings of a re-told fairytale, but we have comedy, we have tragedy, we have romance, and we have a healthy dose of horror. And none of these elements over shine the others! I will say, the horror aspects stand out particularly well in this one. Not only with the aforementioned horse, but also with the sorceress herself and her disturbing powers. Up to the very end, I was on the edge of my seat worrying how our characters were going to get out of this situation!

I also loved all of the characters. And again, I’m impressed by how Kingfisher works against stereotypes in this area. I personally often struggle with child/middle school aged main characters, but Cordelia was a fantastic lead character. She was believably written for her age while also serving an important role within the story. It’s all too easy to have young characters in books like this who are either side-lined because there is nothing for them to contribute, or are written in a way that makes them come off as a person much older than they are. Not so here!

But I loved Hester most of all, the 50-year old woman who first suspects that there is something strange about Cordelia and her beautiful mother. This was perhaps less of a surprise, as I’ve now read several older women characters written by this author and they have all been fantastic! I also very much enjoyed the love story here, though it was definitely a sub plot to the challenge of the dealing with Cordelia’s mother. That said, while I loved the romance, this is also where the book fell from a 10 to a 9. Throughout the book, we get great insight into Hester’s mindset and the mental challenges she’s faced with aging and her perception of herself as a romantic partner. This was all excellent and incredibly relatable. But as the story continued, I never felt like this was truly resolved. The romantic interest is never brought into what Hester is thinking, and as this has impacted their decades-long one-and-off relationship, it really felt like he deserved to understand what was going on here. We didn’t need to have a “Hallmark moment” type scene, but some sort of resolution on this front would have really tied it together.

So, no surprise here, I loved this book! I’ve had my pre-order in for months now, and I as justified as ever in continuing to buy her books the second they come available! Fans of fairytale re-tellings should definitely check this one out, as well as any/all Kingfisher fans out there!

Rating 9: Truly a master storyteller! Kingfisher makes the process of jumping from genre to genre look easy!

(Link will go live August 7 on The Library Ladies blog)

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher

Kingfisher’s ability to craft compelling stories and likable characters while also making me uncomfortable(in that eerie sort of dark magic way) is so impressive. I absolutely loved this book. It is a true fairy tale in the sense that it is dark and thrilling and leaves the reader questioning lots of things. This story also contains good banter and lots of heart. We follow Cordelia as her mother takes her along on a scheme to find a rich husband and end up discovering along with her that there is much more going on. I really enjoyed this and stayed up much longer than intended because the ending had me unwilling to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

In classic T. Kingfisher fashion, A Sorceress Comes to Call feels like a classic fairytale turned on its head. Though this is described as a retelling of Goose Girl, it has elements that remind me of Rapunzel, except without all the hair. 

We are first introduced to Cordelia as she sits rigidly straight in a church service, clearly in a great deal of discomfort. You see, her mother Evangeline is a sorceress and she uses her magic to make Cordelia ‘obedient’, taking away control of her body. She has no friends, her secrets betrayed even by the beautiful horse Falada who is her mother’s familiar. 

Evangeline suddenly uproots Cordelia from the life she knew to find a wealthy man to marry. When Cordelia arrives at the house of a country squire her mother has set her sights on, she can hardly believe what a ‘normal’ life looks like. Poor Cordelia thinks it's a luxury to be able to shut her bedroom door and have privacy. Hester, the squire’s sister, was suspicious of Evangeline from their very first meeting and privately thinks of her as ‘Doom’. Hester is determined to save her brother from this predatory woman’s advances and when she realizes Cordelia is just as much a victim, she becomes determined to save them both.

As with many of T. Kingfisher’s stories, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark fairytale, with all the darkness wrapped in a thin veneer of humor and magic. This portrays a textbook abusive mother-child relationship. Cordelia is isolated, has no friends, and fears saying the wrong thing to evoke her mother’s wrath and ‘obedience’. It’s truly awful to read about and I was hopeful when Cordelia began to befriend Hester, though it was more akin to Hester tending a wounded baby animal. I also completely loved Hester’s friends who come to stay and assist her in fending off Evangeline’s advances. There’s even a delightful romance between Hester and one of her longtime friends - she could have married this fellow at any time but she values her freedom as a spinster too much and he respects that. 

I’m not surprised at all to find that I loved this latest standalone fantasy from T. Kingfisher. This, I believe, is on par with Nettle and Bone and is thus quite deserving of the 5 star rating. It deals with some heavy topics in a sensible way and there’s just enough of Kingfisher’s signature brand of humor (or perhaps just character voice) to not weigh the reader down into a mire of depression. You just can’t help but to root for the heroine, which is truly Hester though Cordelia herself is quite a brave and likable girl.

Incredible book, I started and couldn't put it down. I wasn't familiar with T. Kingfisher's work but this is so good that I will have to check out more books! Auto-buy author from now on for sure.
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first ever Kingfisher novel, but I had heard a lot about this author and I was excited to read one of her books. Unfortunately, I did not finish the book. I stopped at 53%, though I did skip to the last chapter to see if I would have liked the ending and I'm glad I didn't finish the book.
This book was far more horror and far less fantasy than I was expecting. Just not my type of book and I was having to force myself through it. The writing itself is very well done, T. Kingfisher is an exceptional wordsmith. Sadly, I misunderstood the genre she writes and I am the wrong audience for this book. If you love horror that grows throughout the book while enjoying a dash of magic mixed in then this book is for you and I'm sure you will love it.

Whenever I try and hand sell a Kingfisher book I always have a difficult time because folks want to hear what other books it’s like, and the thing is her books are only really like her books, you could say they are like Pratchett but you’d be lying or like TJ Klune but you’d be misleading or even like T Kingfisher but in all honesty you have to be careful there as well. All that being said if you enjoy a good read with complex characters and an intriguing way with world building then don’t hesitate to pick up a T \Kingfisher. I realize that this review doesn’t say anything about this book in particular but there you have it.

"A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic."
A Sorceress Comes to Call is about Cordelia and how she knows her mother is unusual. Her mother does not allow Cordelia to have any friends unless you count the beautiful white horse Falada but Cordelia's mother also has her sit motionless and silent for hours and sometimes days on end. What happens when Cordelia's mother is a sorceress? This is a book that you will have to read to find out. The book was a page turner from beginning to end and one that the author wrote really well. I loved the characters in this and the side characters were so good too but one of my favorite characters was Hester. The book had an amazing plot which will keep you hooked till the very end. I highly enjoyed reading this one and would highly recommend this to any reader but especially to those who love a dark fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this one in exchange of my honest review of A Sorceress Comes to Call.

I’m unfamiliar with the fairy tale this book is based on, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of it.

Cordelia has spent all of her 14 years under the thumb of her controlling mother who makes her ‘obedient’ by taking control of her body entirely.

As you may have guessed, her mother is a the sorceress in question.

When her mother decides it’s time to find a rich husband after her previous benefactor grows tired of her they travel to a city and impose upon the manor of an aging squire and his sister, Hester.

In Hester, Cordelia finds a friend and safe place. Eventually they conspire together to free Cordelia, and the squire, from the sorceress’s clutches.

I love T. Kingfisher and this fell in line with that sentiment. I appreciate how complex the female characters get to be.

When T. Kingfisher remixes a fairy tale, the pieces are there, but the puzzle looks VERY different when complete. This "dark reimagining" 🙄 of The Goose Girl isn't any version that I remember, and that's for the best. Instead, the mother is the villain, the horse–well, you'll have to see that one for yourself–and the book is split between two protagonists, one fourteen and the other fifty.

(Side note: I swear to God, if this is up for a Lodestar next year, I'll lose my mind. It's a GREAT BOOK, but it's not YA. If I had to choose one protagonist that I feel gets a little more time, it's the fifty-year-old.)

The book has a real sense of dread, balanced by a deft hand with light humor. There are real surprises here too. The world feels real despite the magic and the characters all feel like people.

Dark fairytale storytelling at its finest. This is Bridgerton mixed with magic and dark shuddery moments as the plot twists and turns and unfolds. Prepare yourself to pick this book up and not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun. Poor Cordelia is dominated by her sorceress mother Evangeline, who is seeking a new "benefactor" a.k.a. sugar granddaddy to keep her in style. When she finds her new mark, evil mamma drags poor Cordelia away from everything she's known in order to become the self-invited guests of the Squire and his suspicious sister Hester.

Hester got all the brain cells in her family because she sees straight through Evangeline's charming exterior and quickly deduces Cordelia is as much as victim of her as the Squire is soon to be.

There is a lot of darkness, mostly in the way poor Cordelia is treated, and the lengths to which Evangeline will go to secure her lifestyle, but T Kingfisher can write quirky like few other authors and I loved Hester and the side characters, including the animals. Well, some more than others.

A Sorceress Comes to Call uses the fairytale of The Goose Girl as a jumping off point but make no mistake it’s very much a T. Kingfisher original and cleverly uses some elements of the original story to play with our expectations and set a sense of dread and horror balanced out with lovable characters and humor.

I loved the characters of Cordelia and Hester and reading their dual povs and seeing their friendship form. The tension as we know everything that is happening and the danger of the situation as Hester tries to puzzle out how to tackle Evangeline and figure out Cordelia while at the same time Cordelia struggles over if she can do anything to warn them was well done. The black widow murderess Evangeline makes for a fantastic and formidable villainess especially as she commits these horrid acts with utter nonchalance. I love T. Kingfishers ability to also create lovable side characters that matter to the story and the reader.

The tension and sense foreboding is set early on but is tempered with the writers signature humor. The use of regency era-esque banter to counter the tone was really fun and finding out after reading that The Ladies Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness was a real book was a fun touch. I also really enjoyed how the writer plays with the darker elements of the original fairy tale and ramps up some of those horrific elements especially in the climax. (If you know, you know.) Honestly I couldn’t put this book down and it kept me reading until the early hours of the morning.

If you looking for a unique twist on a fairytale with those signature T. Kingfisher elements this is an utter delight!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. My first T Kingfisher and WOW! Forbidden magic, secrets. An amazing book that touches on magic, abuse, love, revenge, family & friendship. It’s a dark fantasy in which I love. I can’t wait to read more of T Kingfishers work