My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) has given us yet another great read. This one is a bit Regency romance-ish, a bit gothic, and a bit fairy tail. We get the evil sorceress mother, the innocent daughter who is only seen by her mother as a tool to advance her schemes, the medium rich and filthy rich gentry who become embroiled in those schemes, and the kind and brave servants who support the rest of the cast. This was a fun and bit of a slow burn tale that built to a very satisfying conclusion. (And be sure to read the afterward about the author's past experiences with horses.)

T. Kingfisher retells The Goose Girl in this story of sorcery, mothers and daughters, and enchanted horses. Cordelia is a 14 yo whose mother believes in homes without doors and keeping no secrets, except her own. Friendless but for her horse, Cordelia only gradually discovers what her mother is capable of after they must leave their village quickly after murder. Full of suspense, betrayal, and unexpected friendships, “A Sorceress Comes to Call” is a must read for Kingfisher fans.

✨ARC MINI REVIEW✨

I want to thank @netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book! It was different than what I normally read and I was here for it!

I loved the spooky vibes that the book gives off as you never quite know what’s going to happen. The mother is this sorceress who has stifled her daughter into a life that’s barely worth living. She has no regard for anyone else and is out for a man to marry to set her up for life.

The dual POV is one I didn’t expect as it’s between our FMC and this older woman who she eventually meets. The two unlikely friends slowly build a relationship and our FMC opens up to the horrors she has witnessed at her mother hands. Thus a plot is born….

You never quite know who to trust or what’s going to happen, the author keeps you on your toes as they delivers blow after blow— pushing the story along. This book is riddled with minor twists that add to the spooky factor but aren’t necessarily shocking.

This book is filled with a sense of helplessness and fear from our FMCs point of view but there is a small spark of hope as her world broadens and she realizes that there are people who care for her. —- even as she tries to explain something that shouldn’t be possible.

Such an amazing book and I’m really glad I read it!

You guys, it's warm and funny and sweet and spooky and gross and enchanting. It's perfect. It's simply, unequivocally, perfect.

T. Kingfisher has done it once again folks. I adore their writing style, compelling use of unusual characters, and just plain fun stories. Told from two viewpoints this story is fast paced, entertaining, and a little bit creepy. Highly recommend and easily an auto-buy author for me.

I don't even know where to start. I absolutely loved this book. I have nothing bad to say about it. So far everything I've read by T. Kingfisher is Phenomenal. She weaves this web around her reader. Blocking out the rest of the world and pulling you into hers.

I was drawn in completely. Cordelia's world is a nightmare, filled with helplessness and fear. Her Mother Evangeline has controlled everything she does her entire life. even if Cordelia wants to argue she can't. Evangeline is a Sorceress of great power. She can take over Cordelia's body locking in a small corner of her mind. She is powerless to stop her.

Now Evangeline has big plans for Cordelia. After setting that plan into action. Evangeline introduces Cordelia to a group of people who just might be able to help. If they believe Cordelia and can accept the impossible.

I wish I could tell you more, but I don't want to ruin anything. Just sit back and enjoy a dark re-shaping of Brother Grimm's Goose Girl.

This is a wonderful goose girl retelling meets regency romance and is full of delightful, biting wit. This is my first book that I've read by Kingfisher and I didn't realize I'd be so charmed by it. I found myself laughing out loud in surprise by the humor in the pages. I love how she takes the characters and forms them into a mostly middle aged scooby gang to defeat the ultimate evil. It kept me cackling the entire way. Everyone should pick up this wonderful book.

love this author! I had a blind, or perhaps nearly-blind, reading experience-- I didn't read any blubs or reviews, maybe jut a tiny peek to confirm it wasn't horror. I don't often get a chance to read a book I know absolutely zero about, so that made it a little bit more fun.

I read about 83% of this in one sitting, staying up way too late even though I had to work the next morning. I couldn't put it down! It feels inside its bones like a fairytale retelling, and I'm sure I would have read "the goose girl" at some point a decade or two ago, but I didn't find it overwhelming. Readers might assume it's modeled at least somewhat on the probably-better-known Rapunzel.

This is a good read-alike for those who liked the author's [book:Nettle & Bone|56179377]-- this one is maybe a pinch less dark, but there are definitely gothic undertones with some possible body-horror. Although this is a little darker, the fantasy elements reminded me a bit of [book:Half a Soul|60717747]+series, with a secret magic system in a vaguely Victoria setting, some manners humor, and strong cross-over potential-- there are two candidates for main character: one 14-year-old girl and one ~50-year-old women. The two pair up, with new and old friends, in this I-don't-want-to-be-the-chosen-one fight against magic, in a situation neither chose for themselves. Narration is third-person throughout, but chapters roughly alternate in focus between the two. Asides about women's independence and minor characters who may be LGBTQ+ feel authentically incorporated without being the point of the story.

As mentioned, the setting is vaguely-Victoria, based on social rules and technology. The universe is alternate, though-- not merely a paranormal layer on ours; the geography is kept very vague, but there are references to the culture's history, specifically immigration, that I didn't recognize as matching anything. This book is structured like a stand-alone, but it's a universe I would be happy to see in a series!

eARC from NetGalley.

Cordelia's mother is not like other mothers. Cordelia's mother is a sorcerer who can make Cordelia be Obedient so that Cordelia has no will of her own and her mother can control her like a puppet. Other than this, Cordelia's life is like most other people's lives. Cordelia helps out around the house, and goes horseback riding. One day, though, her mother decides to remarry and introduces Cordelia to her fiance's family. Cordelia immediately hits it off with Hester, the Squire's sister, and knows that she has to intervene before her mother does something terrible.

I've liked everything I've read by Kingfisher, and this is no exception. I do not read a lot of fantasy but if more of it were written like this, I would. The female characters are three-dimensional and not just representations of tropes. The women propel the action and keep it moving forward, but some men play important roles as well. And, perhaps most important, the book is a lot of fun with good pacing and character development.

T. Kingfisher does it again - a fabulous fairytale retelling that breathes new life into old tropes. Her writing remains comfortable, like a pair of old shoes or a chair by the fire. You'll always want to curl up in it again and again.

I just love T. Kingfisher and this book was no exception! I love the weird spooky fairy tale vibes. It was so unique but also so just Kingfisher. Very interesting characters and setting! Will be recommending and adding to our library.

T. Kingfisher does it again with the just-creepy enough fairy tale retelling. If you like Nettle and Bone, the gothic mystery parts of books like Belladonna or the original Grimm fairytales, you will like this book.

As someone who generally doesn't like too much horror/gore in her books/movies, I think Kingfisher strikes just the right balance of storytelling, body horror and humor with this story. The characters are all interesting and unique. The story is told from two perspectives: that of 14 year old Cordelia and 50-something Hester. The combination provides an interesting contrast to each other and the supporting characters are all distinct and unique as well.

If you enjoy fairytale retellings or want more adult fairytales, highly recommend this book.

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

T. Kingfisher writes some of the most satisfying fantasy out there, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception. Part of what makes Kingfisher’s novels so compelling is that they trace the familiar path of fairy tale, only in prose so rich and delicious that the horror and victory feel alive instead of page-bound. This newest novel begins in horror, with Cordelia, the main character, having been “made obedient” by her sorceress mother, a state that gives her mother complete control over her body. Cordelia is trapped in a nightmare of magic-inflected abuse, with no privacy, no autonomy, and no hope of escape.

Things change somewhat when her mother decides to seduce a Squire and whisks Cordelia away to a manor house with such luxuries as wallpaper, servants, and the ability to close doors. Unlike most fairy tales, which tend to keep the cast list small, this is a house populated by big personalities and rich back stories. Hester, the Squire’s spinster sister, is level-headed, compassionate and immediately attuned both to the destruction promised by Cordelia’s mother and to the signs of Cordelia’s distress; she is also the subject of the book’s only romantic plot line, in another twist on the fairy tale formula. (Kingfisher’s repertoire broadly declares that love is for everyone, not just damsels in distress). With her friends Lady Strauss, a card shark, and Penelope Green, an unexpected charmer, she sets out to free Cordelia and her brother from the sorceress’s grip.

The plot points of A Sorceress Comes to Call are relatively unsurprising, but the book is populated by excellent characters and written with keen attention to atmosphere and pacing. If I could read it again for the first time, I would!

This is my first T. Kingfisher novel and while I enjoyed it (mostly) I was not super blown away by the story and I felt like the retelling or reimagining of the Goose Girl fairytale was so slight it was almost not worth mentioning.

Cordelia has spent her entire life in watchful fear of her mother, the beautiful and cruel Evangeline. Cordelia's mother is a sorceress who finds new and unusual (and magic) ways to punish those that get in her way. She makes Cordelia obedient, doesn't let her have friends or any kind of secrets. When the duo have overstayed their welcome in their small town Evangeline sets out to snare a new benefactor, taking Cordelia along for the ride. However, when Cordelia meets Hester, the sister of the kind squire Evangeline has set her sights on - it throws their plans into upheaval. Hester senses that Evangeline is evil and will do everything in her power to free her brother from the sorceresses clutches. Hester also shows the Cordelia kindness and patience forcing the girl to choose between her mother and doing what is right.

I found Cordelia to be an interesting and sympathetic character. She is so caught up in her mothers thrall that it takes time for Hester to lure her out of her shell. Hester is also a very likeable character and the ending she gets feels well deserved. However, I felt like the book was kind of long and meandered a bit. There were time I was sure the action was picking up and then it would stop and we could get a couple chapters on the house party and how Evangeline kept glaring at Hester when no one was looking. I get the idea of trying to build up the tension and the suspense but I just thought some of that could have been a little shorter. When the reader does finally get to the climax it is very exciting and I was very nearly late to work trying to find out what would happen next.

My other issue is the fairytale retelling aspect. Besides naming the horse Falada and having Hester raise geese I really did not see many similarities between this book and the fairytale. I think it may be a disservice to readers who are actively looking for fairytale retellings and I think this book can stand on its own and be its own story full stop.

I would definitely recommend this to patrons who are looking for very in depth fantasy books and I would check out another Kingfisher novel in the future.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

T. Kingfisher does it again. As usual, this is a relatively short and sweet story that can be think of as a fairytale remix, broadly interpreted (for this one, branching off of the goose girl). Her trademark wit shines in writing of this story, and you can also expect her usual strong characterization, especially for the mature characters.

This story has some instances of darkness, and the villain is definitely villainous, but the gruesome moments are few and far between, and definitely not gratuitous. There is some psychological horror regards to manipulation and control, that definitely creates an unnerving mood for particular moments in the story. However, this book is also very heartfelt, and the friendships and bonds between our child MC and the rest of the characters who grow to care for her are well-executed. I especially loved the friendships between Hester, her female friends, and Richard.

This book is focused on relationships and mood more than worldbuilding or plot- there is plot, but it’s not particularly twisty or unpredictable. However, it serves as an excellent backdrop for Hester to shine or even Cordelia to on occasion. Hester I would say was the heart and soul of the book, with her intelligence and her compassion and her love for her friends and family. Cordelia is sweet and sympathetic, and I appreciated watching her grow, but is much closer to a typical YA/middle grade protagonist. The mood- magic and manipulation and nightmares and ghosts- was the other big presence in the book. Definitely an ongoing uncanny feeling, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Overall, this was an excellent and pretty short read. Sweet and spooky moments, with humor throughout. 4.75

I plan to feature this book and my review on Instagram in the future, and I will update with the link here when I do (in the next week or two)

I think I read this book in under four hours. The pacing, the plot, the characters- all of it kept me hooked right from the beginning. The concept of the daughter of a sorceress being an unwilling companion of a horrible woman was a fascinating and very interesting plot. The use of magic that a “sorceress” posesses was also very interesting and unique and I found the concept of “obedience” to be a very beautiful metaphor about a woman trying to control everything in her life, and especially her child. Hester and the other nobles in the story also showed a side of wealth that I thought portrayed how people of different social strata view money, even within tiers of nobility itself. This came to light especially when the maid was upset that Cordelia was not ordering her around enough, as she felt confused in her role. T.Kingfisher did a wonderful job writing this story, and definitely kept me guessing as to the true extremes Evangeline would go to to get what she wanted, as well as kept me guessing as to what it was she actually wanted. There was also a gloriously satisfying conclusion and all in all I ate this book up!

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" by T. Kingfisher is an enchanting and captivating tale that will sweep readers off their feet and into a world of magic, mystery, and courage. Kingfisher's masterful storytelling transports readers to a realm where sorcery and darkness collide, and where one young girl must find the strength to stand up to the evil that threatens her newfound family.

At the heart of the story is Cordelia, a young girl whose life is upended when she discovers the true nature of her mother's powers. As Cordelia navigates the dangerous machinations of her mother's sorcery, she must also grapple with questions of loyalty, identity, and the meaning of family.

What sets "A Sorceress Comes to Call" apart is its richly drawn characters and immersive world-building. From Cordelia's mysterious mother to the kind-hearted Squire and his keen-eyed sister, every character leaps off the page with depth and complexity. Kingfisher's evocative prose and vivid descriptions bring the manor home and its surroundings to life, creating a setting that feels both magical and menacing.

But perhaps the true magic of "A Sorceress Comes to Call" lies in its exploration of themes of bravery, resilience, and the power of love. As Cordelia faces impossible odds and grapples with her own inner demons, readers will find themselves rooting for her every step of the way.

Overall, "A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a spellbinding and unforgettable read that will leave readers breathless. Kingfisher's skillful blend of fantasy and adventure makes this a must-read for fans of magical storytelling.

2024 has been a year of very, very few five stars and I'm so beyond pleased to have found another one in A Sorceress Comes to Call. This book was a pleasant surprise on all fronts, especially considering the fact that this is only my second T. Kingfisher novel (and that I gave the first one I read by her ~3 stars).

I'm not a regency era person by any stretch of the imagination, but the setting and atmosphere of Sorceress was absolutely delightful. I loved the references to high society and learning about it through Cordelia's eyes. I also loved that, though we were in the head of a 14 year old for a good portion of the novel, we also got to experience parts of this novel from Hester, who is in her fifties, as well. That duality lent this novel such a unique voice and I loved when we swapped between perspectives (a rare occurrence for me, as I typically don't always vibe with some of the perspectives I read from). On top of that, the characters were all so loveable and compelling. T. Kingfisher managed to write such believable, interesting relationships for people that we aren't even really introduced to until the ~35% mark of the novel. It takes really excellent skill as a storyteller, in my opinion, to make a reader believe that characters have been friends for decades, and Sorceress accomplishes this easily.

And though this book is NOT love story, I couldn't help but root for the romance subplot and all that it entailed. In particular, I just loved Hester. I love how relatable her fears and anxieties are, and I love that despite all of that, she still got a happy ending that aligned with her own terms. Honestly, I'd read an entire novel on Hester and Richard alone -- give me their goose breeding shenanigans, I'd eat it up!

Finally, I want to talk about how carefully T. Kingfisher handles abusive parental figures and what it means to break the cycle of abuse. Cordelia is a wonderfully written character because she's so ridiculously relatable. Both her guilt and fear were so visceral that, like Hester, I felt my own sense of dread build and build and build as this novel progressed. It's difficult to break free from a parent who sees you as an extension of themselves and nothing more, and I love Cordelia's growth and the development of her autonomy!

Okay I guess this is the real final thing, but T. Kingfisher really is a master at atmosphere and subtle horror. There were so many times throughout this novel that I was genuinely frightened, which really is just another example of how excellent a storyteller Kingfisher is.

Definitely put this book on your radar and pick it up on release. It's a masterpiece.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

T. Kingfisher's latest book sucks you in and keeps you glued to the page waiting for resolution. The story starts with the typical unhappy mother/daughter relationship, but it becomes apparent that this relationship is wrong. Really wrong. The mother is a sorceress and has plans for herself and her unwitting daughter that will shatter the innocence of those caught up in the path of destruction. I am not familiar with the fairy tale "The Goose Girl" so I don't know how closely this tale follows the original but I will have to remedy that soon.

Gosh, T. Kingfisher can do no wrong.

This blends so many different elements of various genres, it's hard to pin down what to technically call it. It's part fantasy, part Agatha Christie-style English Country House mystery, and part supernatural and horror. There's also a bit of upstairs/downstairs comedy, a lot of working through still-present trauma and abuse, and a lot of talk of marrying eligible bachelors and going to the city for the "season."

Anyway, as always, Kingfisher knocks it clean out of the park. I loved this. It was unexpected and delightful and then also very horrifying and a horse (or what used to be a horse) is described as "scuttling like a crab." No thank you. But definitely read it!