Love a book with strong female MCs! This was dark and creepy with smart characters. It had funny moments which you dont expect from a book like this so that was a pleasant surprise.

3.5 stars I liked this book but not sure I'd re-read this one

- Geese
- Magic
- Regency vibes
- death
- Toxic parent

World building

We get some simple world building to tell us about our surroundings during the book but the main focus is on the plot in this book.

Romance

There is some romance for one of the main characters however this is a subplot. I did enjoy the aspects we saw of this it was well done.

Plot

Cornelia's Mother being a sorcerer but a basically evil one was really interesting. I would however have liked possibly some extra information on how the magic works from the sorcerers point of view. However I did really enjoy this book and especially the GEESE!!!! The plotting from both the main characters and Evangeline was really interesting trying to solve the mystery of how to win. Also we love Alice <3

If you're looking for some more casual but darker fantasy featuring death, plots and geese this may be the one for you.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this ARC! I adored T.Kingfisher’s writing in A House With Good Bones and was hoping to find the same enjoyment with this novel. Unfortunately, this was not for me. I appreciate the author’s ability to write across genres and the descriptive style is still present and compelling - however, overall I did not enjoy the book or find the plot to have what I needed to be invested.

Yet another amazing book from T. Kingfisher.

14-year-old Cordelia’s mother is a Sorcerer, and Cordelia has been subjected to and forced to observe her mother’s cruel behavior in pursuit of her selfish ambitions her entire life. Then, her mother packs them off to a squire’s house when she is able to become acquainted with people who care about her and take her well being to heart. While Cordelia and her newfound friends are no match for her mother’s power, they still band together to try to put a stop to her wicked ways.

Great world building. I love Kingfisher’s characters and their age range.

Kingfisher's writing never fails to delight me and at this point its like just trying to see all the ways she can surprise me with the types of stories she can tell. This one was slower than what I'm used to but that was not at all a negative. It kept the cadence of a fairy tale while also bringing forward the internal pain and the emotions of being trapped in abuse and saving yourself. It was so good and I'd highly recommend it.

I was expecting a cozy fantasy, but got a much darker story. The Regency era setting with the addition of magic worked great.

Characters have distinct personalities and voices. Our main character’s character growth was fun to see; she went from shy, scared, and voiceless to self-assured. The characters were all very easy to root for, or against depending on the character.

I do wish we went more in depth on why Evangeline did what she did to her daughter. Some things didn’t get explained, and though I don’t always like ambiguity, I did not mind it here.

As always, Kingfisher has created another wonderfully cozy, but dark world that I wish I could wrap myself in like a blanket. It doesn't matter what the story is, I cannot get enough of her writing! This book is funny, extremely tense and so freaking cathartic. I recommend this to anyone who loves dark stories, fantasy, fairy tale retellings and honestly just a good story.

T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark, atmospheric retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl that skillfully blends classic fairy tale elements with original twists. The novel excels in creating an eerie, claustrophobic mood from the very beginning as we meet Cordelia, a young girl living under the strict magical control of her mother—a powerful sorceress whose peculiar rules and frightening demands set the tone for a story that is as much about psychological tension as it is about fantastical menace. While the pacing occasionally dips, especially in the middle sections, the writing remains sharp and evocative, and the characters are engaging and nuanced.

A Sorceress Comes to Call may not break new ground in fairy-tale retellings, it stands out through its compelling characters and atmospheric setting.

A short, modern fairytale that gets to the heart of humanity. I like the way T. Kingfisher writes. Dark but also cozy. There's something here for all readers.

This novel is a haunting and beautifully twisted retelling that strips the familiar fairy tale down to its bones and rebuilds it with sharp edges. The writing is atmospheric and tense, capturing the claustrophobia of isolation and the slow creep of dread. It does not rush; instead, it coils, building unease with every quiet moment and every glance that lingers too long. What sets this book apart is its focus on psychological horror. The magic here is not grand or showy but insidious, rooted in control and fear. The story becomes not just one of enchantment but of survival, agency, and the courage to confront evil where it hides in plain sight.

I really enjoyed this one! I love T. Kingfisher though, and Kingfisher does NOT disappoint with "A Sorceress Comes to Call"! I will be, as usual, buying a copy for my own shelves! Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for this eARC!

Damn T. Kingfisher. I guess I'm knocking out all Hugo-nominated dark fairy tales in one go. This one was objectively excellent and also so, so traumatizing. Meshing stifling darkness with both dry humor and true heart is quite an accomplishment. I have to recommend it on the strength of the storytelling but cowardly readers like me please be warned.

Serious content warnings for child abuse and extremely fucked up horses.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (and apologies for being so many months late)

3 stars, but I did dnf. The premise of this book is so interesting, but it didn't catch my attention enough and I did DNF around 20%. I'm sure its great for someone else though

This was my first T Kingfisher book and I can’t wait to read more. A Sorceress Comes to Call is a Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl retelling. This isn’t gory or scary dark. I would say it’s more uncomfortable and creepy dark. I really loved the vibes.

There’s a lot of very entertaining things in this story. A terrible and evil mother. A cast of characters who start seeing her for who she really is. There’s a very interesting horse and some geese. 😂🤷‍♀️ honestly you just have to read this to really get it but it’s great! This very much was like reading an unhinged fairytale story.
Trigger warnings for parental abuse.

Wickedly magical and full of heart. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is a gothic fairy tale with teeth—dark, witty, and utterly spellbinding. With a fierce young heroine, a delightfully sharp older ally, and a villain you’ll love to hate, it’s a perfect blend of folklore, horror, and hope.

What a fabulous, parallel and nostalgic retelling of goose girl. Happy to recommend to our customers! And loved reading it.

Some authors come into your life, rewire your brain, and grab your heart: T. Kingfisher is that author for me. I was originally introduced to her with her folk horror The Twisted Ones, was extremely impressed by it, and then decided it was time to read her backlist, full of all kinds of interesting stories, often a combo of genres such as fantasy, horror, romance, and fairy tales. The kinds of stories that I cannot believe I get to read because they are so perfect for the kind of reader and person I am. So when I was given the opportunity to read A Sorceress Comes to Call, I immediately jumped at it because I knew I was the particular audience for this story. And I ATE IT UP. It was phenomenal and one of my top reads of the year.

A Sorceress Comes to Call reworks the fairytale Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm, leaning into the creepy factor and exploring themes such as obedience, family, love, and abuse. But I have to say I came out of this story feeling so comforted, even if it's technically a horror. Kingfisher just has that power over me in her works.

The writing is immersive; I felt like I could see everything that was being described. It was just so atmospheric, so well thought-out and thrilling, that I needed to read and read until it concluded. I felt such connections with the main characters Cordelia and Hester, and I particularly LOVE that Kingfisher had a romantic subplot for older folks. It just melted my heart.

All in all, a fantastic read that I would recommend to pretty much anyone who loves a good story and retelling. Kingfisher is such an immense talent. 5 stars.

This was such a fantastic dark fairy tale. My knowledge of the Goose Girl story comes exclusively from Little Thieves, so I can't speak on how it works as a retelling, but every element of A Sorceress Comes to Call was so detailed and really sucked me in. I adored the cast of characters, abhorred the villains, delighted in the geese. I felt so many emotions reading this, and the ending was SO satisfying.

T Kingfisher never fails to deliver a chilling and atmospheric experience. I was not familiar with the original tale of the Goose Girl but after reading A Sorceress Comes to Call I looked it up and enjoyed it also.
Featuring strong female characters navigating Victorian era societal expectations, Kingfisher explores themes of parental expectation and abuses, coming of age, good vs evil, and the power of women as guardians of one another. One of my favorite elements of A Sorceress Comes to call was the inclusion of an elderly woman as one of the main characters and heroine of the story.
10/10 this was one of my favorite reads of 2024!

I stayed up late into the night to finish this book because I just had to know if Hester and Cordelia will be able to save themselves and their friends from Cordelia's mother (no spoilers because if you want to know you have to read the book). This book is perfect for fans of Coraline and for those who have ever wondered what Coraline's story would be like if the other mother was her real mother.

This is a creepy, fantasy horror book that will have you at the edge of your seat as you root for Cordelia to finally free herself from her mother's shackles and to save her new found family.