Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the most ghibli-esque horror I’ve ever read. Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens embodied their characters so well in this dual POV book that, though they never shared a scene, I could hear their characters in each other’s chapters. I thought T. Kingfisher’s choices for depicting abuse in a fantasy setting were very interesting and they chilled me to the bone from the first chapter I read, though I will through out a trigger warning for it because the way Cordelia is treated may not sit well with people who have abusive/toxic parent/child relationships as a trigger.

I thought the friendship between Cordelia and Hester was so sweet and the way Cordelia grew a family around herself despite her mother’s influence was all the hope I needed to continue the book despite the overwhelming feeling of helplessness I had for our main characters. I thought the whole book was so fantastical and eerie, a perfect flavor read for me. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something creepy and fantasy, reminiscent of an old Grimm’s Fairy Tale.

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑨 𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒚 𝑻. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓

Release Date: August 6, 2024

4⭐️0🌶

This is a cozy little spooky read. Imagine if you took a Victorian times drama and place a gold-digging Sorceress and her unsuspecting daughter in a rich household.

Cordelia is the 14 year old daughter to a penniless sorceress who has used to her powers all of Cordelia's life to control her. Literally, she takes over her mind and performs actions for her. Cordelia can do nothing to stop her and has often wondered how she might get away. Until she realizes her beloved horse is also under the mind control of her mother as her familiar. One day, her mother declares that her current "benefactor" has decided to do away with her, and they must move to find another rich man for her to bespell into marrying her.

This book has drawn me in, and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it!

Thank you to @redwombatstudio @macmillan.audio & @torbooks for the #gifted #ARC & #audiobook of #ASorceressComesToCall

I always love it when a new #TKingfisher #book gets announced. It automatically gets added to the top of my #TBR. This one is a dark #retelling of Goose Girl by the #BrothersGrimm.

First & foremost, T. Kingfisher is so damn talented! I would love to live a day inside her brain. Everything she writes is so unique, original & mesmerizing.

This dark #fantasy centers around Cordelia who is daughter to Evangeline, a powerful & very wicked #sorceress. Evangline forces Cordelia to live in isolation with only Evangeline’s #horse Falada to keep her company. Cordelia is allowed zero privacy with all the doors in the home having been removed. Forced to sit silent & motionless for hours or days, Cordelia is utterly terrified of her mother.

Fleeing town after a suspicious death, Evangeline has set her sights on the Squire, a wealthy older man with a heart of gold. His sister, Hester is also in residence & picks up quickly that Evangeline is up to no good if for no other reason than the way Cordelia is so terrified of her. Hester is determined to free both her brother & Cordelia from Evangeline’s wickedness.

I know that Cordelia is intended to be the MC, but it really felt like all the characters were equally as important to the story, so I consider them all MCs - - even Falada (I won’t get into that can of worms – you’ll just have to experience that one yourself!). This was a very character driven story & I loved them all.

This was a quick read with steady pacing that flowed easily. I really enjoyed the feel of the story - - fairytale laced with horror. In typical T. Kingfisher fashion, she gives the readers vivid imagery & descriptors, a fabulous cast of characters, witty dialogue & the perfect blend of cozy & repugnant.

This is my new favorite! It just released Tuesday & is available NOW, so run & grab it!

#2024 #August #NewRelease #MustRead #Bookstagram #Read #Reading #Audio #Review #Fiction #Adult #Thriller #Mystery #Suspense #Magic #SciFi #Witches #MacAudio2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and T. Kingfisher for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for a review.

This, by far, is my favorite T. Kingfisher book. I started with Nettle and Bone and moved through several of her other works. This one just blew me away. I loved the set up, the theme exploration, the prose, and the narrative voices.

I will say that it took me a minute to get used to the duel POV, however, both perspectives contributed something special to the overall story.

I adore The Goose Girl fairy tale in all its iterations, so I was immediately interested in reading A Sorceress Comes to Call. I haven't had the best luck with T. Kingfisher, though. I always love their premises, but the execution often leaves something to be desired for me. Well, I'm happy to report that wasn't the case with this book.

This book is dark in all the best ways. From the beginning, I was intrigued by the mother/daughter relationship, as themes of parental abuse, gaslighting, and general toxicity among family members hits fairly closed to home. I was also very curious to see how T. Kingfisher's iconic humor would land in a dark fairy tale retelling, and in this case I think it works really well. It was less of the "ha-ha" humor and more of a cynical, sardonic humor that I really enjoyed.

Lastly, the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job of cultivating an eerie atmosphere to the story that I think only heightened my enjoyment of the book. Definitely a 5 star read for me!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and to Netgalley for granting me an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a phenomenal fairy tale retelling! I'm not overly familiar with the Goose Girl, although I think it might have been in a large book of fairy tales I read often as a child. It seems vaguely familiar.

The retelling was a dark and compelling read. This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and I loved the writing style.The story is filled with wit and a good amount of tension. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I enjoyed watching Cordelia grow as the story progresses, and Hester was a fantastic character from start to finish. I adored her romantic storyline! It's always nice seeing romance between more mature couples.

The audiobook was narrated by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens. I think both did a wonderful job of bringing their respective characters to life as well as each of the side characters.

Thank you, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, for this ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ARC copy of this audiobook.

Reading A Sorceress Comes to Call made me wish I knew the root fairy tale about the Goose Girl better.

I did some searching while I was reading and could spot a few of the elements (Falada the horse, marriage as an end goal, and the geese themselves), but not enough to really grasp what T. Kingfisher is doing with the story, which is a shame.

That's of course a completely subjective experience and I'd love to read a review from someone who's more familiar with the source material.

Many of T. Kingfisher's recurring themes echo in this tale:
- Women in domestic roles with minimal 'social' power are heroic and the focus of the story
- Surprising bonds between said women that empowers both people
- Fraught love between people who should just get on with loving each other (in the best way)
- Subversion of expectations (e.g., Penelope's story)
- Shy, uncertain people standing up to their oppressors
- The power of community

Hester, the spinster sister to a squire with a bad knee and a fierce determination to be independent, was my favourite character, and her bonds with her circle of friends was my favourite part of the book.

I enjoyed the story and I'm curious to see what else T. Kingfisher does with this style of adaptation. Sorceress is her second book in this style after Thornhedge and I'm curious if there will be a third. The fairy tale lover in me does like threes, after all.

🖤A Sorceress Comes to Call🖤
Loved Nettle & Bone (5/5⭐️), so I was excited for this one! Cordelia knows her mother is strange. Their house has no doors, she’s not allowed to have friends, and her mother is able to force her into mute stillness for hours or days on end if she disobeys. After a mysterious death in town, her mother moves them into the house of a wealthy Squire, with her sights set on marriage. Cordelia must team up with the Squire’s sister to stop her evil sorceress mother. This dark reimagining of a Brothers Grimm fairytale is full of magic, murder, and powerful women.
✨Pub Date: 8/6/24✨
4.5/5⭐️
.
.
.
Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this ALC! The narration was haunting and atmospheric.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

My main issue with this book is that it really didn't keep my attention very well until over halfway through. By then, I was convinced to finish, but it finally really grasped me and made me absolutely need to know the ending. I had initially been really intrigued by the beginning chapters, but then everything slowed down for me and it took a while for me to get through it.

My favorite part of this was decidedly the romance, though! It was so sweet and made me want to find more second chance, older age love stories. I can't handle how sweet it is and how the pinning and angst just made everything all the better! I also really loved the coming of age aspect and the journey that Cordelia goes on to discover herself aside from her mother.

If you're looking for a good fairy tale retelling, this just might be your book!

3.5 stars - I always enjoy T Kingfisher’s writing style and descriptions, but this was a little bit slow for me. It’s very character driven with not much plot. Each character was clear and vivid though, and you really felt like you knew them! I also really liked the audiobook narrators and would definitely recommend listening to this one! This one made me so angry for Cordelia and what her mother was doing to everyone around her, which made the ending even more satisfying. This was a good book, just not my favorite from the author.

Thank you very much for the arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this. T. Kingfisher is a master storyteller and this was such an interesting and unique take on the Goose Girl, much darker and more devious. It was a bit of a darker Ella Enchanted as well I suppose. I love her prose and the audiobook was fantastically done. Just overall a beautiful tale!

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a retelling of The Goose Girl by the Grimm brothers. This follows Cordelia, a 14 year old girl, who is heavily controlled and abused by her sorceress mother, Evangeline. When a suspicious death occurs in their town, Evangeline decides it’s time to leave and find another benefactor. She sets her sights on a new man, the Squire. When Cordelia fears for the safety of this man and his older sister, Hester, she decides she must stop her mother’s plans.

This was slow in the middle for a while, and didn’t really pick up, in terms of action, until maybe the 70% mark. For the first half, the story felt more focused on society life and Cordelia’s struggles with learning how to act like a lady. However, I quickly became enamored by the cast of characters, and the bond between Cordelia and Hester that developed. I loved being in Hester’s POV; I liked seeing her relationships with Lady Strauss, Lord Evermore, and her brother. I also listened to the audiobook version and thoroughly enjoyed both narrators.

While I enjoyed the premise of the story and the fantastic characters, I felt like there could have been more to it. More magic, more darkness, more horror.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audioARC!

What do you do when your mother is a total (B)witch? I cant tell you, but by the end of this book you'll know!

Publisher's summary
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.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

A Sorceress Comes to Call
By: T. Kingfisher
Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Jennifer Pickens
Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 08-06-24
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

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 Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for a review!

Cordelia is 14 and her mother, Evangeline, is on the hunt for an adequately wealthy husband so that Cordelia can one day marry an even wealthier husband. Evangeline is also a sorceress who uses her power to manipulate those around her to bend to her will. Hester is the middle aged sister for a squire who has the misfortune of being an ideal target of Evangeline. Cordelia and Hester find themselves in a dangerous situation they must both find their way out of.

I loved this just as much as Kingfishers' other fairytale retellings. I thought Hester was a perfect Kingfisher protagonist, and Cordelia was a wonderful counterpart with Hester's pragmatism about the world and Cordelia's knowledge of sorcery by naivety about everything else. I thought this one leaned ever more on the side of horror especially the kind magic Evangeline did to Cordelia.

I thought both narrators did a great job brining Cordelia and Hester to life.

A Sorceress Comes to Call was a Macmillan Audio pick and my first book by T. Kingfisher. While this book is described as a dark retelling of the Goose Girl, that wasn’t a fairytale with which I was familiar, so I was able to read this without any preconceived notions. This story is pretty dark, but there’s this underlying tone of hope that was really lovely. Cordelia is abused by her sorcerer mother and used in Evangeline’s schemes, but through the love and support she finds in a new household, Cordelia finds her own power and a family who respects her.

This book was interesting in that it had cozy fantasy vibes while dealing with really dark content, and while it wasn’t entirely high stakes, they were by no means low either. Ultimately, this story was really unique, and I think it will appeal to the tastes of many different readers.

This book really sat on my chest and curled up there like a cat; I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it—definitely a five star read for me, and a world I’d like to revisit. I recommend this to anyone who can stomach the heavy stuff while traveling toward the light.

As for the audiobook narration, I enjoyed that the narration was split between a mature-sounding woman’s voice and a girl-like voice, as the POVs are split between Cordelia and Hester.

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" by T. Kingfisher is an engaging tale that excels in character development, especially through its dual perspectives. The audiobook effectively brings these different viewpoints to life, adding depth and dimension to the story. However, despite its charming characters and immersive world-building, the plot tends to follow a predictable trajectory, which may diminish the suspense for some listeners. Nonetheless, the book's rich, whimsical prose and the distinct voices of the narrators make for an enjoyable and worthwhile listening experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book retells the story of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl. While I haven’t read the original, I did find that the “fairytale” elements shone through. In T. Kingfisher’s version, we follow two main points of view: the first is the young, naïve daughter of a sorceress and the second is a fifty-year-old, no-nonsense woman that is sister to the man that the sorceress wants to marry. The two narrators did a great job of bringing their characters to life, which made for a pleasant listening experience.

I found this book to be slower paced, but I was never bored. It’s too full of interesting characters, dark magic, and subtle humor.

(As an aside, did anyone else catch the small nod to T. Kingfisher’s Nettle and Bone?)

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is marketed as a goose girl retelling and while there is a horse or something pretending to be a horse named Falada, and there are geese, it otherwise does not follow the original goose girl story.

Cordelia is controlled by her mother Evangeline, a sorcerer of great power in a world that believes sorcerers can only do small acts of magic. Having lost the support of her “benefactor,” Evangeline announes that she must marry as Cordelia is too young yet. She picks out an older country squire and moves them both to his estate.

The story switches between Cordelia’s POV and that of Hester, the squire’s sister, who are both well developed. The story was interesting and often suspenseful. It at least edged toward horror if not fully stepping over into it. It is basically a story about an abused girl and her toxic mother and how to get Cordelia to safety.

Overall I liked this book a lot. The central characters, and most of the larger supporting characters are well developed. More minor characters tend to be a bit cookie-cutter. Evangeline is very one note villain, but given that Cordelia is terrified of her and Hester wants nothing to do with her, this is not, perhaps, surprising. Also she’s the villain. There’s also a romantic subplot that I completely adored.

This was a really fun, fast paced, fantasy mystery/thriller. I enjoyed the reveals of “who can you really trust” and watching the characters learn as you the reader knew more than them at any given time. The narrator greatly assisted in my enjoyment of this novel.