Hemlock & Silver

By: T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

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.

"Pickens's portrayal of Cordelia's developing independence is breathtaking." — AudioFile on A Sorceress Comes to Call

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2025 T. Kingfisher (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Utterly delightful… Kingfisher wows."—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"Eerie and aching, I've loved everything that Kingfisher has written but this might be my favorite."—Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

"Hemlock & Silver is T. Kingfisher at her best—clever, romantic, and a hell of a good time."—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

OMG

ok sooo you just have to and I mean HAVE TO read this book this it the best book ever
the way you get scared but don't feel scared it's just 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🤔🤔🤨🤨😌😌🤯🤯😌😍😍😍😍😍and the way you ooo ahhh
ewww what it's just amazing please read!!!!!!

I LOVED this story!

I just love T.Kingfisher’s writing. I really do. This particular story is unlike anything I’ve read before. Deliciously spooky and heartwarming. Highly recommended and the narrator is fantastic. Beautiful standalone and I will definitely re-listen a few times. ❤️❤️

Disciplined, creative and funny

The narrator is key in understanding the characters in this wonderfully written book. I now expect this of T Kingfisher and I’m never disappointed. Do yourself a favor and spend that credit.

Another gem

If you know her, you know how good these re-imagined folk tales can be. Highly recommend

T.Kingfisher did it again ♥️

If you like T.Kingfisher's work you will love this book.
I loved the story and the characters.
As usual Ursula did a wonderful job retelling a fairytale we all know in a brilliantly cripy way.
Also great job by the narrator Jennifer Pickens.

On the surface, it’s Reflective but it goes much deeper when you look closer at it.

My 1st book about Snow White, which this book is based on, was beautifully illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. It was bound in a deep black cloth, and I still have the copy my mother gave me when I was just 4 years old.

It was easy to picture some of those classic illustrations as I listened along to this well written addition to the author’s growing collection of remixed fairytales that we all either grew up reading, or watching as animations.

So any repurposed take to their story is a an enjoyable and twisted ride down a well known path.

This one in particular will make you feel a little wiggly about any older mirrors you might have in your house, especially if you happen to cross over more than one of them with your own reflection.

A fun dark retelling of a classic

The storyline was very creative, still keeping with some of the originals ideas so that the book would be recognizable as a retelling. But spinning out those ideas so differently that you aren't ever quite sure what is going to happen. This is definitely going to be a book I relisten too!

Can't wait for the next book.

After anxiously counting down the days to this book as soon as I read "from the author of When a sorceress comes to call", I am happy to report It was everything I've come to love about this author's writing style wrapped up with a satisfying bow. The relatable humor throughout, the graphic descriptions of delightfuly horrific monsters, and the cinematic scenery had me deeply engrossed. I only wish it were longer so I could extend my stay in the fascinating world the brilliant T. Kingfisher created. And now I begin to anxiously count down to the next book from one of my favorite authors.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!

Oh my gosh! This book was simply fantastic! I’ve been a fan of the author for several years now, so I was definitely looking forward to this one. But it exceeded my expectations!

It’s very loosely based on the Snow White fairy tale (VERY loosely), but it imagines a complex world (and alternate world) that were brilliantly crafted. An extremely creative set of ideas. Unlike anything I’ve read before. Simply brilliant!

And the protagonist is absolutely wonderful! Prickly and short-tempered, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. I felt like she was definitely autistic coded. And it was great that she was older and even a bit overweight. I’m so tired of petite teen heroines! It was great to have a mature protagonist who wasn’t full of teenage angst and who knew who she was and what she wanted. And she was sharp as a tack, too!

The whole story just captivated me, from the very beginning. I didn’t think it started slowly at all. It was a fascinating introduction to the character and the world. Certainly, once things started happening with the main plot, the action came thick and fast, but I loved every chapter of this book! I want to read more of Anja!

And the narrator was PERFECT! While she didn’t do any accents, her tone of voice was perfect for each character. Especially Greyling and Anja. Really well done!

In short: READ THIS BOOK! You’ll love it!

Loved Anja!

Fantastic book! I absolutely loved Anja’s character, all of the fantastical creatures, and the story in general. Narration was also great! I did listen at 1.2 and it was exactly right.