One of the many classic fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm was “The Goose Girl.” It’s about a pure-hearted princess whose evil servant wants the princess’s life for her own.

In the hands of T. Kingfisher, a dark retelling of this story will be something to savor. A master of gothic horror and fantasy, she has an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient folklore and related tales. As such, she often reaches into these stories as the basis for her own fiction. A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is her homage to “The Goose Girl.”

"A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is yet another example of the über talent that is T. Kingfisher. She is so comfortable and skilled within the gothic horror and dark fantasy realm that I am surprised her utterly creative works have not been scooped up for film or streaming series adaptations yet."

Thirteen-year-old Cordelia is the only child of her overbearing, smothering mother. Evangeline is a sorceress who is able to control Cordelia physically and psychologically at her whim. She relies on dark magic to get what she wants and has a very unique familiar --- a great white steed named Falada. I don’t want to reveal too much about Falada. All I will say is that this hell beast is capable of getting out of control, which makes for some horrific storytelling.

All Evangeline has focused on lately is wealth --- specifically, getting both herself and her daughter married off to rich men. To do this, they pack up a “borrowed” wagon led by Falada and travel to the next big town to nab a wealthy husband. They head to the coast to the abode of Squire Samuel Chatham. Cordelia is kept mostly silent, although she befriends a young maid, Alice, and the Squire’s sister, Hester. Everyone in the household outside of the Squire is aware of what’s going on, but all are powerless to prevent it.

Once the worst eventually happens and the Squire announces his engagement to Evangeline, it’s time to start plotting in an effort to prevent this marriage from occurring.

Meanwhile, Cordelia receives some unfortunate news: an entire family from their old town was slaughtered by the father. It was the family of Cordelia’s only friend, and she is convinced that her mother made it happen as a way of permanently cutting ties with their past and further controlling her.

A party is held to celebrate the engagement. Hester gathers her only allies in the area to join with her and Cordelia in their battle against a strong evil sorceress. Penelope, a woman seen as a threat to the hand of the Squire, dies by falling from a balcony. The only good to come from this death is that Cordelia begins to realize that she has powers herself as she is able to speak with Penelope from the other side. These scenes add another nice supernatural element to the story, and the semi-possession of having Penelope in her head ties loosely to the origins of “The Goose Girl.”

The Squire and Evangeline head off on their honeymoon, but Falada is left behind to keep an eye on everyone in the manor. This will lead to a deadly confrontation that sets the stage for the dark magic meets horror-infused finale that is just chilling.

A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is yet another example of the über talent that is T. Kingfisher. She is so comfortable and skilled within the gothic horror and dark fantasy realm that I am surprised her utterly creative works have not been scooped up for film or streaming series adaptations yet. I cannot wait to see what she does next!