Synopsis
Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.
Not to die, but to save – seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.
But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.
Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow – but nothing seems to work. Nothing, that is, until she finds a secret world hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.
Or it might be the thing that kills them all . . .
Review
The following book was read by my partner, who loved it so much that she said she simply had to share her thoughts online about it. And what better way to do this than by hijacking my uber popular bookish accounts, with my hundreds of thousands of adoring fans who hang off my every word!
Hemlock & Silver is my first T. Kingfisher, and I’m delighted to say that this won’t be my last. Following Anja, a healer determined to save the lives of the people that need her, until one day her quiet life is upended by the King, whose daughter, Snow, has fallen into a coma. It’s then up to Anja and a very colourful cast of characters to embark on an adventure to find the cure for Snow’s affliction.
What first struck me about this book was the main character, Anja, who didn’t feel like other characters I’ve come across in the fairytale retelling space. She’s a sassy, “career-driven” woman who knows what she wants from life and has worked towards it and so continues to maintain this sense of identity for herself because she’s content with her achievements. It’s nice to see someone with an established space in the world and actively enjoying what they do. Her dry sense of humour was something that I also really loved! She isn’t a damsel in distress, she’s an independent woman, proactive, and able to take charge of the situation at hand. But, she’s accepting of the help too when this comes along, and isn’t standoffish like some FMC’s can be who fit that similar mould. Just because they are independent doesn’t mean they have to dislike others. This also extends to the female side characters too, who are often strong willed and important, even the characters of “lower stations” like the maids and help have a good part to play when on the page.
The first 60-80 pages of Hemlock & Silver is very much a slice-of-life fair, with enough worldbuilding to know that, whilst it’s based off the groundworks of the Snow White tale, it lets us know that this isn’t a 1-to-1 retelling. In fact, one of the things that I really liked was how Kingfisher puts a unique spin onto a number of the familiar elements, leading to a story that was exciting to discover, but also familiar enough to sink into with little difficulty. I also appreciated that this isn’t a romantically focused book. Yes, there are mild romance elements, but having them not be the main focus lent itself to who Anja is. She already has her life sorted, and wasn’t bothered (but not averse to) by romance, but these things do happen naturally and that’s how it feels in the book too. It’s like something nice to add to her life, and not suddenly the only thing she cares about.
The plot itself is fun with enough stakes to keep you invested, but its not earth-shattering. There’s enough danger that what the characters do is always important and always driving the story along. Plus it was their decisions that pushed that the narrative forward, and not the plot dictating what happens next, which is something I always really like. Character focused and driven books always resonate with me more, and Hemlock & Silver is definitely that.
I’m really looking forward to diving into T. Kingfisher’s back catalogue after this one. With a mixture of cosy and romantic fantasy, and darker, gothic horror tales to appeal to my darker side, I think I may have found my next bingeable author! Hemlock & Silver is a great retelling, unique in its approach, with stellar characters and a fun adventure narrative at its core. Anja was one of my favourite characters that I’ve been on a journey with this year!
With thanks to Tor Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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