4.5 stars
Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read more Kingfisher novels, as I enjoyed 2020's "The Hollow Places." This new novel is inspired by The Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl." The prose is beautiful and characters were easy to root for. It has more fantasy elements than horror, but still includes the dark undertones that reflect the source material. The ending let me down a little, but there are a lot of places to go with the main character, Cordelia, which could potentially lead to a sequel if the author wanted.

I was very excited to be offered an eARC of this book! I love T. Kingfisher's work and going the premise interesting. It lived up to my expectation! Reading about the clearly abusive mother in this story was truly heart wrenching, but it was deeply gratifying to see the main character develop over the course of the book. That was the main hold for me, as the direction of the plot was fairly straightforward, as is the case with most retellings. I enjoyed the historical setting and the prose, and would recommend this to people who like historical fantasy and books featuring fraught family relationships.

E-ARC generously provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4.5 stars. Harrowing, richly drawn, and containing that meld of horror and fantasy that I've come to love from T. Kingfisher, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a gem of a dark fairy tale that is as arresting as it is compelling.

Not my favorite Kingfisher book, but I always enjoy her brand of semi-cozy, slightly horror-tinged fantasy with a cast of well-written characters (who are often snarky in the best way).

Cordelia isn’t allowed to close the door to her room.

As a matter of fact, there are no closed doors allowed in her house at all. It’s not as if she has any way of truly keeping her mother out anyway, not when her mother can directly affect her will and make her completely obedient without even raising a finger.

Her mother is a sorceress, and Cordelia can’t remember a day when she didn’t cower in fear of her. Now it seems her mother is ready to instill that fear in others for the sake of money and she expects Cordelia to be obedient and do exactly as she says in the process.

I found this book to be a great deal lighter than most of Kingfisher’s works (the ones I’ve read, at least), along with being a lot more jovial in tone. Normally I’d love this, but for some reason it just wasn’t working for me in this story. I usually love a juxtaposition of dark subject matter and humorous tone, but it felt (for lack of a better way to put it) like the angle these two things were meeting at was just off, somehow. Like it either wasn’t dark enough or wasn’t funny enough for the two to match up. As a result it ended up feeling rather awkward at times.

The story itself was engaging and entertaining, certainly enough to sustain the book and make it worth the read. The characters were great too, if you take them out of their context and examine them just as characters. It’s when you put them all together that things start to fall apart. I think part of it has to do with how large the cast of characters is compared to the scope of the story.

It’s hard to convey via text that I really did enjoy the story, even though I found a lot of flaws with it. It was overall a very enjoyable story. I do highly recommend it. Would I re-read it? Probably not. I also don’t think I want my own copy. But if you love fairy-tale retellings that aren’t spicy or Kingfisher then you’re likely golden.

I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Coming of Age/Fairy Tale/Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy/Folklore

Thanks to TorDotCom for an eARC via NetGalley!

DNF at 22%!

I was hoping I could push through and wait before calling it quits, but alas. Simply, I lost interest in this story. Every time I put my kindle down, I didn't want to pick it back up. Unfortunately, I was bored. Cordelia is a solid child character but not interesting enough to keep me feeling engaged. Really cool to find an older woman prominent character named Hester, but she didn't stick with me in terms of personality. The plot is slower than I would have thought and couldn't keep my intrigue high. The descriptions on the setting didn't paint an interesting picture for me. Nonetheless, I am not the target audience. It is possible to plot could have picked up later on, but I lacked the patience.

Content Warnings (so far): child abuse

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for access to this arc.

Oooh, this one sent a shiver down my spine a time or two. The opening scene involves a kind of horrific “thing” that gets worse each time we hear about it and especially when we see it in action. It’s like ink in a glass of water, spreading from one drop until everything is coated with darkness and evil.

I’ve tagged this one as Young-Adult, and Cordelia is certainly one of the MCs but she is not the only main character. While I certainly understand Cordelia’s initial demeanor given how much her mother has put her through, Cordelia’s stammering, meekness, and frightened rabbit-ing would have gotten old in a hurry if that had been all we get from her. When the rubber meets the road and she realizes she has to, Cordelia screws her courage to the sticking point, stands up and speaks out then becomes an integral part of ending the horror.


Yes! Older people standing up to evil and making a difference. Hester is an astringent fifty year old whom I adore. Imogen, the card sharp aristocrat, is also not to be messed with while Richard is a love who has faithfully loved Hester for decades. Old retainer Willard somehow manages to retain his butlerly dignity even while letting his hair down a bit – and keeping a sharp pair of scissors where they are needed. Alice is brave and kind while Mary is devoted to her lady. And Penelope – I want to be Penelope. They are all ready to pitch in where needed and kick some ass if it comes to that.

Another good point for me is that Hester remains skeptical of Cordelia for a while. Cordelia is, after all, the daughter of Doom and it would have been silly for Hester to immediately trust the daughter of someone she knows is there to wreak some kind of havoc. Many of the other characters are, believably, hesitant to buy into the full immensity of what they’re up against because of the prevalent belief that, hey, all sorcerers are dead, right?

One thing to mention is that Cordelia is, basically, abused by her mother for almost the entirety of her life. The full weight of dread that the story evokes takes a while to build, brick by brick, horrible action by horrible action. And at times, yes, the action slows way down. People die in this one so Here Be Death. I’m still mentally debating if the deaths here are gentler than those in the Paladin books. Quicker perhaps but still, dead is dead.

So yay for older characters and creeping horror. Thumbs up that Hester and Richard finally work out their relationship. Hmmm for some slow moments. I will be honest and say that for those who have not enjoyed Kingfisher books in the past, this one will be unlikely to win them over. But for me it’s a solid entry that I inhaled in a day and a half. B

What an amazing retelling! I had never heard of "The Goose Girl" before reading this book, and I found Kingfisher's writing to be so unique and unlike any retelling I have ever read! I finished this book in two days and it fully got me out of my reading slump. Loved Cordelia's character as well as Henny's character and they had such good chemistry! The plot twists got me every time, and I remember dropping my jaw multiple times or reacting in public, completely forgetting where I was. 4.5 stars!!!!!

There were good discussions in A Sorceress Comes to Call, but I was never engaged in the plot. I liked Hester as a character more than Cordelia.

I will still definitely pick up more books by T Kingfisher, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. I do think it will appeal to readers who enjoy darker retellings.

This story reimagines a Brothers Grimm story, a fantastical jumping-off point rather than an original concept. The writing is clear and approachable. It was easy to differentiate between internal thoughts, spoken words, and silent communication. However, the main character, Cordelia, felt insufferably slow and naive, as if she were written for a much younger audience. Her ineptitude made her unrelatable as a narrator and diminished my enjoyment of the book. I was more engaged when it shifted to the older character, Hester's, perspective. The plot itself was interesting but felt predictable. It had its moments, and the overall concept was interesting. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this story in early access, thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Tor Books. If you don't mind a younger-feeling protagonist, you might find this book to your liking. For me, it didn't deliver enough to warrant a strong recommendation.

Initial thoughts after finishing this book: not my thing.

The story is a dual POV from Cordelia and Hester. Cordelia is the daughter of the main sorceress in the story, and her world collides with Hester's as the Sorceress does her best to satisfy her greed and need for social climbing. Cordelia is a young teenager girl, whose mother is controlling, manipulative, and of course homicidal in the means to get anything she wants. Hester on the other hand, is an older woman who suspects the Sorceress to be up to no good, and does her best to undermine their evil ways. Both characters in the end team up to work against the Sorceress, and along the way a strong relationship is built.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is my first book by T Kingfisher. I had high expectations of this book because I have had seen great reviews about their work. It's not my thing! But I can definitely say that it could be for someone else. It's light murder mystery, some what in the vein of an Agatha Christie type of book, with magic thrown in there. The second half of the book was definitely favored over the beginning, which was difficult for me to get through. Overall, it was a good read.

Thank you Netgalley, Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I will be posting to Instagram, Goodreads, and Storygraph.

T. Kingfisher is back in excellent form with this dark retelling of the bloody fairy tale, "Goose Girl." Somehow in my formative years I missed this particular story, so Kingfisher's new novel and Wikipedia gave me a quick run dow on this version and the different variations of the story. Kingfisher's goose girl offers sympathetic characters in the parts of Cordelia, the sorceress' abused daughter, and Hester, the spinster sister of the old Squire upon whom the sorceress has cast her evil plans. This was a great read that kept me up way past my bed time, and I was especially intrigued by the enchanted horse Falada.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Powers That Be for an ARC of this book. It was lovely indeed.

I am absolutely heartbroken right now, but I have to give this one a DNF. 😭 I was raised in an abusive household with a step-mother that was incredibly similar to Evangeline. I tried to push through, but I only managed to get through about 4 chapters and I just had to stop.

Thank you so much to TOR for granting me access to the e-galley. I'm so sorry I am unable to fully read and review this title. 😭 I was really looking forward to it. But for my mental health, I have to put the book down.

From what I can tell, this is beautifully written. T. Kingfisher does a wonderful job quickly establishing the characters and their backgrounds. I so wish I could continue on without risking triggering my PTSD. 😭

I can always count on T. Kingfisher for a moody dark fantasy, and ‘A Sorceress Comes to Call’ did not disappoint. Full of magic, charm, wit, and a touch of macabre, this retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl is wonderfully imaginative. The story has complex characters that you’ll absolutely loathe and completely adore. While you’ll surely be rooting for our timid but sharp FMC, for me, the supporting characters really put the story over the top. Hester, what a gem. Penelope, let’s be besties.


Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for this advanced digital copy.

A Sorceress Comes to Call follows a young lady Cordelia as she navigates through life with a sorceress for a mother. Cordelia has grown up very lonely. Her mother does not allow her to have friends, nor is she allowed to have much control of her life. When her mother, Evangeline, decides it is time to get out of their little town, Cordelia doesn’t know what to make of it. Evangeline’s only goal in life is to marry rich and marry Cordelia off to a rich man. She finally decides to take action when things go south with her lover living near by. Hester is the mistress of her brother’s house, but when Samuel brings home Evangeline, Hester knows that something isn’t right. In this retelling of the Grimm Brother’s Goose Girl all seems amiss, especially the horse.

This book was magically delightful. The characters were fun and I tremendously enjoyed the growth of Cordelia’s character. This story reminds me of Olivia Atwater’s The Witchwood Knot, as it’s set in a more historical fiction setting with magic. Kingfisher can write a grocery list and I would read it/enjoy it so it comes at no surprise that I loved this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC!

What happens when a Sorceress comes calling? Secrets, mayhem, and manipulation all come to play. At the heart is Cordelia, the sorceress's daughter, who finds herself uprooted from her small town and moved to a wealthy man's home where she befriends others and begins to step out from underneath her mother's stifling shadow. Hester, the spinster-sister, to the man the sorceress has her sights on, knows that there is something going on and does her best to ensure that her brother and home are protected from whatever doom is headed their way.

I have never read a book by T. Kingfisher, but this was a pretty good one to start with. It was quick read and the pacing and voice were very hypnotic. It read like a mystery-thriller and I was on my toes just waiting to see what was going to happen next. I felt bad for the characters at times, but enjoyed learning about the different players in the game.

I'm not sure if this is a standalone, but it does leave some paths open for a potential second book if the author wanted to extend Cordelia's story.

I could definitely feel the fairytale-ness and I liked that aspect, but something was a little off for me with this book. It was a little juvenile, which can sometimes work for me, but the plot wasn’t engaging enough at times and my enjoyment was up and down throughout. I liked the characters and some elements of the plot but it just fell a little short for me.

"A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a dark, enchanting take on the classic "Goose Girl" fairy tale. In this tale, Cordelia is living under the thumb of her sorceress mother, Evangeline, who casts spells of magic to warp her life and will according to her whims. With their sights set on snaring a rich man, however, they stumble into Hester—the rich man's sister—who turns out rather perceptive and starts unraveling their sinister plot.

Kingfisher does well in creating relatable, complex characters, especially in Cordelia and Hester. The growth that Cordelia undergoes—from a young, timid, controlled girl into the brave young woman she becomes—is at once heartbreaking and inspiring. With her wit and determination, Hester rapidly became a favorite of mine for adding depth and humor to the story. One of the real strengths this work has is its blossoming friendship between these two characters, bringing light warmth and hope in lighter shades into the otherwise dark subject matter Kingfisher explores.

From the beginning to the end, this work deftly weaves horror, fantasy, and dark humor into its tapestry with ease, keeping the reader enthralled. The descriptions of the magic and setting provided are eerie, fitting most fittingly into the beauty of the tale. "A Sorceress Comes to Call" is a compelling, character-driven story that shows off Kingfisher's talent for storytelling to great effect. Very highly recommended, especially for readers who like a little dark in their fantasy.

3.5 stars
Cordelia lives a sheltered life with her sorceress mother. It’s actually not so much sheltered as it is involuntary. She has no friends and no say in her life. Because her mother’s magic is so powerful, she often forces Cordelia into submission. When her mother hears news of a wealthy unwed man, they set out to lure him into marriage so her mother is able to have control of his estate and money. They are welcomed into his house and her mother works on him immediately. Hester, the man’s sister notices the oddities of Cordelia’s actions and puts together that her mother controls her.

Hester and Cordelia and others fight to bring her mother down from power. What ensues is adventure, triumph and a beautiful friendship. I felt it was more paranormal than horror but was a fun story that ended so well! The relationship of my two favorite characters Cordelia and Hester brought in an affectionate atmosphere that each woman needed. I recommend this to magic lovers with a touch of darkness!

Thank you to Tor, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the copies!

The book releases August 6, 2024.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a fairy tale retelling with clever, original characters and a terrific twist on the original story. The characters are superb, and made me care deeply about all the magic-laden ups and downs of the story. It's funny, it's scary, and even has elements of horror to really raise the stakes.

T. Kingfisher’s fantasy/fairy tale stories are among my favorites, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is a terrific addition. Highly recommended.