T. Kingfisher’s latest book, "A Sorceress Comes to Call," is another enchanting addition to her collection, offering a fresh retelling of the lesser-known fairy tale, "The Goose Girl." The story unfolds through two perspectives: a young girl trapped under the thumb of her manipulative mother, both physically and mentally, and a spinster by choice who lives with her wealthy brother and finds solace in raising various breeds of geese.

True to Kingfisher’s signature style, the book is filled with creatures that aren't quite what they seem, a pervasive sense of eerie suspense, and characters brimming with wit and depth. The narrative strikes a delicate balance between fantasy and horror, echoing the timelessness of classic fairy tales while feeling distinctly modern.

Fans will appreciate the subtle humor and the clever resolution to the author’s recurring avoidance of horses, a quirk that has become something of an inside joke among her readers. In the end, "A Sorceress Comes to Call" stands as a testament to Kingfisher’s ability to craft stories that linger in the mind, earning its place as a standout on any bookshelf. Bravo, Ursula!

I had such a fantastic time reading this book! I've really enjoyed T. Kingfisher's books before, and this one sounded like another great read! Which it absolutely was, I loved getting into this world, getting to know these characters and what they were facing!

That beginning of this book, that's one of the most chilling openings I can think of. To have this powerful figure in your life, in this case her mom, who can control her body-that's such an awful concept. That she's had bladder issues, eye issues, because her mom is in control but isn't thinking about these things because it isn't her body? Horrid!

That we get both Cordelia and Hester's perspective was really wonderful. Cordelia has been sheltered her whole life and doesn't really know how society works in reality, she knows the rules, but not how to put them in action. Whereas Hester is basically an old maid, she's had a good life, and knows there's danger in Cordelia's mom. I loved seeing the story come together.

This cast of characters, this world, and this story all came together for a really engaging read. I loved watching these characters learn more about what was going on with the magic, and how to deal with the problem that they're facing. And oh, but that ending was just a delight, where we left these characters.

This was a really wonderful read and I can't wait to read more by T. Kingfisher!

I normal T. Kingfisher fashion, A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is fantastic. Atmospheric and wryly funny, Kingfisher remains one of my favorite authors to date.

This was a well-written dark take on The Goose Girl fairy tale. I wouldn't call it a retelling exactly because it didn't really follow what I remember of the original tale. It was definitely inspired by the story though and contained some of the same themes.

The story actually made me think of Tangled, Disney's take on Rapunzel, a lot. I liked the characters in this one, especially Hester. She was a refreshing kind of heroine.

I read an ARC of this from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

4.5

This is a Kingfisher fantasy that's colored deeply by Kingfisher's brand of horror. Fans of any of her work will likely enjoy A Sorceress Comes to Call. Fairy tale enthusiasts will recognize the goose girl inspirations.

5
Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.

But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

A dark retelling of The Goose Girl, this fantasy has a fabulous cast of female main characters, with the major heroes being a 14 year old and a grandmother age. I enjoy seeing both the heroes and the villains as females, although there are also good male characters. From the very beginning, I was drawn to understand what was happening and creeped out by the mother, but as Cordelia gains allies I cheered for her and them. Definitely a great choice for fans of grown up fairy tales and wanting villains to get theirs. (4.5 stars)

Dark, atmospheric and unsettling, A Sorceress Comes to Call pays homage to Grimm's The Goose Girl.

From the very start of the book you know the identity of the villain. From that point on, the story weaves a disturbing tale of a young woman trapped under the abusive control of her mother, a villain who is compelled by greed and want, and a family who is the villains recent target. There are very dynamic characters with the stories point of view slipping back and forth between the daughter, Cordelia, and Hester, sister of Cordelia's mother's suitor. There is a heavy confining darkness to most of the story, especially when the narrative slips into Cordelia's point of view. While she may seem accommodating and week to her mother's villainy, there is a strength and rebelliousness that is, in some ways, fueled by Hester's own nature. There are plenty of trigger warnings to watch for if you are sensitive to abuse and violence.

Kingfisher did an amazing job as always creating an immersive atmosphere. It's unsettling at times and uncomfortable. I felt the heavy and almost claustrophobic nature of Cordelia's situation as well as the bright assertiveness of Hester's spirit.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and believe it will be one that several of our library patrons will enjoy.

Cordelia is 14 years old with just a strange mother. Her mother can ”control” Cordelia — she can make Cordelia do anything even if Cordelia doesn’t want to. She has no friends except for the horse Falada. Cordelia would ride falada everyday. Her mother could do things that other mothers couldn’t. Her mother insisted on no doors be in the house. She also insisted no secrets. If Cordelia did something wrong, her mother would take control of her so that she could only what her mother told her to do. Her mother would disappear without telling her. The last time she came home, she told Cordelia to pack because they were going to a rich man’s home. The man was a squire. His sister lives with him. Hester thinks of Cordelia’s mother as a woman marries for money. Hester wonders if her brother will decide to ask her to marry. Hester hopes not. When Hester finds out that Cordelia’s mother is sorceress, she can’t believe it at first. She decides something must be done but what?

The author’s writing drew me into the novel. I was drawn to Cordelia and her interaction with the other characters in the novel. Cordelia was very scared of her mother in the beginning of the novel but was able to draw on courage that she didn’t know she had. It’s an excellent novel with a little romance and occultism. At points in the novel, the interaction was truly horror — at least to me. I’m so glad I got to read this book. I recommend it to anyone.

Cordelia's upbringing has been a bit odd. She lives alone with her mother, Evangeline, in a house where the doors are never closed, because there are no secrets in their home. Cordelia has no friends, not really, just Falada, her mother's horse, and a passing acquaintance with a neighbor girl she meets on her daily rides. She knows, vaguely, that her mother earns money via a benefactor - a man who provides funds - but she knows very little else about him, until, one day, her mother comes home fuming that he has decided to stop supporting her. This causes her mother to decide she must marry again, as well as possible, so that Cordelia will be properly clad and introduced to society, so that her own marriage will be even better than her mother's, thus providing the income, and power, that her mother desires. So far, this sounds like a fairly common romance novel, but Cordelia's mother is different; she can force obedience upon Cordelia, and often does, usually as a punishment. Off they go, to find a wealthy benefactor and future spouse for Evangeline.

It took me a bit to get into this novel; it's a bit outside my usual genre, but once I was a few chapters in, I was hooked. Evangeline is a truly evil, self-centered, and self-righteous person, willing to do anything to anyone to get her way; her careless concern for her daughter is more about preparing her daughter to marry well for the benefits it will bring her than anything else. The elements of magic in this novel are presenting from a different angle than is usual, which make that part more interesting. Recommended for teens and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A dark, harrowing rendition of Grimm's The Goose Girl, A Sorceress Comes to Call presents an unusual cast of characters forced to face dark magic. Alternating POVs between the sorceress's daughter Cordelia and Hester, the older spinster and sister of the Squire, T. Kingfisher's writing once again excels at becoming a haunting fairy tale.

I truly loved how the story was different than the original tale but still breathed so much life with its characters. The essences of the original remained, while adding new horrors and frightening magic and love that defies tradition, while also confronting their own flaws.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book, while loosely inspired by The Goose Girl, shares very little DNA with that original story, and is certainly a touch darker than it. It was however, a pleasure to read and had many of the elements I look for in a good book - well-rounded characters, a touch of fantasy, real-seeming stakes, a sense of humor, and a tinge of horror. I also highly recommend reading the acknowledgements, as there's a great personal anecdote in there that I'd hate for you to miss.

I want to read it I do but I have girlbossed a little too close to the sun and had to dnf because I don't have the time.

3.5 stars. This is a fairytale inspired fantasy novel. It follows Cordelia, a fourteen year old girl who lives and entirely restrictive life with her cruel mother. When he mother goes in search of a husband, Cordelia is introduced to a small cast of likable and interesting characters. I liked this book. It is well written with good character arcs. I am beginning to think that this sort of cozy(ish) fantasy novel may not be for me. I found myself losing interest occasionally and it took be longer than necessary to finish. Overall, though, I do think it a good book. I received a digital copy from NetGalley.

Once again, this was unsettling in a very entertaining way. Perfectly paced, precious characters. T. Kingfisher just doesn’t miss.

Not my favorite by this author but even her worst is good. 3.5 stars

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

The nitty-gritty: In her latest fairy tale retelling, T. Kingfisher once again proves she's the master of dark fantasy with a healthy dose of heart and humor.

T. Kingfisher is one of the most consistent writers I know, and I always enjoy her stories immensely. A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception, a delightfully macabre blend of fantasy, horror and humor, with some truly unforgettable characters. Kingfisher takes the Grimm fairytale The Goose Girl and adds her own dark spin to it, but there are only a couple of elements from the original story—there are geese and a horse named Falada—and you certainly don’t need to be familiar with it to enjoy this tale.

We follow a fourteen-year-old girl named Cordelia who lives with her mother, a horrible woman named Evangeline who just happens to be a sorceress. Evangeline is able to control people with magic, and she’s been doing so to her daughter for years. Cordelia absolutely hates being “made obedient” because she loses complete control over her body. The only reason the two have clothes and food is because Evangeline has found a benefactor to “give” her those things, but now she’s setting her sights on more: she wants to not only find herself a wealthy husband, but one for Cordelia as well.

Meanwhile, we meet Hester and her brother the Squire, who live comfortably in a distant village. One day, Hester wakes up with a terrible feeling that something bad is coming, and soon after Evangeline and Cordelia show up on their doorstep. The bad thing, which Hester calls “Doom,” is of course Evangeline, who has decided that the Squire will make a perfectly good husband for her. But Hester senses that something is off with the woman—and she can tell that Cordelia is unhappy and in some kind of trouble—so she gathers some good friends to try to stop Evangeline from getting away with her odious plan. But as Hester is about to find out, it isn’t easy to break a sorcerer’s magic…

I have one criticism I’ll get out of the way first. The first half of the book meanders and doesn’t really go anywhere, and I actually found myself a little bored. It isn’t until Evangeline and Cordelia end up at Hester’s house that things start to get exciting. This is also where we meet most of my favorite characters, and as usual with Kingfisher’s books, the characters made the story for me. I loved Cordelia, who starts out as scared and timid but later shows a lot of character growth, fighting back against her controlling mother. Hester was a fantastic character as well. She’s in her fifties and not afraid to speak her mind. There’s a bit of romance between Hester and an old suitor, which I thought was nicely done, but I mostly loved her for her shrewd commentary and her desire to help Cordelia.

A couple of side characters stole the show for me, though. Alice is the maid assigned to Cordelia when she arrives at Hester’s house, and I loved the way she confided in Hester when she sensed something terrible going on between Cordelia and Evangeline. Tom Willard is the butler and he was hysterically funny. In fact, everyone in the household starts to gang up on Evangeline once they figure out what she is. Kingfisher’s sparkling dialog is in full force when all these characters are together, and despite the story’s darker moments, I couldn’t help but smile while I was reading.

There are some unexpectedly gruesome surprises as well. Falada, Evangeline’s horse, isn’t at all what you think he is, and Kingfisher comes up with some awesome scenes that involve him and his connection to Evangeline. Add in murder, a surprise ghost, and a bunch of protective geese, and you have a funny, lively and sometimes shocking story.

Kingfisher infuses her tale with plenty of heartfelt moments as well. I love stories where the characters band together to protect each other and vanquish evil, and Cordelia forms some wonderful friendships with Hester and Alice and the others. I especially loved Hester’s story. She’s in her fifties and suffers from sore knees, but that doesn’t stop her from joining in the fight against Evangeline. I also enjoyed her romance with Richard, which is sort of a “second chance romance” that’s subtly done. 

This is another winner from T. Kingfisher, a well done genre mash-up that is sure to appeal to lots of different kinds of readers.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

4.5 rounded up!

This was such an enjoyable read. It's (apparently) a retelling of the Goose Girl, which I didn't know other than through Margaret Owen's Little Thieves, and these two books are not very similar. The book has two POVs, one of a 14 year old girl whose mother is a sorceress who can force her to be obedient, and one of a middle aged woman. The vibes felt a little bit like pride and prejudice (people come to visit for long periods of time) but with significantly more action. There is mystery, there is horror, and there is coziness. It's just a delightful treat. I will say, the ending was a little fast, and there wasn't a lot of explanation of why things happened the way they did, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I really enjoyed it, and I sped through it in about 24 hours.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review!

This is my fifth read by T Kingfisher and I have a new favorite. I loved this story. I switched between the audio and eBook while reading this one eagerly anticipating the next part. The audio is narrated by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens. They did a fantastic job with the voices for Cordelia and Hester. This is a retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl, which I haven’t read. I really need to get a copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and start working on reading them.

This story is interspersed with the humor that I have come to expect from Kingfisher and if you haven’t read this author’s work before, I suggest you start here. Cordelia’s mother gives whole new meaning to strict parenting. She’s not allowed to lock her door, have friends and her mother has the ability to force her to do things, mostly sit still and silent for endless periods of time. When something suspicious happens to their “benefactor”, Evangeline rushes them out of town and sets a trap to catch a wealthy older man.

Hester is the unwed sister of Samuel, the Squire that Evangeline has set her sights upon. Hester had a sense of foreboding prior to Evangeline and Cordelia’s arrival at Chatham House. She has a history of being sensitive to evil. She also has a group of loyal, eccentric friends that will come at her request. She can see there is something wrong with Cordelia and sets out to help the girl and save her brother despite her infirmities. But will this ragtag group be enough to thwart a determined Evangeline? I loved Hester and her references to Cordelia’s mother as “Doom”. She really shined amongst her friends.

Recommended to fantasy and fairy tale lovers especially for the humor.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Tor Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

After enjoying T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead and Thornhedge I was excited to receive a digital advance copy of A Sorceress Comes to Call from Netgalley.
Genre: Adult, Retelling, Horror, Fantasy (Fairytale)
Content Warnings: child abuse, animal death, murder, gore

A Sorceress Comes to Call is about a teenage girl named Cordelia.

“There was a fly walking on Cordelia’s hand and she was not allowed to flick it away.”

Cordelia’s mother, Evangeline, is a sorceress and often makes Cordelia “obedient”, taking over her body, and forcing her to act the way she wants. At fourteen years old Cordelia doesn’t have any friends and confides in their horse Falada. However, she sometimes talks with Ellen, the daughter of a landowner, that lives nearby.

One day Evangeline tells Cordelia that they soon have to move and find a new benefactor. While discussing the move Evangeline carelessly mentions that she is a sorcerer – something Cordelia didn’t know.

Hester Chatham (51) woke in the middle of the night with a strong feeling that doom was approaching.

“Three days after her first panic-filled awakening, Doom appeared on Hester’s doorstep, in the shape of a woman.”

Evangeline shows interest in Hester’s brother Samuel, the Squire. She claims to be in town to get a dress fitting appointment for her daughter. Samuel invites Evangeline to stay at the house with her daughter while they wait for the dresses.

Cordelia is awoken by her mother with news that they are going to the coast to stay with the Chathams. She has plans to marry the Squire. Evangeline admits she was Ellen’s father’s mistress and says they must leave immediately as something bad has happened to Ellen’s family. Cordelia is mortified and worried about Ellen and her family.

At the Chatham house, Cordelia meets Hester, the Squire, the butler Willard, and her new maid Alice. Cordelia can’t believe the size of the house and is blown away to see all the rooms have doors (her mother didn’t allow doors). She doesn’t know how to let Alice take care of her because she’s never had someone take care of her before. Alice quickly realizes that Cordelia is afraid of her own mother, and starts to plant seeds of confidence in Cordelia.

I love that Hester refers to Evangeline as “Doom” (at first just in her own head). Hester is incredibly observant and quickly notices Cordelia’s fear of her mother. She is trying to figure out Evangeline’s game plan and is determined to not let her brother marry either of them, and yet, she’s also worried about Cordelia. She organizes a little house party, inviting Lord and Lady Strauss and their son, Penelope Green (Samuel’s ex-mistress), and Lord Evermore (Hester’s closest friend) hoping they can help her stop Evangeline from marrying Samuel.

While Hester tries to get rid of Evangeline, Cordelia searches for the confidence to stand up to her mother. We learn what happened to Ellen’s family and just how ruthless Evangeline is.

› A Sorceress Comes to Call is dark, suspenseful, yet humorous and made me laugh out loud. I felt for Cordelia who is in constant fear of her mother. She’s even afraid of her own thoughts. There are short but visceral horror scenes. The characters are all interesting and well-developed. I love Kingfisher’s writing style which is full of dark whimsy, description, and incredible world-building.

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, unconventional, tragic
Pace: medium
Tone: emotional, bittersweet, heartwrenching, high-drama, moody, dramatic, suspenseful, magical, whimsical, dark, sinister,
Humour: dark humour, offbeat
Writing Style: banter-filled, conversational, well-crafted dialogue, compelling, descriptive, engaging, gritty, richly detailed, witty
Character: authentic, awkward, brooding, complex, flawed, mischievous, quirky, relatable, sarcastic, strong female, well-developed

Read-Alikes:
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
Uprooted by Noami Novik
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erike Johansen
Redder Than Blood by Tanith Lee
The Dark of the Woods by Ellen Datlow
Bitter Sweets by Justine Sebastian
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Gilded by Marissa Meyer

› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• A Sorceress Comes to Call is a compelling and offbeat fantasy horror book about an abusive mother-daughter relationship, friendship, found family, and freedom. I highly recommend this to fans of dark fairy tale retellings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.