Fairytales get passed down and re-imagined for a reason and this one did not disappoint! This new fresh take of Snow White gave me everything I look for when I read “re-tellings” or “re-imaginings.” From the darker fantasy themes, to the dry witty humor, to the talking cat, I was definitely entertained the whole way through. I loved that even though Snow White is a story I know well, Hemlock & Silver still had so much originality that it felt like it’s complete own concept.

Hemlock & Silver is an inspired dark retelling of the fairy tale Snow White, paired with poison, intrigue, and possibly magic.

I enjoyed following along with the main character Anja as she gets personally called by the King to figure out what is making his daughter Snow sick. Seeing the particular quirks of the main character endeared her to me, and it was nice learning about the different types of poisons from her knowledge (and from the author who I'm sure had to do plenty of research on the topic!). It was also refreshing having a main character who is in her 30s, giving more maturity to the plot and events that unfold.

The first 30% or so of the book builds the world, involving the mention of several different Saints, Anja's preparations for the journey ahead, and the gentle introduction to characters who become mainstays through the plot. From there, the plot moves smoothly along as Anja investigates what is making the daughter sick, testing different theories until we move shockingly into a more magical aspect of the plot.

I enjoyed the light magical aspect we moved toward as the very scientific Anja tries to rationalize what's happening around her. The mystery surrounding the king's daughter's sickness kept me turning pages to find out the answer. Overall, I enjoyed the story to its conclusion and felt satisfied.

What I Enjoyed:
- a pragmatic, scientific older main character
- the allure of the mystery that requires unraveling
- the no-nonsense cat-like cat
- the world building involving certain things

Thank you so much Tor Publishing for the arc! This is a highly anticipated title for me!

In Snow White meets Through the Looking Glass, this dark retelling is imaginative, suspenseful, and exciting. T. Kingfisher hits it out of the park again with a relatable FMC, a hunky but mostly silent love interest, this time with royal intrigue. 10/10 will recommend to any fantasy or fairy tale fans, even as a beach read- it hooks you until the last pages. Absolutely will read again!

I am a loud and proud T. Kingfisher fan and will read anything that she publishes under this penname. Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White reimagining, focusing on our main character, a 35 year old healer and poison expert, Anya. Anya is ripped out of her daily life by the King, who requests her expertise in figuring out what is wrong with his daughter Snow, who is mysteriously ill. She must figure out what is wrong with the princess, and fast- before it is too late.
I enjoyed experiencing the story through the lens of Anya and appreciated how different she is from your standard fantasy heroine. The side characters were loveable (a specialty of Kingfisher’s), and of course, there was a talking animal to round things out. I appreciated the very sweet, very subtle romance, and thought that the worldbuilding was well-developed, interesting and unexpected.

I did feel that were some pacing issues. The story dragged around the middle of the book and I felt it could have been a smidge shorter. I was also a bit disappointed with how the story wrapped up- things felt incredibly rushed, which was a stark contrast to how meandering the center of the plot sometimes felt.

Overall, I did enjoy Hemlock & Silver. I found it intriguing, spooky at times, and overall, an enjoyable adventure. It’s a clever reimaging of a classic story, with just enough similarities to feel familiar, and a plethora of differences to keep things interesting.

I really wasn't all that invested in the main plot of this book, but I loved the main character and everything about her and her poisons and antidotes!! Her inner dialogue was always so funny and witty and her dealing with other people was delightful!
If you want a fun twist on Snow White with some creepy horror elements with a witty main character this is for you!
There's even some fun animal companions too!

Another great read from T. Kingfisher! I really enjoy the different takes on classic fairytales and also love that the MFC is an adult in her 30s with a low tolerance for BS. It's well paced and set in an eerie and interesting atmosphere. I would definitely recommend it to others, especially those who have enjoyed T. Kingfisher novels before.

T. Kingfisher has managed yet again to write a fairytale inspired story that somehow manages to stand out from the crowd of retellings in a genuinely fresh and new way. The bones of the Snow White story are there, minus the seven dwarves though as usual Snow isn’t the main character but rather a victim who must be saved. Hemlock & Silver is unique and mildly terrifying, just as I would expect from an author who so readily delves into both horror and fantasy genres.

Hemlock & Silver follows Anja, a healer who specializes in toxins though she wouldn’t call herself a healer of course. She’s a researcher at heart, and through her years of obsessive work in the field of poisons and antidotes she’s managed to save a few lives. Word of her expertise has gotten around to the king, who comes to her and begs her to travel to a remote holding called Witherleaf where his daughter Princess Snow is slowly succumbing to what he believes is a poison. What Anja finds is a waiflike girl who is clearly keeping a secret of some sort and when Anja sees her eating a strange silvery apple, she thinks she’s found the source of the poison. When Anja takes a bite of the apple and stumbles into a mirror she finds herself in a strange and horrifying mirror realm where it becomes clear that something more is going on than merely a single strange fruit can account for.

Hemlock & Silver is an extremely entertaining story with likable side characters and a mystery at its heart. T. Kingfisher has also elegantly blended horror elements into a fantasy story once again. The mirror realm was creepy as hell, especially once the denizens of that realm were introduced and I won’t look at a mirror the same way ever again! Definitely a unique take on the magical mirror - these can literally kill you. 

Overall, I will say this isn’t my new favorite of this author’s work, but it was a solid entry into her bibliography that I won’t hesitate to recommend to folks. I like Grayling the cat (who doesn’t like a talking cat?) and I liked the guard, Javier, who ends up tagging along on so many of Anja’s mirror misadventures. There is always an element of predictability to Kingfisher’s stories - an unusual animal companion, an older, unmarried female main character who stumbles across a love interest, a smidge of horror-like elements - but I like this. I know what I’m going to get and I know I’m going to at least like it and if I’m lucky, I’ll love it!

This was an enjoyable read, as always with this author. I plan on buying once released, and would recommend to others.

Anja became obsessed with poisons at a young age when her cousin accidentally ate hemlock and died. Over years, she’s tested different remedies for various poisons and even developed her own using snake venom. When the king’s daughter, Snow, starts showing signs of poisoning, Anja gets called on to help figure out what’s going on. Lovable, relatable, funny, strong MC. Intriguing mystery in a unique world. Sweet romance. Sarcastic talking cat. What more could you want? This is being billed as a Snow White retelling which is somewhat true. But the story is very different and so are the themes. It felt almost more like Alice in Wonderland with Snow White imagery. Still a unique story all on its own. If you love Kingfisher's other novels, you'll continue to be endeared to her. If you like a revised fairy tale, pick this up.

Kingfisher is absolutely magical. There all there is to it. Her pacing and character work and worldbuilding is always phenomenal and Hemlock and Silver was absolutely no different. I cannot recommend enough.

Another T. Kingfisher winner. Realistic heroine in her 30s, good humor, and a fairytale but not one you've heard before. If you liked Kingfisher's Swordheart, Fawcett's Emily Wilde tales, or Novik's Uprooted, I would definitely recommend this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

Hemlock & Silver is a dark, enchanting reimagining of Snow White that feels completely fresh!
Kingfisher weaves unsettling magic with dry humor and delivers a heroine unlike any I’ve read!! Anja is smart and wonderfully sarcastic.

The atmosphere is rich and eerie without being overwhelming which perfect for readers who love a little spook without diving into full on horror. And while the romance is subtle, it’s the kind that lingers…
The quiet protector and slow-burn tension? Yes, please.
🪞🖤

Took half a star off for a few slower moments, but honestly? I’ll probably end up reading this book again.

Thank you to Tor books for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This is my favorite fairy tale retelling I have read in a long time, and definitely my favorite take on Snow White. The book has all the key elements of Snow White, from the mirrors, to the poisoned apples, and an evil queen, but still managed to be fully unique and unexpected. Which, I feel, is often lacking in a fairy tale retelling.

This book was simply unsettling in the best way possible. Kingfisher once again was able to capture a level of comfort in an uncomfortable, and sometimes downright creepy, tale. This book is perfect for people who want a spooky story but doesn’t want to commit to a true horror novel.

By far, the best part of this book is the main character. Anja is funny, brilliant, and knows exactly who she is. Her commentary throughout the story, with the mini-4th wall breaks alleviated some of the tension while making the stakes feel real because she felt so real. Kingfisher excels in writing female characters who are unique and so entertaining.

Finally, I couldn’t review this book without talking about the romance. I simply ate it up! Steadfast, quiet bodyguard who will follow you and protect you while you follow your passion and make maybe questionable decisions regarding your safety for the sake of curiosity? I mean, what is not to love! This book is not meant to center the romance, which I enjoyed, but the bits of romance we got were 10/10 and made me truly fall in love with this book

4.75 ⭐️ rounded up

A Snow White reimagining by my favorite dark and cozy author? Say no more! I am always eager to read anything this woman puts out and this did not disappoint!

While this is very loosely based on Snow White, the main focus of the story is our delightfully neurotic FMC, Anja, a 35-year-old single woman who is very academically minded and skilled within the realm of antidotes and poisons. (Although I am offended that in the realm of fantasy 35 is considered old and I am older than that!) Anja is called upon by the king because his daughter, Snow, is ailing and no physician can seem to cure her. She is brought to the villa Snow is being kept at along with her two new body guards, Javier and Aaron, and her poisonous pet snake. While she tries to solve the mystery around the poison- she ends up discovering an alternate world behind the mirror.

The first solid 20% of the book is an introduction to Anja and getting ready to travel to Snow. I really enjoyed this part. Upon getting to the villa, we get to see a lot of the cozy banter Kingfisher is known for while Anja interacts with the guards, the king, the servants, and other gentry. Anja also ends up obtaining a pet rooster and befriends(?) a talking cat. There’s also a romantic subplot for Anja.

I only took off .25⭐️ because some of the mystery is a little obvious. But I’m here for just the vibes! Highly recommend this to anyone who loves a dark, cozy retelling or fantasy.

Welp, Hemlock & Silver is a very, very T. Kingfisher sort of book. If I’d read it blind, I think I’d have picked it for a Kingfisher novel, because it has her hallmarks: very inventive interpretation of a source story while adding her own characters, a lot of warmth, and of course a central middle-aged female character who is absolutely capable, if a bit out of her depth.

That’s not to say this is a retread of other books by Kingfisher: her interpretation of the Snow White story is its own thing (and though it includes Rose Red, it’s not the “Snow White and Rose Red” story I know; closer to the Snow White story people know best through Disney). Anja and her efforts at applying the scientific method in this fairytale/medieval-technology setting are recognisable as being Kingfisher’s work, but Anja’s her own person too. I loved the scenes where she gets absolutely fascinated by a new discovery — she and I probably have some things in common!

I liked the characters a lot, including some of the side characters like Lady Sorrel, and of course, Grayling. Some of the concepts were super cool, too, with a very original monster concept about which I won’t say too much.

I did want to hit Anja with a pillow about one conclusion she’d jumped to, though…

If you’re a fan of Kingfisher, you’ll love it; if you’ve never tried it, it strikes me as a pretty good place to start.

T. Kingfisher is the queen of dark fairytales, and even if every one of her fairytales shares a thread in common, the entire tapestry is rich and varied. This one felt incredibly satisfying to sink my reader's teeth into, and I completely got lost in the story. For readers of fairytales who continue to grow older and see ourselves in various characters in stories as we age, this book feels like it's written for us.

I love a fairy tale retelling with a middle-aged woman who has a low tolerance for nonsense. This is a very imaginative take on Snow White, and the physics of the mirror realm made my head spin. The characters are wonderful, with the most interesting one being of course the cat (or not-cat!)

I loved this! I am relatively new to T. Kingfisher but I have loved everything I've read by her. This one didn't disappoint!! I love Anja and very much enjoyed the "following Anja's internal thought process" narrative style. I think it might bother some people but as a fellow neurodivergent person (Anja is very neurodivergent coded) I loved it! The mirror-gelds freaked me out if I thought about them for even one second. I love the "this thing is perceived as a monster but it's actions aren't monstrous" vibe but I couldn't picture what they actually looked like without getting the willies. It very much reminded me of the thumb people in Spy Kids and the maw-mouth in the Scholomance books. Both of which also freaked me out. All this to say, I loved this book and very much recommend it!

Well, I feel entirely justified in my unease in front of mirrors facing beds now. I love how T. Kingfisher can consistently bring new life into fairytales, making me completely forget it's a retelling. There's something so charming about having Anja approach life so scientifically, and yet still get swept up in palace intrigue. She's just minding her own business when -- surprise -- the king shows up and needs her to save his mysteriously ailing (poisoned?) daughter.

If you love an animal companion, this book is for you. Anja travels with a venomous snake, which she milks to create antivenoms, a rooster reminiscent of HeiHei, and has the best interactions with a castle cat that I can imagine. Their banter is unmatched.

I also loved that T. Kingfisher let Anja be uncomfortable with kids. I feel like it gave her an interesting arc as she tried to figure out how to monitor or curtail the princess, and also deeply relatable. The romance was almost an afterthought, but I will never not deeply appreciate the love stories T. Kingfisher writes for older protagonists. This one was no exception, and Anja really deserved her ending.

I loved that I could forget that this story was scaffolded on the fairytale of Snow White so readily and truly immerse myself in this rich desert world of poisonings and intrigue. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the advance copy of this latest T. Kingfisher book. Can't wait to add it to my collection.











Spoiler about theme below this line - stop reading here if you haven't read yet.
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(spoiler) Thematically, that this trouble all tracked back to the neglect of these women's emotional health, such that they needed to invest so much weight in their relationships with their mirrored selves, thereby imbuing those mirrored selves with such power, also felt particularly poignant to me. Of course none of it excuses the mirror queen's behavior, but spending that much time alone in a mirror world would be enough to drive anyone to make bad choices in an effort to escape. (/spoiler)

This is a sort-of Snow White retelling, where instead of focusing on Snow White herself, we follow poison-expert Anja as she is summoned by the King to heal the mysterious ailment of his teenaged daughter, Snow, after the death of her mother the Queen. When she arrives at the estate where Snow is living, she conducts a thorough investigation into what might be poisoning the princess, and encounters some strange happenings related to the mirrors placed in her rooms.

Anja is a delight. I’ve mentioned before that I find there’s a lack of interesting older women characters in fantasy novels, but Kingfisher is an author I can always rely on for that (and while they share some similarities, they’re all distinctly different too, not carbon copies of basically the same woman in every book). She’s smart, but sort of awkward, and her tendency to blurt out random facts at inappropriate times is very funny. The setting as well was very interesting—instead of the basic vaguely-central-European-foresty region that seems to be the default setting for most fairytale-inspired stories, instead we get a desert region with flora and fauna reminiscent of the American Southwest (which provides a lot of information for the poisons that Anja works with).

I tend to sort Kingfisher’s books into three categories: horror, romantic-focused fantasy, and fairytale retellings. This is probably the first book of hers that I have trouble fitting neatly into one category as it’s a really good blend of all of the elements that I love about her other books.