T. Kingfisher returns with a clever, poison-laced spin on Snow White that plays more like a forensic fairy tale than a standard retelling. Hemlock & Silver follows Anja, a pragmatic healer who tests toxins and antidotes on herself, as she is summoned to diagnose the mysterious illness of Princess Snow. What begins as a medical mystery expands into court intrigue, a whispering mirror world, and a moral puzzle about science, magic, and responsibility.
What the book does well
Kingfisher’s strength has always been voice, and Anja’s narration is crisp, wry, and rooted in the nitty-gritty of herbal practice. The novel treats investigation like craftwork: Anja interviews staff, reconstructs Snow’s routines, inventories what goes in and out of the princess’s room, and tests hypotheses the way a field scientist might. That grounded approach makes each small breakthrough satisfying, especially once the case tilts toward the uncanny.
The supporting cast adds warmth and texture. Javier, the taciturn guard, becomes a steady counterpoint to Anja’s anxious curiosity. Grayling, a deliciously self-important cat, steals scenes without tipping the story into whimsy for whimsy’s sake. The mirror realm is an inspired twist. It lets Kingfisher tangle with Snow White’s most potent image while reimagining the mirror as a portal with its own logic and predators.
Pacing, worldbuilding, and the divisive bits
Reader reactions will likely diverge on two fronts. First is pacing. The opening quarter lingers on setup, lore, and Anja’s methods. If you enjoy measured worldbuilding and the texture of invented pharmacology, you will be charmed. If you want the palace investigation sooner, the prelude may feel slow.
Second is the late-game reveal. Some readers will relish the way Kingfisher reframes the curse using liminal spaces and changeling folklore. Others may find the solution familiar if they have read the author’s prior work or many mirror-centric retellings. There are also moments where modern toxicology knowledge peeks through the faux-historical setting, which some will read as witty anachronism and others as a credibility wobble.
Tone and themes
This is not a grimdark rewrite. It is humane, curious, and often funny, even when it looks unflinchingly at harm. Anja’s commitment to evidence sits in tension with a world that refuses to be entirely rational. Kingfisher’s point is not that science fails, but that method and compassion are tools that still matter when the unknown pushes back.
Content notes
Includes illness and poisoning, medical experimentation on the self, menace within a royal household, and a child in peril. The threat level is real, but the prose avoids gratuitous cruelty.
Verdict
Hemlock & Silver is a smart, character-driven fantasy that treats a classic tale like a case file. Come for the poisoner-healer, stay for the prickly partnership, the opinionated cat, and a mirror that hides more than vanity. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings that favor investigation over spectacle, this belongs on your list. Readers seeking nonstop action may wish the early chapters moved faster, but patience is rewarded once the mirror opens.
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