I will never not request something by T. Kingfisher, and so when this came to my attention I was on it! I’ve really enjoyed her Fairy Tale retellings so far, and so I knew that this would probably not be an exception.
Thank you to the author as well as Tor for the review copy!
Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, 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 sorcerers.
After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.
Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.
A Sorceress Comes to Call is the story of Cordelia, a fourteen year old girl in a small town. Her mother Evangeline is a sorceress who is usually awful to her, and makes her Obedient through magic. This means she takes control of Cordelia’s body and makes her do whatever she’d like. Cordelia isn’t allowed any friends, and isn’t allowed to close any door in the house. The only friend Cordelia has is Falada, her mother’s horse.
When there is a mysterious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother demands they leave in the middle of the night. The end up at the home of the Squire, a kind old man, and his sister Hester. Hester knows that Doom is upon them when Evangeline immediately starts to seduce the Squire, and Cordelia knows for sure that it won’t end well for him, or for Hester. What follows are some shenanigans of the magical and unmagical kind.
I really liked Hester as a character. She’s not old (though perhaps for this world she is) but she is past marrying age. I love to see a woman who is older get to be the hero (or one of them at least), and Hester is much like I am, so it was easy to see myself in her shoes, so to speak. She’s a bit of an introvert, does needlework and reads books all day.
I really enjoyed my time with A Sorceress Comes to Call, though I remember not really liking the fairy tale The Goose Girl when I was younger. Perhaps I just needed to read the right retelling! 4/5 stars!
superstardrifter 
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