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Member Reviews

4.5 stars, rounding up to five. T Kingfisher does such a good job of writing interesting women. I liked Anja a lot. I could relate to her awkwardness with people and her tendency to hyper focus and get excited about things. I liked reading her inner thoughts. I also thought Grayling was an interesting character. This was set in the same world as The Saint of Steel series and some of her other books, which I am familiar with and enjoyed. The romance aspect of this was very minor, no spice. My only complaint for the book is that it took a little longer to get to the meat of the plot than I expected, but once it got started the pacing was good.

I was gifted an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you to Net Galley and Tor.

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While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

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T. Kingfisher has done it again. This was so enjoyable with her usual dry sense of humor. I can't wait to put this on my personal shelf because it is beautiful!

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I have never read a T. Kingfisher book that I've disliked and this book doesn't change that. I really like Anja and being in her head. She has a really unique point of view, with her experience in poison, which colors how she sees the world. She also has T. Kingfisher's (trademark?) humor, which I always love. I also really loved Javier. I thought Anja and Javier were very cute together. I also loved many of the side characters, but I think talking about them in any sort of detail would be spoilers.

Really the only problem I had with this book is the pacing and that was just that the beginning is kind of slow. We do find out a lot of interesting things and get to know Anja better, but it did feel like it could have been a little tighter.

Even with that, I really enjoyed Hemlock & Silver and I'm going to continue my goal of reading through T. Kingfisher's backlog.

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An interesting Snow White retelling that will keep you intrigued throughout. Includes elements of drama, thriller, mystery, and romance.

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This was a really unique retelling of the story of Snow White! I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn't put it down!

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As a devoted fan of T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), I knew I'd love this dark and intriguing retelling of Snow White. The premise alone had me hooked!

The story follows Anja, a skilled healer and poison expert whose curiosity knows no bounds. She's constantly experimenting with poisons and their antidotes, sometimes even testing them on herself in her quest for knowledge.

Her world turns upside down when the king arrives at her workshop with a horrifying confession: he killed the queen after discovering her cutting out their elder daughter's heart. Before Anja can process this revelation, he begs her to examine his younger daughter, Snow, believing she's been poisoned by palace enemies. Having been recommended by her father, Anja feels duty-bound to assess the twelve-year-old princess and search for a cure.

With help from two guards—including Javier, who becomes an unexpected friend (and possibly more)—Anja begins investigating. She examines Snow's room, studies her daily routines, interviews palace staff, and even encounters Snow's delightfully narcissistic talking cat, Grayling.

However, as she delves deeper, she discovers that Snow's condition might not be poison-related at all. Instead, it seems connected to mysterious mirrors that act as portals to a supernatural realm where a sinister force awaits. For Anja, who has always relied on science and knowledge, this presents an impossible challenge: how can she use magic—something she barely understands—to heal the princess without endangering everyone involved?

While the opening chapters felt somewhat slow and dense, the story hit its stride after the first quarter. True to Kingfisher's style, it delivered surprising twists and intelligent storytelling that kept me completely engaged.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing this remarkable Snow White retelling through Kingfisher's unique vision. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts!

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Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher, a really good and imaginative retelling of Snow White. The twists and turns of the story really leave you wanting more. Kingfisher has quickly become one of my top authors, and I am always on the lookout for a new book.

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