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.

First, Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC🤍

Hemlock & Silver is a dark, imaginative retelling of Snow White, and I had such a fun time reading it.

What really stood out to me about this book was how unique it felt. The world building was beautifully done. We have animal saints, creative funerary customs, and instead of the traditional fairytale setting, this story takes place in a desert landscape, which I absolutely loved. I also adored the mix of science and magic.

I’ll admit, the first few chapters didn’t immediately pull me in, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the book at first. But by the end, I was completely hooked. The narrator was definitely my favorite part of the book. Having an older protagonist was such a refreshing change, and I loved her awkward, unfiltered personality. Girl would say exactly what was on her mind.

The side characters were just as fantastic, with Javier being another absolute favorite of mine. And while the story leans dark (as all the best fairytales do), there are these perfectly placed moments of humor that break up the tension in the best way.

Hemlock & Silver is a beautifully eerie and clever take on Snow White. It’s mysterious, darkly magical, and full of surprises. It’s an excellent read for anyone who loves fairytale retellings with a twist. 🍎🏜️🪞🐈‍⬛

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.

This is a very cute book. This is the first book. I’ve actually read from T Kingfisher. I can’t wait to read more from her.

I will read whatever T. Kingfisher publishes. And I will continue to do so even though I was not blown away by Hemlock & Silver.

Hemlock & Silver is an imaginative riff on the Snow White fairy tale and reflects many of Kingfisher’s writing strengths. I enjoy many of Kingfisher’s main characters, as she writes rational, mature, and clever women characters, and Anja embodies all of this in the novel. I also greatly enjoyed the cat, Grayling, and their vain humour.

However, this is not my favourite Kingfisher novel. Kingfisher always writes the best first-chapter hooks, and this book is no different, but after the first chapter, I found the first 30% quite slow. I was also confused by Snow’s character as it was hard to reconcile the character’s early smirks and her revealed motivations in the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Hemlock and Silver is a delightful find! The ambiance is cozy and welcoming, perfect for a relaxed evening out. The menu offers a great variety of dishes, and the quality of the food is impressive. I particularly enjoyed the grilled salmon, which was cooked to perfection. The staff are friendly and attentive, making the dining experience even more enjoyable. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the wait time was a bit longer than expected. However, the overall experience was fantastic, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal in a charming setting.

✨Book Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher✨

4/5 ⭐ 0/5 🌶️

💚 What I Loved:
• I adore retellings, and this one was no exception!
• Hooked from the start—I had no idea where the story was going until the last page.
• The love story was well-balanced and never overwhelmed the plot.

💔 What Didn’t Work for Me:
• I don’t enjoy when the MC breaks the fourth wall (especially in parentheses).
• Not really negative, but one of the creatures gave me nightmares—thanks to my wild imagination lol.

Will I reread it? 100%. And I’m definitely picking up more books from this author. Thank you Netgalley for this free ARC.

Quite a bit of fun, though not my favourite of the author’s works, nor I think her best. Still, a likeably flawed protagonist, a wee bit of romance, some real weird magic shit, and a whole lot of chaos. Plus cat!

This is also the most beautiful cover/edition of Kingfisher’s/Vernon’s works yet and I already have a physical copy on preorder. It’s just too luscious.

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.

my first (technically second??) t. kingfisher book and as always it was sooo unique, coolest magic system/premise, and i quite enjoyed the snow white retelling (which could be overdone at this point).

the inclusion of the huntsman was such a fun addition. i liked our mc’s struggles and triumphs- even if they occasionally irritated me, i say that’s good writing!- and i had to continuously “read the next chapter” until i finished it!! 💫

i may have found a new favorite author!

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

T. Kingfisher has done it again. This was so enjoyable with her usual dry sense of humor. I can't wait to put this on my personal shelf because it is beautiful!

I have never read a T. Kingfisher book that I've disliked and this book doesn't change that. I really like Anja and being in her head. She has a really unique point of view, with her experience in poison, which colors how she sees the world. She also has T. Kingfisher's (trademark?) humor, which I always love. I also really loved Javier. I thought Anja and Javier were very cute together. I also loved many of the side characters, but I think talking about them in any sort of detail would be spoilers.

Really the only problem I had with this book is the pacing and that was just that the beginning is kind of slow. We do find out a lot of interesting things and get to know Anja better, but it did feel like it could have been a little tighter.

Even with that, I really enjoyed Hemlock & Silver and I'm going to continue my goal of reading through T. Kingfisher's backlog.

An interesting Snow White retelling that will keep you intrigued throughout. Includes elements of drama, thriller, mystery, and romance.

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!

As a devoted fan of T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), I knew I'd love this dark and intriguing retelling of Snow White. The premise alone had me hooked!

The story follows Anja, a skilled healer and poison expert whose curiosity knows no bounds. She's constantly experimenting with poisons and their antidotes, sometimes even testing them on herself in her quest for knowledge.

Her world turns upside down when the king arrives at her workshop with a horrifying confession: he killed the queen after discovering her cutting out their elder daughter's heart. Before Anja can process this revelation, he begs her to examine his younger daughter, Snow, believing she's been poisoned by palace enemies. Having been recommended by her father, Anja feels duty-bound to assess the twelve-year-old princess and search for a cure.

With help from two guards—including Javier, who becomes an unexpected friend (and possibly more)—Anja begins investigating. She examines Snow's room, studies her daily routines, interviews palace staff, and even encounters Snow's delightfully narcissistic talking cat, Grayling.

However, as she delves deeper, she discovers that Snow's condition might not be poison-related at all. Instead, it seems connected to mysterious mirrors that act as portals to a supernatural realm where a sinister force awaits. For Anja, who has always relied on science and knowledge, this presents an impossible challenge: how can she use magic—something she barely understands—to heal the princess without endangering everyone involved?

While the opening chapters felt somewhat slow and dense, the story hit its stride after the first quarter. True to Kingfisher's style, it delivered surprising twists and intelligent storytelling that kept me completely engaged.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing this remarkable Snow White retelling through Kingfisher's unique vision. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts!

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.