A Sorceress Comes to Call

By: T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Jennifer Pickens

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress Comes to Call—a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—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 evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

"Kingfisher never fails to dazzle."—Peter S. Beagle, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning author of The Last Unicorn

"Kingfisher is an inventive fantasy powerhouse."—BookPage

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2024 T. Kingfisher (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Expertly blending humor with folkloric horror, this incredibly satisfying fantasy will delight Kingfisher’s fans and newcomers alike.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"This is another one of Kingfisher’s marvelous works (like the Hugo-winning Nettle & Bone) that takes elements of fairy tales, myths, and legends and blends them into a story that feels both familiar and new at the same time while subtly weaving a novel where women play the parts that men traditionally filled, and men serve as helpmeets, sidekicks, and love interests. . . . Highly recommended for readers who enjoy reimagined legends.”—Library Journal, STARRED review

"Dark fantasy fans will be enraptured by the descriptive narrative and well-developed characters.”—Booklist, STARRED review

Tangled meets Get Out-trigger warning

Very quickly, if you’ve had an abusive and/or controlling parent, this will be triggering. It’s so well written, I was hooked with in a couple minutes. The story, world and characters are well described without droning on. I can’t think of anything I don’t like about this book. Best book I’ve listened to in a while

Cozy creepy story

Just like a fairy tale, with a wicked sorceress, fairy godmother types, damsel in distress, lords and butlers, and beautiful old, dark mansions. The pacing was just right. Very enjoyable listening.

Edgy

Narrative easy to understand, powerful interpretation and exciting from chapter one until the final page. We'll written and well read. A most exciting storyline.

Fairy tale for adults

This book was perfect for the kickoff of the autumn season.
My favorite character by far is Hester. She was so relatable and I love the story and all the fairies tell aspects but, I loved the middle aged romance of Hester and Richard.

Gripping and Clever Reimagining of a Classic Tale

T. Kingfisher's A Sorceress Comes to Call is a riveting tale of self-discovery, found family and the importance of community. Cordelia is such a wonderful character, so frightened of her mother but also wonderfully courageous. Hester is a perfect counterpoint to Cordelia's mother, Lady Evangeline, and I loved how Kingfisher celebrates the role of spinsterhood. (I am a spinster myself, and it is refreshing to find a book that celebrates but does not sugarcoat, the trials elderly individuals face). This book contains palpable suspense, and you will never view horses in quite the same way again. The book also has some truly laugh-out-loud moments as well.
The secondary characters are just as dynamic as the principle ones. I particularly loved the butler, Willard, Lady Penelope, and Alice, Cordelia's maid.

The narration of A SOrceress Comes to Call is stellar. Jennifer Pickens does an incredible job of making the listener experience Cordelia's fear and gradual awakening of strength. Eliza Fosse brings wryness and tenderness to Hester's perspective, and I smiled in many places during Hester's point of view. I love the dual perspective of the book which gave the whole story a deep richness.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone who loves suspense stories, clever reworkings of fairy tales and stories of courage and found family. One not to miss.
God bless you all.

fun, scary, smart

I'm a HUGE fan of T. Kingfisher. this story was amazing - fully fleshed out characters with all the feels - and I loved the subtle nods to other books the author has written while still being a fresh take on fairytales. it did take me a few chapters to warm up to the vocal performance, but did not take away from the story and in the end, the vocals made perfect sense.

Another jewel in Kingfisher’s tiara

I love everything by T. Kingfisher- hands down, my favorite author. She speaks the language of my heart.

This is all personal preference obviously, but I think there was a tad bit too much moaning from the younger main character in the beginning- it seems to impede the forward momentum of the story.

This isn’t a fast moving story (until the end), but it doesn’t matter, because just spending time with these characters is fun and satisfying. It splashes magic into a Regency era backdrop, which is such a delightful combination.

Overall, another lovely experience of a book from T. Kingfisher!

Brilliantly creepy

The book is great, it’s a horror piece, if that’s your thing buy it now T Kingfisher does awesome horror. I HATED the villain. I was glad when their just desserts were served. The two main characters were facianating and relatable. It’s rare to see a 50+ woman as a MC. I want so many more stories like this, go buy the book!

Another delight from T. Kingfisher

Fantastic story, beautifully written as usual. Normally I am not a fan of more than one narrator, but these two were amazing together. I couldn’t stop listening.

Fantastical and touching

I'd suggest a trigger warning for child abuse, but even so the story is very well done. T. Kingfisher is quite talented at balancing lightness and dark within the fantasy genre. I genuinely hope it was cathartic to write; it was moving to listen to.