If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I’m going to read whatever T. Kingfisher writes. Southern horror? Yep. Fairy tale retellings? Of course. Paladin kissing books? Literally can’t get enough of them.
So I was a little surprised to find myself struggling to get into Hemlock & Silver, her recently-released Snow White retelling. This has her typical socially awkward middle-aged heroine with niche interests, a strong, stoic love interest with a heart of gold, and a quirky animal companion. But it starts out so slow that I was starting to wonder if Kingfisher had finally written a dud.
Not to worry, though. Once the plot finally kicks fully into gear, it really gets going and you get all the weird, wonderful, “wait I thought this wasn’t a horror novel” cozy-creepy vibes you love. Now with a desert setting!
This isn’t so much a retelling as a reinterpretation. Kingfisher knows we’ve seen it all before, the “I wish I had a daughter with skin as white as snow…” and the wicked stepmother and the “fairest of them all.” Been there, done that. What if we took just a couple of elements and spin them out into a weird story only loosely connected to their fairy tale? What if we focused on apples and mirrors and poison?
The cool thing about this is that no innocent stags get their hearts cut out, though some roosters are put into peril.
Because Kingfisher isn’t interested in retelling the old story beat-by-beat, we don’t really know what’s coming. There’s a girl named Snow. Her father is a king. Snow is sick, and since none of the doctors have been able to figure it out, the king convinces Anja, a poison expert, to come to the remote desert estate Snow is hiding out in to try to figure out if some obscure poison is to blame.
A sense of urgency comes from the fact that not only might Snow die if Anja can’t figure out what’s wrong with her, but Anja might die if whoever is poisoning the princess realizes that Anja is trying to solve the crime. Since her true purpose is hidden, there’s a bit of humor in people assuming that Anja is the king’s unlikely new mistress.
The end result is an enjoyable if at times horrifying story. That said, I don’t think I’d recommend that anyone start here if they’re new to Kingfisher. I think you really need to have faith in her as an author to get through the first hundred or so pages where nothing much seems to happen. Most of the world building, character establishment, and poison chat pays off in the end, but until you realize how things tie into the story, it feels kind of meander-y.
Source and Format: I borrowed the ebook from King County Library System.
TWs and CWs: Animals in danger and mentions of animal death, child death, death of a parent, fantasy drug use, vomit, and some downright creepy stuff I can’t even explain.
Reading Challenge Prompts
World of Whimm: Fairy Tale Retelling. Again, this one stretches the boundaries of the original tale, but I’ll allow it. After so long of retelling these same stories, it’s time to get weird with it.
Reading Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 14 of 25, no bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 20 of 25, 2 bingos.
Book Riot: 15 of 24.
Physical TBR: 8 of 12.
World of Whimm: 21 of 24, 6 bingos.
SAL/SPL/KCLS: 23 of 23, Blackout.