I have not read T. Kingfishwr before, but had heard good things about her writing. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I DNF’d at 25%.

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.

Narrators voice was dreamy and sunk me straight into the world. Absolutely loved the narration, the story, everything. I know it was a retelling but wasn’t super familiar with the origin story which made it all the better. Exceptional retelling by an exception author

A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T. Kingfisher, tells the story of Cordelia, the teen daughter of an evil sorceress. Cordelia’s mother is ruthless and abusive, and when she targets a wealthy Squire to deceive into marriage, Cordelia must work with the Squire’s sister, Hester, to stop the plot. This retelling of The Goose Girl perfectly blends horror and hope.

This is a dual POV story told from both Cordelia’s and Hester’s perspective. Each woman gets her own narrator in the audiobook, which really helped avoid confusion while listening. Both narrators encapsulated their POV characters really well. I was especially impressed with Cordelia’s narrator’s ability to display her fear and naiveté while also letting her happy moments shine.

The story itself was another wonderful example of Kingfisher’s ability to write a terrifying fantasy story full of found family and cozy moments. I loved the relationship between Cordelia and Hester, especially when Hester is teaching Cordelia the art of embroidery. I mainly listened to the book while working on cross stitch projects, so I felt really close to the characters in those little moments. Cordelia’s mother is terrifying, but not in an in-your-face kind of way. The psychological terror of being “made obedient” was a gut punch., especially towards the end of the story.

While I do think I prefer Kingfisher’s romances (my favorite being Swordheart), this book is perfect for fans of Kingfisher’s other horror fantasies. I’d also recommend this to fans of Ava Reid’s fairytale retellings. A Sorceress Comes to Call released on August 6th, 2024, so add it to your fall TBR today!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listeners copy!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. It Kept my interest all the way to the end. I wasn’t sure what to expect when it’s described as being dark. It is dark, but not too dark. The other “light” characters make up for the down right evil Mother and her familiar. This book has just the right touch of mystery with twits and turns. It really exceeded my expectations. I’m adding Kingfisher to my must read Authors.

I loved this listening adventure! The characters, narration and gothic atmosphere had me hooked. This was my first read by T. Kingfisher and I was absolutely delighted. I didn’t want the story to end!

I’m beginning to understand that everything Kingfisher writes is gold, and it’s very clearly because she writes characters that live on after the book is done. Penelope Green is my true north, Cordelia was such a beloved little hero, and her wicked mother Evangeline was a force and an amazing villain. I loved the love story between Hester and Richard, and who else could write a riveting love story for characters over 50 that wasn’t trite or overly saccharine or dull? Kingfisher is a hero for unique, wholly designed characters that are real people to me. I loved this story and I hope there is a second installment. My only recommendation is a cover change—this book deserves more than the classic fantasy cover, it’s misleading and a little boring.

I enjoyed the witchy elements of this book and might have liked it more if I did a tote eyeball read. I also wasn’t familiar with the fairy tale it was retelling. I think if I was, I would have enjoyed this one more

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener’s copy of this beautiful book. The narrators truly brought the story to life, but for an even more immersive experience, I waited for pub day to grab a physical copy and paired it with my audiobook.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is a delightful retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale, following the journey of a young woman who discovers her true identity and her connection to a world of magic. Set in a charming, folklore-inspired world, this tale combines wit, warmth, and a touch of darkness as the protagonist faces trials and makes unlikely allies along the way.

I had no prior knowledge of the Goose Girl’s original tale, so I went in blind and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. There's no heavy worldbuilding or action-packed scenes here, but Kingfisher’s wonderful prose makes up for it. The characters, both good and bad, draw you in, and the story satisfied my craving for a good read.

I couldn’t put this book down, and I was genuinely sad when it ended. This is a solid 5 stars for me—a perfect cozy read that ensures the reader enjoys every moment.

Absolutely delightful and charming retelling of the goose girl. It started slow, but after the world building and getting to know the characters it became a lovely & witty story. The narrators fit the characters very well bringing more life to it. Cordelia was sweet but I really loved Hester. Perfect stand-alone that wraps up in a nice hea.

T. Kingfisher has done it again, she's written another book that some how manages to be Dark, Creepy and Cozy. A personal favorite author of mine this was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I'm very thankful to say it did not disappoint!

In this book we follow two POV characters, Cordelia a Fourteen year old girl who has been struggling under the thumb of her controlling, in the most literal sense of the word, mother and Hester a middle aged spinster and sister to a wealthy Squire. The two find each other joined in the singular goal of taking down Cordelia's evil mother Evangeline, the titular sorceress, sets her malevolent sights on Hester's brother putting everyone Hester loves and cares for in danger.

I adored this book, and I appreciated the retelling aspects of it. While not the most direct retelling it takes the same themes and messages of the book incorporating elements from the original story along with taking and twisting elements to update the story for a modern audiences without being a direct retelling. I loved the characters, Cordelia manages to be young and naïve without getting annoying, Hester is wonderfully self-possessed and manages to seem cautious without being callous to Cordelia. Hester's slight romance with Richard was also a high point for me, the fact that while she loves Richard she refuses to compromise on marriage because she appreciates the freedoms being a spinster allows her that she will lose if she was to marry Richard. Evangeline manages to be a unnerving and creepy presence in the book even when she isn't present, her control and manipulation of several characters throughout the story is terrifying throughout the course of the story and functions well as a threat.

Both Narrators are excellent, The choice to use separate narrators for Cordelia and Hester was an excellent one. Cordelia's narrator gives a performance that is able to imbue a youthful sense along with true dread and Hester's Narrator is able to catch the no nonsense feeling of Hester.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a Fair and honest review.

Thank you netgalley and macmillian for this audio arc.
In A Sorceress Comes To Call, we meet Cordelia, a timid young girl who is the daughter of the ruthless sorceress, Evangeline. When Evangeline sets her sights on a wealthy squire in a nearby town, she moves Cordelia and their horse, Falada, to the squire's estate, determined to seduce him into marriage. Upon arrival, they encounter various townsfolk, most notably Hester, the squire's sister. Sensing something is wrong, Hester begins to investigate, knowing that Evangeline will stop at nothing—and remove anyone who stands in her way—to get what she wants.

I enjoyed this novel, the only thing I wished we had more of was a variety of the magic. The magic that was used seemed to be repeated, but it made sense why it was repeated.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a horror-fantasy retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Goose Girl, which I am not familiar with. Young Cordelia, who is “made obedient” by her mother via dark magic, finds herself in a situation where she must band together with her new friends to stop her mother from bewitching her newest target.

The story had an eerie feel and truly original characters. There was dark magic, humor, suspense, good vs evil, and a sprinkle of romance. I found the side-characters to be my favorite part of the book, as they were both caring and funny. While she was the main character, Cordelia was my least favorite. Also, there were many times during the book where it felt a bit slow. As far as the resolution at the end, I found it to be quite satisfying. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror/dark magic, fantasy, and fairy-tale retellings. I highly recommend listening to it via audiobook!

The dual narration was done beautifully. There was a good flow and pacing, and the story was brought to life by the narrator’s style of reading. I could easily differentiate between the characters. If I was rating the book just off the quality of the narration it would be a 5/5.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for allowing me access to this audiobook via @netgalley All thoughts are entirely my own.

Overall this is a classic T. Kingfisher retelling. It's based on an already fairly dark story and does not disappoint in that regard. That being said, perhaps T. Kingfisher is just not for me. Cordelia felt very young despite being 17 - to me she often read more like 12. I understand the context and her being sheltered, but it just seemed like a bit much. The other characters were more interesting to me, and although Evangeline was a bit exhausting at times I found her interesting. I think this is a great book if you enjoy T. Kingfisher but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audiobook ARC! t. Kingfisher's A Sorceress Comes to Call is an historical fantasy that follows Cordelia, whose mother Evangeline is different from other mothers. Cordelia's mother has the ability to make Cordelia behave, taking control of her body and forcing her to comply, and Cordelia's one solace also turns into a betrayal. So Cordelia is forced to do as her mother bids including going to the manor of the wealthy Squire, who her mother has her sights on marrying and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. But when another visitor to the mansion ends up dead after a supposed crime will Cordelia, Hester (the Squires strong and witty sister) and Hester's friend Richard (plus a few others)be able to stop Evangeline and her dastardly plans? A Sorceress Comes to Call is filled with great wit and charm and is brought to live with excellent narration from Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens.

This book is fantastic. It’s phenomenal. It’s full of Kingfisher’s trademark tension and darkness, it’s full of twists and turns that made me want to keep reading, and it’s utterly addictive.

First and foremost: The Audiobook is superb! Secondly, this book was a fantastic fusion of two directions of T. Kingfisher's writing that I enjoy a great deal. The dark fairy tales we see with Nettle & Bone and Thornhedge sharing space alongside the romantic fantasy adventures of her world of the White Rat.

A Sorceress Comes to Call doesn't have the worldbuilding nor complex magic system that the world of the White Rat does -- it touches on gender politics and magic systems only as much as the story needs to understand its particular world, so you don't feel overwelmed by the setting and you can grasp what is going on quite easily. And the romance between two of the characters is more in the background since they both are mature adults with stubborn reasons to grow their affection slowly, unlike a romantasy skewed towards people in their 20s, so the romance never presented issues that would take attention away from the plot.

It rather sounds like I'm giving caveats to my enjoyment of the book, but really I just want to give my general impression of it because it is a strong distillation of elements that I enjoy in T. Kingfisher stories -- clever children that deserve to be safe and happy, women in their 40s and 50s who are unforgettable and no mere side characters, a group of people willing to come together as a sort of found family to face adversity, and an absolutely horrific creature that will haunt my dreams. Bravo!

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a slower paced fantasy featuring two POVs, the 14 year old daughter of the sorceress Cordelia, and the 50 year old Hester whose brother is quite taken by the sorceress. The narrator of the audiobook does both POVs and does an excellent job portraying both, encapsulating the feelings, reactions, and attitudes of everyone fantastically.

Cordelia's mother, Evangeline, is a sorceress though Cordelia didn't know until her mother blatantly tells her early in the story. Evangeline is abusive, vindictive, and resentful, and in her search for a benefactor meets The Squire. Evangeline and Cordelia move into The Squire's home with him and his sister, Hester, and thus takes place the game of chess that Evangeline is playing with everyone in the house, including their house guests Hester has recruited for assistance, to win her prize. Evangeline is the ultimate Mommy Dearest, and is an excellent villain.

Hester's intuition proves correct when Evangeline shows up and quickly recruits her friends to help prevent a marriage. Penelope's banter with her friends and Cordelia is fantastic. Imogen's character is that of an entertaining sidekick. And Richard, Hester's former lover, adds a certain romantic element while also using his privilege in society to gain answers. I truly enjoyed this 'team' aspect, and with Cordelia and how they all come to care for her.

I recommend this book for fans of "After the Woods" by Kell Woods and "The Magic All Around" by Jennifer Moorman, as the pacing is similar and the magic is more subtle in most parts of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange of my honest review.

Honestly this is not the type of story I would read but the synopsis seemed interesting. Contrary to others I did not mind the 3rd person point of view but since I was not familiar with the tale that the story is referencing to, I might have missed some things.
In a way the story felt flat for me, I think I would have like more action but that is just me.

If you enjoy more slow-paced, less action packed stories that still has magic and cool heroines then this book might be for you.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and I was pleasantly surprised. I went into this thinking it was going to be a fantasy book but in reality it was more paranormal thriller. It gave found family vibes as well which I always love. There are heavier topics such as child abuse but the ending made it worth it. I loved the characters, Cordelia and Hester were amazing. I loved Alice the ladies maid. And listening to the audiobook actually was very enjoyable especially with the dual narration. I will for sure be picking up more books by this author!