A Sorceress Comes to Call

• Author: T. Kingfisher
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: August 6, 2024
• Publisher: Tor Books

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

Kingfisher burst onto my TBR a while back, and I have been hooked ever since. Her writing style that is a combination of fairy tale and snarky humor and toes the line into horror always makes me feel like it was written just for me. This book is as creative and heady and immersive as all of her other stories, yet it is still completely unique, and I wouldn’t expect it any other way.

At first, we meet Cordelia, and it’s so hard not to love this poor girl right away. Her mother is a sorceress, and a cruel one at that, so it isn’t a surprise to discover that her mother uses her powers on her own daughter. Not only does her mother use her sorceress powers on Cordelia, usurping complete control of Cordelia’s body for long periods of time, she also emotionally manipulates her. It’s painful watching Cordelia go through all of this abuse and manipulation, knowing that she has no other options and no way out.

Falada is another character in the story. He’s a horse and does horsey things, but he doesn’t necessarily act like a horse all the time. There’s something different about him, and no one can quite put their finger on it, including Cordelia herself. Yet he functions as Cordelia’s only friend, which is horribly sad, since she’s such a sweet girl. 

The plot was slow to develop and allowed me to get to know the characters in depth, before things actually started moving. Kingfisher slowly introduces new characters, letting me acclimate to them without getting overwhelmed with all these new players in the story. It also provided room for me to see the new characters notice what is going on within their midst, as the sorceress can’t help but show her true colors, and as they realize what is happening with Cordelia. 

Ultimately, there are some heavier themes in the story, including abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting, all of which are commonly found in fairy tales, but they are explored more deeply in this book. However, Kingfisher approaches these topics with her characteristic gentle touch and a twist of snark and a sprinkle of creepy in the last quarter. Overall, this book knocked it out of the park, just like all of the other Kingfisher stories that I’ve read. In addition, I was approved for the audiobook version, narrated by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens and they were outstanding. Their narration of this book was captivating, and held me rapt for the entire book. I recommend this one to readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings, underdog stories, and snarky humor.

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