I’ve enjoyed all of T Kingfisher’s fantasy books and really appreciate many of them, including this one stand alone! I confess I haven’t read the ones that lean towards horror. That’s just not my genre. And this is just slightly dark and creepy though I think an adult reader would need to be very sensitive to find it too much. Solid main character who’s a decent person really trying her best to do the right thing even if she isn’t much of a people person. This is another excellent book by Kingfisher but I don’t think she’s had a dud yet.

T. Kingfisher has a way of writing that pulls you in—it's clever and the characters are super easy to get attached to. The mix of science, magic, and a touch of danger kept things moving, and I loved the weird little team. The mystery with Snow and the magic mirror was super engaging, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out. Overall, it was just a fun, unique read and I really enjoy this author’s style. Definitely recommend if you're into stories with smart, slightly chaotic heroines and a bit of dark fairy tale vibes. Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

T Kingfisher never fails to amaze me!! Her books are such unique takes on old stories we all know. I LOVED this take on Snow White! I always feel like something is lacking though, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of her books, this one in particular!!

This was such a fun read! I would almost call it a cozy fantasy (though there is bits of violence and sort of darker fairy tale elements, but nothing that dark imo.) The story is pretty straightforward, a self-taught poison expert is asked by the king to find out who or what is poisoning his young daughter. Our poison expert, Anja, is quite a fun character. She's a little obsessive, not kid-friendly, and very much not used to dealing with kings or royalty or courts. The writing style was easy to read, a bit slow to start (but not in a bad way). It was funny and quirky and touching all at the same time. I didn't realize until later that this was a Swow White retelling/re-imagining, but it should've been pretty obvious. 😅 The story moved quickly once Anja met the daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the side characters who got involved as well as the way the mystery unfolded. Excellent, fun read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

I loved this retelling of the classic fairytale, Snow White, Anja, an expert on poison, is recruited by the king to help identify what's making his daughter, Snow, sick. Add in a hot body guard, a one eyed cat, and a LOT of mirrors, and this made for a refreshing and creative retelling that was both darkly funny and kept me on the edge of my seat. T Kingfisher is an author that never lets me down, and this book was no different.

this was great. a little slow to start but once it picked up I was hooked.

This is my favorite type of fantasy. Leads in their mid-thirties, expected to do something they have no idea how to start, facing some difficulties and overcoming them. Funny at times, sweet at others. I don't know how else to describe it, it's just fun to read.

Kingfisher celebrates competence and curiosity as poisons expert Anja fairly reluctantly seeks the cause of the mysterious illness affecting the king's daughter. It takes exceptional skill to create a tale in a magical setting that is both pragmatic and wondrous, with a healthy smattering of terrifying, but Kingfisher excels at that heady brew.

T Kingfisher is such a talented author.

This is a Snow White retelling, but I still feel like it's heavily told in the authors own style and vibe.
The magical aspects are fantastically written. FMC was strong and unafraid.

It was my first by t so I was very excited to read it!

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and it won’t be my last! Once I settled into the more casual rhythm of the language of the book I absolutely loved it. It is very loosely based on Snow White story.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

Truly many thanks, I love T. Kingfisher's work and this was no exception! This book follows a healer who is asked by the king to heal his daughter Snow. While this book has nods to be a Snow White retelling, I wouldn't say it's exactly. I appreciated the new life Kingfisher was able to introduce to this common fairytale. I loved Anja, she was smart and interesting. Would definitely recommend this book!

5 stars!

I absolutely adored this new dark fantasy from the master of dark fantasy! The plot is a VERY loose retelling of Snow White, but with the Snow White tale being more of a side plot and most of the focus being on Healer Anja.

I adored Healer Anja. She was a mess for 90% of the novel, and I loved her for it. The way she handled every situation she was thrown into with a mix of academic detachment and overwhelmed panic made for much entertainment, and the ridiculous--and horrifying--situations she got herself made for a fantastic journey.

I also loved all the side characters in this book. T. Kingfisher has a skill at breathing wonderful life into the supporting cast of her tales that makes them feel so rich and vivid. I'm also so fascinated by the world building in this book, and I hope we get a chance to revisit elements of it in future stories.

I already know that this is a book I will be re-reading, and probably in the near future, and like all T. Kingfisher books, I expect to find more things I love on each re-read, so I'm sure I'll be back to update my review with more favorite elements later!

Wow, I absolutely loved this one! T. Kingfisher continues to impress with their incredible storytelling - Hemlock & Silver is no exception. I dove into this without any expectations and enjoyed every moment. I truly don’t see this as a mere retelling of Snow White. Honestly, if I had known that going in, I might not have been as eager to pick it up since fairy tale retellings aren’t usually my thing. But this story feels so unique, only sharing a few tiny similarities. For me - it gives off dark fantasy vibes reminiscent of Coraline and Alice in Wonderland, yet it’s completely its own creation.

I absolutely adore the representation of a plus-size main character who’s not only curvy but also intelligent, quirky, and incredibly lovable. The little smidgeon of romance thrown in there was just - chef’s kiss. This had me giggling and smiling the whole way. There are definitely some dark and creepy moments, complete with delightfully terrifying monsters. Kingfisher has an extraordinary talent for weaving genres together into an orchestral narrative that will resonate with a wide range of readers. Without a doubt, this is one of my new favorite fantasies, and I can’t wait for it to be released so I can share it with my bookish friends!

A heartfelt thank you to TOR Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are my own.

I'm sure it'll be no surprise to anyone that 'Hemlock & Silver' was great! I don't think T. Kingfisher could write a bad book if she tried. This one had Snow White in Wonderland vibes- with mirror magic, poisoned apples, and a talking cat. Also, a plus- sized, middle-aged heroine who has shitty people skills and reads (at least to me) as on the spectrum. The tale is told with Kingfisher's signature humor and keen eye for detail. This is one of those books where finishing it felt like saying goodbye to a dear friend. A must read!

After disliking both The Hollow Places and The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher, and for similar reasons (idiot heroine who refused to believe in magic when it was happening right in front of her; annoying tone), I gave up on her works. But since lots of my customers like her, I ordered this book. And when it arrived, it was so beautiful that I had to pick it up and examine it. And then I figured I'd read a couple pages, just to get an idea of what it was about. Those couple pages quickly turned into the first chapter. Then the second. The next thing I knew, I was actually enjoying the book, and finished it with great pleasure.

Anja is a scientist specializing in poisons and antidotes, who regularly takes small doses of poison to understand their effects and test out antidotes. She saves the lives of poisoned people, sometimes. This gets her enough fame that one day the king shows up, asking her to save his daughter, Snow, who he believes is being poisoned...

This is a very loose retelling of "Snow White," making clever use of elements like the apple, the mirror, and the poison.

Like the other books of hers I read, this one is set in an unambiguously magical world and/or has a portal to an unambiguously magical world, and has a heroine who doesn't believe in magic. I guess this is an obligatory Kingfisher thing? At least in this one, Anja doesn't deny that things are happening when they're clearly happening, she just thinks that maybe there is some underlying scientific explanation. This makes at least some sense, as she's a scientist. (Though in my opinion, science is basically a framework and a worldview, and a scientist in a magical world would be doing experiments to figure out how magic works, not denying its existence.) In any case, Anja does not act like an idiot or a flat earther, but pursues the clues she finds and doesn't deny what they suggest. She's kind of monomaniacal, but in a fun way.

Hemlock & Silver meshes multiple genres. It's not a horror novel or even particularly dark for a fantasy, but it has some genuinely scary moments. It's often very funny. And one aspect of the story, while technically fantasy, is so methodically worked out and involves so much science (optics) that it feels like science fiction. There's also a murder mystery, a romance, a surprisingly agreeable rooster, and a talking cat. It all works together quite nicely.

Another fairy tale retelling. Snow white , T Kingfisher turns it in a different unique story as well keeping the heart of the orginal story. In this story we follow Anja, a healer herbalist of sorts. She is approached by the king who asks for her help. Thinking that his Daughter Rose is being poisoned and the story blooms from there.
This was amazing written and when I finally started I couldn't put it down. Definitely a must read for T Kingfisher fans.

I truly enjoyed this book! It was definitely very unique from any other Snow White reimaginings. Our characters were fun and felt real, the plot was intriguing and kept you engaged. I was always eager to continue reading more.
This retelling doesn't solely focus on Snow White. She's actually just a side character. Our main character is Anja, a poison healer who is tasked by the king to find a cure for Snow White's illness. Anja is taken to a desert kingdom in hopes of curing the princess but getting thrown into a magical world, quite literally.
The mystery element is also well done, the magic, everything really.
If you haven't given it a try, you should!

Thank you Tor for the gifted copy.

Hemlock & Silver
T. Kingfisher
Publishing Date: August 19, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️4.25

This was somehow my first T. Kingfisher book and I immediately started asking friends what one should be next. I absolutely adored the characters, the writing style, and the whole vibe.

Anya is a healer who is especially knowledgeable about poisons. She’s called in to help cure the kings daughter (Snow - yes this is a Snow White retelling) who is suffering from a mysterious illness that no one else has been able to figure out.

Anya was an absolute delight. Shes full figured and full of snark. She is relatable, charming, unapologetic, and authentically herself. She has a pet snake and spends much of the book hanging with a talking cat. There is a romantic subplot which delivers some great moments as well.

It’s not all fun and silliness here though. It wouldn’t be Snow White without a magical mirror. This one leads to a dark and mysterious world. Here we get a more eerie and atmospheric moments and it added the perfect amount of darkness.

One of my favorite things about T. Kingfisher's books are her female protagonists. They never fall into the archetype of being the stunningly beautiful chosen one with magical powers who is 19 years old and starving yet has the body of a supermodel (sorry Feyre). Rather, they are women who are for the most part just trying to get by and excel in tough situations due to their well earned skill sets and life experience. "Hemlock & Silver" once again proves that this is a winning character strategy.

Anja is a thirty-something year old spinster with a lifelong obsession with poisons and antidotes. She is detail oriented, driven in her quest for knowledge, and highly scientific. At the same time, she is sometimes awkward, self-admittedly does not have a great bedside manner, and doesn't really care for glitz and beauty. She uses her well developed deductive skills to no only investigate the potential poisoning happening in the castle but also unravel the secrets of a magical world. All of this makes her a stunning and ebulliently fun character.

This is all combined with everything else that makes T. Kingfisher's books so lovely, cozy, and charming. Her wit, humor, lush worldbuilding, and sweet romantic sub-plots make this story fun from start to finish. I adore every world and character she creates and can't wait to get swept up into whatever she writes next.

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

T. Kingfisher charms and delights with this fantastical and deliciously gothic retelling of Snow White! A must read!

Delightful as always with Kingfisher, but I did feel there was a pacing issue - the book felt just a tad overly long. There's a bit of a lull in the early middle that it never quite catches up to. The mirror realm is delightfully creepy, the characters are great as usual (I love her older normal protagonists) and everything resolved very well, but it felt like it dragged a bit getting there.