T. KingfisherFantasy · Fiction·b. 1977
A Sorceress Comes to Call
Synopsis
A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl." Fourteen-year-old Cordelia lives in fear of her mother, Evangeline—a sorceress who punishes her by making her "obedient," seizing control of her daughter's body at will.
When Evangeline sets her sights on marrying a wealthy squire and installing herself in his household, the squire's sharp-eyed sister, Hester, senses the quiet Doom that trails the newcomer. To stop her mother, Cordelia must find the courage to defy the one person who can command her very limbs.
With a talking horse named Falada and a slow, creeping menace, this is T. Kingfisher at her most unsettling.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
Content warnings (4)
ViolenceAbuseTraumaDeath Of A Parent
Readers say (1)Moderate · Moderate · Whimsical · Atmospheric · Lighthearted
Readers flagged (3)
ViolenceDeath Of An AnimalAnimal Cruelty
Genres
Characters
Cordelia (A Sorceress Comes to Call)Protagonist
A frightened fourteen-year-old learning to resist the magical control her mother has held over her body and mind her whole life.
Evangeline (A Sorceress Comes to Call)Antagonist
Cordelia's sorceress mother, who uses coercion magic to dominate her daughter and charm a wealthy squire into marriage.
Hester ChathamSupporting
The squire's sharp, no-nonsense older sister, who senses danger in her brother's new fiancee and moves to protect the household.
Samuel ChathamSupporting
The well-meaning but naive country squire whom Evangeline sets her sights on marrying.
Falada (A Sorceress Comes to Call)Supporting
Evangeline's striking white horse and Cordelia's only companion and confidant on her daily rides.
Awards
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel2025
