4.25/5

A healer, who regularly doses herself with poison, is summoned by the King to help save his dying daughter, and ends up finding a secret world.

I love T Kingfisher and am glad I didn’t know was a Snow White retelling beforehand. I usually don’t reach for retelling, but this really felt unique with the characters, story, and world. It’s a fun, creepy, mysterious, romantic ride.

I appreciate that the FMC was 35– shocking for this genre. Anja is scientific, compassionate, blunt, and has that classic T Kingfisher dry humor.

The animal side characters were fun and I loved the creepy creatures in the mirror world. I did find some of the mirror aspects and dual dimensions hard to follow at times, but that could be more on me than the writing.

And a great performance by Jennifer Pickens!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC!

This book is really interesting! I will admit, it had my attention more the first 1/2 but since then, it's taken a bit of a turn. Though I've read another book that's similar in magic that is helping me accept it.

The FMC is very intriguing to me though! Not often is a protagonist in a fantasy described as having a larger body type (would be interesting to see if own voices say it's a good rendering). It also feels like she's neurodivergent coded, which adds another element to the story too. She's quite unfiltered, literal, and scientific, which makes things quirky and funny. Very much a
T Kingfisher book!

I really loved this audio narrator! She’s got such great voices for everyone and excellent delivery. It added to the experience well.

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Dark, delightful, and full of heart. Maybe my favorite T. Kingfisher yet.

As a longtime T. Kingfisher fan, I had high expectations going into Hemlock & Silver—and this one might just be my favorite yet. It’s technically a Snow White retelling, but honestly, it feels completely original. Familiar in the bones, but transformed into something stranger, smarter, and much more haunting.

“Maybe the point of gods and saints is that they can make the monstrous choices that people can’t”

The real standout in this story is Anja, the female main character who is a poison expert/healer. I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved her. She’s everything I want in a main character—smart, practical, emotionally steady, deeply compassionate without being sentimental, and completely uninterested in performing for anyone’s expectations. She’s a poison expert who takes her craft seriously, tests things on herself with terrifying calm, and is more at ease with death than most people are with small talk. She’s also funny, deeply human, and refreshingly over thirty. And even when the world around her tips into the supernatural, she never loses that groundedness. She doesn’t panic—she analyzes. She doesn't flail—she thinks. I found myself rooting for her with my whole heart.

“Oh saints. I do not need another fetish right now” - my favorite Anja quote of the book.

T. Kingfisher has always had a talent for blending humor, horror, and heart, and that balance is on full display here. The plot creeps up on you, layered and mysterious, with sinister mirrors and shadowy forces that are genuinely unsettling. The pacing picks up beautifully after the first few chapters, and by the end I was fully locked in. And yes, there’s a talking cat with a wildly inflated ego. He’s a perfect menace, and I adored every scene he was in.

There’s also a slow-burn romance that stays perfectly in the background—subtle, warm, and so well-matched. It never tries to steal the spotlight, but when it lands, it lands in a way that feels honest and earned.
I also have to shout out the audiobook. The narrator absolutely nailed the tone of this book—dry wit, eerie tension, emotional depth—all of it. It brought Anja to life in a way that made the whole story even more immersive. I honestly didn’t want it to end.
Huge thanks to Tor and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy—this was an absolute gem, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone

Fairy tale retellings come in all shapes and sized from the saccharine-sweet animated features that many of us watched through childhood to the gruesome horror versions that give me nightmares, and the Snow White tale certainly has versions across the whole spectrum. Its one that I've enjoyed in several renditions. So, for one of my favorite authors to put her particular spin to the story brought me great delight. This particular cozy-creepy version of Snow White focuses on a healer who is brought in to find whatever may be poisoning the young girl, Snow. Anja has that dry wit that is so frequent in T. Kingfisher's main characters that I instantly took a liking to her. There is a touch of romance, a bit of mystery, animals that are more than they appear to be, and an evil villain to remind us that this is very much a fairy tale, and oh, yes, the mirror, mirror isn't just on the wall. So for anyone who enjoys T. Kingfisher's retellings like Thornhedge as much as I did, or just likes a slight twist to their not-quite-children's tales, this book needs to be at the top of their to be read list, or better yet, to be listened to and enjoy it the way that I did, with an excellent narrator to remind you of childhood when bedtime stories were read to you.
I received the ALC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Thank you to T. Kingfisher (author), Jennifer Pickens (narrator), Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley, for this advanced reader copy of "Hemlock & Silver" for an honest review. A new Kingfisher book available? Hands down, something I'm going to run for every publication. Another that happens to be a fairytale retelling with the main character who is in advanced years, happens to be a bit overweight, and also considered spinsterly? I'm here for them FOREVER. Take all my money, and twice that in my love and respect.

This book was a glorious reinvention of Snow White, with twists and turns I couldn't see coming a hundred yards off. I love the blunt, no nonsense of 'Healer Anja,' who is a dab hand at a lifelong stufy of poisons which have often had her singled out as "odd" and "macbre" and misunderstood by others, and frequently frustrated at herself for the way that finding cures is one of the hardest sciences to manage (especially in the time period alignment of this piece). Snow, as a twelve-year-old girl, was intensely believable in every way, from the first little smiles to that last running grasp of skirts. Grayling is the kind of cat every little girl reading books through her childhood longed for.

Every character—from King, to ex-mistress, to courtier, to the guards, the staff, and even the assailants—is written in such a three-dimensional way that makes you feel for them, even if you don't agree with everything their past circumstances have them doing currently. I am equally hopeful to read more in this universe, and just to watch Kingfisher continue her quest of retelling any number of fairytales forever. There are so many people who will need to be bought a copy of this for Christmas!

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Narrator: This was my second book narrated by Jennifer Pickens, the first of which was Kingfisher's "A Sorceress Comes to Call." Thus, it did take me a few chapters to disentangle the narration voice from the two main characters of the first book. I deeply loved all of her work, and the varied voices, especially between Anja, Snow, Javier, and Grayling, who felt very individual by the end of it all.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy!

A retelling of Snow White, HEMLOCK & SILVER follows the story of Healer Anja and a desperate call from the King to help save his daughter, Snow.

The way I read this story in two sittings within a 12-hour period of time should say it all - I absolutely LOVED it.

All the talk of poisons and intrigue told from Anja’s point of view intricately examining everything was the best. She was such a refreshing FMC and I Ioved how she brought us into this story and captivated us the entire time. She was also just so highly RELATABLE. That, plus the familiar elements of the Snow White story made for a compelling retelling that I didn’t want to depart from — so I just kept reading. With magic mirrors, a talking cat, and a guard who will have you giggling, this story steeped in poison is absolutely a must-read.

This story was narrated by Jennifer Pickens and I can’t recommend this audiobook enough - it’s absolutely fantastic!

Thank you to NetGally and Macmillan audio for an advanced audiobook copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

T Kingfisher is an autobuy author for me and this title was no exception. It’s not just a retelling in that it is told from the perspective of an original character and really leans in to the scientific aspect of this story in finding out what is happening to the royal family.

This story manages to be dark and cozy at the same time similar to their other titles. It has humor similar to Nettle and Bone (and includes hilarious animal companion). This is currently my favorite regal king of theirs.

The beginning does start a little slow and gives a lot of back story on Anya’s work with poisons but it really sets up the tone of the book and it does pick up after she is hired.

The audiobook narrator does an excellent job with this story and all the characters. Would highly recommend if you can.

Two important things you need to know:

1. I love T. Kingfisher.
2. I'm a sucker for adult fairytales, and fairytale retelling.

Kingfisher reigns supreme in twisted fairytale retellings, and Hemlock & Silver is peak Kingfisher. Think moody forests, unnerving creatures, and heroines with grit, vulnerability, and offbeat humor. The best way I can describe this is a mashup of Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Coraline, and Pan’s Labyrinth. It's dark, lyrical, and beautifully unsettling.

This story had me spellbound. I devoured it in a day and it still lingers (common with her books, honestly). The audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Pickens, was absolute perfection. She captured the eerie tone and emotional nuance so effortlessly I forgot I was listening.

It’s the kind of book that feels like stepping into a dream you won’t forget—half nightmare, half lullaby, and all heart.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the authour for providing the ARC in exchange for my enthusiastically honest review.

To me one of the best books of 2025 and T. Kingfisher.
I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator was perfect, it made the book even better and the experience more immersive.
The story draws inspiration from the tale of Snow White, but I feel like this is more of an original story than a real retelling, and to le that made it way more interesting.
The world building is subtle but so magical, and the characters are compelling and complex.
I absolutely loved the main character. She's smart, funny, unapologetic and so relatable.
I'm so glad I got to enjoy this book, I can't Recommend it enough.
Thank you Macmillan audio for this ARC!

Grateful to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC!

Healer Anja is summoned by the king to attend to his daughter Snow, who has been ill and no other healer has been able to figure out what is wrong. King Randolph fears that someone may be poisoning her, which leads him to seek out Healer Anja, who discovers that Snow has been eating apples from the mirror world. Eating food from the other world allows a person to pass in between the two worlds through mirrors, and Anja comes to realize that Snow's illness may be just the beginning of what entities in the mirror world have planned.

This is absolutely delightful! Anja's inner monologue is self deprecating and hilarious. The concept is a very cool twist on Snow White and the story manages to be incredibly spooky and tense without gore. The narrator does a fantastic job.

Really great stand-alone fantasy story - highly recommend!

Fantasy isn’t my go to genre but this was a decent enough book. Writing was good. I appreciate it not being overly complicated and the characters had normal enough names.

Woah. I loved this book! I loved the main character and how she knew herself.
It did get creepy at times ~ I will probably think of this book in the middle of night or walking past mirrors ~ kind of like Bloody Mary. 🤣 It reminded me somewhat of Caroline.
Loved it and will be recommending it!

4.5

Narrator did a great job too! Voice matched the character.

T. Kingfisher is a very hit-or-miss author for me but I am delighted to report that this was a hit!

✔ I loved this interpretation of a retelling. There are definite nods to Snow White, but this could stand apart and still be very compelling.
✔ Anja is a lovely main character, further enhanced by Jennifer Pickens’ narration. Anja is quirky, intelligent, sarcastic, and very fun. She’s also an older, larger FMC - the mention was appreciated, but it also added to some of the humor of the story. She’s also very true to herself - she knows who she is, poisons and all, and I enjoyed seeing the world through Anja immensely.
✔ This is a very humorous story and I cannot express how much the audiobook narration enhanced my enjoyment of it. I would highly recommend the audiobook for this story.
✔ The worldbuilding was very fleshed out. Though not necessarily required for most of the plot,, it added a lot to my enjoyment nonetheless. The poisons, medical theory (humors), mercantile tidbits, court gossip, etc made the world feel so much fuller despite so much of the story taking place in Witherleaf.
✔ I loved all of the animals that Anja collects! They are a relatively small part of the story but so cute!

✖ The story did have a tendency to drag a bit at times, particularly in the first part of the story before Anja arrives at Witherleaf and once Anja begins to explore the Mirror World. It wasn’t enough to put me off but it was noticeable.
✖ The romance was very cute but it was very compacted into the end of the story and not as fleshed out as I was hoping for. I wish there had been more time devoted to fleshing it out earlier in the plot.

4/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an amazing dark Snow White retelling- My new favorite!!

It was entirely a unique take on the original story, not at all obvious or predictable— Just really good storytelling overall. The twists and the way each page had me at the edge of my seat?!
I was so invested.

The characters were so fun to follow along w/ as well,
esp Greyling (spelling?). It gave very much Cheshire Cat vibes & I was in love!! Our FMC was also such a fun character, the way her inner monologue had me cracking up most of the time 🤣
She was just so socially awkward, but real. I kinda feel like if you’ve seen Apothecary Diaries, she lowkey gave MaoMao. Just her love for poisons & detective skills, I was obsessed— Esp ‘cause that’s one of my new favorite animes.

“Sleep is everything I want in life.”
*Her relation w/ sleep is me fr.

Our MMC was also such an amazing balance. The way he saw the different perspective from our FMC— They just meshed so well & even though it’s a Snow White retelling, I’m so impressed the romance wasn’t no where near heavy. It was the perfect amount, not too much, but not little either.

Also, read by Jennifer Wren Pickens?!
The 🐐 fr. I swear, when it comes to a dark read, Jen just hits DIFFERENT. I will forever be obsessed.
This was also my first T. Kingfisher book as well, I’ve been wanting to get into their work, but never had the chance. So this was such a great impression, I’m def a fan & would love to read more of them!!

A Snow White retelling about poisoning, royalty, and trying to save someone that is near-impossible to save but you kind of have to because it is the king's daughter and you can't really say no when the king asks for your help.

I love a good cat side character. Give me more of that. I am always a fan of that.

This follows Anja as she tried to save the king's poisoned daughter. Anja is a poison expert and worries what will happen if she cannot save his daughter. She gets help from unlikely companions and some chaotic things happen.

I didn't really get some of the relationship dynamics in this book, quite a few of them felt flat to me. And random. Some of the relationships explored didn't really expand on the story at all (like the romantic relationship between Anja and Javier).

I really did like this take on Snow White, it felt really unique and different while still feeling like Snow White. It wasn't a direct copy, but you can still feel all of the elements of the original story. I really like when that is how a retelling is done. I like artistic liberties and different interpretations.

This had some spooky moments, some funny moments, and a pretty cover!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

So this was marketed as a loosely reimagining of Snow White, but it makes me think more of Alice in Wonderland than any other previous fairytale story.

Anja is a healer, but really more interested in research than anything. Specifically research to find cures for poisons. Her bedside manner leaves something to be desired as her people skills are not great.

She's suddenly summoned away to help the king's ailing daughter, Snow, following a terrible family incident involving the deaths of the queen and their youngest daughter, Rose.

Anja's approach is very clinical and she struggles to find something to work with until she's given hints by a cat, or a cat like creature, from the other side of the mirror. She explores the world on the other side of the mirror with the help of her reticent bodyguard, determined to figure out the problem and come up with a solution.

It turns out to be much more than a case of simple poisoning.

Anja is charming in her info dumping. I appreciate the way characters are developed and the humor threaded throughout. I feel the same way about roosters.

I read & enjoy a wide variety of books. I don’t want to give you a book report on the mechanics of this book, I just want to recommend this book! I’m going to reread it & go look for an upcoming special edition. If you’ve read & enjoyed any of this author’s recent works of cozy fairytale whimsy, you will love this one too. I loved When A Sorceress Comes to Call, a spin on The Goose Girl. This is a spin on Snow White, it creeps up on you. I b want more of these retellings! Much more! If you haven’t read anything from this author before you’re in for a treat! Action adventure, twisted reimagining of an already twisted tale. The MC isn’t the beautiful princess … she’s a smart, nerdy, healer with a penchant for poison!

Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for this audio Arc. Fantastic narration! I stayed up entirely too late to finish this in one listen. Compulsive. Couldn’t put it down. Just what I needed. 5+stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this ARC!

4.5 - the writing and storytelling was so compelling that you honestly forget it’s a retelling of snow white. The character development was thorough, the plot was engaging and I truly didn’t hate the talking animals which for me says a lot! The writing was excellent, the horror was minimal, but wow I would recommend this to anyone who loves a fairy tale with a gruesome take. The vibes were spooky and sneaky.

This was such a fantastic adventure of a book! I am so glad that I do not have T. Kingfisher's imagination for macabre frightening creatures but I do love reading about them. She always has the perfect balance of humor, adventure, romance and pathos. Her characters come alive off the pages from the very start. I loved this and will highly recommend it to all readers of fantasy.

The narrator was fantastic - the characters absolutely came to life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Kingfisher is a hit and never misses!
This was a dark and beautiful reimagining, a must read for everyone who loves her work. The narrator did an amazing job as well, very emotional!