T. Kingfisher does it again. There is something that this author does so well and it’s making an amazing cast of characters, specifically of the older variety. Each of our characters is so flawed but so lovable that you keep rooting for them until the end. Even when the stakes are high, and believe me they are, Kingfishers books feel like returning home.

T Kingfisher has never disappointed me once and this is no exception. It was tender and funny, with enough fantasy to feel steeped in a new world and enough solidity to feel grounded in the plot. This book was a great time and I’m open to anything else in this world.

T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors. I have always loved her stories and A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception. It is a delightful blend of fantasy, horror and humor, with some truly remarkable characters. I was unaware until I read a bit more that she based this book off the Grimm fairytale The Goose Girl which I’m not sure I had ever read. Thankfully I didn’t have to know the tale to enjoy her retelling.

First we meet a girl named Cordelia who lives with her sorceress mother Evangeline. Evangeline’s main power is being able to control people with magic, which Cordelia calls being “made obedient”. It is a horrific power that makes her lose complete control over her body. For years Evangeline “provides” for them through benefactors who give them what they need thanks to this dark power. Now she wants to find a more permanent situation by finding a rich husband for herself and Cordelia as well despite Cordelia only being 14.

Then we meet Hester an older woman who lives in a distant village with her brother the Squire. One day, Hester wakes up with a feeling that something bad is coming. Shortly after, Evangeline and Cordelia arrive. The bad thing, which Hester calls “Doom,” is of course Evangeline, who has set her sight on making the Squire her husband. Hester senses that something is not right with the woman and Cordelia. She gathers her friends to try to stop Evangeline’s evil plot.

Kingfisher’s is magical at writing characters. My favorite was Hester. I loved that she’s clever and not afraid to speak her mind. I also find it refreshing that she was older than your typical fantasy lead character. Cordelia was also a complex and interesting lead character. She doesn’t start as a strong female lead but she grows into her own beautifully with the support and help of Hester.

One thing Kingfisher always does exceptionally well is infusing the story with a really delightful cast of side characters. They added much needed humor and lighter moments to a fairly dark story.

This book is just another wonderful example of T Kingfisher’s ability to combine humor and darkness with a glorious cast of complex and interesting characters in a fantasy world that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I adore the kookiness of T. Kingfisher's tales - she is for sure an autobuy author for me. And I found A Sorceress Comes to Call to be quite unputdownable once I got about a quarter of the way in... the narrator is FANTASTIC and the story is engrossing. But for some reason, I finished the book feeling a bit dissatisfied, like there were too many loose ends for the tale to feel complete. I've also found that the ages of the characters in some of the authors books (including this one) take me out of the story as well. Maybe in this instance, reading the story of the Goose Girl will fix the notion. Regardless, I'm happy to have listened/read and I look forward to the next tall tale the author weaves.

4 out of 5 wine glasses.

Being fairly new to fantasy, I had heard a lot about T. Kingfisher and was excited to see what the hype was about.
The hype is well deserved.
The plot was darker than I expected. The relationship between Cordelia and her mother was more troubling, but gripped me nonetheless.
I can't wait to read more from Kingfisher in the future!

Another great story from T. Kingfisher! The dark fantasy retelling of The Goose Girl, has the perfect combination of magic, murder and humor. Add in an overbearing mother and a great dark world is created.

Another beautifully done dark fairy tale from T. Kingfisher.

It’s important to note that this is not truly a retelling of The Goose Girl, but rather an original story that feels, at most inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale. The plot isn’t similar and the few characters who have counterparts in the original story play very different roles.

I actually think this is a good thing, as actually retellings of The Goose Girl aren’t rare, and this feels like something fresher and more original. The magic is in its ability to give a nod to a legendary story without becoming a prisoner of its plot.

The characters are like most T. Kingfisher characters, which is to say likable and interesting without being especially deep or multidimensional. Hester is perhaps an exception, and she’s the best character in the story by far. That said, Cordelia is easy to root for and her mother makes a tremendously good villain, even if both think and behave in a predictable manner to their own archetypes.

T. Kingfisher never feels especially devoted to setting, which is a bummer for readers like me who live for that more than for any other element in a novel, but the stories still manage to produce an excellent sense of atmosphere, which ultimately has the same type of transporting quality for the reader.

I unfortunately did not finish this one. I stopped at 48% as I was lost and felt the story was not going anywhere. I really wanted to like this one and am disappointed I didn’t.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book or the audiobook narrator. The story fell flat for me and I was bored. The narrator was also just a bit monotone and boring for me.

I hope others love this one.

No one is doing fairytale retellings right now like T. Kingfisher, and they continue to get better and better. This dark(er) Goose Girl retelling is no exception. T. Kingfisher's stories to me are either more humorous (Swordheart) or lean more towards horror, and this is one for those who prefer the thriller/horror style of writing. I can't wait until the next release!

I've never read the original Goose Girl fairy tale, but I absolutely loved this story! I loved the ensemble cast of characters, group scheming, and sinister threat creeping in. Highly recommend to fans of T. Kingfisher, retellings, and/or witchy fantasy!!

This was a great read! I've read a number of T. Kingfisher's books - everything from her horror books to her self published fantasy books - and have had a range of experiences reading them, but can firmly say that she is one of my favourite authors. This was a little fresher and different than the other books of hers I've read; it felt more like a gothic Jane Austen-like novel mixed with the dark fairytale notes of magic. I'd put it alongside Nettle and Bone and What Moves the Dead, but with more... genteel aspects.
I really enjoyed having the two different narrators - I always love having an older narrator, and Hester was my absolute favourite character of this whole book. I loved her story arc, her personality, and the romance threaded into her story. That romance reminded me so strongly of Persuasion, too!
Cordelia was another story - I wanted her to have a bit more gumption by the end, but I completely understand why she didn't. That girl has been abused like crazy her entire life, and she's only 14; so definitely check trigger warnings and content warnings for this book before going in.
One thing that I think is mis-marketed just a touch with this book is the horror elements. We all know T. Kingfisher for her horror fantasy prowess; but this book didn't have as much horror elements as I was expecting after all the marketing I've seen for it. To me, this is much more of a gothic historical leaning book, and though it did have horror elements, I could've honestly gone for more, knowing what T Kingfisher can do with her descriptions coming from What Moves the Dead (those fungi were CREEPY okay).
All in all, I definitely enjoyed the book; I sunk right in so much that I ended up reading this book all in one sitting - I wasn't going to move! I think the audiobook narrators were also fantastic. I love when a dual narrator situation works really well together, and I think the two chosen for both Cordelia and Hester were great choices.

Honestly, one thing I love about most of T. Kingfisher's books is the way she writes older women and their friendships. Having now read this book, I'll always be sad that I can't be friends with Hester, Imogen, Penelope and even Richard.

Cordelia is a very realistic representation of a child living with an abusive parent, and the shock and fury that comes from realizing that other households/parents are not like that. I was so happy for her when she came into her own and out from under her mother's heel.

I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the two narrators switching between Hester and Cordelia's voices and perspectives. Given how young and afraid (at the beginning) Cordelia is, Kingfisher made a really smart choice to also give us Hester's side of things.

What I loved:
- Excellent butler
- guard geese
- female friendships

What I didn't love as much:
- the pace is slower than I usually read (although it did fit the fairy tale retelling vibe)
- I think Hester's reasoning for not being with Richard kinda sucks and I think she did both of them a disservice by not marrying him ten years ago

This was great! I have loved the few T. kingfisher books I have head, and this one was very different but really interesting. I don't always love historical books, but the characters were so good and I loved the plot.

I had no idea that this was a retelling or reimagining of a Brothers Grimm story until after I read the book and the actual description of this book. I now need to go read the original story. I picked this up because T. Kingfisher is a brilliant storyteller, especially when you delve into the darker side of things. We know that Grimm tales are dark and Kingfisher does not disappoint with keeping to that nature. We follow two POVs the first is Cordelia, the 14-year-old daughter of the story's villain. Cordelia is manipulated and "made obedient" by her mother, which is when her mother takes over her body and forces her to do whatever she wants. Cordelia's mother has lost her benefactor and now needs to marry someone wealthy, so she takes her daughter to house crash into the potential husband's estate. Here we meet our second POV, the middle-aged sister the potential husband, Hester. Hester instantly detests Cordelia's mother but feels sympathy for Cordelia. We then see all the antics of trying to ensnare a husband and defeat the sorceress. There are horrible murders, manipulation, decapitated horses, and some brave geese. The story is dark and sinister but with a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. Well worth the investment and a perfect read for the fall and "Spooky Season".

(4.5/5 stars)

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is a fantasy horror Goose Girl retelling with Regency romance elements.

Cordelia's mother doesn't allow many things, like doors between rooms and friends. Sometimes she doesn't allow her daughter to move for hours--or even days--on end. After a suspicious murder in their small town, the two leave in the middle of the night. After arriving at the remote country home of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his spinster sister.

I have to caveat here that I'm a big fan of T. Kingfisher, and they are an auto-read author for me. In my humble opinion I think she knocks this one out of the park, and the gothic horror vibes are immaculate. Her good sense of humor is still at play here, in the best ways. I mentioned she leans into the gothic horror here, and those books tend to start a bit on the slow side. Please be aware of that going in and then strap in and enjoy the ride.

I wasn't even completely finished my audio review copy before I ordered a used physical copy on Pango for my shelves. We alternate point of view between Cordelia and Hester, the Squire's sister. I really appreciate it when audiobooks have a different narrator for each POV character! I thought both narrators, Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens did such a great job.

I really loved the actual love story between two of our characters (don't want to spoil it), and I was very pleased by the ending. I hold out hope that this could be the start of a series, because I would love to see the folks who make it through to the end solving crimes together, or something like that.

CW: violence, gore, possession, parental abuse, narcissism

This was my first T Kingfisher book and now I understand why everyone praises their fantasy and writing. Incredible story, fast past plot, and great character development.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: I would recommend giving the audio a go, it adds to the gothic feeling overall!

‘A Sorceress Comes to Call’ by T kingfisher is a dark and inventive reimagining of the classic fairytale ‘The Goose girl’. It is not important to be well versed with the original story to appreciate this book as it stands alone as a story in its own right. We follow Cordelia who lives with her extremely controlling mother who also happens to be an evil sorceress. When they are forced to leave in a hurry they take refuge with a kindly squire and his sister, but all is not as it seems and in order to get her happy ending Cordelia must find the bravery to stand up for herself and fight for those she cares about. Kingfisher creates complex and well rounded characters and focuses much attention on familial relationships both good and bad. We see character development and growth in a way that feels realistic and there is plenty of emotional connection. There are many emotive and uncomfortable topics touched on within the story so it may be worthwhile checking any content warnings. This story is told in dual narrative and is relatively slow-paced but compelling and atmospheric. If you are a fan of dark and gothic fantasy with elements of light paranormal horror this could be a great fit.

I really really enjoyed the narrators in this story. They didn’t a fantastic job in bringing these characters to life, especially Hester! I didn’t love the story as a whole but the audiobook made me more invested than I would’ve been in print only.

This is a re telling of a Brothers Grimm story & I was expecting different. I thought it would be dark and creepy and it really leaned dark and gory. Others have loved it but just not for me.