Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.
Cordelia lives alone with her mother, Evangeline. She has no idea who her father is - or was - but she does know that her mother is... different. She's never allowed to shut a door. And if she does disobey, punishment is swift and cruel. Her mother turns her into a puppet and controls every movement. Cordelia has learned to be obedient. Her mother does not want her to associate with anyone but she does ride Falada, the family horse - and confides everything to him. What she does not know is that her mother is a sorceress. And way too impetuous at times - leading to a massacre at a nearby home.

Evangeline scouts out a new benefactor in a distant town - and she rouses Cordelia to depart in the middle of the night. The new target is a Squire. What Evangeline does not reckon on is Hester, the Squire's sister, who realizes from the beginning that something is very definitely not right about Evangeline and her daughter. She decides to enlist the help of a few old friends to battle whatever it is that has just set about to disrupt her life completely.

The story is told from both Hester and Cordelia's viewpoints - along with Penelope and others. It is amusing at times but also quite terrifying. Kingfisher (aka Vernon) explains her aversion to horses in a note at the end. But this is a retelling of the Grimm's tale of The Goose Girl which I now have to locate so I can read and compare!

I like most everything T. Kingfisher writes - and this was no exception.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is creepy and twisted in the best way. T Kingfisher gave us a great paranormal retelling of the goose girl. All the twists and turns kept me engaged until the last page.

You might be surprised to know that A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is the first book by this author I have ever read, after receiving many recommendations for her work over the past I don't know how many years. I would consider it to be dark fantasy with some fairy tale elements turned sideways. Set in an alternate Regency-like world, across the sea from the Old Country, it opens with a child being abused by her mother in a horrible magical way: her mother controls her body like a puppet so she doesn't move during the church service. The mother Evangeline is the sorceress of the title, and her goal is to become rich through controlling others, first by finding a rich husband for herself, and then to find one for her daughter, who is fourteen (the mother says she is seventeen). All this is complicated by the fact that in this world, the wedding ceremonies use water, wine, and salt to dispel magics, so the sorceress uses her wiles to seduce her prey and will only use magic after the ceremony, so horror is lurking in the future. The child, Cordelia, is shunted off to the potential husband's fifty-year old spinster sister, Hester, who has a bum knee and a lover she won't marry for fear he will pity her in her old age. As I have been told, Kingfisher does a great job with crone characters (there are several!) and a group effort eventually takes Evangeline down after many exciting plot twists. Warnings for: child abuse, mind control, horrible murders caused by mind control, and animal harm except the animal is actually a demon and really is out to get them. I don't gravitate towards dark fantasy and horror normally, but I loved this book and recommend it.

4.5. Thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

T. Kingfisher always does it for me. Light horror, light fantasy, found family, excellent humor, and endless charm. While a bit slow to start, give it some time and it takes off. It was nice to read a full length book after a series of novellas from her - to spend more time in the worlds she creates that I always love.

As always, I'm already eagerly awaiting her next book.

Listen, I love the goose girl and I love a dark reimagining of anything. You tell me it’s a brothers Grimm story I’m down you tell me it’s goose girl I first in line. This was confusing as hell I had to reread each chapter at least twice. I can’t understand what was going on in the more I read it the more confused I got the more frustrated I got And the dumber I felt.

Falada a meanie tattler? I mean, that’s one way to do it.

I just love TK’s shorter books, and don’t know if my interest can be kept with their longer stories. Shorter stories are definitely their forte and I will always rave and be a huge fan. This one just missed the mark for me.

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.

This book instantly flew to the top as my favorite T. Kingfisher book! I wanted to protect Cordelia, and wanted only the best for her. And Hester was a great contrast and complement to Cordelia. Loved them! And of course, I love a character I can hate, and this read provided that so wonderfully. Overall a fantastic read, and I've been recommending it to all my friends.

Maybe closer to 3.5 than a true 4 star for me.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a unique retelling of Brothers Grimm 'Goose Girl', and it definitely is that. There is little that is actually in common with the original tale.
But it's a fun take. A bit of humor, some fantasy, and a touch of horror.

It did take me awhile to get into. The beginning seemed to drag a bit, it starts to pick up speed, and then seems over in a blink. Not my favorite type of pacing.
I did, however, really enjoy Hester. She and her friends (especially the fabulous Penelope Green) were a nice touch to the story, which at times can be quite dark.
It's well written, and I would recommend to anyone that like fairytale retellings.

Thank you to Net Galley/Tor books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know what, this is exactly what I want out of that witchy romcom genre. The romance is the D plot, the comedy is basically non-existent, and the witch is an evil social climber! plus there's a weird murdery horse!!

That is to say, this book has a lot of dark elements and on the surface is very intense and moody but reading it is a very delightful experience. Sure, people get murdered and whatnot, but, like, the weird horse is there! And a large portion of the book is dedicated to embroidery and high society!

Overall, a delightful little book which I have already recommended to several people.

A perfectly fine fantasy of manners, it had a rich cast and portrayed the emotionally abusive dynamic between mother and child in an interesting way with the magical twist. Something about the story left me wanting though, it seemed as if it stayed too safe instead of delving deeper into the darker themes of the story. The story was both wholesome and horrifying but the wholesome tone took away some of the gravity of things for me. The book was just a bit slow for me as well. Definitely worth reading but it didn’t have the kick I wanted.

3 stars

This fantasy novel tells a coming of age story involving Cordelia, a young girl and daughter of an ambitious sorceress, Evangeline. Scorned by her former benefactor, Evangeline starts pursuing a Squire, Samuel, in order to gain a hand in marriage while dragging Cordelia into her unnatural escapades. Cordelia befriends the Squire's spinster sister, Hester, and confides in her what her mother really is and her true intentions. They need to devise a plan to save Hester's brother by recruiting the help of some other friends while staving off Evangeline's suspicions in order to avoid her wrath.

Cordelia is treated like a pawn by her mother, and she is tired of being under her control. Her character development blossoms from a timid child to a budding young woman trying to find her voice. Samuel the Squire and his sister Hester have been comfortable living their quaint lives until uprooted when Evangeline and Cordelia are invited to stay, and suspicious events start to follow. Richard, Hester's secret lover, is a loyal friend and confident who is trivial in the plot. Penelope, the Squire's former lover and friend of Hester, also plays a big part in the plot twists.

I enjoy T. Kingfisher's stories and this one is another great adventure. She writes with such passion, and the details of both her character's emotional status as well as intricate world building are extraordinary. I can't wait to read the next imaginative journey she writes!

I actually haven't read Goose Girl at all and didn't want to read it before reading this, but I feel like it wouldn't have mattered at all because T. Kingfisher really did an amazing job with the story and her writing here. Evangeline was a great villain, and it was easy to hate her, but I absolutely was hooked on the plot which was surprising to me (particularly when I'm now at the point where I usually DNF or knock down 1-2 stars anything with frustrating family members 🤣) I really liked Cordelia and the eerie fairytale vibes in this book were really nice throughout.

I was really really wanting more Thornhedge-like vibes from Kingfisher, so I'm glad that she wrote a full length here!!!

Real Rating:4.5* of five

Dark it is. A dark retelling of a fairy tale I myownself think is entirely too dark anyway. A deeply unhappy story that centers on the evil deeds and wicked heart of Evangeline (Wikipedia will tell you the roots of this name) as a sorceress, "one who influences fate or fortune," in its original meaning; the sense is always pejorative. It certainly needs to be in this case, as Evangeline (I don't trust y'all to go look it up: the mother's name Evangeline is a diminutive of Latin "evangelium" ("gospel", itself from Greek Ευαγγέλιο "gospel", meaning "good news"...the christian gospels, in other words, those horrifying fonts of millennia of misogyny and detrimental social control, applied to an appalling, cruel, controlling mother) is following the Grimm plot closely in her actions.

I don't know what to think of the inspiration of the story. I'm positive Author Vernon (real name) did not know the results of the 2024 US election as a matter of fact before this book came out in that August. I am a bit chilled by its timeliness, a story of an evil old sorcerous person manipulating a good, innocent girl to her detriment. I wish I was writing this in a spirit of "how did she know we'd defeat the evil old sorcerous party" instead of "if only we'd defeated the evil old sorcerous party" but here we are.

It felt to me, all the way through the read, as though I was being Entertained, that the trademark Vernon wittiness was deployed not organic to the story. It isn't a story where wit, comedy, humor in general, sit naturally. I was abused by a mother much like Evangeline: cold, manipulative, withholding, but always hiding behind a good god-fearing front. For me the read was a return to the times of my life where my anxiety issues were installed. It's a testament to how very effective Author Vernon's skill at storytelling is that I finished and rated the read almost five stars! It's a deeply anxious story, a mother who is not a nurturer or a caregiver in the good sense but rather one who gives her child victim cares that will last a lifetime of therapy. (Why has no fantasy novelist given their MC a therapist?)

My anxiety attacks aside, the story is true to its source material in its claustrophobia, its sense of physical as well as emotional deprivation of freedom. Cordelia's enforced motionlessness probably triggered more awful memories for me than anything else, and made me long for my Falada: The 1968 Bonneville belonging to my mother that I used to escape the misery of my "life" with her. I'm glad I don't have to re-read the book!

It sounds like I should be zero-stars-do-not-recommending it, doesn't it? So look at those almost-five stars and ask what the hell happened here.

Stories are the way people make sense of Life with the big "L" so they are good at their job when experiencing them is a powerful, bone-rattling experience. I think you can see this read rattled me! It shook my angry absorption in the horrendous return to 2016 into a new shape. It reminded me, by evoking feelings from the childhood I endured, that all things end. That even after they end, the consequences carry on...for good or ill, as we ourownselves choose to use them. That even in the midst of misery, someone we do not expect it of is aware of our problems and willing to help.

Rays of hope like this story represents are never more welcome than they are right now.

Phew, Kingfisher is always crushing it with the very real-life-adjacent creepy factor. This “obedience” thing is the stuff of nightmares. Body-controlled by someone else while your mind is still in there and knows it? No, thank you. Along with that particular horrific feature, the magic aspects in general are all really well done. It’s subtle magic, nothing big and flashy, and all sort of “understood” or in connection with the earth/nature, in ways that Kingfisher doesn’t spend too much time explaining. If you prefer more explicit magic systems, just be aware of that. The only aspect that felt a little like it didn’t fit, to me, was the part with the ghost (when she – no spoilers on who she is – starts speaking to Cordelia). It’s definitely creepy, which fits the vibes, but I wasn’t as sure if it fit or was needed in the story.

Plot-wise, there is really smart story building throughout. It’s small scale and simple, but so elegantly done. The tension build, as everyone starts to realize how much power Cordelia’s mother actually has, and the horror she can bring (and does bring – phew, there is some real bloody violence in these pages), as they race against time (and without many resources) to stop her, is fantastic. I felt it in my body while reading. And yet, Kingfisher balances that tension and horror with some fantastic general flippancy, impropriety, and irreverence (especially in Hester and Penelope and Imogene’s characters – loveeeed them!). And the dialogue is sooooo dryly humorous that it really softens the horror to perfection.

Speaking of the dialogue. I must say more about it. The dialogue everywhere, between everyone (especially when Hester is involved…but also Alice, Evermore, Penelope Green), was all so good. It was packed with nuance and double meaning and wry humor. Magnificent. Also, the small details, like the consistency of Hester’s nagging knee pain, are done so well (often enough that they’re realistic, but never dragging down the narrative). Plus, ayyyyy I saw that reference to Nettle & Bone as they searched Evermore’s library. Oh! And the title was perfect. Kingfisher is just a spectacular writer.

A last note, about Cordelia and her mother (Evangeline). Cordelia’s actions, her responses to her mother…oooof, the abuse is terrible and heartbreaking and it is upsetting to read. Evangeline is a wayyyyyy toooo real a big bad. I do, though, wish we had more insight into Evangeline’s goals/purpose and mindset – her WHY – and background. It seemed flimsy? Perhaps a chance for a spinoff?! Regardless, I was *very* ready for the comeuppance piece of the story, and it was cathartic when we got it. A super good, creepy, fitting finale to the tale for Evangeline. And some softer, more tender, and well-deserved endings for everyone else involved as well.

While there were a few small aspects that I would have wanted a little more from, overall this was a great read.

There's something really whimsical about T Kingfisher's stories and A Sorceress Comes to Call is no different - I loved following the characters on their journey and seeing just how the various twists come together in the end.

What’s there to say about Kingfisher? She’s knocked it out of the park, as usual. I read this book a few months ago and cannot shut up about it. She’s written the same book about four times now and I’ll eat it up every time!

Based on the fairy tale "Goose Girl" T. Kingfisher tells the story of Cordelia, a friendless girl living with a controlling and terrible mother. When Cordelia's mother lands in hot water again... she is forced to find her next target to seduce. She locks on target to a wealthy older man, who lives with his smart and kind unwed sister. The sister takes a liking to Cordelia, realzing that something is terribly wrong between mother and daughter. With this kindness, comes dread for Cordelia, because she knows what her mother is going to do and doesn't have the ability to stop her... or does she.

T. Kingfisher's latest fantasty horror retelling was very promising, but fell utterly flat for me. It was predicatable and a bit boring. It lacked the spark that lit of the previous books.

I was hesitant to start this because a “dark” reimagining of a Brothers Grimm story seems like it would be… pretty bleak. This wasn’t that! It was about *as* dark as the original story, but I wouldn’t call it a dark reimagining. Of course, I probably also wouldn’t call it a “Goose Girl” retelling. If I’d gone into this without having read the description I don’t know that I would have clocked it as “Goose Girl” story wise - although I suppose the sheer number of geese might have clued me in.

Ultimately this was a really strong read, but don’t go into it expecting “Goose Girl”

What a deliciously macabre story! This is one of the most unsettling, unhinged stories I've read in a while, and I simply could not put 'A Sorceress Comes to Call' down. The only reason that I gave this novel a 4 instead of a 5 is that this book needs to come with a slew of trigger warnings because, at times, the shock value is extreme. I'd rather someone be cautious than take many five star ratings as a sign they must read this book.

Book Summary:

Cordelia is used to being punished - or controlled - by her mother. All Cordelia wants is to be out from under the control of her mother - a feeling more literal than usual. Her mother’s latest scheme further proves that Cordelia needs to find a way to free herself.

Hester is wise in many ways. So when a marriageable woman shows up to woo her brother, she knows exactly what is up. What Hester doesn’t understand is this woman’s method. She’ll have to find a way to save her brother and the young woman this monster has brought with her.

My Review:

T. Kingfisher is back with another magical retelling! This time, her focus is on the Goose Girl, and I was immediately hooked on the premise. A Sorceress Comes to Call is everything I hoped it could be - rich, dark, compelling, and so very magical.

The story is told through two perfectives, Cordelia and Hester. One is young, timid, and gunshy; the old is bold, wise, and quite determined. They’re not the most likely team around, but their unique perspectives combine to create a compelling narrative.

As for the narrative itself, it is everything a fractured fable should be: magical, dangerous, high stakes, and a touch of romance. Naturally, all of these elements come about in slightly unexpected ways, but that’s what makes it so good.

As a major fan of retellings and fractured fables, my review may be slightly biased. I just can’t get enough of them. That said, I feel like A Sorceress Comes to Call stands independently, even without the label. So be sure to check it out!

Highlights:
Magic & Witches
Horror & Fantasy
Goose Girl Retelling
Fairy Tales

Trigger Warnings:
Controlling & Abusive Behaviors
Violence & Death
Animal Death