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A Sorceress Comes to Call
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.
*The hardcover edition features a foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.* 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. KingfisherNettle & Bone
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What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones
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Community Reviews
T. Kingfisher’s “A Sorceress Comes to Call” modernizes the Brothers Grimm’s “Goose Girl” within a gothic regent era, exploring a tense mother-daughter relationship marked by fear and control.
Fourteen-year-old Cordelia is trapped in a nightmarish existence under the tyrannical rule of her sorceress mother, Evangeline “Doom.” Subjected to years of mind control, Cordelia is isolated from the outside world, with only Falada, her mother's green-eyed white horse familiar, as her confidant.
After turning against her benefactor, Evangeline seeks revenge, forcing her and Cordelia to flee in the dead of night to the remote manor of Squire Samuel Chatham and his sister, Hester. Evangeline aims to win the Squire's affection without using her magic, as any enchantment would break at the altar.
Hester, having sensed danger through a premonition, becomes determined to protect her brother and Cordelia from Evangeline’s bewitchment. Together with friends, they strive to dismantle Evangeline’s magic before it's too late.
Kingfisher’s novel is not for the faint-hearted, as Evangeline's disturbing spells and unsettling violence, including headless demons, create a chilling atmosphere. While the blending of fantasy and paranormal horror adds depth, some elements feel immature and illogical, detracting from the overall impact. The headless horse and the seemingly arbitrary rules for breaking enchantments seem haphazard, as if the conclusion was rushed to tie up loose ends, undermining the initial magical framework.
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