T. Kingfisher is now synonymous with fairytale retellings, her imagination has no bounds. This is a creative and cozy take on Snow White, focusing on the healer Anja and her predilection to poisons.

Like all of Kingfisher’s MCs, Anja is strong, smart and independent. Her dry humor and internal sarcasm are very relatable. The story unfolds as the mystery of Snow’s illness takes a magical turn into a secret world within a mirror. I really enjoyed the moody, silver atmosphere and magical elements of this book. All you have to say is talking cat and my rating instantly goes up. He’s sassy too, which made for funny banter between the characters.

While the story introduces a romance in the second half, it’s really just a small addition. The focus is on Anja’s investigation for the source of the poison. I liked how her research was presented, it was entertaining and science based in a logical way. The mystery and conclusion kept my attention, not entirely predictable and I liked how it ended. It’s not a dark or scary retelling, I thought it was definitely on the cozy side and with the author’s signature flare.

I listened to the audiobook performed by Jennifer Pickens, she has a great moody voice and her delivery fit well with Anja’s personality, her witty and dry humor, as well as creating different voice inflections for multiple characters. I really enjoyed it overall!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook copy to review #MacAudio2025

Publishes August 19

Title: Hemlock & Silver
Author: T. Kingfisher
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, Mystery
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️