T. Kingfisher is the best new-to-me author I've found this year. This novel is an utterly original tale inspired by Snow White with a cozy-romantasy vibe and cozy-horror elements and a talking one-eyed cat. At this point, I'll read anything T. Kingfisher writes and I bet she writes a very awesome grocery list..

What a true delight of a novel! Hemlock & Silver is packed with whimsy, horror, fantasy, and just the right dash of romance. This was my first T. Kingfisher book, and I’ll definitely be exploring more of their work. I loved the dry, whimsical tone and the refreshingly original take on the Snow White fairy tale—though at times it felt more like a dark, twisted Alice in Wonderland. I was genuinely blown away by how much I loved this story.

P.S. Grayling might just be my new favorite animal companion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Tor Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book early and share my honest review. All reviews will be posted to my socials (NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram, Fable).

4.5
This might be my favorite T Kingfisher that I have read so far!
Things I liked:
-I found the main very relatable and realistic. She was charming but still had flaws that were reasonable but not annoying. I liked the way she thought through everything and asked all the questions that a normal person would when encountering something strange (plus a few more that normal people would ask but that I totally would).
-I loved every scene with Greyling, no notes.
-I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Snow and her illness.
-The worldbuilding was deeper than I anticipated, which was a nice surprise.

Things I didn't like: (there really isn't much I didn't like, its most nitpicky stuff)
-A few times the humor didn't really land with me.
-The story is a little predictable sometimes but not really in a bad way, and its to be expected in a retelling
-I wouldn't have minded if the book was a little longer, especially near the end.

Hemlock & Silver is a gloriously dark Snow White reimagining. Anja is a healer who drinks poison as a way to seek cures. She is summoned by the King to heal his daughter, Snow, who is suffering from an unknown ailment. Soon, Anja finds a dark and unknown world inside a magic mirror, and it might just be the key to curing Snow. This book had me entranced. The writing style is absolute perfection and I was invested in every plot twist and turn. Anja was such a wonderful main character. She is smart and funny in ways that felt really relatable, and I appreciated that she was an adult. It definitely started a little slow as the world was built, but I quickly found myself immersed in the dark mystery and entranced by the unexpected, like a talking cat. This was an absolutely wonderful read!

I did an immersive read which was amazing. Jennifer Pickens did a fantastic job with the narration and helped to really bring the story to life.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor, and NetGalley for the advance copies!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC!

Quite frankly, no one does retellings like T. Kingfisher. To take a classic story and completely reimagine it to be both original yet true to major themes is no small feat.

Our main character Anja is not your typical heroin. She’s funny, awkward, sarcastic, nerdy, and incredibly passionate about poison.

Around the 100 page mark, it really gets into the meat of the story. The mirror world that the Kingfisher created was both fantastical and eerie. What could be difficult to execute is made digestible by Kingfisher’s imaginative rules regarding the magic of the mirror world and its inhabitants.

The story keeps you guessing “whodunit” and I didn’t find it to be predictable. There is a romance subplot that is sweet but doesn’t take away from the main story, which is hard to come by with “romantacies” nowadays. And of course I love witty animal sidekick! They always seem to be the best part of fantasy stories. Furthermore, Kingfisher’s side characters in this book are just as eclectic and important as the main ones. I love how I am able to connect with all of them, no matter how small their roll is.

I would have liked to hear more from the king in the end of the story, as he sort of disappears halfway through the book. I also found myself a tad but confused on the few paragraphs regarding the origin of the first person to leave the mirror, but that could be a me issue.

Leave it to T. Kingfisher to make something as ordinary and innocuous as the desert and mirrors into something fantastical and lush with imagination. She is one of my favorite authors for a reason!

Anja has a passion for poisons, for understanding them, and curing people of them. So much time spent indoors studying them has made her awkward around people. But when the king calls upon her to heal his daughter, she realizes she must go, even if she’d much rather stay at home.

I’ve read everything Kingfisher has published for the past 6 years, and honestly, this one was my least favorite. It’s not a bad book, I’m giving it 4 stars. But I felt some things were unnecessarily repetitive.

Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Another T. Kingfisher that I could not get enough of.
This reminded me a lot of the Paladin books, and I honestly did not really expect the romance to go the direction that it did. Which was not necessarily a bad thing. It was still a fantastic book, it just kind of threw me for a loop. Anyway, it's not my favorite of Kingfisher's, but still unputdownable. Which is saying something.

I want to preface this review by saying that I adore Kingfisher and will read everything she writes. HOWEVER...while this book started strong with great characters and ideas and lots of stuff for the nerdy reader, it gets derailed almost at the midway point until the last 15% of the book. There are around 100 pages of her just having a stream of consciousness of the theory and world building of her mirror planes and how they work. I think most of this could be cut and more character interactions would have been more welcome. That said, the end was super satisfying, and I loved how it turned out. But it took me ages to read because of the muddy middle. I almost could sense Kingfisher delighting in all the different conundrums of her world, but unfortunately, most readers don't want a dissertation on mirrors. Don't get me wrong, I usually LOVE her meanderings. But...limited ones. I'm willing to stick around for like even up to 10 pages, but this was too much even for a nerdy reader like me. It's still worth a read, but I'd recommend people skim through the middle so they still get to see the propulsive and worthy end of the book.

Hemlock and silver by T. Kingfisher
I am a big fan of kingfisher’s books. I love how her retellings are always unique and dark.
Healer Anja life changes when the king comes to her in hopes she will be able to save his daughter. Healer anja has dedicated her life to finding cures for poisons. If she sees a problem her instinct is to go full speed ahead on finding a solution. She is very smart and capable.
There is a love story element but it is not central to the story. I did not figure out who was the poisoner before the reveal.
Thank you Macmillian audio for providing me with the audiobook.
I thought the narrator did a great job at bringing healer anja to life. Her portrayal made her more relatable and likable. However, I agree with another review that there was not a lot of distinction between the voices of the other characters.
Overall, I believe this will be a treat for all of t. Kingfisher fans.

I absolutely LOVED this take on Snow White featuring a middle-aged spinster scientist and her gruff bodyguard. (Sorry, no huntsman, although Javier is a pretty good protector both with and without weapons.)⁠
⁠
Anja is the kingdom's foremost expert on poisons, mostly because she had a hyperfixation as a youngster that her father indulged and she never grew out of. When the king's daughter, Snow, begins ailing, the king asks Anja to investigate and cure her. What happens next includes a lot of creepy mirrors, a haughty cat, a few suspicious apples, and a whole lot of applying the scientific method.⁠
⁠
The book is written entirely in first person from Anja's perspective, so it's a good thing that she's a wonderful main character. Her focus on her special interest (poison!) and her practical-to-a-fault to, well, everything make her a great viewpoint for the reader to experience the world.⁠
⁠
And yes, for all the romance-loving readers out there and as in all of the fairy-tale inspired Kingfishers I've read, there's a satisfying touch of a romantic subplot. ⁠
⁠
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

I am a huge fan of T. Kingfisher, whether it be horror, fantasy, or dark fairy tale retellings. Hemlock & Silver is a retelling of Snow White, and I didn’t even read the blurb before I hit that request button.

Hemlock & Silver opens by introducing Anja, poison expert and healer, who is taken completely by surprise when the king appears in her workshop one day asking for her help. His daughter Snow has been suffering from a mysterious illness and even though she has been attended by numerous physicians, not one of them can identify what is making her sick. He is running out of options, so Anja reluctantly agrees.

The first half of the book is a lot of travel, and then Anja observing Snow and monitoring her daily routine. Testing her food, searching her rooms, and investigating every possible way someone could be poisoning her. There is a lot of talk of poisons, their uses and antidotes. The pacing is slow, but detailed, and gets readers ready for the second half of the story– when Anja accidentally falls through a mirror and realizes that there is a whole other world beyond what everyone sees, and Snow’s illness is rather supernatural in nature.

I was enchanted by Anja, and her competent, no-nonsense personality. She is rather tenacious once she discovers the mirror world, determined to investigate. Thank goodness she has help in the form of her steadfast guard and a talking cat, who is quite familiar with what goes on the other side of the mirror. The action in the second half really does pick up once fantasy elements are introduced. It was like a race to the end, as all the plot threads start to weave together.

As always there is a bit of humor thrown in during sticky situations just to lighten the mood amid all the dark themes. And a lovely, soft romance between Anja and Javier. I was rather pleased with them and their HFN ending. All in all, recommend this dark fairy tale re-telling.

A wonderful and imaginative alternative Snow White story. I'd love to get future stories following healer Anja!

Look, I'm a simple person: Kingfisher publishes a new story, I read it and love it.

This Snow White retelling was clever and original. It might be my favorite of Kingfisher's faerie tale retellings! Anja is a "healer" who's most interested in poison and antidotes who's called upon by the king to discover why his daughter Snow is sick. I *loved* Anja. She was clever, blunt, and I related deeply to her attitude towards people and children. I love the way Kingfisher writes older female main characters and the way she writes love stories for them, casting them as heroines and desirable love interests above the age most shows/books/etc write them off as no longer being sex symbols or heroes.

My only regret is that Anja was so driven to find a Hemlock cure and she never did! Although, this is realistic given that even now, we don't have an antidote for hemlock poisoning, so this isn't a true complaint.

Overall, this was another stellar installment in Kingfisher's faerie tale retelling series with some really enjoyable horror elements woven in. The romance reminded me of her recently re-released book Swordheart, so if you enjoyed that one, you'll probably enjoy this one, too! Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Okay but… Hemlock & Silver cracked open my skull, rooted around in my fairy tale-loving brain, and whispered, “Here, have something dark, hilarious, slow-burning, and just a teensy bit deranged.” And I said, “Yes, please. May I have another?”

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and let me tell you, I am now feral for more. Like, somebody hand me her entire backlist and a cozy blanket because I am not moving for the foreseeable future.

Let’s start with the obvious star of the show: Greyling, the cat with the most narcissistic personality I’ve ever loved. The sheer audacity of that feline. The sass. The self-importance. The weirdly helpful guidance, usually offered after the point of usefulness. I would throw myself into a cursed mirror dimension for that little chaos goblin in a heartbeat.

Anja, our poison-guzzling healer, was the perfect blend of practical chaos and tender-hearted logic. Her internal monologue had me CACKLING! Like, full snort-laughs that startled my cat. And the romance? Peak awkward. Deliciously slow. Both her and the MMC were like two emotionally constipated porcupines trying to hug 🤣 painfully adorable and absolutely worth the wait.

One of my favorite things was how the characters were always this close to emotionally connecting or totally derailing. It felt so human and so earned. The way they missed each other's points, processed emotions like they were carrying them in leaky buckets, and still managed to fumble toward love? I ate that UP.

And then there’s the mirror world—a gleaming, twisted pocket dimension of creeping dread and subtle horror. It was original, eerie, and genuinely disturbing in that "I’m going to dream about this and not in a good way" kind of way. Kingfisher wove that whole mystery together so deftly, I didn’t know what to trust anymore, and I LOVED that feeling.

TL;DR: This book is creepy, clever, and deeply charming. Anja and her brooding guard are the slow-burn romance I didn’t know I needed. Greyling deserves an entire spin-off novella just to tell us about how truly fabulous he is. And the world? I’d gladly return, poisons and mirror monsters and all. Absolute five stars. Shine them up and let Greyling admire himself in them.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Hemlock & Silver was another A+ fairytale retelling from T. Kingfisher. She always does such a good job of mixing traditional fantasy with horror and just the right amount of humor.

This one had some truly terrifying scenes; let’s just say if you have a fear of centipedes, maybe skip this one. I adore Kingfisher’s characters as well. Anja was such a likable protagonist without being a perfect hero, and Snow was a very realistic 12-year-old kid, but I have a feeling Grayling will be a fan favorite.

The world-building was amazing as usual. I adore how much thought Kingfisher puts into the lore of her settings; they always feel so realistic, even with monsters and magic. If you like the original version of Snow White I bet you’ll like this retelling. If you liked A Sorceress Comes to Call (another fairytale retelling by T. Kingfisher), you’ll love this one too.

This was a fun read! I appreciate that the main character portrays a lot of neurodivergent qualities, which I’ve noticed is pretty common theme for T Kingfisher books. There were times during the book where I found the pacing to drag on a bit, and sometimes the supporting characters fell flat. HOWEVER the mystery of Snows illness was very compelling. I also really loved how the “Silver” was incorporated (I won’t spoil it but I thought it was very clever!) Altogether this is a good fantasy book to read while cuddled up in bed.

I always love T Kingfishers books. This dark retelling of Snow White (although wasn’t the original already dark?) was a wild ride. I loved the take on the poison apples and the queen in the mirror. And as always I love a good quirky talking animal side character. Overall another fun one by one of my favorite authors.

This was different and not quite what I expected. I found the world building interesting and the main character, but ultimately this didn’t really work for me. Love that our main character was ASD coded and her work with poisons. Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

T. Kingfisher reigns supreme in writing dark, gripping, highly imaginative books that I crave! Hemlock & Silver is her reimagining of “Snow White”! I love T. Kingfisher's writing, clever, original, and dark plots. This book had me rubbing my hands together and thinking "yes, my pretty" as this twisted tale of poison, treason, and intrigue began to take shape! I enjoyed the world building and the interesting, quirky, odd, and intriguing characters. I love that her characters are not always pretty - they are odd, they have faults, they don't quite fit in, they are awkward; and yet, they are equally compelling, likeable, intelligent, and kind. Along with the dark, fantasy themes, there was also humor and wit sprinkled throughout Hemlock & Silver!

Healer Anja has always been curious! She has always been intrigued by poisons, and her curiosity has led her to drinking poisons to find their cures! She is a bit different, a bit odd, a bit determined, quite clever, and very smart. When she is summoned by the King to save his daughter, Snow who is dying, she can't refuse. Will her unorthodox treatment save his daughter?????

Reading this book feels like taking a step into a fairy tale where mirrors are magical, dark worlds exist, and cures might be hard to come by. Anja will need to persevere, use her intellect, her wits, and her unorthodox ways to get to the bottom of things. She was such a wonderfully drawn character!!! But wait, there is more! There is a scene stealing talking cat!!!! What more could a reader ask for?

Highly imaginative, beautifully written, gripping, mysterious, dark, twisted and original! This book starts on the slower side and normally I would take issue with this, but Hemlock & Silver worked its magic on me and I was able to just go with the flow. Plus, when I think of fairy tales, I think of children, but this is not a tale for children. It's a tale for adults with an adult female character being the main focus which was a breath of fresh air! Another solid and enjoyable book by an author who continues to dazzle, delight, terrify, and enchant me! If T. Kingfisher writes it, I am going to read it.

4 stars

My first T. Kingfisher book and it was simply wonderful!

I'm a huge fan of retellings, and Snow White was a favorite when I was a kid. I'd heard of T. Kingfisher (I even own her Saints of Steel series, although I haven't gotten around to reading it yet), and I decided to give this a try.

In Hemlock & Silver, Anja, a poison expert, is tasked by the King to solve the mystery of the illness of his remaining daughter, Snow. Several healers have tried to find a cure, but no one is able to understand what's afflicting her. Assisted by a broody bodyguard, Anja sets on to solve this unexplainable mystery, only to realize what she's always believed to be only fairytales might be reality, and that the late Queen and Princess might have held more secrets than is known...

T. Kingfisher's twist on Snow White is unique and fascinating. I've never read a retelling like it. The story is full of twists and eerie imagery, with an engrossing plot, a beautiful slow-burn (and I mean, SLOW-burn) romance, and an egotistical talking cat.

Although I absolutely loved this book, I found the beginning a bit slow, and I wish some parts were better explored.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the early copy.