Ricarda's Reviews > Hemlock & Silver

I am a T. Kingfisher enthusiast and I am always after her new releases. Emphasis on releases, plural, because the woman publishes up to 3 books a year. Iconic. Her first new release of 2025 is about 35-year-old healer and poison lover Anja who is sent to attend to the King's daughter Snow. Snow is plagued by a mysterious illness and no other physician could help her so far. Anja tries to find the cause of the sickness with her special knowledge of poisons and so the first half of the book is about her observing Snow's eating habits, examining her surroundings and questioning the staff of the estate. It is a slow-moving story, but I liked how all possible options were talked through and that everything was presented in a detailed way. There is barely any fantasy in the first half of the book and it focuses more on plants and poisons, which are themes that I LOVE in books. The second half than introduces some cool mirror magic and a talking cat (my beloved), but I do have to say that it kinda overshadowed the poison theme. I wish there was more of a mix of the medical and the magical parts of this story, so that they wouldn't feel so separated. Once the mirrors were introduced, the story really focused on them and that part felt a little repetitive and didn't really hold my attention. I guess it might be the exact other way around for other readers, though. But considering that Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White reimagining, it was really no surprise who the culprit was and it took way too long before Anja figured it out too.

This book feels way less like a fairy tale than previous books by T. Kingfisher, like Thornhedge or Nettle & Bone for instance. It's more like Snow White is playing out somewhere in the background of the story with some recognizable elements thrown in from time to time, but with focus on a whole new character. And I liked Anja a lot. She really found her area of interest and is always hungry for new knowledge, but she has the hardest time with other people and rather spends her life with her venomous snake. And bless T. Kingfisher for casually putting fat protagonists in her books, many other authors just don't do that. The funny tone of the book was a pleasure too. There are just always sentences that crack me up, but they never make the overall story seem silly. Hemlock & Silver might not be a contender for my new favorite Kingfisher book, but I can easily recommend this one for fans of the author (which should be everyone in my opinion).

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

-----------------------------------------
New T. Kingfisher that is possibly related to Nettle & Bone?! Say no more, I'm in. Update: It's a Snow White reimagining!