T. Kingfisher is an author who at this point has written a book for everyone, I feel like with each book they write, they fine tune their story telling more and more and that goes without saying for this new fantasy release. It’s a dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, where a girl takes the place of another in the hopes of swapping lives with her. Rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. Perfect for the upcoming spooky season.

Secrets, murder, and forbidden magic.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is full of secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. Cordelia’s mother is an evil sorceress who mistreats her daughter by forcing her to be silent and motionless for hours and even days on end. Claiming this act is to teach her obedience. The act leaves Cordelia timid and unsure of herself. Her only friend is her mother’s horse Falada. Yet not everything with her mother is as it seems.
One day Cordelia’s life is up ended, and they move into the home of a squire and his older sister Hester. As Cordelia’s mother weaves her web of deceit Cordelia befriends Hester and they embark on an adventure to stop her mother’s evil plans.
A Sorceress Comes to Call is the first work I have had the pleasure of reading by T. Kingfisher. Though I did not read the written work I did listen to the audiobook. It did not disappoint. Eliza Foss and Jennifer Picken did an amazing job with their narration. Their ability to bring Hester and Cordelia to life in an entertaining fashion was astonishing. You were able to hear just how timid Cordelia was and how snarky Hester is. I found myself laughing a lot especially when the characters threatened to kill people. It seemed everyone wanted to throw someone down the stairs.


I gave this work 5 stars because I found it to be entertaining. It made me laugh and I could relate to the characters. The work was a good balance between dark and humorous and is worth a listen. I was entertained throughout.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the copy of this book!

This is my first T. Kingfisher book and I adored the way she wrote such an atmospheric witchy book. This is gothic, slowburn, and so eerie. While I loved the setup of the first half, I audibly gasped at a certain turning point in the book, and from then on things just didn't really slow down! I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the dual narration for Cordelia and Hester. It was a perfect way to highlight the different backgrounds and positions of these two ladies, and I loved how everything came together in the end!

Another gem by T Kingfisher. I adore all of their works, but this one stood out as it had more depth and character. Dark and enchanting, each character in this book was intricately developed. "Sorceress Comes to Call" by T. Kingfisher is a haunting retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, delving into themes of parental mistreatment and mystical taboos. The narrative follows Cordelia, a 14-year-old ensnared in a nightmarish existence under her sorceress mother, Evangeline's oppressive regime. Isolated and manipulated for years, Cordelia finds solace only in her mother's horse, Falada. That is until Evangeline relocates them to the countryside in search of a prosperous suitor. Cordelia is given a chance to blossom and find her place but must remain obedient to her mother. However, as Cordelia quickly uncovers her mother's dark intentions, she must muster the courage to confront her own fears. With a riveting plot full of unexpected turns and chilling moments, T Kingfisher skillfully crafts this tale, leaving me eagerly anticipating her next release after enjoying this advanced copy. Thank you MacMillan publishing for another wonderful ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for a free arc of the audiobook.
This is not my first T. Kingfisher and I may love "A Sorceress Comes to Call" more than "Nettle and Bone". I would say that if you enjoy Nettle and Bone, that this T. Kingfisher will be more to your taste.
A Sorceress Comes to Call is a cross between a regency romance and a twisted fairy tale. The young daughter of a sorceress is caught between forced obedience to her mother and a desire to save the lives of her mother's prey.
Told from the perspectives of an abused teenager and a world-weary fifty-year-old, T. Kingfisher gives the reader a look into victimhood of different ages and how society's expectations both change and remain the same as women progress in age and experience. Having two very different characters as narrators lends to both a fascinating and fun take on female-friendship and how women young and old can have power if only they choose to believe in each other. The hero is not physically strong or masculine, exactly as a true heroine ought to be.

Cordelia's life is anything but ordinary, with a mother who forbids friends and imposes strange rules in their doorless house. When they move to a wealthy squire's manor, Cordelia realizes her mother plans to target their kind hosts, and she must find the courage to stop her.
T. Kingfisher weaves a dark, magical tale with rich character dynamics, especially between Cordelia and Hester. The narration enhances the vivid storytelling, making it an engaging listen with well-developed characters and a historical yet timeless setting.

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣 𝙞𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book, and it will not be my last.

It is marketed as a “dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl”, which I am unfamiliar with, but I thought the world that T. Kingfisher created here was so atmospheric, with an engrossing plot, interesting characters, and a general sense of unease and it kept me engaged throughout.

I loved how each of the POV characters were so different from on another: a spinster in her 50’s and a sheltered 14 year old girl, and I thought they worked really well together.

The side characters also felt fully realized, and I really enjoyed their parts of the story as well.

Overall, I was sucked into this story, and really enjoyed the dark, eerie vibes.

Audiobook notes: Both narrators were fantastic! They both did a great job with their different POV characters, creating a unique experience for each of their POV chapters, while also bringing consistent performances across the other cast of characters.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for providing me an ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Historical Fantasy
✅ “Goose Girl” Reimagining
✅ Spinster in her 50’s & 14 year old Protagonists
✅ Magic
✅ Unease
✅ Atmospheric writing

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5

An abusive sorceress mother can literally MAKE her non-magical daughter (Cordelia) be obedient, has a spooky horse familiar, and eyes set on a rich golden retriever-type squire husband. Can Cordelia trust in other adults enough to rid her mother of the dark magic before she brings ruin to everyone?

This book is HAUNTING and so, so good. Cordelia is such a sweet child, believing whatever lies her mother has told her, but when the squire’s family manage to sense that Cordelia needs out of this abusive situation, they band together to stop the marriage without causing Cordelia harm. There’s a lot of darkness at play, and many very sad things the sorceress causes, but the way the story is written, they don’t feel out of place, and we aren’t left without hope for a happier ending.

There’s also a side plot romance that was DARLING and it added some much needed lightness to the story, as well. I’ll read anything Kingfisher writes. One thousand points for creativity, vibes, and execution.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy reading fairytale retellings, especially of beloved classics. A Sorceress Comes to Call was my introduction to the fairytale Goose Girl, and even though I was not familiar with this fairytale I loved this retelling! This was my first T. Kingfisher novel and honestly I can understand the hype. She writes a haunting tale, with a nice cast of characters - who you truly grow to know.

After reading the authors interview in the August BookPage, I was excited to get get to know Hester and Cordelia. The two characters complement each other so well! I felt like I knew their emotions, and reactions. It was such an entertaining and captivating read.

Another splendid masterpiece in the voice and style I've come to love from T. Kingfisher. This story is a little dark and twisty and a whole lot of magical goodness all bundled up together. I loved the dynamic between the characters, and Hester was a solid favorite. Kingfisher writes with a vibrant prose that draws you into the story with character development and relationships without skimping on the world building details. The narration for this audiobook is fantastic. The voices bring another level of depth to the story and bring the already vivid details to life. I could listen to the audiobook on repeat and never get bored.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for the free audiobook for review.

This dark and complex fairytale for adults puts a unique twist on the classic Brothers Grimm story of The Goose Girl. The protagonist, Cordelia, is a young woman deeply lacking in confidence, trapped under the controlling grip of her peculiar mother. Yet, as the story unfolds, Cordelia finds unexpected allies and friends who help her navigate the complexities of society.

Both Cordelia and Hester, the Squire's kind-hearted sister, undergo profound transformations throughout the narrative. Hester must come to terms with her own decisions about love, finding the chance to rectify past mistakes. Meanwhile, Cordelia experiences a fresh start, finally surrounded by a semblance of family support.

This was quite an adventure, with scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for Cordelia, Hester, and their group of friends. For fans of Stardust, I highly recommend this captivating story.

The narration, particularly Cordelia's perspective, is exceptionally well-executed. Readers can viscerally feel her frustration, terror, and gradual awakening as the story progresses. This layered, character-driven fairytale offers a truly engaging experience. The performances by both narrators, Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens, are fantastic.

I struggled with the first half of the book, where the background and story was being set up. I love the historical vibe of the setting, and definitely felt the dark factor early on. I do wish there was more background on how the mother mind-controlled Cordelia because that is so fun. The book read slower than I was expecting so it makes the readers really focus on each character. The women were great. I loved when the characters banded together to plot to take down the mother. There was some fun banter between them as well.

I have not read the fairy tale this is based on, so perhaps that would have provided me with a little more context to understand the plot.

I do really enjoy this style of writing and the gaslamp type fantasy. It felt like we were back in time, but in a timeless place. Women focus on being wed off to wealthy or powerful men, manners must be minded, and everyone has a place in society. I almost got Sleepy Hollow feelings from the story at certain parts, especially with the horse for some reason. I do think I would have liked a little bit more magic since the main character was a sorceress.

The ending really kicked into gear and once the action started I flew through the rest of the book.

The narration was perfect for the style of book and the time period. I listened at 2x, but probably would have bumped it to 2.25x if that was an option. Each voice was done well, and I did not often struggle to remember who was speaking (which can be very difficult with larger casts of characters).

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and T. Kingfisher for an ARC of this audiobook narrated by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens in exchange for my honest review.

Holy shit, I am absolutely speechless with how phenomenal this book was! This is a reimagining of The Brothers Grimm’s “The Goose Girl”, but I went into this story completely unaware of the premise of the source material. I was immediately drawn into the gothic setting while the premise is deliciously eerie and the story kept me in suspense!

The characters were wonderfully fleshed out and each one shines in their own light. There’s wit, charm, wry humor, chivalry and by the end of the story, they feel like old friends.

This is the perfect book if you’re looking for suspense, murder, magic, and will definitely put you in the autumn mood!

I feel as though each time i read a T. Kingfisher book, I am blown away by the quality of the writing and narrative of the story.

Previously, I had read a few novellas and loved them, so this was my first full novel which was a fairy tale based retelling. T. Kingfisher is brilliant in their writing and she is so thoughtful with the way she builds her characters and the underlying drama.

This story was presented as a dark retelling of the Brother's Grimm Goose Girl, where a girl takes the place of another in the hopes of swapping lives with her. In this story, We learn Hester, a spinster who's single brother is courting a mysterious woman, is suspicious of his love interest and the woman's daughter becomes an unlikely ally in unravelling the plot.

I love gothic fairy tales which do not have the candy coated overlay on them to make them overly sweet and "happily ever after". This book does not hold it's punches when exploring the dark sides of the sorceress's magic and we see people fall victim to the bewitchment. I love how the author is able to weave in the eerie sense of paranormal and supernatural even when it comes to this type of story. She truly does justice to the Brother's Grimm and their horrific fairy tales where people would end up blind or disfigured in some way because if magic was involved, it was rarely going to work out well for anyone.

I loved this book and I have become quite a fan of this author. I will continue to be on the look out for more works of theirs. I highly recommend picking up this book and anything else you can find. They are always surprising in the best ways! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

Thank you to T. Kingfisher (author), Eliza Foss (narrator), Jennifer Pickens (narrator), Macmillan, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader (/listener) copy of "A Sorceress Comes to Call" for an honest review.

T. Kingfisher remains one of the greatest authorial finds of my last two years. I have loved her foray into every genre, and this next, newest one into fantasy by way of the middle-of-the-road normal life is no different. I found myself deeply in love with both of our main characters and, at all times, horrified by the actions of our "sorceress." I loved our older love story of taking someone as they are, at their own time, and simply loving them slowly. I'm still and forever horrified by headless horses (thanks, Icabod).

The narrators of this were SSSOOOO GOOD. I truly found their narrations to be authentic embodiments of the leading ladies, emblematic of their ages and experiences (or lack thereof). I would be only too glad to listen to even more books by both.

This was delightful! The pacing was great, it never dragged, the plot clipped along nicely. I enjoyed the characters, especially Cordelia and Hester. I always appreciate an older FMC.

T. Kingfisher really has such a skill for fantasy stories. The entire story was so visual that I could picture every single element of it. She did a fantastic job depicting parental abuse and how difficult it is to break out of a parent’s hold on you. In fact I would say that especially for the beginning of the book that readers that are sensitive to that sort of thing should be cautious because it is pretty intense. The magic within the story was as wild and confusing as the fae magic of old so of course I loved it immensely. Cordelia and Hester as main characters was wonderful. The dichotomy between a little fourteen year old girl who has absolutely nothing and no one and the 51 year old Hester and her rather large group of friends who all love her dearly made for such a layered read. It also helped to show that sometimes what a child needs in order to feel safe enough to defy an abusive parent is safe adults who they know they can trust. I loved the found family vibes between Cordelia and her adults as well. I will personally say that I think this book should just say that some elements were inspired by ‘Goose Girl’ because I really don’t think enough of the story is similar at all to the original work to call it a retelling. 'Took inspiration’ would have been plenty of a nod to the original work. I also loved the nod toward the end to T. Kingfisher’s other work Nettle & Bone (it was the line about the bone dog among other characters in that work). Overall a fantastic novel with a great happily ever after while maintaining the dark fairytale elements of a Grimm story.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this audioARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ I absolutely loved nettle and bone so when I got approved for a ARC of A sorceress comes to call I was so excited and I wasn't disappointed. This book is a dark fantasy retelling of the goose girl told in two POV's, Cordelia the young daughter of the sorceress who desperately wants to get away from her mother and Hester who is the spinster sister of the man the sorceress Evangeline has her sights on to marry. The two become friends and Cordelia realizes she has to find a way to stop her mother from ruining their lives and also break free for good.

Cordelia is a great main character but it's definitely the side characters Hester and her friends that make this book amazing. I'm not usually into dark and creepy stories but T. Kingfisher is an expert on creeping you out but also making you laugh at the same time and I absolutely love her writing. I highly recommend listening to the audio book it added to the creepiness and both narrators did a fantastic job.

Overall a sorceress comes to call was an amazing read that kept me hooked until the very end, I literally finished it in 5 hours because I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the ARC I loved it.

As a fan of T. Kingfisher, this is my favorite work of theirs yet! A Sourceress Comes to Call is a full-length story that has similar vibes to What Moves the Dead; gothic atmosphere, ever-present sense of paranormal dread, and lovable characters that really drive the plot and hook you into the story. I adored Hester, Alice, Richard... so many good characters to root for! And an incredibly evil, powerful villain. Such a great good vs. evil story, definitely recommend!

The narration was also great. Two narrators for the two main characters, both giving the appropriate sense of gothic dread and spooky tension. Highly suggest on audio!

Another solid entry from T Kingfisher!
I really enjoyed this dark fairytale. It read like a darker, more serious Ella Enchanted, which I read (and watched) recently. I liked both POV characters, though I connected to Cordelia much more than Hester. I felt they were both interesting in different ways and well developed, but I definitely preferred reading Cordelia's perspective more. I could see Cordelia being a more difficult character to write due to her lack of agency and trauma but the author did a great job with her character arc. The side characters were also engaging and felt realistic, despite the short length of the book. I especially liked Penelope. The plotting was well paced and had good tension throughout. I thought that the horror elements were also very well done. They were creepy, weird, tense but not like disgusting or cringy, which is the kind of horror I enjoy the most.
I did both the audio and ebook copies of this book, so I'll also note that I thought both narrators did a great job, definitely recommend the audio version of this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for this eARC!