Hemlock & Silver

Audiobook review. This was my first T Kingfisher novel but it won’t be my last. I absolutely loved this story. It felt like a mix of Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. The world building was well done with very unique creative elements that really enhanced the experience. The characters were fleshed out incredibly well with distinct personalities and motivations that supported the plot’s forward movement. The plot itself was mysterious and engaging. Different from anything I’ve read before in the very best ways. Some parts were a bit on the predictable side but the overall experience was just so good that it doesn’t even matter. I would love to read more stories involving the characters brought to life in this book. Jennifer Pickens’ performance on the audio brought everything together and made it feel like an immersive experience. Complementary copy received and voluntarily reviewed.

When you pick up a fairy tale retelling, you expect the usual suspects: dwarves, a pretty passive Snow White, maybe some woodland creatures singing backup. Hemlock and Silver politely tosses all that out the window. Sure, there are poison apples and mirrors (more like mirror-worlds), but Snow herself? Basically a side quest.

The real star is Healer Anja — and I adored her. She’s got the driest humor, a brain that insists on logic even as magic keeps smacking her in the face, and the kind of inner commentary that makes you feel seen. (Case in point: in a near-death moment she considers confessing her crush to her bodyguard… but only if she’s seconds away from dying, because who has the energy for that mortification while alive?).

Also: she’s a poison doctor. T. Kingfisher continues her streak of delightfully bizarre, oddly specific protagonists (looking at you, insect scholar from A House With Good Bones). The mystery of who’s poisoning Snow weaves neatly with Anja’s puzzle-solving, the banter sparkles, and the horror elements? Just enough to give you a shiver without hijacking the whole story.

All in all: smart, funny, and unexpectedly charming. If you like your fairy tales spiked with poison, logic, and wit, this one’s a winner.

I can't say enough about this book. dark. creepy. love. talking cat. this one was so much fun! while also making me never want to look into a mirror again.