Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always go into T Kingfisher books blind mainly because they are crazy anyways, so I’m just along for the ride. This book was no different. Usually I would give a mini synopsis in my review, but I am not going to this time because anything I feel like I could say about this story is a spoiler. .The first chapter hooked me so hard as I slowly realized what was happening.

This book has horrific moments, but is not a horror novel. It feels more suspenseful as thing keep happening and you are not sure how people are going to make it through.

Overall a 4.5 star. A very enjoyable read. Would be great for a high school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchanged for my unbiased opinion.

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" by T. Kingfisher is their dark reimagining of the Brother's Grimm story, "The Goose Girl." Now, I did enjoy their last retelling, "Thornhedge," but this one was not a favorite. I was really excited for this because for the most part, Kingfisher's more straight forward fantasies have been fairly consistent for me in terms of storytelling, character, and enjoyment level. That said, this really missed the mark for me on all accounts.

This retelling follows the young Cordelia and her mother, Evangeline. Practically every single part of Cordelia's life is controlled and dictated by her mother, from the lack of doors in their home to Cordelia's lack of friends. Her only solace is their white horse, Falada. When Evangeline tells Cordelia that they're leaving for a new town and new prospects, she has to contend with the truth of who and what her mother is. So, this story is told through two perspectives: Cordelia and the sister of Evangeline's new mark, Hester. Through their perspective, we get two women struggling against Evangeline. I REALLY wanted to like this and honestly, it started really strongly for me. There was a lot that I think this had going for it. But that said, I think that Kingfisher does better with a smaller page count. The narrative in this dragged terribly and I found myself getting bored and wondering why there were SO MANY scenes of card playing, dinner, and taking tea when each scene would literally be the same thing: Cordelia being told to do something by her mother, Hester trying to get Cordelia out of her shell, and later, Hester with her friends trying to figure out how to stop her brother from marrying Evangeline. It's really boring. And as someone whose whole research focus and expertise in literature is classic late 18th to 19th century British literature written by women, you think I'd be less bored. The difference here is that Kingfisher, as good a writer as they are, just doesn't have the expertise to handle the slowness of scenes like this.

I think Kingfisher does a wonderful job with their novellas, but any longer and they struggle with narrative momentum and engagement. I mean, my eyes were GLAZING. And this book isn't even THAT long at 336 pages so I think it really highlights some of Kingfisher's weaknesses. And this unfortunately translates over to the characters who at first, are charming, but as the narrative lags and slows, their development comes to a halt. And the ending...it really does take A LOT to get there and it doesn't feel earned. It feels very much like a writer who wanted to get done with this and just slapped together an ending that tied things up too neatly.

I don't know, I was so disappointed with this one.

This is the first book of T. Kingfisher’s that I’ve read (actually, more like this is the first of her books I’ve even heard of), but it definitely won’t be the last!

What originally appealed to me about this book was that it was marketed as a retelling of The Goose Girl, but after reading it I would definitely say it’s a VERY loose interpretation. Geese play a slight role in the book, as does the horse, Falada, but everything else is pretty original.

The story follows 14 year old Cordelia as she tries to navigate the complicated and dangerous relationship she has with her mother, a ruthless social climber who moonlights as a sorceress. This book has magic, murder, and a little scheming and I’d highly recommend it!

The ending did feel a little rushed to me, but I think it was overall worth the read. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

𝑀𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓁 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝒲𝑒𝑒𝓀𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓃

What if the next Bridgerton series was a gothic horror story with some Grimm fantasy inspo?
You’d get 𝘼 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙤 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡

T. Kingfisher continues to be a favorite author of mine as she remixes classic tales, bends genres, and creates characters for readers to worry about. There is a creepy horse again. I did Google to find out why😩😂

Read this if:
📖 you like reading twisted tales
🧟‍♀️ you enjoy creepy horror (a pinch of gore)
🍿enjoy Regency romance intrigue with conspiring characters

Will be released on August 6, 2024, so preorder now. 336 pages.

Thank you T. Kingfisher, @torbooks & @netgalley for the opportunity to read this fun Regency-like horror pageturner. I will read all of this author’s stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#horrornovel #romancehorrorbooks #regencyromance #genrebending #fantasybooks #TKingfisher #asorceresscomestocall #newbooks #arcreads #bookreviews #bookreviewersofinstagram #bookstagram #currentlyreading #amreading

I'm never quite sure where to put T. Kingfisher's books as far as rating goes because there's always something that I dislike about certain aspects, but then she absolutely smashes the rest of the story afterwards that I kind of forgive her. This is the same case in A Sorceress Comes to Call, where the pacing had me frustrated at how slow it was. Then halfway through Kingfisher hits her stride and then the entire book gets good.

And I think this all comes down to the way she's written her characters. That's constantly Kingfisher's major strength. She can make REALLY GOOD CHARACTERS, and I love the ensemble she put together in this really dark Regency retelling of "The Goose Girl." It kind of reminded me of how much I loved Nettle and Bone because the characters were so entertaining to read as they went on their adventures. In this particular case, though, there wasn't much adventure and it played out more like a high society mystery with magic involved. I actually love the romance subplot between Hester and Richard, and I was so glad that this romance fell between the older characters of this book (and omg, the way all of Hester's concerns were so valid and the way Richard is so devoted regardless like I can't with them). I had been worried slightly that poor Cordelia would also have a romantic subplot in her story, but this wasn't the case. Poor girl already was going through so much, having to think about who she ends up with in a romantic sense was not in the cards.

I think it was also Kingfisher's mastery in character creation that had me absolutely hating the villain--rightfully so, might I add. But this also posed my problem. Because of how well she tried to develop the characters, especially Cordelia's harrowing experiences with her mother, the overall pacing of the story was slow going until the 50% mark. At some point it got way too frustrating that I almost put the book down and DNF it. It would have been a mistake, because the payoff was really good by the end, but it was still really slow, especially once Cordelia and her mother make it to Chatham House. Unlike N&B where the pacing picked up more quickly, this one didn't take off until halfway through the book, which was a shame.

So I suppose I did very much like this as far as characters were! I have a definite soft spot in my heart for Hester, Imogene, and Penelope, too (my sassy fierce middle-aged ladies). I honestly could have done with more of them scheming and plotting over Evangeline's shenanigans personally.

As a kid the retelling of Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was one of my favorite books so when I saw that T. Kingfisher was doing an adaptation I couldn't wait to read it. It didn't disappoint. All the characters had a depth and interestingness that kept me wanting to know what happened next. Though the storyline itself appears at first glance very simple, the writing style and characters added a beautiful level of complexity and horror. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes retellings, a little fantasy-horror, and strong female lead characters.

I love T. Kingfisher. She’s an auto buy author for me for sure. For fans of Nettle & Bone + The Sworn Soldier series, this is going to be a winner. As a fantasy and I would argue, horror-light author, Kingfisher has a delightful way of retelling fairytales with freshness and originality. This book is no different.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve loved every single T. Kingfisher novel I’ve read so far. Fairytales are a major interest of mine, and Kingfisher has written a wonderful re-imagining of The Goose Girl, a story I’ve always loved.

Cordelia’s lived her life in fear of her emotionally abusive mother, Evangeline, who also happens to be a cunning and powerful sorceress. When Evangeline is spurned by her “benefactor,” she decides to trick a wealthy squire into marrying her, and she and Cordelia move into the home he shares with his sister, Hester. Cordelia finds an ally in Hester, and the two quickly find that Evangeline is far more dangerous than they realized. She’s willing to do anything to get what she wants. In order to stop her mother once and for all, Cordelia, with the help of Hester and some of the older woman’s closest friends must think up a plan without being discovered by the sorceress or her ever-watchful familiar.

I think Hester and Cordelia were great characters, and I empathized with both right away. Evangeline is definitely the kind of villain you see in fairytales, but because of that she was a bit one-dimensional. There were hints about what made her the way she was, but I would have liked to learn more.

Kingfisher did an excellent job of portraying emotional abuse by a parent. “I’ve seen it hundreds of times before,” made me shudder, as someone who heard that a lot growing up. Kingfisher is also so good at making such a creepy yet humorous atmosphere in her stories.

When it comes to the magic system, the rules were just a little bit hazy, but that may have been on purpose to keep the lore mysterious to the characters. Despite that, Evangeline’s power was scary as hell.

Underneath it all, the themes of oppression on women and emotional abuse were threaded through the story perfectly. All in all, I think A Sorceress Comes to Call is another great read by T. Kingfisher. It was certainly a page-turner for me.

CW: emotional abuse, some gore

4/5

Trapped by an abusive mother with a power of compulsion over her, Cordelia lives her life in fragments. There are no secrets between mother and daughter, and how can there be when there are no doors in their home and no relationships to call her own. Now her mother has uprooted them to a wealthy manor house, where an unsuspecting family find themselves her next victim. T. Kingfisher ingeniously reimagines the Brothers Grimm’s, Goose Girl in a tale overflowing with witchery and trickery. A Sorceress Comes to Call is a Regency fantasy that stands on the gap between a light, comforting fairy story, and a dark fantasy merged with horror. Kingfisher has written compelling and distinct characters who fight to cast off evil and are all the stronger for it. Cordelia steps out of the compulsion she has been placed in by her mother, and Hester casts off her constraints to find happiness. Both journeys were immensely satisfying and included moments of humor, wit, and of course, horror. T. Kingfisher is a tried and true author in many genres, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is yet another retelling to relish.

This will appear on my blog closer to publication

Wow! Kingfisher has once again produced a smart, savvy, fairy tale that has delicately horrific elements that demonstrate peril but don't inspire nightmares. This regency era reimagining of the Grimm's fairy tale The Goose Girl is exquisitely crafted. Cordelia, a believable 14 year old heroine is trying to surviver the machinations of her mother, an evil sorceress who plots to snare a wealthy husband or two. This enthralling combination of murder, mayhem, and found family is irresistible.

I don't know how T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) comes up with this madness but I'm so freaking happy she does!

From a bonedog and demon chicken in Nettle and Bone to a helpful hedgehog in The Seventh Bride, and now a Sorcerer's familiar that survives...some serious unpleasantries... that reveal just how strong wicked bonds can be.

I devoured this book. The author has a sense of humor which is infused in her characters so efficiently that you can't help but laugh while simultaneously being creeped out and/or worried for their lives. It's like she invented her own genre fantasy-comedy-thriller or...thrilcomasy 😂😂 and I'm here for it!

T. Kingfisher never disappoints and this was another example of that. I was delighted to read this regency-esque fantasy story that bordered between fairy tale and historical fantasy. The characters were delightful as always, and I was pleased at all the twists it took from the original Goose Girl fairy tale.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for giving me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“A Sorceress Comes to Call” had everything you could want in a fairy tale. While often times horrifying (the best ones always are) it never lost its heart or humor. What I loved best about it was its eclectic display of strong female characters. Each one was beautifully flawed and well rounded. A joy to read.

T. Kingfisher never fails to delight me. This was exactly what I was hoping for it to be. After falling in love with Nettle & Bone, I was eagerly awaiting another full length fairy tale retelling and this was perfect. Dark and whimsical is what this author does best. T. Kingfisher has quickly become one of my top writers and I am so grateful that I was able to read this early. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

I am relatively new to reading anything that could be considered fantasy or magical realism. I have also not read The Brothers Grimm story that this is a re-telling of (Goose Girl). The good news is that you don’t need to know that story to thoroughly enjoy this story. This is also my first read by T. Kingfisher and it will not be my last.

This book had an ease about it, like the author is so comfortable with her characters that she feel comfortable having fun with them. As a result, this book is was a complete pleasure to read. The wit and vivid descriptions grabbed me immediately and kept me invested all the way to the end. It was fun to read! If you read the synopsis and are at all interested, I highly recommend picking this book up.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Tor Books, T. Kingfisher, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this for an early review.

Cordelia has lived her whole life, literally, in thrall to her glamorous mother, Evangeline, who treats her like a servant, allows her no privacy, and punishes the slightest infraction of her sometimes arbitrary and unpredictable rules by making her daughter "obedient." "Obedience" is what she calls taking over Cordelia's body and treating it like a puppet. Cordelia has had only the most rudimentary education and is kept isolated from others her own age. Her only comfort is riding their horse, Falada. Surprisingly, Evangeline encourages the apparent freedom of these rides on which Cordelia confides all her secrets to the horse.
When Cordelia is fourteen, Evangeline's wealthy "protector" ends their relationship and cuts off her only source of income. Evangeline decides that the only appropriate course of action is for her to marry a new protector. She insinuates herself into the life of a wealthy Squire, Samuel, who lives in a distant manor house with his spinster sister, Hester. Samuel is a guileless bachelor but Hester senses something wrong with Evangeline and is clever enough to be on her guard.
Cordelia has never lived in a great house and is totally innocent of the ways of the aristocracy or just about anything else. She finds the first real kindness she has ever known among the middle-aged siblings and their servants. She knows that her mother means to take advantage of their kindness but she feels powerless to intervene. Evangeline plans to marry Samuel, get rid of Hester, and arrange an advantageous marriage to a rich older man for the daughter she expects to control forever.
Although the story is told from the viewpoints of Cordelia and Hester, the characters are all richly delineated, including Willard the butler, Alice, a maid, Imogene, the card shark, and Hester's former lover, Richard. There is also a marvelous ghost, an unnamed goose, and Falada the horse. While the plot and setting are entertaining, the characters are what really held my interest. Cordelia starts as a timid and terrified child, but she grows into her power and self-confidence. As an older woman, I particularly liked that three of the characters are also mature women. None of them are beautiful, but they have intelligence, courage, strength, and charm. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I took my time because I didn't want it to end.
One possible problem might arise if a reader had been raised by ruthless and domineering parents who ignored boundaries. Evangeline's actions could be triggering to such a reader.
Based very loosely on the fairy tale "The Goose Girl," A Sorceress Comes to Call is the novel Jane Austen might have written if she believed in magic and a more egalitarian society. It is humorous, touching, and suspenseful.
My thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very t kingfisher book; if you like her other work you’ll like this one. There’s lots of creepiness and vague horror, with possibly the strangest take on the goose girl I’ve read.

T Kingfisher continues to be a favorite author. I love how she takes classic fairytale and makes them entirely her own. I don't think I will ever get tired of her practical characters or her creepy plots.

Whenever I reach for a T. Kingfisher book, I know that I am going to get well-written characters, incredible atmosphere, an interesting story, and maybe a really messed up creature (if I am lucky). A Sorceress Comes to Call delivers on all these fronts, and when it comes to messed up creatures, well... lets just say I was treated to a truly nasty specimen that could be an all-timer from Kingfisher. The author carefully balances every element in this book, with Cordelia's story of resistance against her mother's horrific abuse and the people who help her push back firmly placing this book near the top of the retellings Kingfisher has done recently. Highly recommended and an easy must-have for library shelves.

Cordelia’s abusive, narcissistic mother, Evangeline, is seeking wealthy marriage matches and is willing to do anything, including using her powerful sorcery to get her way. When Hester’s brother becomes the target of Evangeline’s machinations, will Cordelia and Hester be able to stop Evangeline from destroying everything they hold dear?

This incredible fairytale reimagining delivers Kingfisher’s usual engaging writing style and rich characters. There is an incredible balance of the horrifying events that Evangeline sets in motion with the beautiful relationships among Cordelia and Hester’s found family. The contrast creates an immersive world around a dark and compelling story.

(This was a review of a free advanced review copy. Thanks to Tor, T. Kingfisher, and NetGalley for that privilege!)