I really enjoyed this book. I sympathized greatly with the main character Cordelia and everything she was dealing with; it was clearly so hard for her to do what had to be done but she did it - she was so brave! And I loved the way she was able to gather friends around her to help her out. Exciting and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Every single Kingfisher book I read is somehow better than the last, but this one is truly remarkable! The characters have so much depth, it is easy to jump into and stay enthralled in, and all that fairytale magic is there. I adore it so much that I have already pre-ordered and purchased my own copy. Bravo and take ALL the stars!

I love T Kingfisher and I love this book. If I’m being ho eat I have no idea what the Goose girl is about but I’m happy I got here. It’s dark and twisty. It’s funny and morbid all at the same time. Highly recommend this one!

In True Kingfisher fashion I am utterly obsessed. This book was everything I expected and so much more. I loved Cordelia and thought that she was very enduring. Her mother was a true to brand love to hate villain and I was eager for her to truly get what she deserved. I think that character wise my favorite was definitely Esther. She was an absolute delight, truthfully she through me some serious Lady Danbury vibes and I loved it! The magic system was complex and it didn't entirely make sense to me at first but once the entirety of Evangeline's story and powers came to light it was really neat to see how the pieces all fit together. The story was definitely dark and had some sensitive subjects that were brought mostly stemming around the abuse that Cordelia was subjected to. I think that this was done very tasteful and well. I liked the story line and the way that it progressed. The world building was fun and made sense with the over all plot.

T Kingfisher's mind is a mystery. She writes such unique stories all of which feel so different. I've loved so many of her books, I knew I needed to read this one as well. This was a much darker story than I was expecting. I love the dysfunctional family dynamics and the found family. I wasn't expecting so much of a mystery plot though. I enjoyed the older character povs and even the slight love story going on in the background. The horse familiar was a shock. I wasn't expecting that to go in the direction it did. I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the characters though. I ended up on a 3.5 star rating. Enjoyable and different but not the best from the author.

As a dark retelling of Grimm’s Goose Girl, this one simply doesn’t miss (like off of Kingfisher’s books for me, honestly.) Our main character, Cordelia, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her mother, who controls every moment of Cordelia’s life, has decided it is time for her to wed. They leave town after a suspicious murder and make themselves quite at home in the lodgings of Hester and the Squire.

These characters simply jump off the page. The writing is engaging and often times funny. Each character is distinct and their motivations sound. I especially loved Hester, though Cordelia holds a special place in my heart. Again, Kingfisher shines in their ability to write relatable and comedic reactions to horrifying events. If she writes it, I’ll read it, enough said.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I have not ventured into T. Kingfisher's repertoire before, and I had heard from many people that her books could be quite spooky. But I was so intrigued by the premise of this book that I simply had to check it out.

This book grabs you almost immediately, despite the fact that you're given very little information. It is nonstop from the first page to the last, and it is really quite unputdownable. The more I read, the more I wanted to see where the story went and how it was ultimately going to be resolved. And it did not disappoint.

Not my usual flavor of fiction, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Something about this storytelling was absolutely addicting. Compulsively readable, even for non-fantasy lovers, Kingfisher knocks it out of the park again.

Cordelia is my precious baby and I will fight everyone who tries to hurt her.

I really enjoyed that while if you’re familiar with the story of The Goose Girl, you can definitely see the inspiration, but that the story had been twisted enough that it doesn’t feel like a retelling.

I loved Cordelia’s growth through the book from terrified and timid to terrified and brave (and let’s face it, still incredibly timid). It was very gratifying to see all of the non-terrible adults take her under their wing.

While the story’s opening was an immediate hook, I felt like the first quarter of the story didn’t suck me in the way I hoped it would, but by the time I was a third of the way through, I was completely hooked and finished it in an evening.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

4.5/5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is quite different from what I am used to reading from T. Kingfisher. I enjoyed the regency time period and it still had some horror elements like the gory description of the headless horse ride at the end. I absolutely adored Hester who was one of the main characters. She’s a 50 year old spinster who is very canny and I love her wit. She had me laughing despite the fact that terrible things were happening. The other main character Cordelia annoyed me a bit but I ultimately felt bad for her. I wish she had done more for herself and others but given her backstory and age it makes sense the way she behaved. She also had a decent arc of growth in this book. Penelope was another fantastic character and I wish we could’ve had more of her!! Overall the story was good and the characters were fantastic. I really enjoyed this book.

Like most mothers, Cordelia's wants her to marry a rich man. However, unlike most mothers, Cordelia's has the ability to make others "obedient" while she uses them as human puppets. Her mother wishes to marry well herself to better situate Cordelia for a match to a wealthy suitor, despite Cordelia's reticence at socializing and terror of her mother's powers.

Now, much to her absolute horror, Cordelia and her mother, Evangeline, have made a hasty escape from their small town following a gruesome murder to the country estate of a generous bachelor Squire. Evangeline intends to make the wealthy Squire fall in love with her and propose. Hester, the Squire's sharp-tongued sister, immediately senses the sinister undercurrent between mother and daughter. But can one spinster stand between a sorceress and her quarry?

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. This latest novel has everything I have come to expect (and adore) from T. Kingfisher: unlikely heroes, witty dialogue, droll servants, and dark magic. As with Swordheart, our romantic leads are middle-aged. Hester is round, uses a cane, and worries that she's not worthy of love. Relatable.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a captivating tale that exceeded my already high expectations. Kingfisher’s masterful storytelling and rich world-building make this a must-read for fans of fantasy and character-driven narratives.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on July 31, 2024 and Instagram on August 1, 2024.

I have only ever read Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, and now A Sorceress Comes to Call... I can say without a doubt that I am a T. Kingfisher stan. She's an incredibly talented writer and I'm impressed by the way she creates her characters. I loved the twists and turns in this book, the complex mother-daughter relationship, and the dark fairy tale vibes. I'm looking forward to reading more T. Kingfisher books!

A very, very loose retelling of The Goose Girl, in that there are geese and a horse named Falada and that's about it.

I enjoyed this, more for its examination of an abusive mother-daughter relationship (although I ended up wanting more, chiefly on what Cordelia was), and for its dual POV perspective between a fourteen year old and a fifty-one year old (yay older heroines!).

It is Regency-adjacent in tone, although the world setting is nebulous and vaguely Englandy it doesn't quite feel like England. And the upstairs-downstairs relationships (particularly Willard and Alice) had my whole heart.

Anywho, a solid Kingfisher book, even if it's not a favorite.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

After loving Thornhedge, I was excited to dive into "A Sorceress Comes to Call," expecting to connect with the characters just as I did with Toadling. However, I found it difficult to relate to the dual protagonists in this story. While I really liked Cordelia, I felt that my connection with her might have been stronger if the narrative focused solely on her perspective, without Hester’s viewpoint.

That said, Kingfisher’s writing remains engaging and imaginative. Although this book didn’t resonate with me as much as Thornhedge, I still appreciate Kingfisher’s storytelling and am looking forward to her next novel. Fans of her work will likely find much to enjoy here, even if it didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

Thank you so much to T. Kingfisher, NetGalley, and Tor for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unsurprisingly, Kingfisher extends her run of quirky, uniquely fantastical storytelling with her latest novel. A Sorcerer Comes to Call is witty, warm, and filled with irresistibly charming and relatable characters.

In this story we follow Cordelia, a naïve, well-meaning young girl treated horribly by her sorcerous mother and forced to live a secluded life away from her peers and larger society. Cordelia navigates young adulthood endeavoring to avoid becoming magically “obedient” to her mother, Evangeline, forced to be a puppet for long stretches of time at her mother’s whim. When Evangeline hatches a plan to entrap an old squire and gain his riches, Cordelia is drawn to act, as it’s one thing to endure her mother’s cruelty herself, but quite another when others are put in harm’s way.

This novel was such a fun read. I was drawn to how each character was fleshed out and the way in which their lives entangled, giving Cordelia a newfound sense of home and family. Despite her skittishness, Cordelia is a character you can’t help but root for in her efforts to convince her new hosts that magic is much more than cheap parlor tricks, a truth they must recognize at the risk of great peril. If you enjoyed the author’s other stories, this one is a can’t-miss!

When I read the excerpt and requested the ARC, I was really hoping for something creepy. And boy did it deliver.

This was an amazing tale of a young girl imprisoned in her mother's vicarious dreams. Talk about next level pagent mom here. Evangeline made mistakes and now plans to live her ideal life through Cordelia. As a sorceress, she can redefine the term living vicariously. Cordelia spends her childhood obedient to Evangeline's machinations to rise up the social ladder. The best a middle-aged woman with a brat can hope for is a mid-tier squire, but that squire has friends in higher places. Places Evangeline plans to see Cordelia circulate. For Evangeline, it's all about the money. For Cordelia, it's all about the people.

However, it probably isn't best to build your plans on the oppressed. Life is not going to turn out in your favor. But man, oh man, that fall from her pedestal. Excellent story the whole way through. I really wanted to read this one in one sitting. Definitely go nab this one on August 6th.

Once again, in her inimitable way, T. Kingfisher has taken a (too) familiar fairy tale and transmuted it into "something rich and strange" that possibly captures a little of the uncanny feeling the tale may have had for its first listeners. I don't want to give away any surprises, but just as a taste, the goose girl is in her 50's with a bad knee, and the heroine is not who you would suspect. I loved this tale and it's meditation on abuse, control, and evil is chilling, while the humorous bits enhance and deepen the story in the way that adding a bit of salt adds richness to cooking. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by the amazing T. Kingfisher, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

In this retelling of the Brothers Grimm's "Goose Girl," Cordelia's mom, Evangeline, has kept her isolated and controlled, her only friend being their horse, Falada, her mother's familiar. She discovers that Evangeline is a sorceress and has set her sights on marriage to the wealthy Squire. Squire's sister, Hester, sees through Evangeline's plans and hopes to avoid her brother's marriage to Evangeline.

T. Kingfisher writes such immersive, magical books and this one is no exception. It's dark, with themes of abuse and coercion, but also the power of good over evil, as Hester, her maid and friends to their best to save Cordelia. Cordelia will steal your heart, with her naivety as to how things work, and her belief in goodness. There's tension, humor, magic, great characters, geese, and even ghosts! It's so descriptive that it will put you into this other world. I loved having both the audio and digital versions so as to never be far away from this story! Another highly recommended book from this author!

Ursula just never misses. It's always such a delight to dive into the weird, funny, sweet, and thoughtful worlds she constructs. She's a go-to for me when I'm recommending books to customers at work; regardless of their genre preferences there's a Kingfisher book for everyone.

4.5/5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor and T. Kingfisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Welp, T. Kingfisher always delights me with her books and this retelling of The Goose Girl is no exception. One of my favorite parts of T. Kingfisher’s books is that she often puts a spot light on older characters and gives them a romance to boot. In a world full of teenage heroine’s and 20 somethings romance, this 50 year old appreciates that. Though our young protagonist, Cordelia, takes center stage she has 50 something Hester right by her side and neither outshine the other.

A Sorceress Comes to Call manages to portray some dark themes while at the same time being humorous and a little cozy. The cast of characters is so fun and I felt like they were each fleshed out and full humans. The friendships between the characters are so sweet and I loved seeing their relationships form and grow stronger as they rally around our child FMC. It definitely gives found family vibes!

Though you are never really sure where this book is set, it reads like historical fantasy which is one of my favorite sub genres of fantasy. There is a clear plot in which the characters must find a way to fight the villain, but this book is more about the friendships and the recognizable mood T. Kingfisher employs. Her familiar wit is also sprinkled throughout the book.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you like sorcery, ghosts and overall mayhem, this book delivers all of that in spades!