A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher

Kingfisher’s ability to craft compelling stories and likable characters while also making me uncomfortable(in that eerie sort of dark magic way) is so impressive. I absolutely loved this book. It is a true fairy tale in the sense that it is dark and thrilling and leaves the reader questioning lots of things. This story also contains good banter and lots of heart. We follow Cordelia as her mother takes her along on a scheme to find a rich husband and end up discovering along with her that there is much more going on. I really enjoyed this and stayed up much longer than intended because the ending had me unwilling to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

In classic T. Kingfisher fashion, A Sorceress Comes to Call feels like a classic fairytale turned on its head. Though this is described as a retelling of Goose Girl, it has elements that remind me of Rapunzel, except without all the hair. 

We are first introduced to Cordelia as she sits rigidly straight in a church service, clearly in a great deal of discomfort. You see, her mother Evangeline is a sorceress and she uses her magic to make Cordelia ‘obedient’, taking away control of her body. She has no friends, her secrets betrayed even by the beautiful horse Falada who is her mother’s familiar. 

Evangeline suddenly uproots Cordelia from the life she knew to find a wealthy man to marry. When Cordelia arrives at the house of a country squire her mother has set her sights on, she can hardly believe what a ‘normal’ life looks like. Poor Cordelia thinks it's a luxury to be able to shut her bedroom door and have privacy. Hester, the squire’s sister, was suspicious of Evangeline from their very first meeting and privately thinks of her as ‘Doom’. Hester is determined to save her brother from this predatory woman’s advances and when she realizes Cordelia is just as much a victim, she becomes determined to save them both.

As with many of T. Kingfisher’s stories, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark fairytale, with all the darkness wrapped in a thin veneer of humor and magic. This portrays a textbook abusive mother-child relationship. Cordelia is isolated, has no friends, and fears saying the wrong thing to evoke her mother’s wrath and ‘obedience’. It’s truly awful to read about and I was hopeful when Cordelia began to befriend Hester, though it was more akin to Hester tending a wounded baby animal. I also completely loved Hester’s friends who come to stay and assist her in fending off Evangeline’s advances. There’s even a delightful romance between Hester and one of her longtime friends - she could have married this fellow at any time but she values her freedom as a spinster too much and he respects that. 

I’m not surprised at all to find that I loved this latest standalone fantasy from T. Kingfisher. This, I believe, is on par with Nettle and Bone and is thus quite deserving of the 5 star rating. It deals with some heavy topics in a sensible way and there’s just enough of Kingfisher’s signature brand of humor (or perhaps just character voice) to not weigh the reader down into a mire of depression. You just can’t help but to root for the heroine, which is truly Hester though Cordelia herself is quite a brave and likable girl.

Incredible book, I started and couldn't put it down. I wasn't familiar with T. Kingfisher's work but this is so good that I will have to check out more books! Auto-buy author from now on for sure.
.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first ever Kingfisher novel, but I had heard a lot about this author and I was excited to read one of her books. Unfortunately, I did not finish the book. I stopped at 53%, though I did skip to the last chapter to see if I would have liked the ending and I'm glad I didn't finish the book.
This book was far more horror and far less fantasy than I was expecting. Just not my type of book and I was having to force myself through it. The writing itself is very well done, T. Kingfisher is an exceptional wordsmith. Sadly, I misunderstood the genre she writes and I am the wrong audience for this book. If you love horror that grows throughout the book while enjoying a dash of magic mixed in then this book is for you and I'm sure you will love it.

Whenever I try and hand sell a Kingfisher book I always have a difficult time because folks want to hear what other books it’s like, and the thing is her books are only really like her books, you could say they are like Pratchett but you’d be lying or like TJ Klune but you’d be misleading or even like T Kingfisher but in all honesty you have to be careful there as well. All that being said if you enjoy a good read with complex characters and an intriguing way with world building then don’t hesitate to pick up a T \Kingfisher. I realize that this review doesn’t say anything about this book in particular but there you have it.

"A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic."
A Sorceress Comes to Call is about Cordelia and how she knows her mother is unusual. Her mother does not allow Cordelia to have any friends unless you count the beautiful white horse Falada but Cordelia's mother also has her sit motionless and silent for hours and sometimes days on end. What happens when Cordelia's mother is a sorceress? This is a book that you will have to read to find out. The book was a page turner from beginning to end and one that the author wrote really well. I loved the characters in this and the side characters were so good too but one of my favorite characters was Hester. The book had an amazing plot which will keep you hooked till the very end. I highly enjoyed reading this one and would highly recommend this to any reader but especially to those who love a dark fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this one in exchange of my honest review of A Sorceress Comes to Call.

I’m unfamiliar with the fairy tale this book is based on, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of it.

Cordelia has spent all of her 14 years under the thumb of her controlling mother who makes her ‘obedient’ by taking control of her body entirely.

As you may have guessed, her mother is a the sorceress in question.

When her mother decides it’s time to find a rich husband after her previous benefactor grows tired of her they travel to a city and impose upon the manor of an aging squire and his sister, Hester.

In Hester, Cordelia finds a friend and safe place. Eventually they conspire together to free Cordelia, and the squire, from the sorceress’s clutches.

I love T. Kingfisher and this fell in line with that sentiment. I appreciate how complex the female characters get to be.

When T. Kingfisher remixes a fairy tale, the pieces are there, but the puzzle looks VERY different when complete. This "dark reimagining" 🙄 of The Goose Girl isn't any version that I remember, and that's for the best. Instead, the mother is the villain, the horse–well, you'll have to see that one for yourself–and the book is split between two protagonists, one fourteen and the other fifty.

(Side note: I swear to God, if this is up for a Lodestar next year, I'll lose my mind. It's a GREAT BOOK, but it's not YA. If I had to choose one protagonist that I feel gets a little more time, it's the fifty-year-old.)

The book has a real sense of dread, balanced by a deft hand with light humor. There are real surprises here too. The world feels real despite the magic and the characters all feel like people.

Dark fairytale storytelling at its finest. This is Bridgerton mixed with magic and dark shuddery moments as the plot twists and turns and unfolds. Prepare yourself to pick this book up and not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun. Poor Cordelia is dominated by her sorceress mother Evangeline, who is seeking a new "benefactor" a.k.a. sugar granddaddy to keep her in style. When she finds her new mark, evil mamma drags poor Cordelia away from everything she's known in order to become the self-invited guests of the Squire and his suspicious sister Hester.

Hester got all the brain cells in her family because she sees straight through Evangeline's charming exterior and quickly deduces Cordelia is as much as victim of her as the Squire is soon to be.

There is a lot of darkness, mostly in the way poor Cordelia is treated, and the lengths to which Evangeline will go to secure her lifestyle, but T Kingfisher can write quirky like few other authors and I loved Hester and the side characters, including the animals. Well, some more than others.

A Sorceress Comes to Call uses the fairytale of The Goose Girl as a jumping off point but make no mistake it’s very much a T. Kingfisher original and cleverly uses some elements of the original story to play with our expectations and set a sense of dread and horror balanced out with lovable characters and humor.

I loved the characters of Cordelia and Hester and reading their dual povs and seeing their friendship form. The tension as we know everything that is happening and the danger of the situation as Hester tries to puzzle out how to tackle Evangeline and figure out Cordelia while at the same time Cordelia struggles over if she can do anything to warn them was well done. The black widow murderess Evangeline makes for a fantastic and formidable villainess especially as she commits these horrid acts with utter nonchalance. I love T. Kingfishers ability to also create lovable side characters that matter to the story and the reader.

The tension and sense foreboding is set early on but is tempered with the writers signature humor. The use of regency era-esque banter to counter the tone was really fun and finding out after reading that The Ladies Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness was a real book was a fun touch. I also really enjoyed how the writer plays with the darker elements of the original fairy tale and ramps up some of those horrific elements especially in the climax. (If you know, you know.) Honestly I couldn’t put this book down and it kept me reading until the early hours of the morning.

If you looking for a unique twist on a fairytale with those signature T. Kingfisher elements this is an utter delight!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. My first T Kingfisher and WOW! Forbidden magic, secrets. An amazing book that touches on magic, abuse, love, revenge, family & friendship. It’s a dark fantasy in which I love. I can’t wait to read more of T Kingfishers work

I read somewhere that A Sorceress Comes to Call is a re-telling based on Grimm's Fairytale, The Goose Girl. I had to look up the original story in my copy of Grimm's before writing a review of the book. I did not find much in common aside from a supernaturally endowed horse named Falada.
In the book I am reviewing MC Evangeline is sorceress and mother to Cordelia. Evangeline uses her powers to entrap men she calls her benefactors and uses her daughter Cordelia as unpaid household labor. They are not very wealthy and Cordelia is coming of age so Evangeline feels it's time to step up her game. She finds a wealthy suitor after disposing of one no longer needed and lays her plans to find a rich husband for her daughter.
Cordelia is aware her mother commands extraordinary powers but she is sheltered and naive and has no idea of how much power her mother can wield. Her awakening begins when she discovers their beloved horse Falada, her only pleasure and the confidant of Cordelia's deepest secrets, betrays her. Falada tells all to Evangeline and as the mother and daughter move into the house of the new suitor it becomes clear no one is safe. Evangeline will stop at nothing to secure a marriage for herself and in the future a better one for her daughter.
Thank you for the ARC of A Sorceress Comes to Call in exchange for an honest review. It's an entertaining and well-written story that should appeal to readers who enjoy fantasy and good old-fashioned fairy tales.

T. Kingfisher strikes again! I was genuinely thrilled to be given the chance to read this ARC. I've very much enjoyed her romantasy novels, but A Sorceress Comes to Call was refreshingly new. It tells the story of Cordelia, fourteen, clever, and forever under the spell of her sorceress mother, Evangeline. Whenever Cordelia strays from her mother's wishes, she is put under what is called 'obedience', where she is essentially a prisoner in her own body while her mother gains full control. It's horrifying, to say the least. And Kingfisher doesn't pull punches when she describes the physical and psychological torture Cordelia endures as a result of this. Given the age of the protagonist, I was initially inclined to consider this a YA novel, but it's far more mature than I had realized. Evangeline's ultimate goal is to ensnare a wealthy husband so that she may find a rich suitor for Cordelia, thereby setting them both up for the rest of their lives. It's entirely selfish, as Cordelia has no say in her mother's plans. And when Evangeline finds an aging country lord to entrap, she schemes her way into his estate, only to come up against his keen, spinster sister. What follows is a tale of horror, magic, gore, and a lot of bravery, as Cordelia discovers her own strength in an attempt to protect those she has come to care for. This isn't a romance. And while it seems likely to be set in Regency England, the locations are fictional, so the story seems set in its own little bubble. What I loved most was watching Cordelia's realistic, stumbling path towards growth. It was magnificently done, and as always, Kingfisher writes her older characters with incredible passion, realism, and sensitivity. I'll be sure to post a complete review on my Instagram, @bumblebeareads! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher!

This story feels like a dark, twisted riff on a Grimm fairytale, complete with a horse that is more than it seems to be, a downtrodden protagonist, and a mean mother. Cordelia is the daughter of the sorceress Evangeline, who uses her magic to control others to do her bidding, calling it "obedience." Since most sorcerers are capable of only minor magic--changing a person's appearance, sleight of hand for cardplaying, or passing off a sick or lame horse as healthy--magic is considered nothing more than a trick, and its wielders are held in disdain. Evangeline's level of sorcery is not believed to exist any more, and she uses that belief to her advantage, pretending to be just a poor widow lady hoping to find a rich husband for her daughter, whether or not that is what her daughter wants. If she can find a wealthy protector/husband for herself, all the better. And if anyone gets in her way. . .Evangeline is aided by her familiar, the "horse" Falada, who appears to be a stunning white stallion.
The story begins as Evangeline is thrown over by her current proctector(who is punished in a gruesome way) and who sets her sights on the Squire in a distant town, taking Cordelia and Falada with her. The Squire's sister, Hester, knows something is not right with Evangeline, mentally calling her Doom, and with the aid of friends, eventually stops the madness.
Most characters are sympathetically drawn, with the exception of Evangeline, and the action moves along at a smart pace. shading into horror toward the end. On the whole, this is a decent book if you like dark stories.

I think T. Kingfisher writes the most interesting supporting characters I’ve ever read. It’s my favorite part of every single one of her books, and this one does not disappoint. 'A Sorceress Come to Call' was a quick, vaguely “Goose Girl”-inspired book full of shenanigans in a fairytale setting. There were tiny pieces of the plot or details that felt like overkill, but the majority of the book was wonderful.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and NetGalley for an copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to get a copy of T Kingfisher's newest and upcoming book as I always enjoy the fantasy and horror weaved throughout the stories. This book was intriguing, a retelling of goose girl. Starting off it immediately pulled me in ! A daughter who was being held captive by her bizarre mother, yes please! The story moved along and hit some dragging points but overall spun a fantastical world of sorcery and deceit !
Will be accepted by all of Kingfisher's fans and will even snag some new ones.
A well done retelling that was like walking in a dark forest at night!

T. Kingfisher continues to prove why she is an auto-buy author for me! I loved this book so much. The dual POV was used so well in the telling of this story. It was nice having a young protagonist in Cordelia and then older more self assured Hester. The setting is dark and eerie and I really enjoyed the tension. There is also a really strong found family line running through the book.

I read this as a combo with the e-book and audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley, Tor, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC/ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A genuine pleasure to read from start to finish. Kingfisher has a way of making something absolutely one of the most disturbing things you've ever read and somehow also a cozy mystery, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is another great installment in that same vein. Cordelia's mother Evangeline is bringing back the old school sorceress. Petty, vain, mercurial, and deliciously evil. And we could use more heroines like Hester in our stories. This is the kind of fairytale retelling I have been asking for for years. If you like Kingfisher, you'll like this book. If you like fairytale retellings, you'll love this book. If you like both, this is the book for you.

This was such an easy going read. As always, this felt like a fairytale that I would have heard as a child, but made darker for adult ears/eyes.
The dark storyline was chilling and I loved the interactions among all of the characters. While I really did enjoy this, it wasn't as much of a slam dunk as her other books. I'd still definitely recommend this one though!