Book Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

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About The Book 📚

Title: Hemlock & Silver

Series: standalone

Author: T. Kingfisher

Cover Art: I’ve been trying to find this info. Let me know in the comments if you know who made the book cover.

Publication Date: August 19, 2025

Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

Genre: Portal Fantasy (Fairy Tale Retelling), Horror, Romance

Pages: 368

Click Here for Content Warnings (may contain spoilers)

Three Words That Describe This Book: portals, poisons, princesses

About The Author

“Ursula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher is the author and illustrator of far more projects than is probably healthy. She has written over fifteen books for children, at least a dozen novels for adults, an epic webcomic called “Digger” and various short stories and other odds and ends.

The daughter of an artist, she spent her youth attempting to rebel, but eventually succumbed to the siren song of paint (although not before getting a degree in anthropology.) Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, went to college at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state.

Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in New Mexico, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens.” https://redwombatstudio.com/about-the-author/

My Review

› T. Kingfisher is one of my favourite authors. I loved What Moves the Dead, What Feasts at Night, Thornhedge, and A Sorceress Comes to Call, and am very grateful to receive an advance copy of Hemlock & Silver and What Stalks the Deep (Sept. 2025).

Click here for a video of Jennifer Pickens reading a short scene from Hemlock & Silver.

› T. Kingfisher used to work as an illustrator and often contributes this talent to her books. Her writing is extremely visual, and I can see the story playing out like a movie. This book is being marketed as a Snow White retelling, but it’s a completely new take that I’ve never seen before. T. Kingfisher is her pen name; her real name is Ursula Vernon. She says Kingfisher is the name used for writing adult books; however, I could see teenagers enjoying Hemlock & Silver. There are scary moments, but many teens love horror (I’ve been reading Stephen King since I was 12). In addition to books for adults and kids, Vernon also has many stories, some of which are available to read online. Here are some links:

https://redwombatstudio.com/short-stories/

https://redwombatstudio.com/books/for-adults/

https://redwombatstudio.com/books-for-kids/

› Tor has put out another T. Kingfisher book with a stunning cover. You can see the hemlock at each corner, the snake made of vines and flowers representing the venom Anja works with in the book. And of course, the apple, central to the Snow White story we know.

› First Line: “I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had murdered his wife.”

What an opening sentence! I was intrigued from the start. Who is this person? Why are they taking poison? Why is the king here? Why is he admitting to murdering his wife? So many questions right off the bat. I was hooked.

› Hemlock & Silver is told in first-person from the perspective of a 35-year-old Healer named Anja. The king says 12-year-old Princess Snow has been sick for quite some time, and they can’t figure out what’s wrong. He thinks it may be poison and heard Anja is a poison expert. I don’t want to spoil what happened to the Queen; you’ll have to read the book to find out. He asks Anja to travel with his group to Witherleaf, 3 days away. Two of the king’s guards would accompany Anja everywhere to keep her safe. Witherleaf is such an interesting name, and it conjured up images in my mind of his daughter withering away.

› Anja’s interest in poison started at 11 years old when her cousin ate hemlock thinking it was a carrot and died. Anja couldn’t believe there was no cure and became determined to remedy that. It’s quite remarkable how much she has sacrificed in hopes of healing others. She’s smart, generous, kind, and funny. It’s awesome to see a scientific woman doing chemistry and biology.

› She meets interesting characters at Witherleaf, including a one-eyed cat called Grayling, who reminded me of the talking cat in one of my all-time favourite books, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. The banter between Anja and Grayling is one of the best parts of the book. I also enjoyed the banter between Anja and the two bodyguards, Javier and Aaron.

“It was the shade of dark gray that people call blue, it was short-haired and skinny, and it was missing an eye. Also, it had an expression like it was thinking about disembowelling everyone in the room.”

› What does the title mean?
Hemlock is a poisonous flowering plant, and the main character of the book, Anja, is searching for a cure for hemlock poisoning. The Queen came from a place called Silversand. “All the best mirrors come from there.”

› The characters are incredible. Goals, motivations, strengths, flaws, conflict, backstory, characteristics…Nothing is left out. 10/10 There is a slow-burning romance that felt relatable and authentic (Pg 13 in my opinion). The setting, descriptions, and world-building are top-notch. I loved the horror being balanced with quirky humour. Her writing is engaging, with high readability, dialogue and point of view. Kingfisher’s writing style scratches an itch I didn’t know I had. The plot has great pacing as well. I was intrigued from beginning to end. The monsters she creates are unlike anything else I’ve read, such as a centipede made from human hands and fractured faces.

Quotes That Stuck With Me

“Spirit houses, in case you don’t know them, are how we dispose of our dead in Four Saints…ashes were placed in spirit houses, which, not coincidentally, resemble birdhouses…When the ashes have been completely scattered, the period of mourning is considered done.”

“You were so excited. You tried to show me everything at once, and your eyes lit up, and you were just so fascinated by everything. Gets a man thinking what it would be like to have you look at him that way.”

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, intricately plotted, unconventional, tragic
Pace: medium
Tone: emotional, dramatic, suspenseful, magical, adventurous, mysterious, creepy, haunting
Humour: offbeat, sarcastic
Writing Style: well-crafted dialogue, descriptive
Character: awkward, brooding, complex, flawed, likeable, relatable, strong female

Read Alikes:
Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Malice by Heather Walter
A Spindle Spintered by Alix E. Harrow
Twice Cursed by Marie O’Regan

› In the past, I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• Hemlock & Silver is a mysterious, imaginative, dark, and funny fantasy that is set to be released tomorrow, August 19, 2025. Incredible characters featuring a strong, smart woman tell the story of resilience and sacrifice. Do you sacrifice one person to save a thousand? If you discovered a poison that could kill thousands, would you warn everyone, even though some evil person may use it to kill others? T. Kingfisher has created a mirror-world that I won’t soon forget. Highly recommend this one to readers 13+.