#IndigoEmployee

My Rating: 4.25 stars!

T. Kingfisher can do no wrong in my eyes. I am now also terrified of mirrors.

I loved this book so much, Anja was hilarious throughout with her obsession with poison and her lack of social understanding. And the premise of the Snow White retelling, it had just enough to check the boxes and yet at the same time felt entirely its own story. I honestly wasn’t sure if she was going to be healed in the end or not. Not to mention, I’ve never seen a Snow adapted to be kind of bratty, rather than the perfect, angelic princess she always seems to be. But this is a twelve year old princess with some trauma, of course she’s a bit of a brat.

My one complaint is that it felt almost too fast. As soon as things started to make sense, it all seemed to be happening. I would have loved another hundred pages of the story, and maybe even another chapter at the end with the king returning, some sort of normalcy after everything rather than where it all ended. Still, I loved the book and am so grateful to have gotten to read it early.

Also, Ursula (can I call you Ursula?), is there a strange, possessed/demonic/not at all normal animal in all of your books? I’m not against it, I’m just asking.

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.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read many (though not all) of Kingfisher's books, and they been hit-and-miss for me, but this is definitely one of my favorites from her. It's a little bit above a 4, rounded down.

This is an extremely loose take on the Snow White story. I'd say "inspired by" Snow White, rather than any kind of actual retelling. I absolutely loved the main character Anja, who is essentially the medieval equivalent of a chemist, and studies poisons in order to create treatments, antidotes, and cures. She has the mind of a scientist and is always far more interested in questioning and learning than anything else. She can be extremely blunt and is extremely practical - the exact opposite of your traditional fairy tale damsel. Her character is one of the best things about the book.

When Anja is personally requested by the king to help determine if his daughter's mystery illness is due to poisoning, she accepts, but is aware that she is likely to fail. I liked that the king wasn't some power-mad villain, just a man genuinely concerned about his daughter's safety. Even though he swears Anja will come to no harm if she fails, Anja knows her failure is still likely to lead to her family being shunned by others for her inability to help the king. It's that kind of book - people are just real people, not monsters, but reality still exists and negative consequences still happen even if the most powerful people involved don't want them to.

When Anja arrives at the manor house where the princess resides, her investigations turn up a very surprising cause for the illness. To say too much more would be spoiling it. Suffice it to say, all is not what it seems, in more ways than one. Kingfisher has a good way of spinning things in such a way that the "good guys" and the "bad guys" aren't always who you expect them to be. She also has a real flare for macabre images. I don't know where she comes up with such creepy stuff, but she's great at it.

Admittedly, this dragged a little in the middle, as for a bit it feels like Anja's investigation wasn't going anywhere. Up until then it was a 5 star read. However, it eventually picked up the pace again and came to satisfying ending and is definitely up there with A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking and A Sorceress Comes to Call as my favorite Kingfisher reads.

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

𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 💫

📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴: 𝓗𝓮𝓶𝓵𝓸𝓬𝓴 & 𝓢𝓲𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓻

✍️ 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻: 𝓣. 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓯𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓻

🗒️ 𝓟𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓻: 𝓣𝓸𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓼

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:

Hemlock & Silver is the first book that I have read by T. Kingfisher. This book is a dark reimagining of Snow White. I will say, I was not a fan of Snow White as a child, but this version had me hooked within the first two chapters.

Healer Anja is a remarkable character, filled with an abundance of knowledge, in search of cures for poisons. She is then called upon by the King, in hopes of her to find out what is wrong with his daughter, Snow. All that they know is that it’s a possible poisoning, but how/why? Is there a cure? What will happen to the princess?

As the story progresses, there are so many plot twists that leave you on the edge of your seat. You are enticed to turn each and every page, finding the problem along with Healer Anja.

This was a 4 star read for me and I highly recommend for others to read it as well. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for giving me the opportunity to ARC this!

I was able to get this through NetGalley. Anja is a woman would has spent her life studying and researching poison. When the king shows up unannounced in her workshop, she is given the task of solving a mystery regarding Snow, the king's daughter. This is an fun retelling of Snow White. it is well written and a quick read.

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.

Seeing stories that were warped from their original source material into fluffy, cheery children's stories get dark reimaginings brings me so much joy, and knowing that Hemlock & Silver was going to do exactly that by giving us the T. Kingfisher iteration of Snow White made me all the more eager to read this one.

There are some great horror elements that add a wonderful touch to the story, and I love the development of the setting and the characters, both of which feel compelling and complete. The shift between the traditional story of Snow White, the commercialized version, and this deliciously gothic reimagining is so refreshing- this is the version of the story that I've been missing.

What didn't work for me is solely a matter of personal preference and does border SLIGHTLY on the edge of a spoiler. ((But isn't QUITE one, so I'm comfortable sharing.)) I don't like to include spoilers, so I am going to be as vague as possible, but I think it's important to mention because I wouldn't have picked the book up if the synopsis had hinted there would be romance. If you love slow burn romance subplots, that will be a pro for you. I love romance for those who love it, but it's not for me.

If you're a fan of the author, gothic reimaginings, and intriguing characters, I recommend adding this one to your list. It is, overall, an entertaining quick read, and will have you immersed in solving Snow's "mystery illness"... before it's too late. Additionally, I need you to understand that Grayling is the best character, I will not be accepting any alternate opinions, and if you don't think he is once you read this book, then we're in a fight.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and T. Kingfisher for this complimentary copy.))

This was an enjoyable Snow White retelling with more creepiness than I anticipated.

It took me some time to get into the story: it took me six days to read the first half, then I tore through the rest!

Anja is socially blunt and awkward in a delightful way., and I appreciated that she is a researcher, not a healer..

There is the requisite bit of nightmare fuel that you’ll expect from T. Kingfisher: you’ll know it when you read it.

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.

3.5 stars overall. This retelling of Snow White didn't quite match my expectations.

Kingfisher offers an original take on the mythos but the "mystery" was easily solved and the story and characters fell a bit flat. The book opens with Anja, a poison specialist, who is sought out by the King, to heal his daughter Snow (aka Snow White). The first 30-40% of the book focuses primarily on Anja and her internal dialogue, and unfortunately, Anja isn't the most relatable. Most of her musings and personality center around her interest in poisons; she's socially awkward with a tendency to prattle and her inner thoughts, while mildly endearing, did grate after a while. The second half of the book picks up, especially once we uncover the "poison apple" and what it means for Snow and Anja. Ultimately, the book itself suffers from uneven pacing and while I enjoyed the bits of world building, I expected more.

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".

Thanks to University Press of Kentucky and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

T. Kingfisher never disappoints. It’s a great twist of a classic story. I’m always looking for a middle aged heroine and here she was.

This was a refreshing twist on a beloved fairytale. I loved the elements from the original story that the author decided to incorporate into her retelling. The magic was mysterious & unsettling in the best way. Characters were developed well & likable. It was nice to read an fmc that felt like an adult whose biggest motivation was the pursuit of knowledge. The villain was also equal parts terrifying & interesting. If I’m being honest I think I might have liked it more without the sprinkle of romance bc the plot was so strong without it. Either way, I loved the story & can’t wait to tell everyone about it!

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.

This was an un-put-down-able book full of twists and I wished the whole time I was reading it that I could have read it in one sitting.
The only things I thought could have been better were a couple of things that didn’t get explained by the end, and I wish they had.

Reading wrap-up coming soon, and full review video coming on release day.

T. Kingfisher continues to deliver in her upcoming book, Hemlock & Silver. This “dark reimagining” of Snow White spins wildly away from its fairy tale inspiration, in true Kingfisher fashion. Our smart and plucky protagonist is Anja, a healer who is more concerned with poisons and their antidotes than with healing in the traditional sense. Anja finds herself whisked away by the king in the hopes she will be able to discover what is making his daughter so ill and foil a suspected poisoning. Along the way, she discovers an alternate mirror world; befriends a moody, brilliant cat; and begins to have inconvenient feelings for her body guard.
The story starts a little slow but once it finds its feet, we’re off to the races, with the plot delivering twists and beautiful story telling. Kingfisher uses a first-person point of view skillfully, bringing the reader into confidence with Anja and providing an almost conspiratorial feel since we’re privy to Anja’s inner thoughts and feelings whereas the rest of the character’s are not. Kingfisher also has a knack for making her protagonists feel like real people, from the way they act to the way they look, which endeared me to Anja even more.
The creativity of the mirror world and its environs and creatures was top notch, with beautiful world building to match the twisty plot. The romance that I alluded to is so well done and never overtakes the story but rather adds to it. The mystery unfolds deliciously slow and kept me hooked until the end. If you’ve read Nettle and Bone and enjoyed it, which is one of my favorite Kingfisher novels, then I think you’ll love Hemlock & Silver.

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.