Hemlock & Silver – T. Kingfisher – Lost In A Good Book

Book Title: Hemlock & Silver

Series: 

Author:  T. Kingfisher

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388302-hemlock-silver

Release Date:  8/19/25

Star Rating:

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind.

Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons. When she is summoned to treat the mysterious illness afflicting the king’s daughter, she finds herself against the clock, desperate to track down the source of the poison killing Princess Snow. But the chance discovery of a strange alternate world inside a magic mirror leads Anja to darker discoveries, including what really happened to Snow’s dead sister, Rose, and why their mother seemingly went mad and cut out her heart.

Aided by a taciturn bodyguard, a narcissistic cat, and a late Renaissance understanding of the scientific method, Anja must navigate the mysteries of the mirror world before the dark queen that dwells within rises to threaten them all. – Goodreads

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.