T. Kingfisher does her magic again and breathes new life into old fairy-tales, one where the grim and the horrifying are balanced out with jeweller's precision against the cozy and the hopeful. I think, overall, I liked this one a bit less than I did Nettle & Bone, but for no fault of the book's: the villains of choice in Sorceress really made my skin crawl, which is a testament of a job well-done on author's part (and appetite for a cozier grim narrative on mine). I think it's in the portrayal of betrayed trust of someone who doesn't have any other support system that really made it harrowing in places. Hester and her gang were magnificent, and I genuinely welcome books with open arms that reserve a romance for its grown-up characters in their fifties rather than its teenagers.

With many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Books, and T. Kingfisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I sadly didn’t finish this one, but the writing was beautiful and the story was unique and captivating. I think I’m just not in a fantasy mood at the moment and it made it hard for me to get through. However, I plan to pick it back up, and I love this author. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out because if you love fantasy, you’ll love this one

A reimagining of Brothers Grimm fairy tale?? Sign me right up. Thank you to Tor & NetGalley for this ARC. T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and did not disappoint. But I would expect nothing less. I feel so grateful to have read this early. This book publishes August 06, 2024!

I’ve been in a bit of a book slump this year–constantly starting and stopping books, looking for something to catch my attention. But then a new T. Kingfisher appeared on my Kindle, and I just knew that this would be the thing to kick my reading year back into high gear.

Based on this author’s previous fantasy/horror titles, I was expecting something dark and sinister. And it was, but it was also actually kind of weirdly charming. The main protagonist is Cordelia, and she’s living under the thumb of her sorceress mother, who is a terrible, no good, evil woman who controls her absolutely. Even at times by somehow entering her mind and directing her movements and speech. Cordelia lives in constant fear, her only friends a girl next door and her mother’s beautiful steed. When several gruesome murders occur at the estate next door and her mother insists that they leave in the dark of night, Cordelia realizes her mother is the one responsible.

They end up at the home of a wealthy country squire and his sister, Hester. Cordelia knows that her mother is deviously planning to trap the kindly squire in marriage and will do anything to achieve her goal. Including murder. Cordelia begins to find a bit of independence in her knew circumstances and befriend the members of the household and their guests. But when her mother is centered in another shocking murder scene, Cordelia finally understands that she must find her courage and seek help to stop her once and for all.

Cordelia is a wonderful main character, and I enjoyed watching her come into her own, but it’s really the side and secondary characters that make this book shine. Truly. The banter, the friendships, the quiet romance between two of the older characters, all of it had me turning pages as quickly as possible. I kind of fell into this story and found myself positively enamored of the entire cast. Even in the direst of circumstances when they were desperately searching for ways to stop the villain, there were moments of humor and connection between the characters.

I could continue to gush about this brilliant retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, but I’ll end this review by just saying–add this one to your TBR. Today.

T. Kingfisher's 'A Sorceress Comes to Call' is another winner, earning five stars from me. The story, a reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's 'Goose Girl,' dives into the dark theme of parental abuse with chilling vibes. Cordelia, trapped under her sorceress mother's control, finds solace only in her eerie horse, Falada.

As tension mounts and secrets unravel, Cordelia must confront her mother's evil. The story is filled with twists and turns that keep you hooked from start to finish. I eagerly await T. Kingfisher's next book, and I'm thankful to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the digital review copy.

I really liked this one, It was a bit slow moving in the middle, but overall enjoyable.

I didn't want to look up the Goose Girl Grimm fairytale to avoid any potential spoilers, but after looking it up I have to say it is a pretty loose re-interpretation.

I enjoyed the characters Hester and Cordelia and switching between their POVs, and there were some genuinely creepy moments. I do wish there was more backstory on Evangeline.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) has given us yet another great read. This one is a bit Regency romance-ish, a bit gothic, and a bit fairy tail. We get the evil sorceress mother, the innocent daughter who is only seen by her mother as a tool to advance her schemes, the medium rich and filthy rich gentry who become embroiled in those schemes, and the kind and brave servants who support the rest of the cast. This was a fun and bit of a slow burn tale that built to a very satisfying conclusion. (And be sure to read the afterward about the author's past experiences with horses.)

T. Kingfisher retells The Goose Girl in this story of sorcery, mothers and daughters, and enchanted horses. Cordelia is a 14 yo whose mother believes in homes without doors and keeping no secrets, except her own. Friendless but for her horse, Cordelia only gradually discovers what her mother is capable of after they must leave their village quickly after murder. Full of suspense, betrayal, and unexpected friendships, “A Sorceress Comes to Call” is a must read for Kingfisher fans.

✨ARC MINI REVIEW✨

I want to thank @netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book! It was different than what I normally read and I was here for it!

I loved the spooky vibes that the book gives off as you never quite know what’s going to happen. The mother is this sorceress who has stifled her daughter into a life that’s barely worth living. She has no regard for anyone else and is out for a man to marry to set her up for life.

The dual POV is one I didn’t expect as it’s between our FMC and this older woman who she eventually meets. The two unlikely friends slowly build a relationship and our FMC opens up to the horrors she has witnessed at her mother hands. Thus a plot is born….

You never quite know who to trust or what’s going to happen, the author keeps you on your toes as they delivers blow after blow— pushing the story along. This book is riddled with minor twists that add to the spooky factor but aren’t necessarily shocking.

This book is filled with a sense of helplessness and fear from our FMCs point of view but there is a small spark of hope as her world broadens and she realizes that there are people who care for her. —- even as she tries to explain something that shouldn’t be possible.

Such an amazing book and I’m really glad I read it!

You guys, it's warm and funny and sweet and spooky and gross and enchanting. It's perfect. It's simply, unequivocally, perfect.

T. Kingfisher has done it once again folks. I adore their writing style, compelling use of unusual characters, and just plain fun stories. Told from two viewpoints this story is fast paced, entertaining, and a little bit creepy. Highly recommend and easily an auto-buy author for me.

I don't even know where to start. I absolutely loved this book. I have nothing bad to say about it. So far everything I've read by T. Kingfisher is Phenomenal. She weaves this web around her reader. Blocking out the rest of the world and pulling you into hers.

I was drawn in completely. Cordelia's world is a nightmare, filled with helplessness and fear. Her Mother Evangeline has controlled everything she does her entire life. even if Cordelia wants to argue she can't. Evangeline is a Sorceress of great power. She can take over Cordelia's body locking in a small corner of her mind. She is powerless to stop her.

Now Evangeline has big plans for Cordelia. After setting that plan into action. Evangeline introduces Cordelia to a group of people who just might be able to help. If they believe Cordelia and can accept the impossible.

I wish I could tell you more, but I don't want to ruin anything. Just sit back and enjoy a dark re-shaping of Brother Grimm's Goose Girl.

This is a wonderful goose girl retelling meets regency romance and is full of delightful, biting wit. This is my first book that I've read by Kingfisher and I didn't realize I'd be so charmed by it. I found myself laughing out loud in surprise by the humor in the pages. I love how she takes the characters and forms them into a mostly middle aged scooby gang to defeat the ultimate evil. It kept me cackling the entire way. Everyone should pick up this wonderful book.

love this author! I had a blind, or perhaps nearly-blind, reading experience-- I didn't read any blubs or reviews, maybe jut a tiny peek to confirm it wasn't horror. I don't often get a chance to read a book I know absolutely zero about, so that made it a little bit more fun.

I read about 83% of this in one sitting, staying up way too late even though I had to work the next morning. I couldn't put it down! It feels inside its bones like a fairytale retelling, and I'm sure I would have read "the goose girl" at some point a decade or two ago, but I didn't find it overwhelming. Readers might assume it's modeled at least somewhat on the probably-better-known Rapunzel.

This is a good read-alike for those who liked the author's [book:Nettle & Bone|56179377]-- this one is maybe a pinch less dark, but there are definitely gothic undertones with some possible body-horror. Although this is a little darker, the fantasy elements reminded me a bit of [book:Half a Soul|60717747]+series, with a secret magic system in a vaguely Victoria setting, some manners humor, and strong cross-over potential-- there are two candidates for main character: one 14-year-old girl and one ~50-year-old women. The two pair up, with new and old friends, in this I-don't-want-to-be-the-chosen-one fight against magic, in a situation neither chose for themselves. Narration is third-person throughout, but chapters roughly alternate in focus between the two. Asides about women's independence and minor characters who may be LGBTQ+ feel authentically incorporated without being the point of the story.

As mentioned, the setting is vaguely-Victoria, based on social rules and technology. The universe is alternate, though-- not merely a paranormal layer on ours; the geography is kept very vague, but there are references to the culture's history, specifically immigration, that I didn't recognize as matching anything. This book is structured like a stand-alone, but it's a universe I would be happy to see in a series!

eARC from NetGalley.

Cordelia's mother is not like other mothers. Cordelia's mother is a sorcerer who can make Cordelia be Obedient so that Cordelia has no will of her own and her mother can control her like a puppet. Other than this, Cordelia's life is like most other people's lives. Cordelia helps out around the house, and goes horseback riding. One day, though, her mother decides to remarry and introduces Cordelia to her fiance's family. Cordelia immediately hits it off with Hester, the Squire's sister, and knows that she has to intervene before her mother does something terrible.

I've liked everything I've read by Kingfisher, and this is no exception. I do not read a lot of fantasy but if more of it were written like this, I would. The female characters are three-dimensional and not just representations of tropes. The women propel the action and keep it moving forward, but some men play important roles as well. And, perhaps most important, the book is a lot of fun with good pacing and character development.

T. Kingfisher does it again - a fabulous fairytale retelling that breathes new life into old tropes. Her writing remains comfortable, like a pair of old shoes or a chair by the fire. You'll always want to curl up in it again and again.

I just love T. Kingfisher and this book was no exception! I love the weird spooky fairy tale vibes. It was so unique but also so just Kingfisher. Very interesting characters and setting! Will be recommending and adding to our library.

T. Kingfisher does it again with the just-creepy enough fairy tale retelling. If you like Nettle and Bone, the gothic mystery parts of books like Belladonna or the original Grimm fairytales, you will like this book.

As someone who generally doesn't like too much horror/gore in her books/movies, I think Kingfisher strikes just the right balance of storytelling, body horror and humor with this story. The characters are all interesting and unique. The story is told from two perspectives: that of 14 year old Cordelia and 50-something Hester. The combination provides an interesting contrast to each other and the supporting characters are all distinct and unique as well.

If you enjoy fairytale retellings or want more adult fairytales, highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Net Galley/Tor books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

T. Kingfisher writes some of the most satisfying fantasy out there, and A Sorceress Comes to Call is no exception. Part of what makes Kingfisher’s novels so compelling is that they trace the familiar path of fairy tale, only in prose so rich and delicious that the horror and victory feel alive instead of page-bound. This newest novel begins in horror, with Cordelia, the main character, having been “made obedient” by her sorceress mother, a state that gives her mother complete control over her body. Cordelia is trapped in a nightmare of magic-inflected abuse, with no privacy, no autonomy, and no hope of escape.

Things change somewhat when her mother decides to seduce a Squire and whisks Cordelia away to a manor house with such luxuries as wallpaper, servants, and the ability to close doors. Unlike most fairy tales, which tend to keep the cast list small, this is a house populated by big personalities and rich back stories. Hester, the Squire’s spinster sister, is level-headed, compassionate and immediately attuned both to the destruction promised by Cordelia’s mother and to the signs of Cordelia’s distress; she is also the subject of the book’s only romantic plot line, in another twist on the fairy tale formula. (Kingfisher’s repertoire broadly declares that love is for everyone, not just damsels in distress). With her friends Lady Strauss, a card shark, and Penelope Green, an unexpected charmer, she sets out to free Cordelia and her brother from the sorceress’s grip.

The plot points of A Sorceress Comes to Call are relatively unsurprising, but the book is populated by excellent characters and written with keen attention to atmosphere and pacing. If I could read it again for the first time, I would!

This is my first T. Kingfisher novel and while I enjoyed it (mostly) I was not super blown away by the story and I felt like the retelling or reimagining of the Goose Girl fairytale was so slight it was almost not worth mentioning.

Cordelia has spent her entire life in watchful fear of her mother, the beautiful and cruel Evangeline. Cordelia's mother is a sorceress who finds new and unusual (and magic) ways to punish those that get in her way. She makes Cordelia obedient, doesn't let her have friends or any kind of secrets. When the duo have overstayed their welcome in their small town Evangeline sets out to snare a new benefactor, taking Cordelia along for the ride. However, when Cordelia meets Hester, the sister of the kind squire Evangeline has set her sights on - it throws their plans into upheaval. Hester senses that Evangeline is evil and will do everything in her power to free her brother from the sorceresses clutches. Hester also shows the Cordelia kindness and patience forcing the girl to choose between her mother and doing what is right.

I found Cordelia to be an interesting and sympathetic character. She is so caught up in her mothers thrall that it takes time for Hester to lure her out of her shell. Hester is also a very likeable character and the ending she gets feels well deserved. However, I felt like the book was kind of long and meandered a bit. There were time I was sure the action was picking up and then it would stop and we could get a couple chapters on the house party and how Evangeline kept glaring at Hester when no one was looking. I get the idea of trying to build up the tension and the suspense but I just thought some of that could have been a little shorter. When the reader does finally get to the climax it is very exciting and I was very nearly late to work trying to find out what would happen next.

My other issue is the fairytale retelling aspect. Besides naming the horse Falada and having Hester raise geese I really did not see many similarities between this book and the fairytale. I think it may be a disservice to readers who are actively looking for fairytale retellings and I think this book can stand on its own and be its own story full stop.

I would definitely recommend this to patrons who are looking for very in depth fantasy books and I would check out another Kingfisher novel in the future.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.