I have yet to read a book by T. Kingfisher that I didn’t like.
Hemlock & Silver proved no different. I was hooked from the very first page and was sad to reach the end.
This fairy tale-inspired retelling of Snow White highlights Ms. Kingfisher’s incredible ability to take a well-known story, beckon the reader closer, and say, “You haven’t heard it told like this before…”
I think that’s one of the things I admire most about T. Kingfisher and her writing. Even with a fairy tale-inspired retelling of Snow White, her story is wholly original.
Yes, certain elements and characters named in the story published by the Brothers Grimm are there, but that’s where the similarities stop. You’d never need to read the original version of Snow White to enjoy Hemlock & Silver (or any of Ms. Kingfisher’s other retellings, for that matter). Still, if you have read the original tale, you’ll appreciate how Ms. Kingfisher takes what is well-known and turns everything topsy-turvy in the very best of ways.
In Hemlock & Silver, T. Kingfisher creates an entire world around the original story of Snow White that feels lived in and very much alive, even with sinister magic lurking behind the scenes.
The protagonist, a middle-aged woman named Anja, is an expert on poisons and seeks antidotes for those poisons where they may be found. When the king of the land comes before her with a desperate plea to help his daughter Snow, whom he fears is being poisoned, Anja has no choice but to accept. When she does, her life is turned upside down, and she enters a world of intrigue, politics, secrets, and magic most strange.
Will she be able to discover what’s going on and save Snow before it’s too late? Will she be able to save herself? After all, some secrets should remain hidden. When we uncover them, we might not like what we find.
All this to say, reading Hemlock & Silver was a pure delight! If you’re interested in Ms. Kingfisher’s works, other fairy tale-inspired retellings I wholeheartedly recommend are Thornhedge and A Sorceress Comes to Call.
Until next time,
Al
