Out in the wilderness, in a desert where there's nothing but a lonely villa and its gardens, lives a poised girl who is expected to die soon. Healer Anja —who isn't truly a healer per se, but rather a poisons specialist—is all that stands between the young girl and death, that and a cat, but the book will get to that later, of course.
Artistry and Craft
Because Hemlock and Silver was a retelling of Snow White, I found the beginning somewhat predictable as it was fairly easy to tell who the antagonist was. This anticipation made the beginning lag as I was fully expecting just another Snow White retelling with a slight twist, and this made it a bit boring for me until about midway. Then suddenly I realized just how wrong I was, that there was more than just what I had anticipated when I reached the last third of the book.
The book evolved from just a simple retelling in the world-building as it started to shine through. This made the novel unique alongside the author's choice of POV, turning the story into the character's own. The beginning was also dampened by the foreseeability of the mystery, and when new variables were added, this only intensified. There is a downside to this but also an upside, as it makes for a very approachable read for those who struggle to read mysteries because of complexity.
I found that some of the humour in the novel at times is a bit convoluted. My experience with the book's humour could very well be because of my fatigue when reading, combined with the fact that I read it on vacation. But nevertheless, I felt like a lot of it either was not funny or went over my head. This however, drastically changed for me by the last part of the book, about three-fourths of the way through; I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoying the ending of the book. My review would be less than subpar if I forgot to mention the talking cat, who added an element of importance with his sarcastic and hilarious disposition, which was why I found the book to be more enjoyable near the ending.
I also thought some aspects of Hemlock and Silver echoing The Curse of Chalion at some theological and cosmological points. For example, some of the similarities are with the saints, such as claiming people and being patrons of them as well as the culture's gods being called saints. The book didn't go into a whole lot of detail with this concept like The Curse of Chalion does, but touches on it enough to catch a whiff of how closely both worlds may resemble one another. There are similarities not only with the theological and cosmic but also with the "captive hero" trope, or "broken hero" trope. Both main characters in both books are above ordinary people in terms of the way they treat others around them— as well as being not your average young adult or teen hero—which is refreshing for a change in POV's. The biggest difference between the two books is that Hemlock and Silver is a cozy fantasy, while The Curse of Chalion is an epic fantasy, both very different genres.
In terms of similarities to other books, Hemlock and Silver has frequently been compared to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett, and I tend to agree. Despite the different fantasy setting and a different protagonist in terms of a slightly different personality, both hold similar aesthetics of adult educated women in historical and fantastical worlds, and although this might not seem a lot in common, it is enough to impress upon the reader a sense that they could be of the same world and cut generally from the same cloth. ★★★.75
Themes and Messages
Hemlock and Silver very much has a story about ethics for the sake of ethics. The severe and sturdy moral compass at its center starkly stands out in the main character; instead of focusing on a theological system to guide the main character, it's her own moral compass, where truth is something to be honoured or discarded depending on her own or others' perceived needs. This leads to incongruities as the main character is supposed to be dedicated to truth. Telling truth is a core trait of her character, and yet she often tells lies, from her own perspective, out of necessity or for advantage, which directly violates and contradicts what her center is grounded in.
“If I convinced a saint to save a life, what might happen?”
This attitude and positioning in a moral compass and optional morality reflects on her belief in her gods, that goodness is malleable and can be quantified differently in different circumstances, thus giving way to anxiety about knowing what is truly good when praying to them.
When serving imperfect gods, one has to think about the ramifications: do they truly know what is best? What if they don't know? What if what I'm asking turns out to be a huge mistake? The petitioner has to ask the right thing and the right way. This is a stark comparison when comparing it to the Christian worldview. Thankfully with Yahweh, this predicament of detrimental risk isn't there. The God of the Bible asks us to trust Him, so much so that eventually as we grow, our will will look more and more like His. That's how much we can trust in Him, that goodness can be found in Him and His will, not a hopeful ignorance that is gambling with the nature of reality.
The messages were surrounded by human relations and great relationships, and the responsibilities we have to our relationships. For instance, when a character insults somebody else in the book, the main character is very much not okay with it and is the first person to stand up for the insulted. Conversely, but when she feels the need to deceive somebody else, she has no problem disregarding the truth if it convinces her. This reflects the sentiment that although dehumanizing wrongs or sins are unacceptable, other wrongs, if not directly dehumanizing or cruel, are good or okay if the motivation is right. This double standard is generally suitable to meet the standard of being a "good person" that is often reflected in the cozy genre as a whole— which in "Christian speak" is called living by our own wisdom. ★★★
Final Thoughts
Hemlock and Silver overall was a decent book, making it into my top 5 for retellings of Snow White that I've read. But I wouldn't say it's my favourite in terms of pacing and the complexity of the plot. It's a very good vacation read when you don't want to think too much and want to absorb creative world-building and unique relationships. Overall, I'd give this book 3.75 stars out of 5.
Content Discretion:
Closed-door romance, innuendo, gore, poison, death, drugs, and death by poison, monsters, insects, and snakes.
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