Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
- t. kingfisher
- fairytale retellings
- fairy tale stories
- unread shelf project
- unread shelf project rc
- book of the month
- winter tbr
- 4 stars
- book reviews
Title: Hemlock & Silver
Author: T. Kingfisher
Publisher: Tor Books 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 368
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; BOTM; Winter TBR
Where I Got It:
*Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.
Not to die, but to save―seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.
But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.
Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.
Or it might be the thing that kills them all.*
This is a Snow White retelling, sorta. We get Snow. We get Rose. We get an evil queen. We get a mirror. But from there, this story diverges as we follow a student of poisons as she attempts to unravel the mystery of Snow’s sickness. The first half of the book is fine, if a little slow. We are also moving in real time as Anja is recruited by the King and settles into the palace. But then something strange with a mirror happens and the book kicks into high gear. From there it’s an all out sprint to the finish. I loved all the twists and turns and new clues we get to puzzle out alongside Anja. Overall, I really enjoyed this retelling that didn’t focus on romance but mystery and fantasy. And as always, I’ll read another Kingfisher writes.
Next up on the TBR pile:
