T. Kingfisher delivers another enchanting tale with A Sorceress Comes to Call! The story is rich with magic, humor, and heart, featuring a strong cast of characters and a plot that keeps you engaged. The world-building is delightful, and the mix of charm and wit makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read. Definitely worth picking up for fantasy fans!

5⭐️

This book, just like all the author’s others, was incredible. It gives kind of a dark Ella Enchanted vibe. All of the characters were well developed, Cordelia’s character arc was satisfying, and the story was a wonderful mix of a fairytale gone horribly wrong. I loved this book.

Kingfisher is an auto read author for me and this book didn’t disappoint! So many secrets, sorcery and ultimately family. Cordelia must decide what family means to her no matter the cost.

Thank you #NetGalley and #tor for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers. I really enjoyed the pacing and the story of this one. I greatly look forward to reading more from them in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

With T Kingfisher toy never know if you’re going to get dark or lighthearted like A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking. This is definitely on the dark side and I found it a bit creepy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! This is my first T. Kingfisher, and it surely will not be my last. I thought the story was engaging, the characters deftly plotted, and the tinge of dark magic in the air kept me coming back for more. I listened to the audiobook version in a day, and I was hooked the entire time. 4.5 stars.

T. Kingfisher’s imagination is extraordinary! What a tale of adventure and romance. I always like it when the hero’s are young, beautiful, and have hidden powers. Just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Thank you for that.

I always love a good T Kingfisher novel with all of its gothic, creepy vibes. This story was short and sweet and a perfect spooky season read. She never disappoints.

Diving into a new T. Kingfisher novel is always an adventure. This time around, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a supposed retelling of Goose Girl by The Brothers Grimm. I say "supposed" because I honestly was completely and wholly unfamiliar with the original fairytale so I can not say how much it resembles the original and how much is a new retelling. Honestly, it doesn't matter because the entire novel felt ethereal and had just the right balance of light and dark to make it an exceptional story.

Cordelia's mother is a sorceress and yields magic to her whims to gain money, sex, and most of all power. When her mother's luck runs out in one town, she seeks to elevate both herself and her daughter in a new marriage match. What she doesn't expect is that Cordelia is finally tired of her mother's control and with the help of her mothers' new love interest's sister and her gaggle of friends, seeks to finally thwart her mother and take away her power.

Full of themes of domestic abuse, corruption of power, and found family, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a classic tale of light vs dark. Although this one is a bit of a slower burn than Kingfisher's previous works, it is certainly well worth reading and a welcome addition to the cannon of fairytale retellings.

Thank you to NetGalley, T. Kingfisher, and Tor Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Sorceress Comes to Call presents a captivating dark retelling of "The Goose Girl," blending elements of historical fantasy with a touch of horror. The exploration of themes like parental abuse and narcissism adds depth to the narrative. Kingfisher's inclination toward horror is particularly effective in this story, which I found to be very well-written.

The dual-perspective structure is a highlight, allowing for a rich contrast between the two main characters, each with their own unique backgrounds and experiences. I appreciated how this dynamic enhanced my investment in both of their journeys. Cordelia, a sheltered young woman, faces the challenges of a controlling mother who uses magic to exert physical influence over her. Her desire for a wealthy husband to create opportunities for herself drives the plot, and her experiences are at times harrowing, yet incredibly compelling. This reimagining digs deep into the original tale's darker themes, making it a thrilling read for fans of Kingfisher’s horror style.

The pacing of this paranormal thriller is brisk, featuring numerous twists and turns that kept me engaged and eager to read on. The audio narration complements the historical context beautifully, enhancing the overall experience. I'm excited to see what T. Kingfisher has in store for us next!

This enchanting dark fantasy brings a remarkable new perspective to The Goose Girl.

Cordelia's mother Evangeline is a powerful, controlling, evil sorcerer. She enchants a rich man and moves them to his manor house, where Cordelia finds allies for the first time.

They - and an irate gander - finally save the day.

I’ve always enjoyed Kingfisher’s writing style and this book was no exception! I thought that the setting was incredibly well done and it felt like I was there with the characters. Evangeline was a well-written villain and I enjoyed watching how the other characters worked to out smart her. One of my favorite things that Kingfisher does is blend in a bit of horror with fantasy and I thought this book did that very well, Can’t wait to read more from this author!

4.25
✅ solid setting and atmosphere
✅ witty cute characters
✅ best side romance ever
✅ paralyzing relatability
✅ horse flesh
❌ rushed/convenient ending [could be that I rushed to read the ending before work... conveniently]

The story starts slowly but the way it builds I really liked. And once it builds it just takes off in the best way! I really loved it!

T. Kingfisher won me over with her horror novels and endears me further with her fantasy writing. She combines both familiar concepts and new worlds with her trademark quirky humor that I love. A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception as she bends a traditional tale into her own fantastically twisted story. The characters were realistic and relatable and the writing pulled me in from the beginning. Despite being familiar with the original tale, there were many unexpected twists in A Sorceress Comes to Call that kept me interested throughout.

A Sorceress Comes to Call weaves a tale of a young girl named Cordelia finding herself after being under her mother's bidding for her entire life. Cordelia's mother, Evangeline, is a sorceress that controls Cordelia's body to do as she pleases and trick people into giving them money. Evangeline finds a man that she sets as prey and they both set off to begin Evangeline's plot to have her marry him. Cordelia had never been able to escape her mother or learn vital things about the world until moving due to the sheltered life she had.

This follows the story of the Goose Girl from the Brothers Grimm, which I had never heard of until this novel came along. It was interesting reading up on this tale after reading the novel and seeing all of the inspiration spun from it. It is a very eerie novel that would be perfect for the month of October or autumnal months with the magic, intrigue, and suspense. It made me feel uncomfortable at times (not having control over my body is a major fear lol) but I was super curious to dive deeper into the lore of this town, however, it felt like we did not really get to dive too much into it.

Cordelia is an extremely timid and shy character, which aligns with the amount of abuse that her mother inflicted upon her. One thing I would have loved to see more was character development within Cordelia's character. It felt like we got to see more development from Hester at times rather than Cordelia herself, but I absolutely loved the found family dynamics when it comes to Hester, Richard, Imogen, and that whole lot. Seeing them all interact with one another and take Cordelia under their wings was so heartwarming. It was also amazing to see character that believed each other because that person believed it. They didn't belittle or try to convince them they were crazy, they sat and listened and said "Well you believe it so I believe it. How do we fix this?" Hester is the other POV we follow, the sister of the man Evangeline is set on marrying. I loved how headstrong she was, but she also cared so much even if she put on the front that she didn't.

Overall, it was a novel that didn't wow me, but it was still a good time. I was able to fly through it quickly, though I do wish I was not able to guess some of the twists that happened. Nothing was really a surprise unfortunately.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for providing me a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.
Cordelia lives alone with her mother, Evangeline. She has no idea who her father is - or was - but she does know that her mother is... different. She's never allowed to shut a door. And if she does disobey, punishment is swift and cruel. Her mother turns her into a puppet and controls every movement. Cordelia has learned to be obedient. Her mother does not want her to associate with anyone but she does ride Falada, the family horse - and confides everything to him. What she does not know is that her mother is a sorceress. And way too impetuous at times - leading to a massacre at a nearby home.

Evangeline scouts out a new benefactor in a distant town - and she rouses Cordelia to depart in the middle of the night. The new target is a Squire. What Evangeline does not reckon on is Hester, the Squire's sister, who realizes from the beginning that something is very definitely not right about Evangeline and her daughter. She decides to enlist the help of a few old friends to battle whatever it is that has just set about to disrupt her life completely.

The story is told from both Hester and Cordelia's viewpoints - along with Penelope and others. It is amusing at times but also quite terrifying. Kingfisher (aka Vernon) explains her aversion to horses in a note at the end. But this is a retelling of the Grimm's tale of The Goose Girl which I now have to locate so I can read and compare!

I like most everything T. Kingfisher writes - and this was no exception.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is creepy and twisted in the best way. T Kingfisher gave us a great paranormal retelling of the goose girl. All the twists and turns kept me engaged until the last page.

You might be surprised to know that A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is the first book by this author I have ever read, after receiving many recommendations for her work over the past I don't know how many years. I would consider it to be dark fantasy with some fairy tale elements turned sideways. Set in an alternate Regency-like world, across the sea from the Old Country, it opens with a child being abused by her mother in a horrible magical way: her mother controls her body like a puppet so she doesn't move during the church service. The mother Evangeline is the sorceress of the title, and her goal is to become rich through controlling others, first by finding a rich husband for herself, and then to find one for her daughter, who is fourteen (the mother says she is seventeen). All this is complicated by the fact that in this world, the wedding ceremonies use water, wine, and salt to dispel magics, so the sorceress uses her wiles to seduce her prey and will only use magic after the ceremony, so horror is lurking in the future. The child, Cordelia, is shunted off to the potential husband's fifty-year old spinster sister, Hester, who has a bum knee and a lover she won't marry for fear he will pity her in her old age. As I have been told, Kingfisher does a great job with crone characters (there are several!) and a group effort eventually takes Evangeline down after many exciting plot twists. Warnings for: child abuse, mind control, horrible murders caused by mind control, and animal harm except the animal is actually a demon and really is out to get them. I don't gravitate towards dark fantasy and horror normally, but I loved this book and recommend it.

4.5. Thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

T. Kingfisher always does it for me. Light horror, light fantasy, found family, excellent humor, and endless charm. While a bit slow to start, give it some time and it takes off. It was nice to read a full length book after a series of novellas from her - to spend more time in the worlds she creates that I always love.

As always, I'm already eagerly awaiting her next book.