A review by keepcalmblogon
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A Sorceress Comes to Call was a Macmillan Audio pick and my first book by T. Kingfisher. While this book is described as a dark retelling of the Goose Girl, that wasn’t a fairytale with which I was familiar, so I was able to read this without any preconceived notions. This story is pretty dark, but there’s this underlying tone of hope that was really lovely. Cordelia is abused by her sorcerer mother and used in Evangeline’s schemes, but through the love and support she finds in a new household, Cordelia finds her own power and a family who respects her.

This book was interesting in that it had cozy fantasy vibes while dealing with really dark content, and while it wasn’t entirely high stakes, they were by no means low either. Ultimately, this story was really unique, and I think it will appeal to the tastes of many different readers.

This book really sat on my chest and curled up there like a cat; I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it—definitely a five star read for me, and a world I’d like to revisit. I recommend this to anyone who can stomach the heavy stuff while traveling toward the light.

As for the audiobook narration, I enjoyed that the narration was split between a mature-sounding woman’s voice and a girl-like voice, as the POVs are split between Cordelia and Hester.