T. Kingfisher is the master of ambiance. She has this uncanny ability to set the scene and ground you solidly in the world from the first page of the book, and this story was no exception.

I was totally and completely invested in this dark adult fairytale from the moment I started. I loved the characters, I loved the premise, and I loved the genuinely terrifying villains. I'm not usually a fan of a book set in the regency era, but something about the modernity of the writing style and the beautiful and cinematic imagery worked for me. This book wasn't anything I expected it to be, but as the drama unfolded and I was swept away by it, I loved every second.

This would be the perfect fantasy book to read during spooky season!

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a magical horror in which a witch, the mother of young girl, Cordelia, wants to get rich by tricking her way into a marriage and taking over the house, while the man’s sister, an old woman named Hester, tries to stop her.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book as well as the dual-POV. Cordelia and Hester were incredible protagonists - It was especially interesting to see how the perspectives on the situation varied between an older woman who understands that something’s amiss and a young girl being abused by her mother who is trying desperately to not bring harm to others. All the side characters were incredible and worked super well with Hester. Never in my life would I have thought to be rooting so hard for an elderly straight couple and yet I was eating it up so hard.

The magic was super interesting and I particularly enjoyed the brutality of the mind control - every time Cordelia was being controlled it was devastating… and also the familiar was terrifying and was a great side villain. Forever scarred by scary horses from the Brothers Grimm movie when I was a child and this only adds to it. It was especially terrifying as the characters were essentially trying to defeat an overpowered villain who could kill them at any moment... so it was really interesting to see all the mind games played throughout the novel.

Loved the book as always I love Kingfisher’s prose and her way with words… can’t wait to read more of her books <3

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had no knowledge of the Brothers Grimm Goose Girl story prior to reading this novel. I found the story interesting, but it took a while to get going. I eventually found that I was invested in what happened with the plot, but I never got attached to the characters. The grim overtone of the book was well done and it added a sense of urgency to the story. Overall, it was a fine read, but since I’m a character driven reader, I never got fully immersed in the story.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a fantastic fantasy read. It is a book that rides the line between dark and cozy. It was a joy to get lost in the world that T. Kingfisher created with this one.

The story follows Cordelia and her struggle to survive her overbearing mother, Evangeline. She has no privacy, cannot have secrets, and her only friend is her mother’s horse. When Cordelia upsets her mother she is made obedient, which is essentially her mother taking control of Cordelia’s body and subverting her will. Cordelia’s mother is a sorceress and she uses her magic to get what she wants.

When her current benefactor becomes too much trouble, Evangeline finds a new suitor in an older Squire. Soon she and Cordelia are moving in with him and his sister. Cordelia finds that she enjoys her new home, and especially the Squire’s sister, Hester. Hester takes Cordelia under her wing once she realizes that she is nothing like her scheming mother. As Cordelia becomes closer to Hester she finds that she can rebel against her mother.

Once Cordelia learns of a horrific event back in her old hometown, she knows her mother was responsible. Now knowing that her mother will stop at nothing to attain her goals, Cordelia turns to Hester for help in stoping her mother once and for all. Hester gathers some close friends and together they come up with a plan to take Evangeline down. However that is easier said than done.

I really found no fault with this book. It was well paced and the writing was spectacular. The characters were well developed and became like good friends that I hated to say goodbye to when the book ended. I highly recommend this book if you love magical reads featuring good versus evil.

Holy moly, this had me hooked from the first page! Kingfisher's prose is so rich and descriptive, revealing just as much by what is said as by what isn't. There's such a great sense of suspense -- I felt *anxious* in the best way reading this, even though sometimes it was a bit darker than I would usually seek out. I've had a few other Kingfisher books in my TBD, and after reading this I'll definitely move 'em up the list!

I really enjoyed this book. One of my favorite books growing up was The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, so I was interested to see another interpretation of the same fairytale. I thought it was lovely and strange and haunting. T Kingfisher is so good at fairytales.

Atmospheric and unsettling dark fairytale, just what I expect from Kingfisher. This wasn’t my favorite Kingfisher story, I wasn’t as immersed and while I liked the character development, at points the story seemed too long.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love me some T. Kingfisher but this one may be one of my least favorites thus far. It had the same beautiful prose and dry humor that I've come to love from Kingfisher's books but overall I think this story wasn't for me.

I just found it boring. The story took too long to get going and once it did I just never truly felt invested. I also felt like there was too much confusion throughout the story.

‘A Sorceress Comes to Call” is a loose reimagining of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'The Goose Girl.' Cordelia lives with her mother, who controls Cordelia's every move and harbors a deadly secret. She is after a prize – marry a wealthy husband who will give them connections and a respectable reputation. Filled with found family, magic and spooky/horror elements sprinkled throughout I highly enjoyed this latest story by Kingfisher. I enjoyed seeing Cordelia's strength grow I enjoyed all the supporting characters coming together. A truly enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and TOR Publishing for send me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a loose retelling of the Goose Girl from the Grimm Brothers that somehow had more geese in it but little in common with the source material. If you know the fairy tale and know what to look for there are some connections, but this book is a masterpiece on its own.

The story follows two main characters, Cordelia who is the daughter of the titular sorceress, and Hester, who lives in the home the sorceress calls upon. Both perspectives were great to read. Cordelia is drowning in anxiety due to living with her abusive and magical mother. And Hester is a shrewd spinster in her 50s who recognizes when Doom moves into her home.

This book was very readable. I found both POVs compelling,and the audio book has two narrators to embody these very different women. This is a regency inspired fantasy, in an alternative reality where magic is real but not that impactful in every day life. There is no romance, but there is found family. And I loved how none of the characters acted like total idiots. There’s also some dark moments and horrific scenes, so be aware.

I loved Nettle and Bone, and this book has putT Kingfisher on my auto buy list.

4-4.5 stars
This is said to be a reimagining of The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm. I'm not familiar with it, so no comment there. What I do have to say is that this was thoroughly enjoyable and kind of fairy-tale-like. It was a bit dark, creepy, and suspenseful, with a bit of humor thrown in. I found one twist to be quite shocking and I am still mad at the character in question (not at the author). Overall, it was quite a satisfying and enjoyable read. I will be looking for more by this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

T. Kingfisher doesn’t miss. I’ve now read three of her books and all have been intriguing, dark, magical, and truly unique. I don’t think there’s another fantasy author quite like her right now.

Sorceress is a retelling of Grimm’s “Goose Girl.” And while I’m not familiar with the original tale (🙈), I still wholly enjoyed this one.

As dark as her stories are, her characters are delightful, sarcastic, even snarky. They’ll make you laugh (and fall in love with them) amid grim happenings. Just so, so fun to read. 👏🏻

For a fan of the author and a fan of original Brothers Grimm fairy tales, this seemed like the most natural of choices.
But to be fair, I'm a fan from the humorous, southern-fried horror books and funny fantasies about goblins. I'm not a fan of Regency romances, however twisted and dark they may be. And this novel is just that, the description used by the author in the afterword. Mind you, this is well on par with the author's other work, just not the ones I prefer.
So, the reading experience had been a mixed bag. Yes, the writing was still great and occasionally funny, yes, the characters were great and occasionally funny, but the overall vibes were kind of wrong. (As in not enough to sustain this reader's interest for well over 300 pages.)
It could be right for a great many other readers, since retellings are all the rage these days, as is, lamentably, romantasy. This is definitely a very marketable and trendy novel. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Everything T.Kingfisher writes manages to pack a full story with characters you feel like are your friends or that are your own enemies, where as some other books are unable to achieve that in double the pages.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a fantastic 5⭐️ read. The writing, character development, and story don’t lack for anything. Everyone should be reading this author.

No one noticed that Cordelia moved in unison with her mother. No one ever did.

When a Sorceress Comes to Call was a historical magical realism story about a coming of age girl gaining the strength to fight back against her mother. Cordelia is fourteen years old and having stopped attending school years ago, only gains a sense of normalcy when a local girl Ellen can randomly meet up with her on one of her rides. Cordelia begins to realize that having a mother that is so controlling, not only of her thoughts but through what Cordelia calls “obedience”, where her mother actually controls her body, is not normal. It's when Cordelia gets a painful realization of betrayal that the only other friend she thought she had, her mother's horse Falada, tells her mother everything as her familiar and her mother does something that shines the light on what a true monster she is, that Cordelia begins to fight back, with some help.

Fear took her suddenly by the throat, a formless dread with no name, no shape, only a sense that something was wrong, something terrible was coming this way.

I thought this was a little less eerie than What Moves the Dead but you'll still find gruesome animal body horror, magic, supernatural elements, and thriller aspects. This was mainly told through Cordelia's eyes and the creepy tension and fear she feels from her mother was woven in strongly throughout the book. Once of the most powerful scenes for me was when Cordelia learned of Falada's betrayal. At this point, he's been her rock and the only one that seems to give Cordelia strength and when she lost that I hurt so bad for her and felt the numbness this gave her. (I must have some residual horse girl leftover from childhood because I refused to stop thinking that Falada wasn't on the side I wanted them to be for an embarrassing long time) We get a different pov when Cordelia's mom decides it's time to get a new benefactor, after she deals with her old one in a gruesome manner, and sets her sights on a squire a few towns over to marry. The squire's spinster sister Hester comes into the picture and with a little bit of magic herself, she senses right away that this new woman is “Doom”.

My mother is a sorcerer.

Around the midway point, Cordelia confides into Hester her fears of what her mother is and that she needs to be stopped; after what Hester has felt and seen, she doesn't need much convincing. The second half brings in more characters with friends of Hester that she writes to, under the guise of a house party, but really she's calling for reinforcements. Along with friends, she invites Richard, her old lover and the man that once asked her to marry him. Through them we get a little tiny romance thread that I enjoyed with their second chance romance and Hester finally mature enough to decide love is more important than letting the glare of societal expectations rule the day. Hester's more mature pov paired with Cordelia's youth, delivered a well rounded hitting all those emotions story.

And part of her— a tiny part that she had never quite lost— wanted to be there and wanted it all to be true so that her mother would love her and maybe things would change.

The ending delivered a, kind of quick, magical explanation (hitting the right “notes”??), along with the story's continued message of “water, wine, salt, and holy ground” dramatic end. There were winners, losers, and probably a lifetime of trauma from what was witnessed. The story was an enjoyable ride with it's really likable characters, a great seasonal read to pick up.

This was an incredible read. A young girl has been raised by a sorceress who is determined that (the both of them) shall marry rich, and she sets her sights on a country squire who can introduce her daughter into society. Only, of course, then the murder happens.

It's a fairy tale, but it's a fairy tale if the people in it were real. It is terrifying. The horror isn't that the mother has magic, the horror is that the mother is an abusive, self-obsessed person who sees others as tools (including her daughter, who is repeatedly forced into roles of either tool, extension of mother, or rival), and then also that she has magic that can force he will onto others directly, not just through charm and manipulation.

But it's also a fairy tale with a triumphant ending. Really a fantastic read.

Once again, T. Kingfisher delivers an original novel that is all its own. Do other novels have fantasy? Yes. Evil mothers? Sure. Shy young girls who stumble over themselves to be seen as normal? Absolutely. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife, right? It is also known that, on occasion, a woman, a smart woman, a cunning woman, who may be in want of a husband is most certainly in want of one with such a fortune.

Historical fiction with a sprinkle of magic, an evil sorceress for a mother, a magical horse with green eyes, fortune hunting and the marriage mart, and not being able to control your own body because of certain mother with certain magic. That is A Sorceress Comes to Call in a nutshell. But it is really oh so much more. T. Kingfisher interjects these wonderful characters whose banter and wit within the pages is so robust you can almost hear it as it is happening. One can sense the cutting looks, the tightening in one's chest that comes with the anxiety of having made a misstep, the smell of propriety and fresh brewed tea with lumps of sugar! Oh what fun! I am now, and continue to be a fan of T. Kingfisher. Highly recommend any of her books.

My favorite T. Kingfisher yet. So glad the author is publishing longer full-length novels. While I have loved their previous novella’s, the expanded length of A sorceress comes to call allowed the author to further develop the characters

This sinister romp of a fairy tale was utterly delightful—funny, horrifying, and big-hearted, just like Nettle & Bone. If you liked that book, I recommend this one!

I enjoyed this book! It had a slower build-up to a pretty wild ending. I didn't read it particularly fast at first, but found myself really enjoying the last third or so.

Things I liked:
- Minor horror elements that didn't squick me out. As someone who's not a fan of horror in particular, but appreciates fantasy with some darker bits as long as I can stomach it, finding an author who's able to strike that balance is always exciting.
- Romance and true friendship between the older characters. The MC in this book is a YA character, but she's not part of the romantic thread, nor is she at all interested in romance because she's focused on surviving with a monster for a mother. The story's one true romance is between a couple that reads as being somewhere in their 50's-60's, and I thought it was very sweet. And the friendships that ring as the most lasting and true are also between three middle-aged ladies. I liked their feistiness and independence, and found them very fun to read.
- Fairytale vibes without being an actual retelling. While I've heard this book has been marketed in some places as a retelling of Goose Girl, I would ignore that. Yes, it has some geese and a girl, but A Sorceress Comes to Call feels more like its own tale than a rehashing of an older one.

Things I didn't like:
- As I mentioned earlier, this book took me a while to get into the story and to care about the main character. I'll admit it's entirely possible that was a me thing and not a pacing or story issue, but either way I did have to push myself to keep going at a couple points in the first half.

In addition to fans of Kingfisher's other works, I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy fairytale beats with the feel of a fresh story, and who like seeing characters of diverse ages living a full life of their choosing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, this is an unbiased review.