Review

T. Kingfisher is back with another unputdownable novel. Hemlock and Silver follows Healer Anja, an academic with a fascination for poisons. When she is summoned by the King to help his daughter Snow (who is dying), Anja travels to the palace in an attempt to save her, but nothing seems to work. Accompanied by a guard and a sarcastic cat, Anja embarks on an adventure to a dangerous mirror world in an effort to save Snow and the very kingdom itself.

Every T. Kingfisher book I’ve ever read has been a five-star read, and this was absolutely no exception. I didn’t want to put this down, and Kingfisher’s vivid, engaging prose meant I raced through this book in just a few days. Hemlock and Silver is described as a dark Snow White retelling, but it is unlike any Snow White retelling I have ever read, and it very much went in a direction I did not expect. Kingfisher does a marvelous job of creating tension as Anja races to save Snow, and there are some genuinely eerie moments as Anja and her companions explore the mirror world.

One of the things I adore most is Kingfisher’s brilliant characters. Anja’s a fascinating protagonist – she’s clever and a bit awkward, and I just loved seeing her perspective on things. Kingfisher does a fantastic job building the romance in the story. I thought it was executed perfectly without overshadowing the main plot. While I really liked all the characters, Grayling did steal the show a bit – how can you not love a talking cat?

Overall, Hemlock and Silver is a compulsively readable fantasy tale and another absolute gem of a book from T. Kingfisher. If you’ve been thinking of picking this one up, I’d definitely recommend it. This is one you don’t want to miss.