A Sorceress Comes to Call
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4.4 • 195 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Named a Best Fantasy Book of the Year by NPR, Elle, and Paste
A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee
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
Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
Thornhedge
What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
For every teenage girl who ever felt like her mother was some kind of witch—you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Loosely adapted from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Goose Girl,” T. Kingfisher’s spooky fantasy digs into one of the most dysfunctional mother-daughter dynamics ever. Fourteen-year-old Cordelia’s life is controlled by her terrifying mother, Evangeline, who has magical powers and an evil heart. Evangeline’s next victim is the wealthy Samuel Chatham, but when he and his sister Hester show Cordelia actual kindness, she resolves to find a way to fight her mother’s powers. Kingfisher’s got a poetic narrative command and a knack for making fantasy feel creepily real. But along with all the frightful shivers, she adds just the right dose of wry humor to keep your blood pressure at an acceptable level. And giving all the power in the story to women brings a satisfyingly modern touch to this old tale. Prepare for one of the scariest coming-of-age stories you’ll ever encounter.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With this riff on the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," set in a fantasy world inspired by Regency romances, Hugo Award winner Kingfisher (Nettle & Bone) continues her hot streak of deeply compassionate, thrilling, and often laugh-out-loud fairy tale retellings. Cordelia, 14, grows up in a house without closed doors. Her mother, Evangeline, is a dangerous enchantress who regularly compels her into total obedience. The first time Cordelia's allowed some privacy is when Evangeline moves them into the home of her suitor, Squire Samuel Chatham—a home Evangeline means to seize and remake to her specifications by whatever means necessary. The Squire's sister, Lady Hester, feels an awful presentiment of doom and is on the defensive around Evangeline, but only Cordelia knows the true, murderous extent of her mother's powers. Can Cordelia speak up against a mother who controls her so completely? Would Hester even believe her if she did? The dual narrators—terrified fish-out-of-water Cordelia and tenaciously sensible Hester—are nuanced, distinctive, and frequently funny. Kingfisher's remarkable skill for crafting scene-stealing secondary characters is also on full display in ruthless cardsharp Imogen Strauss, über-competent butler Willard, merry widow Penelope Green, and the mysteriously magical horse Falada. Expertly blending humor with folkloric horror, this incredibly satisfying fantasy will delight Kingfisher's fans and newcomers alike.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable and Multilayered Alternate World Fantasy
“A Sorceress Comes to Call” is another great fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher, which is the pseudonym Ursula Vernon uses for her works for adults. It takes place in a medieval alternate world that features magic, aristocracy, and elements of horror. It’s reportedly based on “The Goose Girl” by the Brothers Grimm, but I’m not familiar with that story.
This novel features our protagonist, Cordelia, who is fourteen. She has an overbearing and ambitious mother, Evangeline, who is the titular sorceress. Sorcery is regarded as a minor thing in this world, useful for glamors, parlor tricks, and little more. This is a common misconception, as there are a few that possess real powers. Evangeline wants to become rich and powerful and she sees the best way to do this is to marry an aristocrat. She is ruthless and abusive, and sees her daughter as a tool to help her achieve her ends.
She sets her sights on a nearby squire who she intends to seduce and marry. The squire has a spinster sister, Hester, who is quite a woman. She quickly sees what is happening and sets herself to oppose Evangeline. However, what can an older lady with a bad knee do to thwart the designs of a sorceress?
Once again, Ms. Veron has written a fantasy that has many elements. Certainly, there are some horrific things going on in this story, but it is also has some romance, and even elements of a Regency Novel. It’s a overall uplifting story, which has warm characters, dry humor, and a positive outlook. This seems to be true of most of her fantasies, and it seems to be a good formula.
Engaging and surprising
This was a fun read and the character development was good. I love the twists in the end. Kingfisher’s books are always engaging
Excellent
Incredible, absolutely perfect.