May 4

May 4 A Sorceress Comes to Call

About the book

Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Tor Books

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print or ebook) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

As of this writing, A Sorceress Comes to Call is nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, AND Locus Awards. The people love T. Kingfisher! And for good reason. I thought this book was an awesome standalone; I inhaled the whole thing on audio during one very long car ride.

The novel takes elements from the Brothers Grimm’s “Goose Girl,” and it brings it with those gothic fairy tale vibes. It has two main characters: Cordelia, abused daughter of the murderous sorceress Evangeline; and Hester, middle-aged elder sister to the Squire on whom Evangeline has set her sights (with the goal of marrying him and taking his money). Soon, Cordelia realizes she’s the only one who can stop her mother’s violence for good, and she and Hester join forces in an unlikely but determined pair.

This was just such a good time, filled with themes of found family and finding your voice and strength. Kingfisher knows how to tell a story, and what more could you want from a premise like this? Did I mention there’s also a dry-humored butler, “the one who got away” (or did he?) from Hester, and a horse familiar named Falada? And the ending was GRIPPING — I could not stop listening. If I had been reading in print I would have been flying through those pages.

I still have four more finalists to go, but I wouldn’t be mad if this won the Hugo!