A Sorceress Comes to Call - Book Review

 

A Sorceress Comes to Call

by T. Kingfisher

What is it about:

A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

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.

What did I think of it:

I've read several book by T. Kingfisher and loved them all. Still I kept mostly to her more horror-like books, with A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking the exception. I also had two more of her horror titles in my TBR when I received this book as a present. It had been on my radar (even had it in my greedy trotters when birthday shopping, but decided on another book), and the copy that I got was so pretty, and it had geese on the end-papers! So I immediately moved this to the top of TBR mountain.

And what a gorgeous, beautiful, amazing read!

This is a re-imagining of the faerie tale The Goose Girl. And it certainly has things that I recognize from the faerie tale, but mostly this is so much its own totally amazing story!

You get the story told from a couple of different viewpoints, mainly Cordelia and Hester. 

I really liked Cordelia and felt for her. Her mother is a character I disliked and grew to hate the more I learned. I wanted Cordelia to find happiness. 

I totally loved Hester! In her early 50's she has to deal with people thinking she's old, a bad knee, and her own insecurities. She also used to breed geese! I rooted for her even more than for Cordelia I can tell you.

(Voodoo Bride again wants me to add she really loved one of the male characters, and she says she wants a Richard of her own. Everyone needs someone like him in her opinion.)

There were several really cool other characters, and with how things were going I feared for a lot of them with good reason. This might be a retelling and not a horror story, there were enough bad things happening to keep me on edge.

After finishing this I had to take a breather before picking up my next book as I was still full of this one. You bet this will be reread and treasured! I will pick up one of the other Kingfisher books in my TBR soon.

Why should you read it:

It's Absolutely Amazing!