I mean … fairy tale retelling … middle aged main character … auto buy author. Of course, I loved this!

This is a Snow White retelling but really an imaginative one. It strays from the main story in ways that makes this novel interesting and fresh. It’s not as action forward as some of the authors previous novels, but that is a really good thing here as it is very in tune with the main characters personality. She is one of my favorite types of characters, a middle age woman with a sharp mind, clever sense of humor and wit, and intellectual curiosity that gets her into no end of trouble. She is completely un-ordinary. I really enjoyed her a lot. I fully recommend this book just on the strength of her characterization. That is even with the great story, and a very nice, subtle slow burn romance.

There are some books you just know will be an absolute delight—T. Kingfisher’s Hemlock & Silver is one of them. I first discovered her writing last fall and immediately fell in love with both her storytelling and style. So when I was approved for an eARC of this book, I was geeking out.

Short description: Healer Anja regularly drinks poison—not to die, but to save lives. When the king’s daughter, Snow, falls mysteriously ill, Anja is summoned to help. With only a gruff guard, a vain cat, and her sharp mind, she searches for a cure—until a magic mirror reveals a hidden world that may hold the answer… or doom them all.

This book had everything I love in fantasy—relatable characters, a strong plot, action, mystery, suspense, and secondary characters that enhance the story rather than slow it down. The pacing was excellent, and where T. Kingfisher really shines. She keeps a good flow and the reader engaged, while providing background information on the characters, their past, and while dishing out science and medical information data. I know a book is good when I can’t put it down, even on my Kindle (which isn’t my favorite way to read).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5—I don’t hand out fives lightly, but this one earned it. Loved it so much, I’ll be grabbing the DELUXE EDITION!

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.

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!

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.

First off a big thank you to the publisher for letting me read Hemlock & Silver , and 2nd is they did amazing job with thus cover , it's absolutely beautiful and the colors draw your eyes to the book. Now on to my thoughts, usually I have a hard time with retelling but with thus one I didn't have that problem at all and the reason is because of how T.Kingfisher puts a dark and creepy twist on her retelling, while it does take some time to get into the story , I found that that's one of the reasons I was enjoying it so much because it helped the characters as well as let you see the world building come to life before your very eyes . Plus the story itself was different then any of the other Snow White retelling that is out there , ìts the perfect blend of magic,but at the same time dark and twisted, with a touch of romance, and fantasy that makes you want to set and read .

T. Kingfisher truly never disappoints, she has quickly become my favorite author. I really loved everything about the main character in this story, and found myself believing she was a real person and wishing I could ask her more about poisons! Kingfisher masterfully remakes fairytales so there's just enough of a hint of the original so you know the inspiration, but then completely makes it her own. I'm a huge fan of how she is able to write the characters in such a way that is so true to their age, and especially how many stories have FMC's that are in their 30's or older! This was an easy five star read for me!

This retelling of Snow White is not just a retelling, it’s a MASTERPIECE!

Anja is literally the coolest protagonist ever—she drinks poison to save lives, and I am HERE. FOR. IT! The way Kingfisher weaves magic, mystery, and suspense is pure magic. I was hooked from page one, and that vain cat? Iconic! The pacing is flawless, and the plot twists? Insert that mindblown gif! This is a MUST read.

Hemlock & Silver is a unique and dark Snow White retelling.
The characters were great.
Anja is an expert in poisons mostly because she likes solving problems. She's in her 30's, unmarried, and lacks tact 🤣
When the king asks her to try to figure out if his daughter is being poisoned, she's thrown into a world she's not used to.

The magic was interesting, but I don't want to give anything away.

While I would have enjoyed this even without a talking cat, it certainly didn't hurt. Grayling was a fun side character to have around.

Highly recommend for fans of twisted tales!

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for an early copy for review!

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Hemlock & Silver tells the story of Anja, a healer (problem solver) of poisons. She's 35, unmarried, with a wonderfully sarcastic un-tactful attitude. Anja is tasked with saving the kings daughter who may or may not have been poisoned. This was my favorite "Snow White" reimagined novel I've ever read. It was giving Snow White and Red Rose from a side character and I couldn't put it down.

It did start off a little slow but I think the world building and setting the tone for why Anja is the way she is was so important.

There are of course so many side characters and each of them were so different.
Some of my favorites:
- The love interest, ugh 😍, *loved* him.
- Snow was written exactly like a 12 year old.
- I'm not a cat person but I def would want a cat like Grayling.

You will not be prepared for the mirror-geld. Everything about this book was unexpected in the best way ever. I think this might be my new favorite T. Kingfisher book.

“It seems like the beasts in fairy tales might get lonely, being so different.”

Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Tor Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many emotions and feelings about this book but just know I'm screaming and crying this ENTIRE review.

This book gave me so much nostalgia for 2015, first stumbling across T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)'s books and spending every waking moment reading and rereading them every second I could. It was so cozy, yet dark. meaningful yet lighthearted, and humorous yet with deadly serious stakes.

Anja is better with poisons than people, yet a visit from the king brings her into his circle, in search of a cure for his daughter, Snow, and her mysterious illness. whether its poison or not is up for debate, as no healer has found a cause yet, but the king will try absolutely everything to try and save his beloved daughter.

There, at remote estate Witherleaf, we meet our colourful cast of characters, including one particularly grumpy and aloof cat, and watch as Anja and King's Guard Javier try to get to the bottom of the young princess' illness.

To say anymore will be to spoil some of the delightfully crafted surprises throughout so I'll leave it there, but If I could give it more than 5 stars? I'd do it in a heartbeat

Thank you Netgalley for the arc for my honest opinion.

First off this book was absolutely amazing and I was so excited to get to read about snow white. But I will say this is very very loosely Snow White. With that said this was absolutely fun.

Like with most Kingfisher this is witty and humourous. It also has the most insane conversation that make you laugh out loud.

The cat carries a lot of the humor.

Now the mystery in this book is absolutely gripping until the very end when you find out who done it.

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up for a light horror mystery with witty banter and a hilarious cat doing cat things.

Kingfisher does it again. H&S is such an interesting blend of their fantasy genre mixed with their horror stories. Some of the creatures you encounter reminds me of the Twisted Ones which was a nice throw back. Overall the story is not what I expected, and the way it developed was a pleasant surprise. A twisty tale very reminisce to Alice in wonderland.
Anjas side comments were always fun, I just wish they weren't always in parentheses just for stylistic reasons. Sometimes they felt jarring. However, the content was always a blast and a fun way to know a character better.
I also loved how Anjas feelings towards Javier develop, and even more so how at some point she only thinks about confessing if they die to save off embarrassment, which is so relatable.
Also talking cats? Always a good choice.

T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and "Hemlock & Silver" is now one of my favorite books. This is a brilliant retailing of Snow White and Rose Red."

The things I love about this story are numerous so here are just a few:
- the heroine is unashamedly plus sized but it's not an aspect of her character, it's just who she is
- the answers that need to be discovered don't just suddenly occur to our protagonists, they are explored and found organically with a background as to why they'd have the ability to figure the answers out
- the child character has agency in her own story also, she's clever while still making age appropriate mistakes
- the love interest is perfect for the protagonists station in life
- the religion throughout the story is subtly woven throughout and lends itself to the story without being the driving force
- the ending did not play out exactly as expected

I cannot recommend this book more and I can't wait to own a physical copy to add to my growing collect of T. Kingfisher books!

Hemlock and Silver blends mystery, science, and magic, and I am 100% here for it. Anja is a healer who willingly drinks poison in pursuit of cures. With her sharp wit, dry humor, and brilliant mind, she is relatable and deeply engaging, making her quest to solve the mystery easy to root for.
The story builds an atmosphere of curiosity and discovery, mirroring (Ha! I slipped in a pun) Anja’s inquisitive nature as she navigates the complexities of medicine and the dreadful secrets hidden within a magic mirror to save Princess Snow.

The story is filled with tension and conspiracy, made all the more enjoyable by a quirky cat that talks and a guard. The deeper Anja digs, the more the mystery unfolds. The book effortlessly balances humor and high stakes, offering a fresh take on the classic fairytale retelling. It would not be a T. Kingfisher if it did not have the eerie atmospheric feel, so you will not be disappointed. The author is a master at writing female characters of substance, developing clever, layered, and formidable women in literature. I was utterly engrossed in the mystery, the characters, and the intricately crafted other world, making it impossible to put the book down.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publish Group, for the opportunity to review the ebook.

“‘Look then unto the Poison’s mirror, and so unlock the Curative to match it, each to each.’ I swept my hands across the stacks of books…’But how do I find the mirror image?’”
Healer Anja

Overall: 4.75/5, rounded up
Perfect for fans of: Dimension 20’s Neverafter, Botany Manor, and that one moment in Rupaul All Stars 2 where all the eliminated queens show up in the mirror
Follow up with: The Mirror Visitor quartet by Christelle Dabos, The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh

T. Kingfisher is really just showing off at this point — another stellar take on a worn-out story that feels fresh and exciting all the way through. Hemlock & Silver is a “retelling” (generously defined; we’ll get into that) of Snow White that takes all the classical elements and transforms them into an entirely new story infused with Kingfisher’s iconic humor, romance, and a healthy dash of horror. Snow White is the classic pre-teen princess, but instead of focusing on her, Kingfisher introduces the reader to Anja: an expert in poisons and antidotes, driven by a personal tragedy in her earlier years. The king’s daughter Snow is terribly ill, and no one can figure out why. At a loss, the king turns to Anja, desperate to solve this mystery and keep his last daughter safe and alive. Once Anja arrives at the castle that serves as Snow’s sickbed, however, she discovers a magical realm hidden behind the many massive mirrors at the estate — and the way mere reflections are more powerful than anyone has ever imagined.

Anja is instantly loveable (for fans of Kingfisher’s other works, she reminds me a lot of Clara from Paladin’s Strength) which was the highlight of a mostly-slow first quarter. Her humor is pointed and familiar without being anachronistic, and while she is a successful heroine, Kingfisher makes it clear throughout that she’s not perfect. It was satisfying to read her struggles throughout the book; her wins felt earned and I was rooting for her success at every turn.

Every character in this book shines in their own way, although Anja (appropriately!) steals the show. Javier and Aaron are lots of fun as the grumpy and sunshine (respectively) bodyguards, Lady Sorrel’s wit and charm are refreshing, and Greyling is a unique take on the ‘talking animal’ sidekick — although I would argue Anja is his sidekick, and I’m sure he would too. Even Snow is entertaining as the spoiled and snippy 12 year old princess; I wanted to strangle her almost as much as I wanted her to get better.

Like Kingfisher’s other retellings, Hemlock & Silver isn’t really a retelling at all. The inspiration is obvious; the princess is named Snow, she’s eating a lot of apples, there’s a question of poison, and there’s plenty of mystery surrounding an absent queen and the mirrors she’d brought with her. That’s about where the similarities end, and Kingfisher deftly makes the story her own. There’s twists I expected and twists that I didn’t, and overall the framework of the story I expected was reflected back at me in a completely different way than I had imagined.

Kingfisher also generated an entirely new world and religion for this book, and while it definitely isn’t 100% fleshed out, it absolutely passes the five-second test and was way richer than I would’ve expected for a stand alone where none of the characters were really religious figures. Kingfisher’s theology is always exciting to me and this was no exception — the focus on animal saints added yet another layer of believability to the book, ensuring I bought in every time something new was introduced. Every element of the desert world felt connected; if there was anything odd that people did, it was handily explained by either a quirk of faith or setting. This was great fun for me and I really enjoyed that she took the effort.

The romance was definitely cute in this one; I never really read books specifically for romance, so it wasn’t a draw for me on its own, but it felt satisfying to see it come to life nonetheless. If you are an avid romance reader, there’s definitely plenty here to please you, but it doesn’t overpower the story or the plot. In fact, without the plot, the romance probably wouldn’t happen; there’s no magical chemistry or irrefutable force of nature drawing them together.

My only issue with the book was the pacing in the first quarter; I feel like a couple of plot elements were raised and then dismissed pretty quickly. While it didn’t affect the overall experience of the read for me, a lot of the details discovered during the group’s journey to the castle ended up being extraneous and probably could’ve been cut.

A dark reimagining of Snow White that feels familiar, while telling a stunning new version of the beloved fairytale. T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming an auto buy author.

What’s to love…
- dark fairytale
- strong, sturdy, & tall, over 30 FMC that’s smart, mature, and just a bit quirky
- dare I say this is a STEM book? yeah I’m saying it. Definitely STEM - Anja is obsessed with studying poisons
- romantic subplot that is slow burn and epically adorable
- ANIMAL companion (the feistiest cat)
- no spice
- laugh out loud funny
- weird af (and I mean that in the best way possible)

What’s not to love…
- My only complaint is that it starts a bit slow, but once you’re at the 40% mark the pacing is perfect and you won’t want to put it down.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for my review.

Such a lovely book, this is a retelling (of sorts) of the classic Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale. It includes apples, mirrors and the queen/mother figure, but adds in some of Kingfisher's horror and horrific monsters that give this tale quite the twist. The heroine of this book is not the expected Snow White, but rather a woman who is a scientist of sorts, called in by the king to investigate what is happening to his daughter Snow. Delightful in so many ways, you won't want to miss this one.

T. Kingfisher is a top five favorite author for me, so I am always excited to read her new books. Hemlock and Silver is a retelling of Snow White with that classic Kingfisher twist. The humor is dry, the plot is on point and I'm always a fan of fmc's that are older than 25. The story immediately sucked me in and I ended up finishing the book in a day. Snow White isn't one of my favorite fairy tales, but this retelling was so much better in my opinion. I appreciated the twists and turns and the sprinkling of romance in between.

Cozy horror isn't a genre, except that Kingfisher might be inventing it? I'm not sure how else to characterize this delightful, genre-bending novel. It is fantasy, except that the magic doesn't start until halfway through, and it is horror, except that the obvious monsters might not really be monsters. There is also a healthy serving of mystery as Healer Anja tries to figure out what is poisoning Snow.

In some ways, this is the most Kingfisherian of her books. It has everything I have come to love and expect from her fantasies-- a humorous narrative voice, a romantic subplot, and characters who get dealt a bad hand but just get on with it already. That last one may be my favorite element of Kingfisher's usual style. There is no angst, no protracted interpersonal drama caused by avoidable miscommunication, no woe-is-me attitude. Healer Anja, with her passionate but analytical personality, is the perfect example of this. She gets dropped into a dreadful situation, takes a moment to sigh, and then rolls up her sleeves and dives right in, shoving charcoal and snake venom exactly where it is needed to produce results. The tight cast of characters helps readers to connect with each of them. Healer Anja stands among my all-time favorites of Kingfisher's protagonists.

In other ways, this felt like a slight break with the rest of Kingfisher's oeuvre. Maybe it was the visual greyness of the second half of the book, or maybe that the rest of it takes place in the desert, or... I don't know, something. In her previous books, I have always had the sense of a lush fantasy world. (Albeit tinged with horror. There is always at least a little horror.) In this one, there was something that felt just a touch bleak that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I enjoyed it, but it was different.

Thank you, Kingfisher, for saving me from a reading slump with this page-turning fantasy mystery!

And many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for this eARC!

An intriguing, poison-filled romp through a desert world - Kingfisher tackles yet another classic fairytale, Snow White, with her usual wit and charm. I always like reading her books because I know I'll come away with a lot of information about really specific things, a new night terror, and a lot of laughter. A good time all around!

T. Kingfisher's Snow White retelling is another great book in the T. Kingfisher line-up. Filled with Kingfisher's unique, relatable, and humorous voice, mystery, and romance. It twists a perfect balance between the original story with Kingfisher's own vision.

For those who love fairytale retellings but long for something new, Hemlock & Silver hits the mark. This dark reimagining of Snow White is steeped in poison, mystery, and magic, told from a new perspective: a kind healer named Anja, whom the king has hired to figure out what is killing his daughter, Snow. Traverse the mysteries of poison, magic, and a world beyond the service of the mirror in this new dark fantasy.

Another great novel from T. Kingfisher. A woman who has made the study of poisons and their antidotes the purpose of her life is commissioned by the king to find out who is poisoning his daughter, Snow. If you guessed it was an evil witch with poison apples, you're right, but it's much more complicated than that. Fast-paced, wonderful read.

I am completely in love with this book. T. Kingfisher’s characters are always perfectly hilarious, lovable, and relatable and I was giggling and laughing through so much of the story. The horror aspects of it were so good and I was sad when I got to the last page. Another 5 star read from one of my favorite authors.. thank you!

T. Kingfisher comes through again with a fantastic twist on Snow White that will make you laugh and gasp. The main character in this book, Anja, is such a delightful character, maybe my favorite Kingfisher heroine of all! This is just such a wonderfully twisty and fun book, anyone that likes fantasy or fairy tales shouldn’t miss this one!

A dark and twisty Snow White retelling that you haven't read before.
T. Kingfisher does it again! I was absolutely absorbed into this world from start to finish.

Our story follows Anja who is not our typical 16 year old petite and fragile FMC. She's a 35 year old tall, hulking woman and a talented poison master. She found her love for studying antidotes through a childhood tragedy and worked with a teacher her father had employed to expand her knowledge. Many years later she is contacted by the King to help discover what is ailing his daughter Snow. Anja suspects that snow is struggling with grief after her mother murdered her younger sister and then perished along side her. With the help of two guards one of whom becomes our love interest she discovers that what is ailing Snow might now be poison after all. We explore a magical world with creepy creatures and fall in love with the characters along the way.

I didn't think I could love a companion animal more than I loved Bonedog but Grayling might take the cake. Any time he entered the scene I found myself laughing because the way Kingfisher created the dialogue is exactly how I perceive cats. Witty, self centered assholes. :)

If you're looking for a book where you will completely fall in love with the characters, the world and the magic of it all this book is for you!

OMG. I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! Hemlock and Silver is a unique retelling of Snow White. It was totally not what I expected, and I mean that excellently! This book will be one of my most recommended books this year. It has adventure, newfound friends, magic, and mystery. Thank you to T. Kingfisher, Tor Publishing, and Net Galley for the e-ARC.
After witnessing her cousin die from eating poison hemlock, Anja has committed herself to finding antidotes to poisons. One day, the King arrives in Anja’s lab, confessing to killing the Queen after catching the Queen in the act of cutting out one of the princesses’ hearts. His other daughter, Princess Snow, is in an undisclosed location, sick from what he suspects is poison. The king brings Anja to Snow to help cure her. As Anja observes princess Snow’s day-to-day actions, Anja starts to suspect there’s more than poison making Snow sick. Anja is determined to get to the bottom of who is doing this to Princess Snow.
I enjoyed Anja the most. She is an intelligent 30-something independent single woman. Being a plus-sized woman, I appreciate the representation of a plus-sized main character who isn’t ashamed of who she is or her size. I felt seen. Most women in fantasy books are described as tiny and light weight. Anja was taller and broad, but she owned it and knew her body could be substantial. There was a moment when Anja’s guard was trying to move full wine barrels. Anja asks him to move so she can use her strong legs to move the wine barrels. That made me laugh because sometimes I will try (and sometimes succeed) to do heavier leg presses than my sons and husband. I also thought Anja’s dialogue was funny.
Add it to your TBR now! It is such a fun read!

Snow White retellings are rare. Middle-aged protagonists rarer still! Both in the deft hands of T. Kingfisher make for a phenomenal fairytale retelling that is leagues above most that I have read ( and I am an avid fan of them as a genre!)

Thank you to TOR Publishing group and Netgally for providing me with an ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Hemlock & Silver is a fresh take on the tale of Snow White and Rose Red, where the titular characters have taken a supporting role behind the main character, a particularly focused but seemingly unexceptional poison specialist.

As a character, Anja embodies Kingfisher’s typical heroines, which is to say that she is direct and intelligent while remaining endearing and utterly approachable. Kingfisher’s style of writing–dry sarcastic humor which dulls the edge of the horrors the characters face–has always appealed to me, and this book was no exception. At no point in the book did I find myself bored, even when there wasn’t major action taking place. It took me only two days to finish this book, and, as always, I found myself smiling at the end and wishing to flip right back to the first page and start again.

For fans of T. Kingfisher’s other books like Swordheart and Nettle & Bone, you absolutely will not want to miss this book. Hemlock & Silver is T. Kingfisher at her best, and an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with her work. Whether you’re a fantasy, cozy, or horror fan, there will be something to appeal to you in this book, and it’s a perfect start to those spooky and cozy fall reads.

This was one of the oddest stories I've ever read, and I loved it.

This is a Snow White reimagining, and while it has some minor similarities, it is far from the classic fairy tale. If you're looking for a story that's a little dark, twisted, magical, creepy, and filled with snarky humor, look no further.

Anja is a healer who often poisons herself in an attempt to find cures. The King's daughter, Snow, is ill, so he comes requesting Anja's assistance in searching for both the poison and the cure. This leads Anja and her newly appointed bodyguard on a wild journey into a dark realm with high stakes.

I thoroughly enjoyed every character, from the bodyguards to 12-year-old Snow, to the sarcastic, furry friend (who may or may not be a cat). Grayling was one of my favorite parts of the story. I was actually laughing out loud at one point. He was so entertaining.
And to have a smart, plus-sized, 30-something, unmarried protagonist was refreshing to say the least. Anja's awkward and untactful. Her internal dialogue had me cackling.

I really took my time with this one, savoring all of the dry humor and witty wordplay. The pacing really picks up halfway through the book but overall, I think it had a good balance.

This was my introduction to T. Kingfisher, and I was blown away by her storytelling. It put me in a desert world unlike any other, crafted so well it left little to the imagination.

I had an absolute blast reading this, and I'm grateful to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I'm excited to check out more work by this author. Thank you!

The mirror gelds... YIKES.

I don't have anything witty for you. It's exactly and absolutely what it is supposed to be, which, I suppose, for the right sort of reader (or the wrong sort), might be disappointingly perfect.

A new T Kingfisher is always a treat, and never one to savor. Absolutely obsessed, yet another banger (!!) from Kingfisher.

I'm really liking how all of her various genres have been enjoying a bit of a blend in the fairytale retellings. There's a tasty background romance with just enough intrigue to run a b-plot, a bunch of horrific creatures and magical concepts that usually populate her horror- and well, everything she does - and who isn't a sucker for an interesting twist on a fairy tale.

This is a retelling of "Snow White," sans the cute animals and soprano warbling and honestly most of the things that would make it recognizable (which is good, snow white is my least favorite) but I feel like I got some of the same interesting flavor as the Robin McKinley retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses (a compliment, that one has stuck with me for years). Readers will note the fascination with mirrors, and apples, and other fun bits of symbolism and terrible implications in family relationships.

If T Kingfisher had a fan club I would fight tooth and nail to be the president. Going into this book I expected it to be very much like Nettle & Bone, so I was a bit thrown off by the beginning. It took me a bit to get into the story, but honestly, I think that was my expectations getting in my way.

Hemlock & Silver follows Healer Anja, a 35-year-old professional poison nerd. In this Snow White reimagining Snow is very much awake, but her father the King charges Anja with figuring out who is poisoning her.

As always, Kingfisher brings us a main character who isn’t a frail teenager or an angry skinny lady. Anja is just a normal human carrying around a poisonous snake and trying to find cures for poisons. She is delightfully real, hilarious, and prickly.

Now, Kingfisher normally has a tendency to write in genre. Horror books are contemporary, fantasies are weird and dark, and romances are delightful. In this book, she breaks from that mold, makes us fall in love with a loyal guard, gets weird, and then makes you afraid to ever look at a mirror again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC. I loved this book and I will continue to remain a loyal T Kingfisher fan, but I have to go remove all of the mirrors from my house now.

4.5⭐

In true T. Kingfisher fashion, this story was truly unique. I'm not sure of any other author who could come up with something as unique as mirror-gelds *shutter*. I enjoy the type of characters that they come up with and the fmcs are often some of my favorite characters. Anja is strong but flawed but I loved her thinking and how excited she got when trying to figure out the problems. A slightly cantankerous cat and a strong silent bodyguard help too.

I loved this book so much!! I was hooked from the first line and loved reading this. Thank you to Netgalley and T Kingfisher for the awesome arc!

Anja is a well-respected Healer, with a vast knowledge of poisons and a single-minded focus for finding cures for said poisons. She manages to be an educated woman in a male-dominated field without being labeled a witch (which is a feat in itself). The King has asked her to save his last remaining daughter, and Anja says yes, rather against her will. In this new spin on the tale of Snow White, Anja is up against the clock (and the sheer force of will associated with a moody teenager), to save the Princess, while navigating the total lack of privacy that comes from living in the Kings household and keeping her reputation intact. My favorite character was the cat, who has all the answers and no sense of obligation to share them. As much as this was pegged as a retelling of Snow White, I thought it equally showed some of the zaniness of Alice in Wonderland, which added some light-heartedness and humor to the story.

T Kingfisher knows fantasy! To be able to rewrite a classic in such a way that still remains so unique is incredible!

Hemlock and Silver is a retelling of Snow White, but very loosely. There is a character named Snow, and one named Rose as a nod to the original Snow White and Rose Red. Otherwise, the story deviates from the original. Anja is a healer who is very good with poisons, and is summoned by the king to find out what is wrong with his daughter Snow, who is mysteriously ill and has been since the queen was killed by the king for murdering her sister. She travels to a manor house to see her patient and test for different kinds of poison that could be making her sick, but can't figure out what's wrong, until she catches Snow eating a strange fruit that came from nowhere. This is where the story picks up the pace. Anja discovers that there is another world on the other side of the mirrors in the house. The people on the other side of the mirror don't move unless they are reflected by a mirror. Anja realizes that Snow must be getting the fruit from the mirrors somehow, but there's much more going on in the mirror world than she originally thought. The magic is dangerous, and there's another queen who wants to leave the mirror. Anja and her guard Javier are swept into a world they had no idea was possible on a quest to save the princess.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book and it blew me away! Such a beautifully written retelling of Snow White. To follow Anja and her curiosity of potions, creating and experimenting antidotes was like actually being there. Her search for a cure for the King's daughter after an unfortunate incident by the queen, takes us on a journey like no other. To know all the twists and turns of this crafted retelling, pre-order your copy.

Hemlock & Silver
By: T. Kingfisher
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book: 35
Favorite quote:
“Back to work. Doing . . . whatever the hell it is I do.”

First, thank you NetGalley and TOR publishing for allowing me to read this ARC of Hemlock & Silver.
Choosing a favorite quote for this book was so hard because there were so many good ones. This book took so many themes and pieces of stories that we all know and love and created a whole new world. I feel like I experienced a little bit of Snow White, a little bit of Coraline, and even a bit of Steven Universe. As a massive Coraline fan, seeing similar themes used throughout the story and how well the mirror people mirror the other family was delicious. I really loved this book. I feel like T Kingfisher does small fantasy so well and this was really one of my favorites. I basically devoured this book in one day and already wish I could experience it again!

At this point it’s hard to write a review of a T. Kingfisher novel—not because of the pace of publication, though that is breakneck (four books this year! Four!), and not because of the quality of the prose, which is unwaveringly compelling, or even the narratives, which are consistently innovative. It’s the rare combination of all these: how the hell do you say read this author any more often or louder?

Anyway: read this author! And specifically in this case, read this book! Which one? This time I’m talking about Hemlock and Silver, Kingfisher’s take on Snow White. There’s ample humor and ample horror, as is usual for a Kingfisher novel. Also, we have the standard T. Kingfisher heroine, which is to say, someone a bit older, fairly sensible, and whose advantages of birth do not eclipse the advantages she has earned through hard work and pathological inquisitiveness. Anja may be the daughter of a wealthy and well-connected merchant, but she took those advantages and ran with them, straight into the arms of…meticulous medical research? Yes, ever since a childhood incident, Anja has been obsessed by poisons—which is the dark and dramatic way to describe her interest. More accurately, Anja is obsessed with antidotes: she studies poisons in order to find cures, or if not cures, then at least treatments and preventative measures.

Her work is important but receives little attention until the day the king comes knocking. The young princess is ill. None of the many, many doctors in the court or country can find out what’s wrong. Can Anja help?

When a king asks, it’s not truly a question. So Anja packs up her supplies and musters all her
skills both scientific and social, with the social being the far more fraught of the two.

I found that, as I suspect most readers will, Anja is an extremely likeable character. Her likability, however, is not within the traditional bounds of what we expect from either women, or SFF characters, or SFF women. She’s interesting, funny (though often inadvertently so), smart, and capable, and she does good work for others without asking or expecting anything in return. However, as she herself points out, as a woman she is also expected to be nurturing, socially competent, and readily emotional, and she is none of these things.

I really appreciated Anja’s lack of bedside manner and her awkwardness when talking about anything beyond snake venom or the scientific method. It’s nice to see a three-dimensional female character, of course, but I expect nothing less from Kingfisher at this point. Instead I’m grateful to Anja for being and pointing toward so many more interesting roles for SFF protagonists. I’ve had my share of both scullions and sorcerers—but fortunately, here, we have what I’d never expected: a SFF health inspector.

Yes, Kingfisher has imagined her world so well that Anja at one point proposes—not marriage, or peace, or anything similarly grand—but product regulation measures to the king. I think that’s beautiful. It’s a real triumph of world building when you have a full understanding of how people deal with the everyday nuisances, whether that’s household vermin or food safety or the limitations of using avian test subjects.

Such is the power of Kingfisher’s imagination that all this is actually relevant to Snow White, both the original story and the girl herself. It’s incredible to see how, in Kingfisher’s capable hands, the most iconic elements are reshaped but never lose their essential symbolic freight: an apple is very much still a fruit of danger and temptation; an evil queen does threaten the princess; and with a nod to China Miéville’s The Tain (also found in his collection Looking For Jake), a mirror is the source of both truth and madness.

Speaking of which, Kingfisher never forgets to turn the mirror of SFF on to our current society. She’s always been a writer with a strong social conscience, but I’d like to specifically celebrate the way she gives attention and compassion to people with addictions. Anja is one of the few people willing to treat those who use “lotus smoke,” and is even working on a way to reverse the drug’s effects. And it is specifically because Anja cares for these lives that others devalue that she is able to create a happier ending for herself and others. I love that the fate of the kingdom’s princess is necessarily linked to the fate of the kingdom’s most scorned and forgotten citizens.

Want to know how Kingfisher manages all this? Well…good. You should. Go read Hemlock and Silver the moment it’s available and you’ll find out.

Hemlock and Silver will be released August 19, 2025.

This is one of my favorite T Kingfisher reads. The Snow White retelling was done in a way I found to be unique but also so typically Kingfisher. The main characters are in their late 30s, they are are so incredibly awkward, and the dry humor with frequent breaks in the fourth wall are just a few of the things I come to expect from Kingfisher.
The romance subplot was meh but the poison mystery wasn't. There are elements that are also typical of the author's horror works but this story is not in that genre.
Lastly, the cat is my favorite. Honestly, found him to be the most similar to his real life counterpart and I am thoroughly a cat person.
Overall this fairy tale retelling was an enjoyable read, blending the classic ideas with the author's own voice.

Kingfisher does it again with a "retelling" of Snow White, thankfully, this time with no dwarves or a rescuing prince. Instead, our heroine, Anja, is a a "healer," but really, she just wants to find cures for poisons -- aka she'd really be happiest in a research lab and never deal with people again, but alas, there is no such thing in this magical world. Anja is summoned by the king to cure his daughter, Snow, of suspected poisoning -- but instead literally falls into an alternate mirror world full of terrifying creatures and possibilities. Can she solve Snow's poisoning before it's too late? And fall in love with her stoic bodyguard Javier? And there's a sassy talking cat, of course.

Kingfisher is probably my favorite living author at this point so I am not the most unbiased person to be giving a review. Nonetheless, this was another banger. The belief systems she creates for her worlds are always so compelling to me and I will be keeping these Saints with me for awhile. The slow burn romance was more slow than burn, but that was more than made up for by the amount of times I snort laughed. Of course, with this author there will be at least two times (imo) where you will have to put the book down and just.... why would you do that? This author is too good at coming up with an original idea and then taking it all the way to the most horrifying conclusion ever. To be fair, that is why I keep coming back. Romance, humor, great characters and world building and the small horrors just tucked in the heart. First rate.

I thought this was a wonderful story! I love T. Kingfisher. I enjoyed the unique world building, the characters, and their individual development. I wish there was a little bit more romance - but, I was satisfied with what I had. I wouldn't call this a romantasy - a fantasy with a dash of romance, yes. I will be adding this to my bookshelf on release.

A bold and fascinating take on Snow White, T Kingfisher knocks it out of the park with her latest fairy tale fantasy. It has poison, intrigue, a secret mirror world, and a talking cat — I couldn't have asked for more. This is my new favorite Kingfisher for sure.

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher is a haunting, beautifully woven story that blends folklore, horror, and heart with masterful ease. This beautiful gothic snow white retelling has beautiful plus sized Anja at the center of the story, a quiet but formidable heroine whose strength lies in compassion, resilience, and a quiet kind of bravery that lingers long after the final page.

When Anja’s niece is stolen away by the malevolent elves of the Hollow Places, she ventures into their eerie, shifting world with nothing but practical magic and sheer determination. The journey is harrowing and surreal, filled with unsettling beauty, ancient bargains, and creeping dread. Anja’s inner strength and grief are portrayed with such honesty and nuance that her story feels timeless.

Kingfisher writes with a lyrical sharpness that cuts to the bone. The world she builds is terrifying and strange, but never gratuitous. Her monsters are eerie, her magic is grounded, and her protagonist is unforgettable. Anja is not a warrior or a chosen one. She is a woman who has suffered and survived, and that makes her powerful in a way that feels both mythic and real.

Hemlock and Silver is a fairy tale for grown-ups that stays with you. It is wise, tender, terrifying, and ultimately hopeful. An absolute must-read for fans of dark folklore and character-driven fantasy.

I will be posting my review on my bookstagram the day before release to build momentum’ ! and on amazon on release day!

5*

T Kingfisher writes, I read. I don't expect that to ever change.

Her diverse characters, strong understanding of the depth and breadth of human desires all wrapped up in a magical setting with hot, gruff speaking guards should be enough to drive anyone to pick up a copy of this book and absolutely devour it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.


This was immediately fantastic, although it took a while to reveal its plot to me, it took no time at all for me to be completely charmed by the protagonist. I enjoyed being surprised by the story, so I won't reveal too much here, except to say that this is somewhat inspired by the old Snow White tale. (This is NOT a retelling, it's just sort of <i>somewhat</i> inspired ... )


There are so many funny and beautiful passages, I wish I could quote them here, but since I read an ARC they ask us not to quote it. Trust me on this: I laughed out loud multiple times, which is rare.


I loved that the protagonist, Anja, was a slightly older (in her mid thirties), slightly larger, woman then we usually get in fairy tale retellings. I loved the whiff of romance. I loved everything about this.

I must confess I’ve never seen the movie of Snow White or read any Snow White retellings before, so I only vaguely know the story. Normally retellings are not that interesting to me, but I love T. Kingfisher so that’s why I read this book. And I really enjoyed it!

Hemlock & Silver plays on the idea of poisoned apples from Snow White, but much of the rest of the story has been changed. Mirrors are a motif throughout the narrative, but they’re used differently than how the original story uses them.

I really enjoyed all the characters here. Anya is a healer of sorts, specializing in poisons. I loved her personality. Javier is the bodyguard and love interest, although he doesn’t become the love interest until very late into the story. I love his banter with Anya. Snow was interesting, and I enjoyed following along with the mystery of the poison apples.

I ending up having a really fun time reading this book, and I would definitely recommend it. It’s a standalone mysterious fantasy fairy tale reimagining with lots of banter and closed-door romance. T. Kingfisher is excellent, and I will continue to read everything she writes.

T. Kingfisher has once again cracked open a fairy tale and let something strange and brilliant crawl out. Hemlock and Silver is a dark, funny, and fiercely original take on Snow White—but instead of glass coffins and dainty apples, we get creeping woods, twisted magic, and a heroine who refuses to stay passive.

The imagery is so vivid you can practically smell the damp earth and wild herbs. Every page felt like wandering deeper into an enchanted forest where anything might snarl, bloom, or bite. The plot moves like a fairy tale should—with menace, wonder, and the occasional deeply satisfying burst of violence.

If you like your retellings with bite, and your heroines with grit, this is your next read.

My latest review book from Net Galley is Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher. I should note that I am a huge fan of this writer. I love her horror books and especially her Paladin books. So I was super excited to read Hemlock & Silver. I figured I would enjoy it and I was right.

What’s Hemlock & Silver about?

Hemlock & Silver is a dark reimagining of Snow White. This version focuses on a Healer named Anja who specializes in poisons. She’s always looking to find cures to poisons. And one day, the king stops by and asks her if she can help cure his daughter Snow. Anja has no idea what she’s getting into! When she starts trying to treat Snow, she can’t figure out whats wrong with her. Then she discovers a mysterious mirror world that might hold the key to Snow’s illness. Can Anja save Snow?

There is definitely more to this book than meets the eye. T. Kingfisher takes the classic Snow White tale as a starting point and crafts a very original take on the story. There are some very surprising twists and turns! There’s also a romantic plot that reminds me a lot of Kingfisher’s Paladin series.

In fact, Hemlock & Silver felt like a Paladin story meets Snow White. The world of this tale felt similar to what T. Kingfisher crafted in the Paladin books. I loved that. I’m such a huge fan of those books and the similarity made me love Hemlock & Silver even more.

While there is a lot of fairy tale like qualities to the story, Hemlock & Silver is a dark imagining of Snow White and so it does have some really scary moments. There is one moment in the book that may give me nightmares if I think about it too much. Whew.

That said, Anja is a wonderful main character who adds humor, sometimes dark humor, to the story and keeps the story from becoming too dark. Hemlock & Silver also has a very good ending!

Overall, I loved this book. I think I might even like this story more than the classic Snow White tale. Its just so really well done. T. Kingfisher is an excellent writer and if you haven’t read any of her books, this is an excellent place to start. And if you have read her books, well, you are in for another treat when Hemlock & Silver comes out in August.

Hemlock & Silver comes out on August 19th, 2025. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing this early digital copy.

This book was at once a fun adventure, a joy for my inner alchemist, and a fresh take on a new magic system. Anyone who's read any of T. Kingfisher's other fantastic books can expect the same level of world-building and enjoyable realistic character development. The narrative proceeds at compelling pace from start to finish, making this clever twist on Snow White dangerous for commuters who need to keep track of their journey. All told, this is a fantastic book for folks who already enjoy fantasy and for reluctant readers alike.

I absolutely loved this book, I was captivated right from the beginning.

This is the first book by T. Kingfisher I have read, and I love the writing.

If you liked Snow White growing up, then you will enjoy this darker Snow White retelling with romance, fantasy and no spice.

T. Kingfisher is such a fantastic author. Her books draw the reader into the created world and make you not want to leave. Her newest book, Hemlock & Silver, does the same thing. Excellent fantasy with a bit of mystery. An excellent read! Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

I adored this book so much. I am a massive fan of T Kingfisher, mainly because her fantasy books give me such a unique sense of comfort. This retelling was unique and extremely well done - at many times I wasn’t even thinking about the Snow White elements, but then they would pop up and remind me in comical ways! I love the side characters and the world building she has created in this novel, I want more!!

T. Kingfisher? Instant buy. I usually hate retellings, but this was such a unique snow white retelling! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Kingfisher is an auto read/auto buy author for me and Hemlock & Silver just reinforces my reason why.

I absolutely loved this book, I mean who doesn't love a dark twisted retelling?! Once you get through the first 15-20 percent the pace really takes off, packed with surprising twists and amazing storytelling.

Highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Tor Books, and to NetGalley, for sending me an ARC!

I was unsure if I would like this book, and was torn between my love of Kingfisher and my dislike of fairy tale adaptations. I shouldn't have worried; this was everything I hoped it would be, and more!

It has all the charm of her Paladin series, with characters I bonded with instantly. The plot had what felt like the right amount of twists, and I wasn't left feeling like everything wrapped up too cleanly, nor was I bogged down in needless complexity. It also plays with some of the classic tropes, and turns some of them on their heads in enjoyable ways, but leans into others, leaving the reader feeling just a little off-kilter in trying to predict what happens next, really perfecting the vibe for this story.

I can't wait for this to come out so I can add this to my ever-growing list of recommended books!

I love T. kingfisher’s work, so when I found out that she had a new book coming out I was super excited. I was even more excited to get an ARC from NetGalley and Tor so I was able to read this book early—thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read!

The novel is a retelling of the Snow White story, and I am a sucker for retellings, especially fairy tales. In Kingfisher’s world, Anya is a talented healer, although she’d argue that point. Anya knows about poisons and their antidotes and sometimes can offer cures, often risky ones. When the king’s daughter Snow becomes ill and no one else has been able to help, he comes to Anya as a last resort.

The novel is super atmospheric, placing much of the story in a desert setting (drawn perhaps from the author’s own recent move to the Southwest). I love Anya’s story: she’s no ingenue, as so many main female characters in this genre tend to be, and she’s smart and funny. She’s great at her job, and her world doesn’t revolve around her love interest (although there is one and I enjoyed the way that storyline develops). Anya is energetic and curious AND a single woman in her mid-30s—all parts of her character that kept me rooting hard for her to succeed.

The minor characters pulled me in, too, from the kindly and wise Lady Sorrel to the mysterious talking cat (!!!) Greyling. (Important spoiler: nothing bad happens to Greyling, even though you might be worried about him for awhile—I love this about Kingfisher books, too—nothing bad happens to the animals you come to love!)

I can’t wait to read whatever T. Kingfisher does next!

At this point I don't think it's humanly possible for Kingfisher to write a book I don't fall head over heels in love with and this one is no different. I loved the intersection of science and magic, the plot was engaging and the twists I didn't see coming! I already want more of Healer Anja

I am absolutely hooked on T Kingfisher fantasy novels.

Her characters are written well, I just adore them. The story is gripping and exciting. I love the little twists and turns. And this one is even better because it has a cat, what more can you ask for ?!

5 stars, no complaints!

This book was fantastic. It was such a great twist on the snow white story. Really there wasn't a whole lot of plot similarities but I loved where T Kingfisher went with her vision of it, and it kept me on my toes the entire time.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5

My Summary: Healer Anja is a poison master and the best in the craft. One day, the king summons her to help save his daughter, Snow, who he thinks might be poisoned. But when Anja arrives to figure out what's wrong with Snow, she is met with a problem that might be unsolvable. Just when Anja is about to give up, she discovers a secret and the real reason Snow is sick.

My Thoughts: T. Kingfisher writes a dark Snow White retelling?! Sign me up!! Though the story starts off a bit slow, it is worth every minute. The main character, Anja, is refreshing with her curiosity, her strength, and her wit. Anja is dead-set on saving the king's daughter, Snow, from the poison ailing her, and not even an unsolvable mystery will stop her. She'll travel far and wide to figure out how to help Snow. Along with the mystery and fantastical elements, there's even a small subplot of romance, which is very sweet and coincides perfectly with the rest of the story. If you love T. Kingfisher's other novels like Nettle & Bone and A Sorceress Comes to Call, you will absolutely love Hemlock & Silver.

What a fantastic book by Kingfisher! This book had a desert/garden mood which I thought was a unique setting for fantasy. I adored the world-building. The main character is clever and I love her knowledge of poisons - she is very capable. Creepy but oddly nostalgic take on Snow White. I am glad I finally read one of Kingfisher's books - the author is as talented as I had imagined. She had me at Grayling, the talking cat!

A retelling of Snow White from the point of view of Anja, the healer. Actually she isn't an actual healer, her specialty is poisons. Snow White's father is desperate to discover why the princess is sick. Everything points to poison, but how is it being consumed? I loved the character of Anja, an older heroine (yay!) who loves her job yet realizes that not everyone believes poisons are that fascinating. The dialogue is smart and funny, especially between Anja and her love interest. T. Kingfisher never disappoints! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful adventure. I will never look at a mirror the same way again!

T. Kingfisher never disappoints! This was a bit of a slow start, but once the story really got going I was completely hooked. I really enjoy T. Kingfisher's blend of down-to-earth protagonists, understated humor, and genuine creepiness, and Hemlock & Silver has all three in spades, combined with a lot of information about poisons. I also enjoyed the desert setting, as it's rather different from most fantasy titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

This book completely swallowed me whole. I was obsessed from the very first page. The writing has that quiet, eerie grace T. Kingfisher does so well; lyrical in the most unassuming way, rich with dark humor and aching emotion. Plus, there’s something about the themes in this story that just hit. It felt intimate, raw, and just a little haunting. The pacing was perfect. The mood was like a whisper in the dark. I carried it around with me even after I put it down. I loved it in that way you only love something that feels like it saw a part of you that you didn’t even know was visible.

T KINGFISHER YOU DID IT AGAIN. I adored this book and everything about it. I can't wait to see this become a fall obsession for the booktok community.

I stayed up late reading this; it was so good. Anya is a healer. Well, she is will try to heal you if you are poisoned. She has spent her life obsessed with finding anti-dotes for various poisons. She hasn’t succeeded – yet. The King has heard of her and asks her to save his dying daughter snow. Once she meets Snow, a wild adventure/investigation begins with apples, a snarky cat, an evil queen and magic mirrors. This twist on Snow White is compelling. Her distractions and her enthusiasms make her a wonderfully relatable character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this DRC.
#HemlockandSilver #NetGalley

If T. Kingfisher’s name is on it, I’m reading it—and *Hemlock and Silver* did not disappoint. This dark, clever *Snow White* retelling is everything I love about her work: eerie, witty, heartfelt, and deeply human. The atmosphere is haunting, the magic is strange and wild, and the heroine is unforgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC—an instant favorite!

This book was such a refreshing take on a classic. Honestly, the premise alone had me hooked: “A dark retelling of Snow White steeped in poison.” Normally I avoid retellings, but my inner child and outer goth were both hyped, and this book delivered the entire vibe. 💚☠️💚

The story is beautifully unique with plenty of T Kingfisher’s usual wit. It’s nice that the main character wasn’t Snow, but instead we followed Anja, a poison healer hired to cure Snow. Once again, T Kingfisher blessed us with a snarky, intellectual, plus sized FMC and I ate it up like a shiny 🍎.

There are some pretty dark themes throughout (check your triggers jic) as well as some particularly creepy imagery I don’t want to spoil. The romance subplot was an unexpected but welcome little slowburn that was the cherry on top of a dark, enchanting story.

Some things I liked:
- Smart, independent, plus sized FMC
- Bodyguard trope
- Unique world building
- Soooo much info about poisons
- Sassy cat
- Creepy crawlies

Thank you NetGalley & Tor Publishing for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

T. Kingfisher has once again written a delightful, whimsical yet dark fairytale retelling that's so imaginative yet grounded with realistic characters I fell in love with. There's always such a since of realness to her stories because her characters feel like genuine people making genuine decisions. And this fairytale retelling manages to be fresh and fast-paced, with suspense that kept me reading late into the night.

T. Kingfisher never disappoints! Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White retelling told from the perspective of a woman who has been hired by the king to find out who is poisoning his daughter, Princess Snow. I’m not familiar with the fairytale Snow White and Rose Red but I think the book pulls from that story as well.

Anja has devoted her life to studying poisons since she was a teenager, and now in her mid thirties she is one of the foremost experts in the field. Still, when the king asks her to discover what may be slowly killing his daughter, she is at a loss. There is nothing suspicious anywhere in the castle. Then at night, alone in her room, she catches a glimpse of a reflection in her mirror. Something not in her room when she turns around. Is the exhaustion and frustration getting to her? She certainly does not believe in magic, so there must be a logical explanation, right? Yet nothing physical seems to be harming Snow…

T. Kingfisher excels at building complete worlds filled with characters who feel real even when their roles are small (I love Grayling so much.) The dusty desert country with animal Saints and spirit boxes to memorialize the dead is no exception. Without spoiling anything, it also contains the fantastical almost but not quite horror elements that I love from her books as well.

T Kingfisher is a master storyteller . She takes familiar fairy tale elements and weaves them in to a story with poison , likeable characters in their thirties and mystery.

I love everything T. Kingfisher writes, by my heart holds a special place for her fairy tale retellings. This one is excellent. It's got the classic elements of Snow White there, but the twists are so imaginative and creatively done. I loved that our FMC wasn't some 17 year old who can do anything, but rather was older and a capable woman, but who felt so real cause she still had flaws. This book was captivating. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

I love all of T. Kingfisher's fairy tale retellings, but this one is a fresh and interesting take on snow white, with interesting features, an intelligent protagonist, and Snow getting hers back in the end.

I'm a big fan of fairytale re-tellings and this Snow White retelling was not only cozy in voice but incredibly unique!

T. Kingfisher's Hemlock & Silver was absolutely engrossing! Her reinvention of the Snow White story with a bit of Through the Looking Glass thrown in kept me sucked into this dark fairy tale. Absolutely loved Hemlock & Silver's weaving of magical intrigue with the politics of court and uncertainty of what else there might be to the world: magic, unknown scientific discoveries, maybe even love.

Thank you Tor Books for the Advanced Reader copy!

I have always loved T. Kingfisher's writing. Her wit shines through the pages. Yet never have I felt more seen then in this book. I did not realize I even wanted representation until Anya jumped out of the page at me. A tall, larger woman who is 35 and obsessed with finding answers to "why is there no cure for Hemlock." This and her father bragging about his healer daughter to the King brings Anya to Witherleaf, where she must put herself to the task of figuring out how and who is poisoning Snow and hopefully find a cure, before it's too late. This is a fun adventure with a mystery that unravels the more Anya discovers.

There is one section where, when I read it I cried: "Because it was what the voice of despair whispered all the time, whenever my guard slipped enough to listen. I was too big, too loud, cared too intensely about things that no one else did. Of course he’d find me revolting. Some days I found myself revolting."

I was able to see Anya and know this isn't true about her. It gave me the space to think about how I say this very thing to myself, and that it's not true about me either. Thank you T. Kingfisher for continuing to write about women who don't fit in, and show that they are just as brave, just as lovely and just as deserving.

Kingfisher never disappoints. Somehow, she has a new take on Snow White— a miracle in a deluge of pseudofeminist fairytale retellings. It’s freaky and surreal, true to the original stories. The cast of characters is well developed, especially the women.

Thank you to netgalley and Tor Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I will preface this by saying I’m hesitate to read any Snow White retelling because the Disney animated adaptation is very nostalgic for me.
But as a devoted fan of all things T. Kingfisher I was screaming when I read the summary of Hemlock and Silver. I thought “Was this written just for me?”

Kingfisher is the queen of cozy horror and fantasy. With every book of hers I’m in awe of just how talented she can blends those genres together.
With her usual wit and charm she writes her humorous heroine in a way that’s always relatable.

I savored every second of this book and I didn’t want it to end.

5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and Tor Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Oh. My. Gosh. This was so stinking good. I love this author and will read anything they write. I love a good retelling and I could not put this down. It’s a must read.

Once again T. Kingfisher knocks it out of the park! I love the attention to detail in this book, especially in terms of natural science. The main character is funny and extremely relatable, and I like that there is a kind of love story but it's not the main focus. Three cheers for Hemlock & Silver!

A fantastic store about a poison healer and the things she will do to save princess snow. With the help of her guard and a very interesting cat she might just save them all.

I've enjoyed many of T. Kingfisher's fantasy books, but this one may be my new favorite. "Hemlock & Silver" is a unique take on the fairy tale of Snow White, told from the perspective of a healer who is asked to determine who is poisoning the young princess, Snow. If you've read any Kingfisher, there's a lot here you've probably come to expect: wry humor, middle-aged protagonists, some frightening darkness, and a dash of romance. I very much enjoyed this one - it's very well-paced, and Anja is a very likeable POV character. If you want a fantasy novel in which characters make good decisions despite bad circumstances, I'd highly recommend "Hemlock & Silver".

What a cool fantasy story. I really enjoyed this read and hope more people pick it up. T Kingfisher really can't go wrong. Also I love the art and color scheme of the special edition hardcover.

WOW This Snow White retelling blew me away!
This story is like no other retelling I've ever read, it kept me hooked in from the first chapter. So creative and intriguing I could not put it down. While there are some high stakes in the plot it still feels somewhat cozy like a fairytale.
Our FMC Healer Anja is such a zany and witty character, definitely neurodivergent, with the best inner monologue that had me giggling through the whole book. I LOVE the way she broke the 4th wall throughout the book and makes jokes with the reader at her own expense.
The plot was so interesting I devoured it.
We meet Anja in her home, she is called a healer but in reality she is a poison specialist who has been obsessed with the subject since childhood, when her cousin dies of eating poison Hemlock after mistaking it for a wild carrot. She's a stocky single woman in her mid 30s, and spends her days researching poisons, venoms and antidotes, and saving people who have come upon such things, including a lot of people addicted to lotus smoke, a drug that slows the heart and brings on hallucinations and euphoria, but take too much and your heart will stop completely. Anja has developed an antidote using charm-adder venom to quicken the heart and save some of the unlucky addicts in her city.
The king of the land comes to see Anja one day after her father, a wealthy merchant, had mentioned once that she has an extensive knowledge of poisons and antidotes. His daughter the Princess has taken ill and he is convinced shes being poisoned and hires Anja to come to his estate in Witherleaf and try to save her. All is not what it seems at the estate and this story takes some crazy magical twists and turns all the while we are thoroughly entertained by Anja's antics and her interactions with the others on the estate as well as her personal guard.
The romantic subplot here is so sweet and I absolutely loved watching Anja's character develop through her relationships, while listening to her self doubt and deprication through her inner monologue.

Hemlock & Silver follows Healer Anja while she tries to determine who, if anyone, is poisoning the princess.

This was a delightful story from beginning to end. Healer Anja could be my mirror reflection from about 10 years ago. Compared to Kingfisher’s other forays into fairy tales, this one was most obviously a twist on the well-known Snow White. I didn’t know what to expect but truly enjoyed the woman of science trying to grapple with small magics.

Pros:
Amazing FMC over 30 and a scientist, not fussy, knows her poisons
Fascinating twist on a classic fairytale
Intriguing plot turns
Thought-provoking questions concerning mirrors
Very sweet slowburn romance
Talking cat! How can you not love a talking cat?!
And several humorous moments in which I may have snorted

Cons:
Slow start. Not bad per se but not a page-turning beginning.

Kingfisher has cemented her place in my “must by” category.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Publishing for the eArc. All opinions are my own.

YES! I love a dark reimagining of Snow White! This book had such a firm hold on me from the very beginning! I love the POV and how we really get into Anja’s mindset with all of her asides and running commentary. Her hyper-fixation on solving problems and creating antidotes and cures is sure to resonate with anyone driven/and or neurospicy. I will be adding this author to my classroom library for sure.

Thank you!

“I had nothing. I had tested everything but the walls. And yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something important.
And I’ll bet gold dust against sand grains that Snow knows exactly what it is.”

I absolutely adored this. T. Kingfisher is my favourite author hands down, and even among all of her fairytale retellings this one may be my favourite of them!
I couldn’t get over Grayling, he was perfect. Javier was perfect, the romance between Javier and Anja was perfect, I could truly gush about this one for hours.
The mystery was fun to follow, the magic was neat and incredibly strange (in true T. Kingfisher fashion) and the ending was perfectly sweet.
Anja as a main character held her own, and I was so happy to see her become more confident over the course of the book.
Overall a very unique take on the Snow White fairytale with all of the grotesqueries you’d expect from T. Kingfisher. I can’t wait to read it again!

Kingfisher amazingly enough seems to surpass herself with every new novel. A herbalist, an ordinary, introverted, woman is called in to try to save a princess who appears to be the victim of ongoing poisoning. Another superb feminist fantasy from one of the best storytellers in the world.

Poisonous Intrigue in the Desert: A Review of T. Kingfisher's Hemlock and Silver
T. Kingfisher's Hemlock and Silver is a “can’t put it down” fantasy mystery driven by its unique protagonist, Anja. This 30-something prickly scholar with a fascination for poisons is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the suspected poisoning of young Princess Snow. Anja's intellectual approach and unusual expertise make her a refreshing female lead, bringing a sharp and intriguing perspective to the investigation.
Along with Anja is Grayling, the seemingly ordinary one-eyed cat who plays a surprisingly crucial role in uncovering clues. The vulnerability of the twelve-year-old Princess Snow adds urgency to Anja's task, and their interactions highlight a compelling dynamic.
Beyond the central plot, the novel explores the complexities of sisterly relationships, adding depth to the characters and their motivations. While I would have liked the character of Javier to be more developed, his presence is nonetheless engaging.
The vivid desert setting especially created a unique and atmospheric backdrop that enhanced the narrative. As a desert dweller myself, I appreciated Kingfisher's portrayal of the arid landscape and the villa.
In essence, Hemlock and Silver is a well-plotted,fast paced mystery with a distinctive protagonist in Anja, an elusive feline sidekick in Grayling, a slow-burn romance and a captivating desert setting. The book's well written, engaging characters, and poisonous charm make it a five star book recommendation for me.
M.Roberts with the help of AI

This is such a creative and new fairytale-adjacent book. I've really read nothing like it, unless you count other T. Kingfisher novels. Love the characters, love the writing, love all of it. It's got enough creepy in it that if you like T. Kingfisher for her horror, you'll probably like it, and definitely if you like her Paladin or Clockwork series, you'll love this. There's humor and of course, since this is T. Kingfisher, interesting animal characters, too. It's so nice to read a book where the majority of the people in it are fundamentally kind (well, except the villain, obv.). Highly, highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this novel; the characters felt real, and the well-paced plot kept me engaged from start to finish.

I was absolutely thrilled to get approved to ARC read Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher!

Thank you NetGalley!!

It is my first book by her and will not be the last.

I immediately enjoyed Anjas character.

She finds a passion for poisons and studying them at a young age after a senseless death she witnesses and devotes her life to trying to help people and find as many cures as she can. Ever the realist though she knows what she can and can’t do.

I love how blunt she is and her sense of humor kept me chuckling the entire time. She is visited by the King who tells her his youngest daughter is sick and requests that she come to the kingdom with him. Accompanied by her two guards, Aaron and Javier they set off with her chime-adder in tow.

Anja makes it to the villa where the princess Snow is staying and immediately get to work trying to find any properties of a poison. Quickly she is stumped as each avenue she tries meet a dead end.

Then there’s Snows odd behavior and weird things happening around Anja when she is supposedly alone in her room. I absolutely adored this book!

There was so much to unravel in this and the plot was perfectly paced out in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the small bits of what felt like horror and the tidbit of romance as well.

I’m glad this was my introduction to this author and I’m very, very excited to read more from her!

Five stars, always and forever, for any T. Kingfisher project. This is another fantastic fairy tale retelling with dark twists.

I see T. Kingfisher, I immediately add it to my TBR.
 
There's so much to love in Hemlock & Silver - firstly that it comes from T. Kingfisher, who always creates detailed and lovable characters that feel real and deeply human. All of her books, from the Saint of Steel series to the fairytale-like Nettle & Bone were immediately 5-star reads for me. Her writing is funny and detailed without ever feeling bogged down, easy to read, and with a hint of a lyrical style. She breaks genre conventions with 30+ aged protagonists who aren't always the "fairest in the land" but who are competent and mature, something we desperately need in fantasy.
 
Our protagonist for Hemlock & Silver, Anja, is one of my favorites from T. Kingfisher. She's endlessly funny and relatable, and her obsession with poisons is a really fun thing to explore alongside her. There’s nothing better to me than a protagonist who knows who they are, and isn’t apologetic and shameful about it. Anja loves to solve puzzles, is wicked smart, is a bit socially awkward in a hilariously straightforward way, and doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body—and doesn’t really want one. Her sometimes sarcastic, always witty narrative made Anja feel real in a way that sets her apart from standard leads.
 
H&S has the all ingredients of a Snow White re-telling: an evil queen, a princess, apples - but takes these pieces and makes something completely new. There's a MOMENT where the book flips from well-written but straightforward whodunnit to a magical, all-out ride where I couldn't stop until the end. The beginning did feel a bit slow, but the writing is unique and fun enough that it tells you that you can trust where the author is going.
 
While I wasn’t sure we’d be getting romance in this book, I was so pleasantly surprised when it began to bloom! It’s really not apparent in the first third or so that Anja is going to find love at the manor, but when it does start to become clear who her romantic interest is, it’s all very sweet and so welcome. It’s a relationship founded on mutual respect and genuine care, and feels established on a lot more than just lust or the book forcing them together.
 
Overall, it’s another knockout from T. Kingfisher! One of my favorites from this year, in a genre where retellings are flooding into stores.

T. Kingfisher is an autobus author for me! Her books are always just the right blend of funny, scary, and heartbreaking! I loved this take on Snow White!

A retelling of "Snow White". T. Kingfisher has a way in weaving a story into a fantasy world that makes you believe that you are there or want to visit it. This retelling was beautifully written, and I longed for more upon the ending. Another fantastic book from T. Kingfisher! Highly recommend!