A Sorceress Comes to Call

A Sorceress Comes to Call (2021) is a fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher. The novel follows Cordelia, a young girl grappling with her sorceress mother Evangeline’s oppressive control. When they move into the manor of a kindly squire named Samuel and his sister, Hester, Cordelia finds a semblance of home and must decide whether to continue with her mother’s dark plans or protect her newfound family. The novel explores themes of personal agency and identity, as well as the challenges of navigating traditional roles and expectations.

This guide refers to the 2024 edition published by Tor Publishing Group.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of child emotional abuse and coercion, murder, violence, and animal abuse.

Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old Cordelia lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, Evangeline, a powerful sorceress who uses obedience spells to control Cordelia’s body, leaving her aware but powerless. Cordelia finds moments of freedom riding their horse, Falada, and befriends a local girl, Ellen Parker. However, after Evangeline loses her benefactor, Ellen’s father, she decides to find a new wealthy match for herself and, ultimately, for Cordelia. When Cordelia tries to escape on Falada, the horse betrays her, revealing that he is Evangeline’s familiar and has been sharing all her secrets.

Evangeline sets her sights on Squire Samuel Chatham. His sister, Hester, senses a dark “Doom” approaching, soon realizing that it is Evangeline. Invited to the Chatham estate, Evangeline and Cordelia arrive in a stolen cabriolet, and Cordelia is given her own room and a maid, Alice. Hester is surprised by how different Cordelia is from her mother and takes the girl under her wing. She grows increasingly protective, especially after witnessing Cordelia’s strange, obedient behavior during stressful dinners. Alice shares her concerns about Evangeline’s abusive magic. Hester enlists Alice, Tom the butler, and friends like Richard Evermore and Imogene Strauss to protect Cordelia.

Imogene and her family arrive, and Evangeline warns Cordelia to avoid forming attachments, especially to Imogene’s son, Jacob. As Hester teaches Cordelia embroidery, Cordelia discovers that the group looks down on sorcery. When Richard arrives, Cordelia feels distressed; Evangeline expects her to charm the much older man, but Richard is in love with Hester. Tensions rise as Evangeline becomes more hostile, assigning Cordelia the task of uncovering scandals about Penelope Green, one of Hester’s guests.

Penelope, with her charm and resilience, deflects Evangeline’s barbs until she mysteriously falls under Evangeline’s control. Penelope dies in a tragic incident, stabbing her maid and falling from a balcony. Though Evangeline claims innocence, Hester and Richard grow suspicious. Cordelia finally admits that Evangeline is a sorceress, but Hester is skeptical until Cordelia suggests seeking proof from Mr. Parker, another victim of Evangeline’s spells.

Richard returns with confirmation that Mr. Parker’s memories have been cursed. Hester proposes a false engagement between Richard and Cordelia to distract Evangeline. Meanwhile, Cordelia begins hearing Penelope’s ghost, who explains how she fought against Evangeline’s control. Evangeline and the Squire soon announce their engagement, forcing Cordelia to act obediently in celebration. When they move to Richard’s estate, Cordelia feels a bit safer, though tensions remain high.

The Squire and Evangeline leave for their honeymoon, and Tom, a former servant dismissed by Evangeline, arrives to help them research sorcery. Despite Hester’s bad knees, she scours Richard’s massive library. After a week, Imogene discovers a ritual using wine, water, and salt to strip magical power. They decide to test it on Falada, hoping to weaken Evangeline.

Cordelia bravely volunteers to be in the circle with Falada, knowing that he cannot hurt her. Bernard, an elderly stable worker, objects but is forced to assist. The ritual fails when the wine’s power doesn’t manifest, and Falada becomes violent, biting Bernard’s ear. Richard decapitates Falada, burning the head and burying the body.

Penelope’s ghost reappears, explaining that she was drawn to the ritual’s energy. She promises to help find a proper person to represent wine. Cordelia struggles with the weight of her courage, while Alice calls her a hero. Their relief is short-lived when they discover that Falada has dug out of his grave, now a headless, vengeful entity that injures one of Hester’s beloved geese.

Falada begins terrorizing the property, even killing the gamekeeper. Cordelia, desperate to protect the others, sneaks out at midnight with Alice’s help to confront him. She finds Falada, who takes her on a brutal ride to Evangeline. Evangeline, seeing through Cordelia’s resistance, forces her to harm herself and confesses her plans to use Hester to kill Richard. Cordelia feels crushed by guilt and betrayal, having revealed too much while under Evangeline’s control. The next morning, Hester and Richard realize that Cordelia is missing, and Alice reports that she’s gone after Falada.

Evangeline forces Cordelia to ride Falada back to the estate, compelling her to call out for Richard. When Cordelia uses his first name, Hester realizes that something is wrong. Cordelia struggles against her mother’s spell, slicing Richard’s cheek instead of killing him. Hester resists Evangeline’s magic and helps Cordelia break free with Penelope’s support. Hester seizes the moment to strike Evangeline unconscious. Imogene wants to kill Evangeline, but Hester stops her, fearing deadly consequences from hidden spells. Tom suggests trying the ritual again, and Penelope volunteers to embody the wine.

With makeshift materials, they enact the ritual one final time. Penelope drinks the brandy, and the ritual’s resonance signals its success. Evangeline desperately tries to stop them, but her power drains away. Penelope bids farewell to Cordelia as she helps complete the ritual. Evangeline’s control finally shatters, leaving her powerless and allowing Falada to exact his revenge against her before fading away himself.