Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
We begin this tale with Anja who is not a healer but rather an apothecarian scientist who is intrigued by and skilled with poisons. Anja does seem to manage to heal some people using her knowledge but she is clearly a specialist in the field of poisons rather than a person one would typically expect to heal broken bones or physical injuries.
Shortly after we meet Anja, she is visited by the King who requests the use of her skills to heal his daughter Snow, who has a strange, unexplained illness. And this is where I experienced my biggest challenge with this book: the pacing. For instance, Anja does not actually meet Snow until we're almost halfway into the book. Instead we go shopping as preparation for the trip, we travel slowly with the King’s entourage, and then we languish at the castle for quite a while as Anja settles in.
And while I enjoyed the academic aspects of poison study, it was surprising how we lost that thread as the mystery unravels. I wish the story had leaned more into poison as we move into the second half of the tale. However, does the arrival of a sarcastic talking cat help make up for the loss of poison study? Possibly!
Overall, the book was eerie and a bit mind bending considering all aspects of the magic system that was at work. There are lots of parenthetical asides meant as humor which breaks the fourth wall. This feels like a tale we are being told as we sit around a bonfire together…
T. Kingfisher is known for her dark, imaginative fairytale retellings. Rather than dousing her stories with romance, she sprinkles it lightly. She leans heavily into the "found family" trope, not just as a passing theme but as a central element. In the books of hers I’ve enjoyed (Nettle & Bone and A Sorceress Comes to Call), she consistently centers older women as the primary protagonists, bringing a refreshingly grounded perspective. T. Kingfisher also continues to skillfully walk the line between fantasy, gothic horror, and a bit of sci-fi.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this advance copy!
