Although Anya is a nice character and the story is interesting, it took me a long time to finish this book. Especially the first part I read it really slowly, almost as if I was afraid to find out what was happening to little Snow. From 70 percent on, though, it went much faster, but somehow that didn't balance it out. I like Kingfisher quite a bit and I don't usually feel like I'm walking through molasses when I read her books, but lately it is happening a lot, but maybe it is just that I'm too tired.

Nonostante Anya sia un bel personaggio e la storia sia interessante, ci ho messo tanto a finire questo libro. Specialmente la prima parte l'ho letta proprio lentamente, quasi avessi paura di scoprire cosa stesse succedendo alla piccola Snow. Dal 70 % in poi peró, é andato tutto molto piú rapidamente, ma in qualche modo questo non ha bilanciato. La Kingfisher mi piace parecchio e di solito non mi sembra di camminare nella melassa quando leggo i suoi libri, ma ultimamente si vede che sono troppo stanca.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

3.75 stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy of this book! I didn't really like this book. It was too dark for me. It had such a good premise tho but I don't think I'll be reading any of these books in the future

This is one of the most interesting fairytale retellings I've read so far. It is very much removed from the original story in most ways, creating a completely different tale with new twists, magic and characters.

I am a big fan of the main character not being Snow White and instead being a clever woman in her 30s who knows a lot about poisons. Equally, I liked that she isn't the typical small and delicate heroine of fairytales - she's tall, broad and very blunt.

The mystery tied to the magic is also a nice twist on the original magic mirror, building two worlds with different rules and characters. The more I learnt, theore fascinated I became with the magic and I was desperately turning pages to find out what happened next.

If you're expecting a close Snow White retelling, you aren't going to get it. This is very much inspired by the fairytale but is darker than the sanitised Disney version - and much better for it.

As with all of T. Kingfisher's books, the writing is excellent, the characters feel real, it's funny in the right places and the world building makes you feel like you've stepped through a mirror into the world being described.

A nice read, even before the 'magic' element was added, a novel magic concept although not fully my cup of tea and although the romance was nice it didn't feel real

another amazing book by Kingfisher.
immersive and gripping, a great story to get lost in.
Kingfisher knows how to make characters leap of the pages and create a plotline that flows naturally

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the e-ARC.

‘I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had murdered his wife’

T Kingfisher never misses - she can write any story in any genre and I’ll be entertained.

Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White retelling where a healer called Anja has been summoned by the king to treat his daughter Snow who’s afflicted with a mysterious illness linked to poison, and luckily Anja is obsessed with poisons and all their properties. In true Kingfisher fashion, we’re led on a dark, twisting adventure with a great group of characters - mainly a stoic bodyguard, a talking cat, a quick-witted royal aunt and Anja herself.

I knew within 3 pages that I was going to love this - I immediately loved Anja and her humour. Her eccentricity, nerdiness and determination made her such a great character to read and root for. I loved that she wasn’t at all maternal, which is usually foisted upon female characters constantly, and very much enjoys her spinster life. It’s also great to have a female lead in her 30’s, a T Kingfisher staple, I really wish this was more common in novels overall. Of all of T Kingfisher’s female leads that I’ve read so far, Anja is probably my favourite.

Javier and Grayling were also highlights of the book for me. I love Grayling’s personality, he’s exactly how I’d expect a talking cat to be. Javier had the whole ‘broody, stoic bodyguard’ thing going on but he was way more complex than that and a bit of a softie. The dash of romance was very welcome as well.

The writing as per usual was beautiful, witty and immersive. I would recommend this to all fantasy readers though I truly believe that any reader can enjoy at least one of T Kingfisher’s books as they’re all so different, both in genre and tone.

I read this book over a couple of days and absolutely loved it. Hemlock & Silver has challenged A Sorceress Comes To Call as my favourite from her.

This was a brilliant example of a fantasy novel that's set in a world that isn't overly fantastical, at least, it's not overrun with magic, but there's an undercurrent of something otherwordly going on right from the beginning.

Anja is a healer who isn't like other healers - she has had a lifelong passion for poisons and antidotes and regularly tests them on herself. She is in the process of doing this when the king turns up and asks her to come and save his daughter who appears to be victim of a mysterious poisoning that no one, not even other healers who say it's just grief after the death of her mother (we quickly learn that her father killed her mother - not a spoiler!), can figure out. Anja travels across the desert to meet Snow and soon discovers there's more to her case than simple poisoning - especially as every single she does is watched. It's a mystery, until a magic mirror reveals more than Anja was expecting.

It's sold as a reimagining of Snow White, however the storyline is quite far removed from the one we all know and love, so it comes across as an original to me. It does have fairytale vibes though, and also, a talking cat.

This was my first T. Kingfisher and absolutely won't be my last. The story started quite slowly, but it was well written so kept you engaged until the pace picked up. The story of the mirrors is so cleverly woven (although gets a little complicated at times!) and honestly, a little bit scary - I wasn't surprised to find out the author writes horror too, although this doesn't fall into that genre.

I really enjoyed that the story is from the perspective of a 35 year old woman who isn't your classic fantasy heroine - she's described as tall and taking up space. Basically, a person that more of us can identify with, aside from experimenting on herself with poisons and antidotes!

There is a small romance storyline, but it's very minor so I'd hesitate to class this as a romantasy. I'd go so far as to say it wasn't necessary for the storyline (it could have been a friendship between unlikely people), but I personally enjoyed it anyway.

I was between 4 and 5 stars for this as it didn't absolutely blow me away, but it was such an enjoyable read with a great premise, that I rounded up for my overall rating. I'd definitely recommend it and will be looking for more of T. Kingfisher's books.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for a review copy of this book.

I loved this book (no surprise here), but I went back and forth with the rating because I have some… I don’t even know how to call them, I usually say “mixed feelings,” but the feelings here are pretty clear: I loved this one! The point is that this one is, so far, my favorite between the retellings that I have read written by her (but, honestly, one of my favorite retellings, full stop), and I had such a great time with this one. I was happy reading it, and when I finished it that feeling of happiness stayed with me; this book made me happy! But on the pure objective side of things, I think this one is less well developed, from a sort of technical point of view.

In this book, we find all the elements that we can expect from this author’s books: older MCs, an even older spinster, quirky animal companion(s), the pragmatism and common sense that every MC in her books has, some horror elements to spice things up a bit, and so on.
And I loved them. To pieces.
But the ending of the book was… not so neat. I enjoyed it and it worked pretty well, and I am happy with it, because on a personal level, I was happy and satisfied (there is only one thing that made me complain on the personal side here, and I will be back to it in a minute) but I think that, objectively, the ending was a tad oversimplified.
Again, I am not complaining; it worked for me, but still, it’s something that’s there. And another thing, but this is a small one, is that her other retellings (and the books set in the World of the White Rat) are all so quotable! There are so many relatable and funny sentences and lines of dialogue! I often want to quote whole pages when I am reading her books, because they’re just sooo good. But here… not so much. Again, it’s not a thing that bothered me, but it’s a thing I noticed after finishing it.
And now the more personal complaint: here we have an older woman, Lady Sorrell, and I loved her from the instant we met her, she is amazing. But I wanted more!! We don’t see her around much (but when we do… wow!) and I was really hoping for more!

I know, I spent quite a lot of time talking about what doesn’t work, sorry about that! But now it’s time to see what works! And the short answer is: everything, ignore the complaints and go read this book!
We have a fascinating retelling of Snow White, in a completely new (and entrancing) setting, and the story is quite brilliant. And we have a lot of elements to the story: we have magic, we have mystery, we have horror elements (and even if horror is not my cup of tea, here I enjoyed it quite a lot. She just does it, don’t know how!) and we have some romance, too (in small part).
And, as I said before, we have all the elements that we have come to expect. And I love that in every book we have the same elements, but the author managed to make something new out of them every time, and discovering these new versions is always such a pleasure!!
For once, we don’t have strange horses; they are mentioned a couple of times, but they are not the stars. We have roosters and a venomous snake!! As a pet! Loved it! And a talking cat! (loved him, too! How could you not??).
And Anja is an amazing MC. She is a no-nonsense kind of woman, strong-willed, smart, and so relatable! The beginning of the book reminded me, quite strongly, of the MC in The Apothecary Diaries. They are similar in some ways (mainly because both are women, one older and one younger, passionate about what they do, with a strong fascination and an even stronger competence in poisons), but they are like two faces of the same coin: Anja is the serious and dedicated scientist while Mao Mao is more mad scientist vibes all around.
But, small digression aside, Anja is amazing and I love to see characters that are passionate about their work (and about knowledge in general!!) and that are competent (and if you add it the no-nonsense vibes, I fall in love. Just like that!).
The plot is good, the pace may be a tad uneven, but who cares? I was so intrigued by the story and so busy exploring some fascinating places that I was totally engrossed in the reading, from the start to the end. And we get some twists with the plot that were unexpected, too.
And last, but not least, we have one of the best love declarations ever! I can’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but at one point, she asks the romance interest when they started feeling something for her, and the answer? *cheff kiss*

So yeah, to me this is the best of the retellings I’ve read so far (Thornhedge and A Sorceress Comes To Call are the others) and I loved it from the start to the end. And this book made me happy! So so happy!! (Sure, it may have ruined the books I have read since, but honestly, I don’t care!!).

🍵𝗧𝗲𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
This book felt like sipping arsenic through a straw and liking it. I went in expecting whimsical fairytale chaos—and got trauma, terrifying mirror worlds, poison-induced naps, and a protagonist who runs on sarcasm, spite, and sheer herbal resilience. The writing? Unhinged perfection. The world? Mildly cursed. Me? Obsessed.

Now I’m counting down the days ‘til August like it’s a magical doomsday clock. I need this book in my hands so I can reread it *properly* and force everyone I know to suffer (read: fall in love) with me. I already know I’m going to need a sequel the second I finish it. Tor Books better be ready.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿
🖤 Dark Fairytale Reimagining
🔬 STEM-Minded Protagonist
⚔️ Unsettling Mirror World
🐈 Sassy Animal Sidekick
🧪 Poison & Cure Drama
🌵 Desert Magic Vibe

What a wonderful new look at Snow White! It did take a while to get going for me personally but I’m glad I stuck with it as it was such a fun, cosy fantasy full of wonderful characters!

I don't really know where to start with this review, because while I love T Kingfisher, this one just didn't end up being a win for me. There were absolutely parts I loved, but all in all I found it a little flat, which I'm kind of devastated at if I'm being honest.

Let's start with the good. Kingfisher always manages to weave some sort of horror element into her fantasy's, in fact I'd say she's never really written a straight fantasy or horror, her stories just tend to lean towards one genre over the other, and Hemlock and Silver was no different. I won't go too deep into the fantasy or horror aspects, the fantasy aspects because if I'm being honest, I left the book a little confused on most parts, and the horror because, well... let's just say some things will make a much bigger impact when going in blind. My favourite parts of this story though were when Anja got into one of her talks, or inner monologues about Poison. You can see the research Kingfisher put into this and it really did pay off, in a creepy but entertaining way.

Our MC Anja is your typical Kingfisher heroine. On the more mature side, I think she's around 35. She's blunt, headstrong and not at all what anyone expects of a woman of her standing, and all of this just made me love her a little more. She's not the best with social cues, more at home in her workshop working on poisons and antidotes, but when the King turns up on your doorstep imploring for help, it's pretty darn hard to resist, even if the idea of court is your worst nightmare. She really is a likable character, which is good because for the first 40% or so we spend the majority of our time with Anja, in her company and in her head, in fact we spend the majority of the book that way, with only a few of the side characters allowed any sort of development.

I enjoyed how she wove the original tale into Hemlock and Silver, making it something wholly different, yet still recognizable to those who are familiar with the original tale. Mirrors, apples and evil Queen's all make an appearance, but never quite in the way you expect, and I loved this feeling of disjointedness, of never quite knowing which way the story will go next. Her twists are expertly woven into the story and appear at the perfect time to add to the shock factor and ensure we stay invested, which is good because it's safe to say I was a little underwhelmed with how the story started.

My main issue is with the pacing, and the lack of character development outside of Anja. The first 40% or so seemed like it was spent on Anja's development, and her travelling from her house to the Palace. It was slow going, and I was a little stumped as to where the story was going, when it was actually going to kick in. This also meant that apart from Snow, the King's daughter and Javier, one her Anja's guards and her love interest, everyone else felt like almost write off characters. I guess I'm just used to more of a cast from a Kingfisher book, and I was a little disappointed at how tightly she wove this one.

The romance was fun, if not a little fast. The love interest went from someone who seemed to pay Anja little attention, to someone who worried for her safety in a swooning, romantic kind of way. I still enjoyed it, Kingfisher has a knack of creating these romances you can't help but get invested in, even when they're not the main focus, but I think these two needed a little more time together before their declarations of love.

I'm still not fully sure where I sit with this one. There were parts I loved, but they just felt few and far between and, had it not been a Kingfisher book, I think I would have DNF'd it because of how tiresome I found the first part.

4.5 stars rounded up

I'm once again trying to write a review for a T. Kingfisher book, knowing that she could write the phone book and I'd have a good time. And I did! The romantic element is the only reason it's not getting the full five stars - it just wasn't one of Kingfisher's more compelling romance arcs. But she remixed a lot of familiar parts of the snow white tale into a book that I couldn't put down. It's gone on the list for a reread, which Nettle and Bone didn't manage.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Honestly this is extremely solid T Kingfisher: for any other writer the retread of themes like ‘homely lady with special interest gets mixed up in otherworldly drama’ would get boring, but Kingfisher is a master of the art. It’s an old song by now but sometimes you want to hear the hits.

The cat character was the best.

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher is a brilliantly eerie and imaginative reworking of the Snow White tale, turning the familiar story into something darker, stranger, and far more unsettling. With a setting that completely upends the traditional fairytale landscape, it blends emotional depth with Kingfisher’s signature creeping horror. The mirrored figures are especially chilling—evoking the dread of Doctor Who’s Weeping Angels and keeping me on edge every time they appeared. It’s a haunting, clever, and refreshingly original take on a classic, perfect for fans of dark fantasy and unsettling fairy tales.

I absolutely adore this author and I was so excited for the fantasy route! And it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed it and I didn’t want it to end! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Thanks Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read this book early. My opinions are my own.

I’ve said before that T Kingfisher is an always buy author for me, and this book doesn’t change that opinion one bit for me.

I think I originally saw this sold as a Snow White retelling, and I guess - kind of? But Snow White was never my absolute favourite film so I didn’t mind it being more of a theme than a retelling. And the apples, mirrors, and girl called Snow were still there and used really well!

I love T Kingfisher’s characterisation always, and this book was no different, the main character was autism-coded for me but at the very least the same kind of nerd I am. Her excitement for new discoveries and wanting to experiment and ask all the questions was adorable and really endearing.

And the main guy, the soldier that’s with her most of the time, was so sweet and quiet and kind. And I didn’t see the romance coming from the first page he appeared because I think it felt really genuine and slow build, not everyone gets hit with a love/lust stick on first meeting and seeing this on the page really made me feel seen too.

The twists and turns in the story were very well handled too, it didn’t feel too complicated but I also felt like the story was interesting enough and complex enough to keep my interest and keep me guessing till the characters had figured it all out too. Very clever, and reminiscent of a murder mystery in the structure in a way.

Another amazing T Kingfisher book with hilarious one liners and deep characters. I can’t recommend this enough.

What an enjoyable book.

Definitely not my favourite Kingfisher, and I found it a little slow to start, but the plot was clever and the story was a smart twist on the traditional Snow White tale.

The characters were enjoyable, especially Anja, but she did miss a little of the sparkle that I'm used to with other characters of Kingfisher's.

Overall, a good read, definitely one for fairy tale reimaginings and Kingfisher faithfuls.

I really enjoyed Hemlock and Silver. It’s such a sweet, whimsical story with a fairytale feel that pulls you in gently. The Snow White references were subtle but so well done, just the right touch of magic without being over the top.

One of the things I loved most was the main character. She’s not the usual ‘romantasy’ lead. She’s a larger woman, smart, thoughtful, and so much more relatable than the typical sword-swinging, brooding heroine. It was really refreshing to see someone like her take center stage in a fantasy, and I found myself rooting for her the whole way.

There were a few moments where I got a bit confused, mostly when the author went off on a tangent or shifted away from the main thread, but they always brought it back around.

The slow-burn romance was lovely, and the whole book left me with that warm, cozy feeling you get from a good fairytale retelling. When the book is released, I already know I’m going to make a beautiful, whimsical display in the shop with apples and mirrors as it really lends itself to that kind of magic.

If you love stories that feel like curling up with a warm drink and stepping into another world, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Despite the middle sagging a little bit, I quite enjoyed this! It was my first T. Kingfisher book, and I found her writing style to be very unique and enjoyable.
The main character was 35 and not portrayed as conventionally attractive, which I applaud. Stream of consciousness narration doesn't tend to be my thing (I guess sitting in someone's head with their insecurities makes me feel awkward -- especially when their overthinking hits a bit too close to home) but I liked how dorky, lovable, and determined Anja could be. Javier and Grayling were fantastic characters too, got happy every time they were present.
Plot-wise, I was not super invested, but the vibes were cool and you gotta respect the vibes.

So yeah, if you like the idea of an original Snow White retelling with an unconventional main character and some touches of horror -- this book might be a good pick!

I feel like T. Kingfisher is one of those authors where once you understand her writing style and sense of humor after you read one book, every subsequent book is even better. I read A Sorceress Comes to Call and enjoyed it, but now having read Hemlock & Silver I feel like I get the vibe so much more, and I really enjoyed this book.

This is a dark snow white retelling with a fantastically relatable female main character. Anja is loud, lacks a filter, singularly passionate about her work and 35. She is so painfully aware of herself and who she is, and it made her inner monologue such a joy to read. Snow is a child in this depiction, but she is no damsel in distress. She is precocious, grievin,g and incredibly resilient. The MMC/love interest is such a huge supporter of Anja and genuinely falls for her curiosity and passion. You don't even really learn all that much about him, because his focus is on building her up, keeping her alive and enjoying her company.

This story is slow paced and somewhat cozy with flashes of horror and well-placed humor. Overall, a great read, and I will definitely be recommending it.