A Snow White Retelling Unlike Anything You’ve Read Before

Forget everything you think you know about Snow White. This story trades in the sanitized fairy tale version for something darker, stranger, and far more interesting.

Hemlock & Silver comes from T. Kingfisher, the pen name of New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Ursula Vernon. This novel became an instant bestseller across the New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists the moment it hit shelves.

What is this story about?

Anja is a healer who regularly drinks poison herself, not to harm but to find cures for people everyone else has given up on. Her quiet, herb filled life gets interrupted when the King summons her for an urgent task. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and nothing seems to explain why.

With help from a quiet, no nonsense guard and an unbearably narcissistic cat, Anja races to figure out what is slowly killing Snow. Her investigation leads her somewhere she never expected, a hidden world tucked inside a magic mirror that holds answers darker than she imagined.

Why This Retelling Feels So Fresh

Most fairy tale retellings play it safe. This one doesn’t.

What makes Hemlock & Silver stand out:

• A grounded, science minded heroine instead of a passive princess
• Real mystery and intrigue woven into a familiar tale
• Dark, atmospheric worldbuilding with genuine emotional stakes
• A memorable cast, including a wonderfully self absorbed cat
• Themes of grief, motherhood, and the cost of power

Author Sarah Beth Durst called it a new favorite, praising its masterful storytelling and unforgettable heroine. Critics have described the book as both eerie and aching, calling it some of Kingfisher’s best work yet.

Quick Question: Have you ever read a fairy tale retelling that made you question everything you thought you knew about the original story? That is exactly what this book does with Snow White.

Is This Book Right for You?

If you enjoy fantasy that blends fairy tale familiarity with genuine horror elements, this book delivers both. Readers who loved Kingfisher’s earlier work, or fans of dark fantasy writers like Naomi Novik and Alix E. Harrow, will feel right at home here.

This book works well for readers who want:

• A fairy tale retelling written for adults, not children
• A capable, resourceful female lead
• Slow building dread mixed with genuine warmth and humor
• A story that respects the source material while making it entirely its own

About the Author

T. Kingfisher is the pen name of Ursula Vernon, a New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author known for blending dark fantasy with sharp wit and genuine heart. Her work consistently earns praise for combining eerie atmosphere with deeply human characters.

Why Buy From BookWharf

We only feature books that earn real reader loyalty, and Hemlock & Silver has already proven itself as an instant bestseller. This is the kind of fairy tale retelling that stays with you.

Order your copy today and step into a version of Snow White you have never read before.