I’ve heard a lot of good things about T. Kingfisher and I was not disappointed, I fell in love with the writing style straight away, this book was full of darkness and intrigue and the atmosphere was brilliantly done throughout.

Fascinating, magical, exciting, suspenseful, and honestly just funny (I laughed out loud numerous times), this book was brilliant.

If I wasn't previously aware before diving into this book that it was a dark retelling of Snow White, I never would've put 2 + 2 together and arrived at that conclusion myself. The story follows Healer Anja, a woman with an insatiable curiosity, obsessed with poisons and their cures, who is requested by the King to help save his daughter, Snow, who he suspects has been poisioned (and who could possibly say no to the King?)

I personally found this book quite slow in the beginning. There was a lot of world building, which was admittedly rich and interesting and necessary, so although I found it somewhat tiresome to get through, the payoff layer on was definitely worth it. I was about a third of the way through when I reached that i-can't-put-it-down stage.

I found Anja incredibly likable and relatable - the way her mind races and her thoughts scatter, and even though she finds herself in a world of inexplicable mirror magic, she's so completely human and I adore that.

I'll be completely honest, I didn't really understand the technicalities of the mirror world that Anja discovers, but honestly? I don't need to. I was quite happy to just accept that these strange and wonderful things happen without question, and I think that might just be the best way to go into this book.

Overall, it's just a great story, with wonderful characters, and an imaginative new take on a story we're all far too familiar with.

Also, Javier has my heart. ♡

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for the ARC. It's hugely appreciated ♡

Another wonderful book from T.Kingfisher. I have read everything I can get my hands on from this author and I have never been disappointed. I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is T.Kingfisher’s take on Snow White. This isn’t just a retelling though. This is a completely new story inspired by some of the iconic imagery from Snow White and it’s fascinating.

This is a fresh new take on mirrors and apples. Our main character is typically fascinating for T.Kingfisher, a woman in her thirties who doesn’t consider herself particularly attractive and who is uniquely fascinated and driven by something. In this case, poisons and how to discover antidotes for them. Our main character is a healer specialising in curing poisonings. She has a pet snake who she kills for venom. She finds herself taking on a particular challenge when she has to cure the King’s daughter of a peculiar ailment no one can recognise.

We have a fantasy novel that doesn’t shy away from darker elements, blending in this author’s particular talent for comedy horror. We have absurd yet harrowing images as our main character navigates real danger and a malicious force she seeks to understand.

I loved this, it was so entertaining, so charming and with a main character you can absolutely root for!

3.5 stars. T. Kingfisher returns with yet another fairy tale re-telling, this time less lyrical, but more spunky, with our healer heroine as a witty narator. I found the concept interesting, but the execution I found a bit too complicated, with the intricacies of the magical world sometimes being lost to me, so it was difficult to grasp the full extent on the univesrse created by the author. This story also had the most developed love story and I found it well executed.

T. Kingfisher Hemlock & Silver once again delivers an unusual, dark story with plenty of charm and depth. While it's a loose retelling of Snow White, as is so often the case with Kingfisher, it's not the fairy tale itself that takes centre stage, but a new, cleverly crafted perspective on familiar motifs.

The main character, Anja, is a 35-year-old healer and poison expert who would rather spend time with her pet - a poisonous snake - than with other people. She is asked for help by the king himself after his daughter Snow suddenly suffers from a mysterious illness that no one else can cure. As Anja begins to observe the girl, analyse her surroundings and question the staff, the novel initially unfolds like a quiet, almost medical investigative drama. Fantasy hardly plays a role in the first half - instead, the focus is on botany, poisons and clever analyses. Anyone who loves these topics will get their money's worth here.

It is only in the second half that the plot shifts increasingly towards the fantastic: magic mirrors, another dimension and a talking, marvellously self-absorbed cat called Grayling appear on the scene. Although this twist brings pace to the story, the exciting poison theme unfortunately takes a back seat. The resolution of the central mystery - despite its predictability - also drags on for an unnecessarily long time.

I find Anja's character particularly successful: a professionally brilliant, socially awkward protagonist with a great thirst for knowledge and little interest in social norms. And as always, Kingfisher demonstrates a knack for representation - Anja is a corpulent heroine without this ever being thematised or problematised. Unfortunately, such characters are all too often lacking in the fantasy genre.

Hemlock & Silver is altogether less fairytale-like than earlier works such as Thornhedge or Nettle & Bone, coming across more like a suspenseful murder mystery with occasional fantasy elements. The tone remains typically Kingfisher: clever, funny, biting in places, but never silly. Even if the book doesn't quite reach her best works for me, I recommend it to all fans of the author - and to anyone looking for a fresh, unusual Snow White variation with depth.

I am a T. Kingfisher enthusiast and I am always after her new releases. Emphasis on releases, plural, because the woman publishes up to 3 books a year. Iconic. Her first release of 2025 is about 35-year-old healer and poison lover Anja who is sent to attend to the King's daughter Snow. Snow is plagued by a mysterious illness and no other physician could help her so far. Anja tries to find the cause of the sickness with her special knowledge of poisons and so the first half of the book is about her observing Snow's eating habits, examining her surroundings and questioning the staff of the estate. It is a slow-moving story, but I liked how all possible options were talked through and that everything was presented in a detailed way. There is barely any fantasy in the first half of the book and it focuses more on plants and poisons, which are themes that I LOVE in books. The second half than introduces some cool mirror magic and a talking cat (my beloved), but I do have to say that it kinda overshadowed the poison theme. I wish there was more of a mix with the medical and the magical part of this story, so that they wouldn't feel so separated. Once the mirrors were introduced, the story really focused on them and that part felt a little repetitive and didn't really hold my attention. I guess it might be the exact other way around for other readers, though. Considering that "Hemlock & Silver" is a Snow White reimagining, it was really no surprise who the culprit was and it took way too long before Anja figured it out too.

This book feels way less like a fairy tale than previous books by T. Kingfisher, like "Thornhedge" or "Nettle & Bone" for instance. It's more like Snow White is playing out somewhere in the background of the story with some recognizable elements thrown in from time to time, but with focus on a whole new character. I liked Anja a lot. She really found her area of interest and is always hungry for new knowledge, but she has the hardest time with other people and rather spends her life with her venomous snake. And bless T. Kingfisher for casually putting fat protagonists in her books, many other authors just don't do that. The funny tone of the book was a pleasure too. There are just always sentences that crack me up, but they never make the overall story seem silly. "Hemlock & Silver" might not be a contender for my new favorite Kingfisher book, but I can easily recommend this one for fans of the author (which should be everyone in my opinion).

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Genre & Tropes : Fantasy x Fairytale Retelling x Snow White Retelling x Creepy x Horror vibes x Touch of romance x Nerd but cute heroine x Silent hero xFunny

A retelling of the Snow White tale that I read with great pleasure

Not being a fan of Snow White, I was a little hesitant about this retelling, BUT since I love T. Kingfisher's books, I gave in and I LOVED it !

The setting is this book's huge strength : the details surrounding the plants, customs, and landscapes were amazing (I wasn't expecting a desert setting, and I LOVED it), and I loved the whole mirror thing (and the rules surrounding "reflections"). It was very scary but also absolutely fascinating !

The plot was captivating, centered around the mysterious "poisoning," and I loved following Anja's investigation, who was both adorable and bizarre =D (I loved her obsession with poisons ><). And I laughed a lot following her adventures !

The touch of romance was perfect (especially since I have trouble with books without any romance ...)

I might have liked a more developed ending or an epilogue (especially with the king's reaction and the heroes' future), but that's a detail =)

In short, a slightly dark and very original retelling of a fairy tale that I read with great pleasure !

Gosh, what a lovely book. It's a take on Sleeping Beauty, I guess, but T. Kingfisher does this wonderful thing with fairy tales, wherein she takes the memorable bits from them and remixes them so that, even if the origins are identifiable, it's very, very far from a straightforward retelling. We have poisoned apples, magic mirrors, and evil queens who want to eat their daughters' hearts, but none of those elements combine in familiar ways.

My refrain every time I hear, 'oh, it's a retelling of [x] fairytale' is to explode in frustration, 'FFS FIND A NEW STORY!!' And T. Kingfisher has. This is a distinct story, set in a very distinct landscape, with a distinct type of magic that is given full consideration of all its possibilities. And, because it is a T. Kingfisher story, its main characters are aging, rather than young and beautiful, and their success derives from knowledge and study and hard work, rather than luck and narrative contrivance.

Also, there's a delightful amount of poison vibes in it. I love poison so much.

Kind of a fantasy horror retelling of Snow White tale in T. Kingfisher's way.

I love this author, especially her horror stories and I was happy to see a mix of horror and fantasy based, loosely, on Snow White Tale with dark humor, and as usual a witty female character developed with talent.

That's something I love with Kingfisher's work, the character development and this one was awesome. It's probably the character I can relate with the most in all her work. A badass plus size woman, who's not taking bulshit and stereotypical lifestyle and a tad neurospicy in my opinion. I love her.

The romance is on the light side and without graphic intercourse, much appreciated as writers nowadays seem to add that everywhere to sell wick world building and character development, and badly written stories.

It's fun to read, a cozy fantasy on a darker side. The writing is excellent as usual with this writer. More a grey kind of villain and not stereotypically over bad in her development.

The female lead is incontestable as usual.

I also like how botanic and wisdom in general are studied beforehand and properly introduced in the story we without the scholar boring side and more educative and fun.

It's a solid dark fantasy tale and as usual a pleasure to read T. Kingfisher's stories.

As much as I love Kingfisher, and I do, Hemlock & Silver fell somewhere just beyond average for me.

The worldbuilding is great if a little confusing at points, this isn't the first time I've struggled to picture the creations Kingfisher imagines, although that could be a me problem rather than the descriptions.

As always the cast of characters are well fleshed and loveable, however I think writing from only one perspective and having Anja spend pages contemplating what's going on around her took its toll. There were moments the reader can immediately grasp the direction the plot is taking but must suffer whilst Anka takes forever to get there. Her obsession with poison and plants takes up much of the first third of the book, though it is mildly interesting I found it slowed the pacing too much for my liking. I had the same experience with The House With Good Bones going into extreme detail about insects.

I enjoyed the different spin on Snow White, Kingfisher still remains one of my top authors but this novel ranks lower than usual for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Rating- 4.5/5 stars

This was such a fun and engaging read! I've read (and loved) some of the author's previous works such as Nettle and Bone, so I was so excited to receive the ARC for this new reimagining of Snow White's tale. This takes the traditional fairy tale, and instead of simply repeating the main themes with a slightly more modern take (or butchering it all together like Disney), provides a fresh perspective and story that I would describe more as Snow White adjacent. We follow Healer Anja, a poison specialist, as she investigates Princess Snow's mysterious illness and her discoveries in the mirror realm, with this thus a different perspective and plot compared to the original, which I appreciated. The characters were well fleshed-out and likeable, and the mirror world developments were beautifully done, making the vibe of the book eerie and gripping at times. My only critique is that the book could have been longer! The end felt just a tad rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

This book is just wonderful.

If you are looking for a delicious, dark and humorous fairy tale then look no further. This is Kingfisher’s Snow White retelling and boy was it incredible. The author has a fabulous way of taking each of the elements of the story and weaving them in a way that is fresh and unique. Take the mirror and the apple, for example. They are not what they are in the original but are almost like characters in themselves. And it doesn’t feel forced.

I will admit that I am very much a T Kingfisher stan, but this is one of her best retellings and possibly my favourite of her books. Which is high praise as she is very much an auto read author.

If you’ve not checked her out before, take this as your sign to do so. Now.

Brilliant, brilliant brilliant retelling of the Snow White story by one of my favourite authors, T Kingfisher. This has all her hallmarks - a quirky, non- traditional down to earth, unromantic, scientist heroine with a hilarious turn of language, a beautifully created alternate world - this one worships animals and some truly frightening fairytale tropes that have the author's inimitable twist. Yes we have Snow White, yes we have poisoned apples, a magic mirror and an evil queen - we also have magic, an ancient god and we have science put together in a new and brilliantly original way. What if Snow White voluntarily ate poisoned apples? this is the mystery that Healer Anja and her bodyguard Javier set out to solve. I loved every bit of this story!

I’m so excited to be reading the ARC of this book! I was immediately drawn into the FMC, one of my favourite anime right now is Apothecary Diaries and the FMC is giving off strong MaoMao vibes, and I’m completely here for it.
I also really appreciate how T. Kingfisher writes about women in their 30s and beyond. It is refreshing to have fantasy retellings and the heroine is not your typical unconventional beauty/teen etc.
That said, I do think the story gets a bit bogged down with too much detail in the middle — it could definitely use some tighter editing to keep the pacing sharp.
I’m a big fan of the slow-burn romance and honestly wish there was just a little bit more of it!
I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC of this book!

Hemlock & Silver is my first T. Kingfisher book, and I am very satisfied with this dark but funny Snow-White retelling. A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and the author for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This novel has definitely set me on a path to read all of her other books, since I had such a great time with this one!

Anja, the protagonist, is a very relatable character. She is funny, witty, and knows her poisons and antidotes, which makes her the perfect character to follow in a story like this. More than once, I found myself wondering about something, only for Anja to voice the exact same thought, and that made her feel even more real to me. I also loved how she interacts with the other characters, especially the king. The romance was sweet and never overpowered the main story.

The story gripped me from the beginning. It was clever and entertaining from the first pag. In fact, the first two chapters were absolutely brilliant, incredible. There are a couple of slower sections, around the 5–25% mark and then again around 49–55%, but they allowed for more worldbuilding and flesh out Anja’s character. I really enjoyed the world T. Kingfisher created, with its saints, and the mirror world. Both feel well developed, even if the mirror world had a few very minor inconsistencies.

All in all, I think T. Kingfisher absolutely deserves all the hype she is getting. I loved her writing style, her clever storytelling, and how dark and eerie this retelling turned out to be. I will definitely be continuing my T. Kingfisher reading streak!

4.5 stars rounded up!

I love T Kingfisher, and one of the things I love is she covers so many genres, and I tend not to look before I go into it and I didn't for this one. The thing is I didn't know, are we fantasy romance? Are we horror? Are we... So it turns out this one is a little bit of a blend, which was a little surprising, but not bad at all!

The world that T Kingfisher has created is creepy and compelling, and as the mystery unfolds you find yourself guessing and second guessing what could be happening and what the rules of this world are. The book was a little slow to start and that's my only critique, but once it's going, oh boy it's going!

While the mystery develops so does a little secondary romance, which was sweet and very much in the vein of the Paladin's series, slightly older protagonist and a rather practical if charming love interest.

A lovely little book. 4.5* rounded down.

When a new book from T Kingfisher is released you know it is a must to read. Kingfisher is one of the best authors who manages to take a fairy-tale and give it a new and improved lease of life. Here she has taken the tale of Snow White and in my thoughts made it better.

I would say this is definitely a more darker twist of Sniw white but with new character's introduced and boy do you just love them all. With Kingfishers writing every page gets you wrapped up in the book. It is also kind of like a who done it /who's the villian so if you like to work things out then this book is for you

If you have never read one of her books before this is a good place to start. It would appeal ro YA to Adults. Trust me you won't be disappointed

This book is clearly influenced by Snow White - there are princesses, mirrors, murderous mothers, mysterious illnesses and magic apples. However these elements are mixed up and set down in new patterns so it is not so much a retelling as a story with echoes in it.

I enjoyed this book. It has one of Kingfisher's charmingly autistic-coded heroines, some humour, some horror, a romantic lead who is suspiciously similar to the paladins in the Saint of Steel series (I'm beginning to think Kingfisher has a type) and a mystery to solve.

It is not a perfect book. In particular the trip across the desert near the start of the book is much slower paced than the writing on either side of it. While I enjoyed reading this section I suspect the book would have been better with most of it cut out or relegated to an appendix.

I am also a bit tired of paladins (or people who are not actually paladins but are still close enough), and was not particularly invested in the romance side of things. This is less a problem with how this book was written and more a problem with the similarly to many of Kingfisher's other books.

Still recommended overall - an easy read with a dry sense of humour and a satisfying ending.

I love T Kingfisher and this book did not disappoint. The worldbuilding has something extremely special to it, with details you didnt ask for but are well needed for the story to make sense.
The main character is big and tall woman, that loves her poisons and the problems they pose while not liking the humans attached to the problems so much. I really liked that our FMC was not small and fragile.
Not 5 stars because I would have liked a bit more romance (very little, no open door). I hope there is a sequel because I have questions...
Recommend to anybody that liked her books in general and for those looking for a little mystery in a fantasy world with magic.

Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillain for providing me with an ARC for this book

A creative twist on the Snow White fairytale with Kingfishers signature whimsically weird writing style. This was a great take on this fairytale with grumpy poison doctors, grumpier bodyguards and a talking god cat. Along with the token rooster! Thoroughly enjoyed this one.