This is the first book I have read from this author and now I will have to go looking for me. This book was well written, and the characters had depth. You could feel how awful Cordelia felt when around her mother. It was easy to see that people do not cross Evangeline, but Hester makes the exception to save her brother and Cordelia.

What a fantastic read!

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and I can tell you it won't be my last. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading, and was immediately drawn in. The characters were so well done, and the story was absolutely gripping.

Cordelia's journey from meek to...well I don't want to give anything away. But her journey was so rewarding to follow. As for her mother, Kingfisher certainly knows how to write a villain. I hate that woman more than some non-fictional villains I know. Hester was a pure delight, the perfect audience surrogate, thinking what we all are as the story unfolds, and tackling it all with humor and smarts. The relationship between her and Richard was one of my favorite parts of the story. I fell in love with entire cast of characters, and their coming together at a manor home to solve a murderous problem had a tinge of Agatha Christie that was a lot of fun.

If you enjoy fantasy with a dark edge, found family, and a main character you can root for, get this book immediately.

Kingfisher is an expert at this sort of insidious horror story. There is some violence and gore, but most of the actual horror comes from the horror that is human behavior. I'm not particularly familiar with the story that this one is based on, so I can't make any commentary on how good a retelling it is, but it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and all of the characters are absolutely wonderfully developed.

I recently discovered T. Kingfisher and with every book I read the author is becoming my new favorite. In A Sorceress Comes to Call which is a retelling of "The Goose Girl" Cordelia is the only child of Evangeline. Cordelia's whole life has been spent living under her mother's shadow. She has to be good and do everything her mother says or she is punished in the most horrific ways. When her mother sets her sights on a wealthy squire there is nothing Cordelia can do to stop her plans. However, the Squire's sister Hester can tell that Evangeline is not who she claims to be and that something is wrong with Cordelia. This darkly reimagined fairytale will keep you hooked with unexpected twists to the last page. Thank you #NetGalley.

Another banger!! Kingfisher's writing is captivating and evocative, bringing each scene to life with a vividness that pulls you deep into the characters’ world. The way they intertwine the imagery in their storytelling with the amazing word building is truly masterful.

Wow, what an ending!

Cordelia is a young girl with a mother (Evangeline) so domineering she forces Cordelia into "obedience" with magical powers. When Evangeline loses her most recent benefactor, she must make arrangements to find a new one. So Evangeline and her familiar, a horse named Falada, drag Cordelia along in search of a rich husband.

While this is a fantasy/horror book, and some gruesome horror is in store, where this book shines is in the characters and relationships. Cordelia has grown up knowing no one but her mother. Thankfully, she meets the most amazing people as they all work to defeat the evil Evangeline before she can destroy their family. I grew to love Hester, Richard, Willard, Penelope, Imogene, Alice and all the new people Cordelia meets and forms relationships with.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

5 stars all around, even for the acknowledgments section 😂. If you like your fairy tales in Brothers Grimm horror fashion with a side of regency romance, this is the book for you!! Fun quick read.

4.5 stars! Another win from T. kingfisher. This competes for my favorite book by the author. (my other favorite being nettle & bone) I’ve read Goose Girl retellings before and this is very different than what I expected. That being said, I still enjoyed it immensely. In typical T. kingfisher fashion, there is a gothic feeling to the story. It has its darker elements, especially toward the end. It is very much a grim fairytale. What I appreciated most about this book in particular was the exploration of a toxic/abuse mother. It is a topic that I think should be explored and talked about more often. The main character’s mother was a mix of Jeanette McCurdy’s mother and Mother Gothel from Tangled. I think it was so important to show the relationship from the daughter’s perspective (our main character) and her battling her feelings for her mother. Her character develops so much throughout the book in such a short amount of pages. She starts being naive, sheltered, and doing whatever to please her mother and becomes stronger the more the story progresses. Of course, the side characters and humor are wonderful as they are in all T. Kingfisher’s books. This story will definitely stick with me for a long time.

I’d not read any of Kingfisher’s work before, but I’ll certainly look at her earlier titles now. From the beginning when we’re first introduced to the practice of Obedience—despite not fully understanding it so early in the story—I was hooked. I appreciated that it wasn’t overly dark and disturbing while still dealing with some pretty sinister behavior. Loved the characters and it was just overall a really enjoyable read!

I appreciate Net Galley and the publisher for providing the arc of this book.

What a great ride! This was my first T. Kingfisher, and A Sorceress Comes to Call makes it clear why the author is so beloved.

Fairytale, regency, darkness and humor all in one delicious read with a cast of fantastic characters.

Classic Kingfisher, with a regency romance setting. Does not shame her ancestors. Doesn’t have quite the scope and weight of Nettle and Bone, but it’s fun, satisfying and cozy.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T.Kingfisher tells the story of Cordelia and her mother, Evangeline. Her mother is a cruel sorceress who can make people obedient to her will. In her bid to marry rich, Evangeline maneuvers her way into the Chatham manor to seduce Squire Chatham. Cordelia finds a friend in his sister,Hester who immediately knows that Evangeline is evil. A murder alerts everyone else how sinister she can truly be.

I would recommend this book for fantasy readers and T. Kingfisher fans. This is described as a retelling of Goose Girl, you will find aspects of that tale in this story. The relationship between mother and daughter is heart wrenching but Cordelia makes a transformation to a stronger willed young woman with help from her new friends. There’s a touch of mystery, murder, magic, and horror for fans of T.Kingfisher.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Holy moly, I loved this book.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark fairytale that follows 14-year-old Cordelia as her mother (Evangeline, who is also an evil sorceress) tries to weasel her way in and marry the wealthy Squire Samuel Chatham, who lives in his family manor with his sister, Hester. Cordelia and Evangeline's arrival at the home of the Squire and Hester spurs on a deadly house party, a wedding, and a whole lot of geese.

While this is a dark story, T. Kingfisher weaves in humor masterfully and brings every character to life. Cordelia is a great main character, and I loved seeing her growth throughout the story, but I think the side characters are what make this story shine. Hester, Imogene, and Penelope serve as excellent comedic relief; the Squire is perfectly oblivious and good-hearted; and Evangeline is an absolutely wicked viper, and she would be so even if she didn't have her sorcery.

A Sorceress Come to Call is very likely to make my top 10 books of 2024. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

T. Kingfisher again masters the darkness in this compelling retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl. Not being familiar with the original I went into A Sorceress Comes to Call happily embraced by Kingfisher’s beautiful prose. What this book has—is claws! As soon as the situation with our heroine, Cordelia, is clear, the pages fly and I become more and more desperate to find out what’s going to happen. The layers fall away showing more and more about the dangers that lie ahead.

I loved Hester as a character and the uniqueness of her friends. The paranormal elements were artfully done  and really I loved everything about the book until about the last ten percent. There I have wishes that the resolution might have been different. When the darkness lingering in the shadows throughout the opening blossoms towards the end, with it comes the final battle which I had hoped for even a more extreme showdown - but then I also didn’t really want the book to end at all. A Sorceress Comes to Call is a book that lives sharply in memory with characters to care about, and be concerned for, and a heroine you want to hug.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an Advance Reader’s Copy for an honest review.

Wow, T. Kingfisher is a genius and I will read anything she writes. I DEVOURED this book. I loved the way she built suspense and intrigue; I literally couldn’t put it down. I loved the way she depicted the emotions, fear, and anxiety within the characters, which really helped me connect with them and set the tone beautifully. I also LOVED the found family vibes in this!

10/10.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley and tor publishing group for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

T. Kingfisher has always interested me but i have never gotten around to reading any of her novels until recently. This book was my first by her and she has exceptional writing. it’s very eerie, especially in this paranormal thriller that is a reimagining of brothers grimm, goose girl. There is parental abuse in the most devilish kind of way. Cordelia is a 14 year old girl, that her mother by the way tries to trick people into thinking she’s 17, finds herself trapped in her sorceress mother’s devilish ways. Cordelia is isolated, not allowed to have friends, lacking in education, not allowed to have her own space but she soon discovers her moms powers are more than what she thought as secrets unravel, murders start to happen. Her mother, evangeline, cons her way into the house of a squire and his sister, Hester, who knows something is up and is on a mission to discover the truths of “doom” as she liked to call cordelia’s mothers.

The book was very interesting, the writing unique and eerie. I think evangeline was the perfect villain!

This is my fourth T. Kingfisher read, and it is by far the best of the four! The protagonists were relatable, lovable, and flawed in their own very human ways. The supporting cast were brilliant in their roles. The antagonist was absolutely horrible (I don’t know if I’ve loathed an antagonist this much in a great many years). The horrific elements were wonderfully executed. The prose was great, solid and elegant without veering into flowery territory. With this being a Goose Girl retelling, I was worried that it would feel flat and uninspired (the author’s previous fairytale retelling was painfully dull), but this was wonderful. It strays so far from the source material and in the best of ways. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC!

T Kingfisher is a master of her craft. I've loved everything she's ever written and this is no different.

The story was rich with fairy tale characters, compelling narratives and moments of love and family that transcend the ties of blood.

Kingfisher plays expertly with some tropes, whilst twisting others on their heads and her interpretation of Goose Girl was fresh yet familiar, sinister and satisfying.

Highly recommend for fans of Naomi Novik and Leigh Bardugo.

This book felt like a horrifying fairytale. It was so thrilling, I couldn't put it down! Similar to 'the last unicorn' in that we have an unlikely band of heroes, and a terrifying villian. The world is incredibly immersion and rich. The characters were relatable, interesting, and flawed. I would recommend this book to any fans of twisted fairytales.

4.25 stars
Kingfisher has become a favorite over the last year.
This book just sealed the spot! She can do no wrong, the book is wonderfully written, and totally captivating. While it is a new take on an old story, it is done so well that I forgot.