Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

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. 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 human body is a strange combination of incredibly fragile and unspeakably tough.” (Page 46)

I absolutely love Anja, and I think many may not be sure that they like Snow. Anja is stuck in a peculiar situation; if she cannot yield results more than just her own reputation and life may suffer because while the king may not hold it against her, the rest of his subjects certainly would hold that against her family. I absolutely loved how the magic world worked, and of course our wonderful feline guide. I quite enjoyed the rapport between Anja and her guard, as well as how Anja would speak to the King when able. She is a very enjoyable protagonist to follow, and I was rooting for her all the time.

There were so many amazing quips and one liners in this book that it becomes almost impossible to pick one to encompass the feel of the entire story. While I am certain I will have picked one for the beginning of this review, I will share this one that I feel a special kinship with here. “Then I slept badly–I always do, the night before I know I have to be somewhere early–” (Page 55)

This book was such a unique and fun take on Snow White, and I greatly enjoyed it. If you love fairy tale retellings, magic, strong independent women that aren’t necessarily the slimmest, cats, and guards who are good at their jobs (even when it takes them to places they never could have dreamt of) this book is definitely for you!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯