Tag: T. Kingfisher

Review – Hemlock & Silver

Posted June 5, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Hemlock & Silver

by T. Kingfisher

Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 368
Rating: five-stars

Synopsis:
Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons. When she is summoned to treat the mysterious illness afflicting the king’s daughter, she finds herself against the clock, desperate to track down the source of the poison killing Princess Snow. But the chance discovery of a strange alternate world inside a magic mirror leads Anja to darker discoveries, including what really happened to Snow’s dead sister, Rose, and why their mother seemingly went mad and cut out her heart.

Aided by a taciturn bodyguard, a narcissistic cat, and a late Renaissance understanding of the scientific method, Anja must navigate the mysteries of the mirror world before the dark queen that dwells within rises to threaten them all.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Welp, Hemlock & Silver is a very, very T. Kingfisher sort of book. If I’d read it blind, I think I’d have picked it for a Kingfisher novel, because it has her hallmarks: very inventive interpretation of a source story while adding her own characters, a lot of warmth, and of course a central middle-aged female character who is absolutely capable, if a bit out of her depth.

That’s not to say this is a retread of other books by Kingfisher: her interpretation of the Snow White story is its own thing (and though it includes Rose Red, it’s not the “Snow White and Rose Red” story I know; closer to the Snow White story people know best through Disney). Anja and her efforts at applying the scientific method in this fairytale/medieval-technology setting are recognisable as being Kingfisher’s work, but Anja’s her own person too. I loved the scenes where she gets absolutely fascinated by a new discovery — she and I probably have some things in common!

I liked the characters a lot, including some of the side characters like Lady Sorrel, and of course, Grayling. Some of the concepts were super cool, too, with a very original monster concept about which I won’t say too much.

I did want to hit Anja with a pillow about one conclusion she’d jumped to, though…

If you’re a fan of Kingfisher, you’ll love it; if you’ve never tried it, it strikes me as a pretty good place to start.

Rating: 5/5

Tags: book reviews, books, fairytale, SF/F, T. Kingfisher

Review – What Feasts at Night

Posted December 21, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

What Feasts At Night

by T. Kingfisher

Genres: Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 151
Series: Sworn Soldier #2
Rating: four-stars

Synopsis:
Alex Easton, retired soldier, returns in this novella-length sequel to the bestselling What Moves The Dead.

When Easton travels to Gallacia as a favor to Miss Potter, they find their home empty, the caretaker dead, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence.

The locals whisper of a strange breath-stealing being from Gallacian folklore that has taken up residence in Easton’s home . . . and in their dreams.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

T. Kingfisher’s What Feasts At Night is a follow-up to her retelling of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, this one as far as I can tell an original story (though based on folklore, it’s not as strongly tied to a specific story). It was nice to see more of Alex Easton, and to explore ka’s experience as a soldier, along with the fallout of the events of What Moves The Dead (unsurprisingly, Easton is not even slightly a fan of fungi).

The book actually takes us to Gallacia, to the hunting lodge that Easton briefly mentioned in the previous book, in order for Miss Potter (also returning, hurrah!) to stay there and do some exploration for fungi. But when ka arrives, there’s a curious heavy atmosphere, the man he used to pay to keep the place up is gone, and the villagers don’t want to explain what happened.

I found it interesting that Easton points out at one stage that the events in What Moves The Dead are in fact all natural, not supernatural: freaky as heck, but it’s driven by fungi, growing and surviving. In What Feasts at Night, the threat is definitely supernatural. Which probably explains why I found it rather less unsettling than What Moves The Dead: infection and contagion frighten me for legitimate reasons, while ghosts and spirits and “other families” are more solidly in the realm of fiction. I’m not immune to getting creeped out at random, of course, but this book just didn’t play on my fears as well. I just enjoyed Alex’s character, the world-building of the Ruritanian romance stuff, and the typically witty narration of a T. Kingfisher book.

In a way, I enjoyed it more than the first book, and certainly read it faster. I don’t think that makes it better — I think What Moves The Dead is quite possibly the better book.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: book reviews, books, horror, SF/F, T. Kingfisher

Review – Nettle & Bone

Posted July 2, 2023 by Nicky in Reviews / 1 Comment

Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher

I really, really loved Nettle & Bone, and found myself repeatedly picking it up and reading more than I intended. It’s a fairytale of a sort, but one that admits its own darkness, and one which comments on itself and the genre as it goes along. Marra is a fun character: not always very aware of how others are feeling and thinking, not always even particularly quick to understand it herself — but kind, and committed to the course of action she’s chosen.

The supporting characters are great, too — the dust-wife and her chicken in particular, of course, and all the humour that her dialogue brings out — and the world around them. The little details like the saints, and the curse child, and the details of the goblin market.

I wasn’t kidding though about the bits of darkness: check for content warnings, if you think there’s something you might be sensitive about. I’ll keep it to the most obvious one, there’s spousal abuse, miscarriage and the death of a child.

Rating: 5/5

Tags: book reviews, books, SF/F, T. Kingfisher

Review – Thornhedge

Posted May 5, 2023 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher

Received to review via Netgalley

T. Kingfisher’s Thornhedge takes the story of Sleeping Beauty and bends it till it breaks, flipping things round to give us a different perspective. That massive thorny hedge makes a great defence — but what if it was keeping something in, rather than out? What if we really, really don’t want Sleeping Beauty to wake?

Toadling is a changeling, raised in Fairy and then sent back to her original parents to avert disaster. Fayette is wilful, powerful and destructive, and Toadling… well, she knows how to turn into a toad, and how to command water. She has minor magics, nothing like Fayette’s strength, but somehow she has to contain her and protect the world.

Into the familiar story comes a knight, as you’d expect — but he’s a pretty singular sort of knight, one rather more interested in books, and not entirely sure what to do with a sword. He’s drawn to Toadling and the way she’s trapped within the thorny hedge, and he’s determined to fix things. Somehow.

The friendship that grows up between Halim and Toadling is really sweet, and I love his gentleness and the warm humour around him. I raced through this and loved it; fans of Kingfisher’s work won’t be disappointed.