Title: A Sorceress Comes to Call
Author: T. Kingfisher
Year: 2024
Country: USA

Format: E-book
Pages: 336
Read: 24 February – 9 March 2026
First reading

Evangeline is a monster. She’s a powerful sorceress with the ability to make people “obedient”—to control every muscle in their body, using them as unwilling puppets. This horrific spell is most frequently turned against her terrified and isolated teenage daughter, Cordelia. But when Evangeline goes in search of a rich husband, it puts Cordelia in touch with some new friends. Could they help her escape her evil mother?

A Sorceress Comes to Call is a dark and creepy retelling of a relatively obscure Grimm fairytale. I haven’t read The Goose Girl, but a quick glance at the synopsis suggests that this is a very loose reimagining. Evangeline is an extremely disturbing villain. The scenes where she puppets Cordelia made my skin crawl, as did some of the Lovecraftian horror (involving an uncanny horse) towards the end of the story. But it isn’t all Doom and gloom. The supporting characters provide some much-needed warmth and humour, especially the enchanting Penelope Green—and, later, her ghost. (Er, spoilers, I guess.)

This was my third T. Kingfisher book, and probably the best so far. She creates a distinctive blend of uncanny horror and irreverent humour. It’s maybe slightly longer than it needed to be, but otherwise a very enjoyable and engrossing read. I can’t say her style is a perfect fit for me, but in the end I always find myself willing to try another one of her books.