A dark, harrowing rendition of Grimm's The Goose Girl, A Sorceress Comes to Call presents an unusual cast of characters forced to face dark magic. Alternating POVs between the sorceress's daughter Cordelia and Hester, the older spinster and sister of the Squire, T. Kingfisher's writing once again excels at becoming a haunting fairy tale.

I truly loved how the story was different than the original tale but still breathed so much life with its characters. The essences of the original remained, while adding new horrors and frightening magic and love that defies tradition, while also confronting their own flaws.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book, while loosely inspired by The Goose Girl, shares very little DNA with that original story, and is certainly a touch darker than it. It was however, a pleasure to read and had many of the elements I look for in a good book - well-rounded characters, a touch of fantasy, real-seeming stakes, a sense of humor, and a tinge of horror. I also highly recommend reading the acknowledgements, as there's a great personal anecdote in there that I'd hate for you to miss.

I want to read it I do but I have girlbossed a little too close to the sun and had to dnf because I don't have the time.

3.5 stars. This is a fairytale inspired fantasy novel. It follows Cordelia, a fourteen year old girl who lives and entirely restrictive life with her cruel mother. When he mother goes in search of a husband, Cordelia is introduced to a small cast of likable and interesting characters. I liked this book. It is well written with good character arcs. I am beginning to think that this sort of cozy(ish) fantasy novel may not be for me. I found myself losing interest occasionally and it took be longer than necessary to finish. Overall, though, I do think it a good book. I received a digital copy from NetGalley.

Once again, this was unsettling in a very entertaining way. Perfectly paced, precious characters. T. Kingfisher just doesn’t miss.

Not my favorite by this author but even her worst is good. 3.5 stars

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

The nitty-gritty: In her latest fairy tale retelling, T. Kingfisher once again proves she's the master of dark fantasy with a healthy dose of heart and humor.

T. Kingfisher is one of the most consistent writers I know, and I always enjoy her stories immensely. A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception, a delightfully macabre blend of fantasy, horror and humor, with some truly unforgettable characters. Kingfisher takes the Grimm fairytale The Goose Girl and adds her own dark spin to it, but there are only a couple of elements from the original story—there are geese and a horse named Falada—and you certainly don’t need to be familiar with it to enjoy this tale.

We follow a fourteen-year-old girl named Cordelia who lives with her mother, a horrible woman named Evangeline who just happens to be a sorceress. Evangeline is able to control people with magic, and she’s been doing so to her daughter for years. Cordelia absolutely hates being “made obedient” because she loses complete control over her body. The only reason the two have clothes and food is because Evangeline has found a benefactor to “give” her those things, but now she’s setting her sights on more: she wants to not only find herself a wealthy husband, but one for Cordelia as well.

Meanwhile, we meet Hester and her brother the Squire, who live comfortably in a distant village. One day, Hester wakes up with a terrible feeling that something bad is coming, and soon after Evangeline and Cordelia show up on their doorstep. The bad thing, which Hester calls “Doom,” is of course Evangeline, who has decided that the Squire will make a perfectly good husband for her. But Hester senses that something is off with the woman—and she can tell that Cordelia is unhappy and in some kind of trouble—so she gathers some good friends to try to stop Evangeline from getting away with her odious plan. But as Hester is about to find out, it isn’t easy to break a sorcerer’s magic…

I have one criticism I’ll get out of the way first. The first half of the book meanders and doesn’t really go anywhere, and I actually found myself a little bored. It isn’t until Evangeline and Cordelia end up at Hester’s house that things start to get exciting. This is also where we meet most of my favorite characters, and as usual with Kingfisher’s books, the characters made the story for me. I loved Cordelia, who starts out as scared and timid but later shows a lot of character growth, fighting back against her controlling mother. Hester was a fantastic character as well. She’s in her fifties and not afraid to speak her mind. There’s a bit of romance between Hester and an old suitor, which I thought was nicely done, but I mostly loved her for her shrewd commentary and her desire to help Cordelia.

A couple of side characters stole the show for me, though. Alice is the maid assigned to Cordelia when she arrives at Hester’s house, and I loved the way she confided in Hester when she sensed something terrible going on between Cordelia and Evangeline. Tom Willard is the butler and he was hysterically funny. In fact, everyone in the household starts to gang up on Evangeline once they figure out what she is. Kingfisher’s sparkling dialog is in full force when all these characters are together, and despite the story’s darker moments, I couldn’t help but smile while I was reading.

There are some unexpectedly gruesome surprises as well. Falada, Evangeline’s horse, isn’t at all what you think he is, and Kingfisher comes up with some awesome scenes that involve him and his connection to Evangeline. Add in murder, a surprise ghost, and a bunch of protective geese, and you have a funny, lively and sometimes shocking story.

Kingfisher infuses her tale with plenty of heartfelt moments as well. I love stories where the characters band together to protect each other and vanquish evil, and Cordelia forms some wonderful friendships with Hester and Alice and the others. I especially loved Hester’s story. She’s in her fifties and suffers from sore knees, but that doesn’t stop her from joining in the fight against Evangeline. I also enjoyed her romance with Richard, which is sort of a “second chance romance” that’s subtly done. 

This is another winner from T. Kingfisher, a well done genre mash-up that is sure to appeal to lots of different kinds of readers.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

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.

After enjoying T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead and Thornhedge I was excited to receive a digital advance copy of A Sorceress Comes to Call from Netgalley.
Genre: Adult, Retelling, Horror, Fantasy (Fairytale)
Content Warnings: child abuse, animal death, murder, gore

A Sorceress Comes to Call is about a teenage girl named Cordelia.

“There was a fly walking on Cordelia’s hand and she was not allowed to flick it away.”

Cordelia’s mother, Evangeline, is a sorceress and often makes Cordelia “obedient”, taking over her body, and forcing her to act the way she wants. At fourteen years old Cordelia doesn’t have any friends and confides in their horse Falada. However, she sometimes talks with Ellen, the daughter of a landowner, that lives nearby.

One day Evangeline tells Cordelia that they soon have to move and find a new benefactor. While discussing the move Evangeline carelessly mentions that she is a sorcerer – something Cordelia didn’t know.

Hester Chatham (51) woke in the middle of the night with a strong feeling that doom was approaching.

“Three days after her first panic-filled awakening, Doom appeared on Hester’s doorstep, in the shape of a woman.”

Evangeline shows interest in Hester’s brother Samuel, the Squire. She claims to be in town to get a dress fitting appointment for her daughter. Samuel invites Evangeline to stay at the house with her daughter while they wait for the dresses.

Cordelia is awoken by her mother with news that they are going to the coast to stay with the Chathams. She has plans to marry the Squire. Evangeline admits she was Ellen’s father’s mistress and says they must leave immediately as something bad has happened to Ellen’s family. Cordelia is mortified and worried about Ellen and her family.

At the Chatham house, Cordelia meets Hester, the Squire, the butler Willard, and her new maid Alice. Cordelia can’t believe the size of the house and is blown away to see all the rooms have doors (her mother didn’t allow doors). She doesn’t know how to let Alice take care of her because she’s never had someone take care of her before. Alice quickly realizes that Cordelia is afraid of her own mother, and starts to plant seeds of confidence in Cordelia.

I love that Hester refers to Evangeline as “Doom” (at first just in her own head). Hester is incredibly observant and quickly notices Cordelia’s fear of her mother. She is trying to figure out Evangeline’s game plan and is determined to not let her brother marry either of them, and yet, she’s also worried about Cordelia. She organizes a little house party, inviting Lord and Lady Strauss and their son, Penelope Green (Samuel’s ex-mistress), and Lord Evermore (Hester’s closest friend) hoping they can help her stop Evangeline from marrying Samuel.

While Hester tries to get rid of Evangeline, Cordelia searches for the confidence to stand up to her mother. We learn what happened to Ellen’s family and just how ruthless Evangeline is.

› A Sorceress Comes to Call is dark, suspenseful, yet humorous and made me laugh out loud. I felt for Cordelia who is in constant fear of her mother. She’s even afraid of her own thoughts. There are short but visceral horror scenes. The characters are all interesting and well-developed. I love Kingfisher’s writing style which is full of dark whimsy, description, and incredible world-building.

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, unconventional, tragic
Pace: medium
Tone: emotional, bittersweet, heartwrenching, high-drama, moody, dramatic, suspenseful, magical, whimsical, dark, sinister,
Humour: dark humour, offbeat
Writing Style: banter-filled, conversational, well-crafted dialogue, compelling, descriptive, engaging, gritty, richly detailed, witty
Character: authentic, awkward, brooding, complex, flawed, mischievous, quirky, relatable, sarcastic, strong female, well-developed

Read-Alikes:
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
Uprooted by Noami Novik
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erike Johansen
Redder Than Blood by Tanith Lee
The Dark of the Woods by Ellen Datlow
Bitter Sweets by Justine Sebastian
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Gilded by Marissa Meyer

› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• A Sorceress Comes to Call is a compelling and offbeat fantasy horror book about an abusive mother-daughter relationship, friendship, found family, and freedom. I highly recommend this to fans of dark fairy tale retellings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kingfisher likes her body horror, and on the page I can appreciate it. But this book has easily the best villain I've read in her books, and that's because she's rather ordinary. sure magic heightens the threat, but there's a reason some villains are genuinely detested while others a viewed as over-the-top hams.
If you liked Kingfisher's earlier books, you'll like this one.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The main characters' viewpoints were interesting to read, especially since one was so young and the other a middle-aged woman. I just wanted to grab the younger one up and hug her because of all she'd been through. You rarely find books that have middle-aged heroines as one of the main characters, so that was a nice surprise, too. There wasn't one character I didn't like. The story flowed well, and the ending was perfect! Definitely recommend to those liking anything magical with your books.
I did receive this as an ARC from Netgalley, but these opinions are my own.

I struggled to read this digitally. I enjoy T Kingfisher's writing so I believe it was purely an issue of mode of consumption. The retelling of "Goose girl" was creepy and macabre. I enjoyed the approach Kingfisher took to revealing the "villain" very early in the story. It seems like a fresh approach. It is filled with wry humor and had adequate pacing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Ok so T. Kingfisher is now one of my auto read authors. No matter what they write I’m going to be reading it.

Now this book was absolutely amazing but it didn’t really pick up until about 40% in. But once it did I recommend having no plans because you won’t be able to put it down!

Cordelia lives with her mother who happens to be Sorceress, and she is not a nice woman. One day her mother decides they need a new benefactor so she finds an older gentleman and his sister and starts to make her devious plans. However the sister, Hester, knows what she’s up to and will stop at nothing to make sure her brother is safe. Will Cordelia be able to help Hester and stand up against her mother?

This book was phenomenal 4.5/5 stars and I would HIGHLY recommend it!!

I LOVE Kingfisher's writing, and this book was so amazing that words cannot express how much I enjoyed it. I adore fairy-tales retellings so much, and this one did not disappoint. Being a gifted storyteller, Kingfisher's books are enchanting because of the way she creates her characters and stories.

And the characters in this book—oh my god—they are amazing! Cordelia makes an amazing main character, and I love how she's changed from being a shy, mistreated girl to someone who has had the world opened up to her. She genuinely cared for someone who was so isolated from the outside world and had a lovely heart.

However, the secondary characters are what really set this work apart. My all-time favorite character in the novel is Hester. I adore that T. Kingfisher created a fantastic protagonist that isn't just adolescent girl once again.

One of the book's best features is how magic develops and is expertly mixed into Cordelia's story of coming of age. Readers are taken on a journey as Cordelia discovers her mother's sorcery, which makes the magic seem both plausible and fascinating. I truly like every aspect of the novel, and the supernatural aspects were done extremely well.

It's hard not to fall in love with the characters because they are so endearing and the plot is so well written. Even though I have read a number of Kingfisher's books, I think this one may be my new favorite! I can't wait to read more works by this author!

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

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Jennifer Pickens
Release date: 06 August 2024

This my first book by author T.Kingfisher and I both read and listened to the audiobook simultaneously. I enjoyed the story and writing style, very easy to read and intriguing story. Dark story with the FMC's mother as the clear antagonist. The narrator's did a great job with differentiating the mostly female characters and I will be reading more from her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, T. Kingfisher and Macmillan Audio/ Tor Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an odd but interesting kind of fairy tale story. It's based on the Brothers Grimm Goose Girl, but I was not familiar with that story before going into this book, so I cannot say how it incorporates the original story. This was a very engaging, kind of dark and twisty tale of a teenage girl and her sorceress mother who was up to no good and in search of a rich husband. There is magic and paranormal, and a little whimsy. It all comes together in a very engaging tale I read through quickly. I would recommend this book if you are looking for something that is a little dark, but with a little humor and fairytale added in. Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you're worried that because you've never heard of or read The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm, don't worry. This book stands solidly on its own. It's everything you want from a dark fairytale-magic, death, tricks, ghosts, familiars, the whole gamut.

I enjoyed this story from tip to tail, throwing us in immediately to our main character, Cordelia, being made "obedient" by her mother. Meanwhile, in another house, Hester, an older woman, is feeling a sense of dread coming her way. As you continue down the story, tiny sinister things happen, and eventually, Hester and Cordelia end up in each other's path. They are great together. And that's all the info I'll put here because I enjoyed not having a single clue as to what was going on as I read. I loved it.

If you like dark fairytale-style stories or really enjoyed The Brothers Grimm movie, I think you'll really enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the E-ARC!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Books for this copy of "A Sorceress Comes to Call."

So at the beginning I was wondering "Who is this mother Evangeline and daughter Cordelia and what's going on with them." But with the introduction of Hester and her brother Samuel, the story took flight (no geese jokes intended) and the characters were so much fun.

The plotting was a perfect mix of comedy and suspense and I couldn't wait to find out if and how they were going to trap the evil mother - it's not a spoiler that she's an evil sorceress as you find that out right away.

Romance, evil sorceress, fairy tale retelling - all elements that I enjoy and this one was a delight... or should I say enchanting?

As someone unfamiliar with The Goose Girl , I was unsure of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to be enamored by this book during the first few pages. It was a funny, dark, and brave tale. Cordelia is a young girl who is traumatized by her sorceress mother. Her journey to be free of her had me rooting for her till the very end. Cordelia’s witty friends were also entertaining and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Company and Net Galley for this arc.

Posted on Goodreads on 8/15/24.