T. Kingfisher has done it again!

I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In A Sorceress Comes to Call, Cordelia has spent all of her fourteen years under her mother’s intense influence, sometimes literally. Because her mother Evangeline is a sorcerer, and she can make Cordelia obedient, trapped in her own mind as her body and mouth are controlled. Evangeline has one main goal, for either herself or Cordelia to marry a rich man, and so one day she takes her daughter to an estate of a squire, determined to seduce him. There, Cordelia meets the squire’s sister Hester, and sees the way other people live. She’s fascinated, and even enjoys her life here. But her mother’s nefarious plans take a turn for the deadly, and Cordelia and Hester must make an alliance to survive—and perhaps, to stop Evangeline before it’s too late.

This book has the perfect blend of sinister and whimsical, fear and humor. It’s like someone placed an evil witch into the center of Rebecca or Downton Abbey and let her wreak havoc. Kingfisher is brilliant.

I really liked Cordelia. It’s so easy to sympathize with her, to be horrified by her helplessness and fear in the face of her mother, and to root for her as she starts to make new connections and discover her own strength. And Hester is a fantastic other protagonist, full of spirit and independence but also insecurity and complexity. Actually, I loved the entire cast of characters. Richard Evermore stands out, but so do Alice and Willard and Penelope. What a delightful assortment of personalities, who play off each other so well in such interesting ways.

Even Evangeline, as evil as she is, is a wonderful character. You can truly feel, through Cordelia’s and Hester’s eyes, how her presence can draw one in but also unsettle. Her subtle (or sometimes forceful) manipulations, as well as her cutting cruelty, make her a realistic villain, even if her magical powers lend her an otherworldliness. Her magic aside, Evangeline could be someone in the real world, and that’s the real horror of her.

I also loved the settings, though most of the plot takes place at the Squire’s home. Everything feels full of life and opulent, but also fragile, since Evangeline could destroy everything. The dialogue is pitch perfect, sounding enough like how people probably spoke in the past but also relatable. The pacing is stellar, slowly increasing in urgency but not breaking the tension until just the right moment. I think one aspect of the resolution felt a little anticlimactic, but only a little; overall, the climax was excellent.

I can also see some signature Kingfisher content. She has a thing about creepy horses (which she mentions in the acknowledgements, and I loved it), but also evidently loves including elements like rotting things, grand old houses, and outside forces taking over a person’s mind and/or body. This book takes some of the most striking parts from What Moves the Dead and The Twisted Ones and plays with them in new ways. I loved it, and am reminded that I need to read the rest of her books soon.

In the end, A Sorceress Comes to Call is one of my favorite books by T. Kingfisher that I’ve read to date. I adored the main characters and delighted in the setting and plot. The magic is awesome, the story intense but also balanced with levity and charm. The character development is well-paced. For me, there are very few things wrong with this book, and I can’t wait to own a finished copy!

A Sorceress Comes to Call will be published on August 6th, 2024!