I obtained a evaluate copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluate and all opinions are my very own.

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Mogsy’s Ranking: 4 of 5 stars

Style: Fantasy

Sequence: Stand Alone

Writer: Tor Books (August 19, 2025)

Size: 368 pages

Writer Data: Web site

As somebody who reads nearly all the pieces T. Kingfisher writes, I jumped into Hemlock & Silver with lots of pleasure—and, admittedly, sky-high expectations. And whereas it didn’t find yourself being considered one of my favorites, I nonetheless totally loved the experience. In spite of everything, she is a type of authors the place even a “not a favourite” remains to be an excellent learn.

Billed from the writer’s description as a “darkish reimagining of Snow White, Hemlock & Silver is pure Kingfisher: quirky characters, mental curiosity, and a sprinkling of fairy story inspiration. The story follows Anja, a healer who specializes within the idea and therapy of poisons. Armed with a chime-adder (their venom occurs to be an ingredient in a large number of antidotes) and a daily behavior of ingesting toxins to higher perceive their results, her uncommon strategies have made her one thing of an oddity inside her neighborhood. However someday, her quiet life is all of a sudden interrupted when the king himself seems at her door with a determined request. Having just lately suffered the lack of each his spouse and considered one of his youngsters, he’s now decided to save lots of his solely surviving daughter, Snow, who has fallen gravely in poor health. The most effective docs within the realm have already been consulted, and never considered one of them can decide what’s improper. Suspecting that Snow’s signs are from poisoning, the king is popping to Anja as his closing hope.

Left with little alternative, our protagonist agrees to analyze and is escorted to the remoted desert retreat the place Snow has been sequestered since her mom and sister’s suspicious deaths. As soon as there, she begins cautious statement of the princess, interviewing the workers, and testing all of the meals. When nothing turns up, and Snow remains to be sick, Anja is compelled to think about different prospects, together with magical influences and the unsettling conduct of the mysterious, finely crafted mirrors that the late queen had introduced along with her from her homeland. Earlier than lengthy, Anja finds herself pulled right into a hidden world that appears to defy all logic and her coaching, nevertheless it is likely to be the important thing to unlocking what’s ailing Snow.

Although “Snow White reimagining” is what it says within the blurb, Hemlock & Silver is in reality fairly sparse relating to parts from the unique fairy story. As an alternative, it hones in on the idea of a magic mirror and turns it on its head in a really intelligent and authentic manner. However as a result of the ebook is extra impressed by the spirit of the fairy story fairly than its storyline, I wouldn’t go as far as to name it a retelling, and potential readers ought to know this getting into, particularly these with a mushy spot for Snow White who is likely to be anticipating extra faithfulness to the plot.

Nonetheless, what actually stood out for me was the tone. As all the time, Kingfisher strikes an incredible stability between darkish and unsettling themes, with simply the correct amount of wit to take the sting off. The pacing was spot-on all through, and you understand how I usually nitpick sluggish beginnings, however even the early chapters of Hemlock & Silver stole my consideration as we bought to know Anja and the way her uncommon fascination with poisons started. She’s additionally a traditional Kingfisher protagonist: good, socially awkward, and only a tad too arduous on herself. However there’s no doubting her deep dedication to her calling, and that zeal is infectious. I all the time respect a reliable foremost character, and Anja completely matches the invoice.

The world-building was additionally implausible, notably the quiet presence of the animal saints within the background, whose lore added depth to the setting. That mentioned, as soon as we reached midway level of the story and the mirror aspect took middle stage, I did discover myself struggling to totally grasp among the mechanics. Whether or not because of the restricted explanations or the fairly obscure descriptions, it wasn’t all the time simple to visualise how issues had been working, and sometimes I felt a little bit misplaced within the particulars.

However like I mentioned, despite the fact that Hemlock & Silver isn’t my favourite T. Kingfisher novel, I genuinely don’t assume she’s able to writing a foul ebook—and this one nonetheless hit all the precise notes for me. It’s a robust entry within the fairy story impressed fantasy style: a little bit bizarre and a little bit creepy, but additionally intelligent and humorous, and better of all, deeply satisfying in the best way it weaves collectively science and magic. In the event you’re a fan of Kingfisher’s work, or offbeat fantasy and intelligent takes on folklore on the whole, you want to choose this up.