2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher.

Pages: 368 pages

Length: 1 month (October)

Participants: M, Elaine, Dominique, Marie

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

This author is very hit or miss for me. I am hoping this one is a hit!

I am going to give this one a go. I have a library copy

My Libby hold came through the other day so I started this one a couple days ago and liking it so far.
I've read quite a bit from this author. Some I absolutely loved and others that just didn't hit.
Regardless, I seem to always enjoy her writing and her books help get me out of reading slumps!

Hope ya'll enjoy!

Pre challenge questions
I was prompted to join this challenge as I had already reserved the book from my library.

I think the author is a bit hit and miss for me too. However, the ones I have liked have been very very good so I am willing to continue reading her work. I have just opened my library copy and read the first chapter but I am going out this evening so will get back to it properly tomorrow

I have now read through chapter 5

The first chapters are tamer than I expected having noted an MPG of Horror on the book's main page. Many Horror tales jump straight in and try to frighten the life out of the reader. I like that this one is doing a bit of world and character building before the dark side sets in. There is also a bit more of a sarcastic humour than I expected underlying the tale. Is this trying to bring me on side with Anja as a character?

I like that "what you see is what you get" with Anja. She knows her decision to help is something of a Hobson's choice. There are two scenes i really like in this first part (view spoiler)[ The first is where she goes for new clothing and her sister tries to persuade her to dress more elegantly / refined. She knows what she is and what she wants to remain. The second is her depiction of her body shape - I just love the line " women my size generally don't run if we can avoid it. There are, let us say, certain structural concerns in the chest region." (hide spoiler)]
There is a lot of description in this first quarter of the book I hope the action is going to become more important soon.

One thing that I did think about a lot is the "Horror" element in a retelling of something always considered a fairy tale, something transferred to the cinema screens by Disney and read at bedtimes the world over. The original isn't all sweetness and light and it just got me to wondering how near each other enchantment and horror might be

I am now just about half way through the book - end of chapter 14.
I have struggled with this section which essentially - until the last chapter - has moved us no further forward. I have found the narrative impossibly slow. And NOW !!!! (view spoiler)[ I am s confused Anja has found Snow "at the top of a pocket garden.... looking back and forth as if she expected someone to be watching her ....leaned down behind a statue and came out with something in her hand" - this is of course the apple which Anja manages to take from her and later tastes herself. My reading made me think that the apple allowed Anja to travel through a solid mirror but at the end of this section she seems to suggest that the apple came from a mirror. There is no evidence of this and the leap is taxing me. Am I simply failing to suspend disbelief? Should I accept this is a possibility? (hide spoiler)] I am desperate to hear what you think

I have lots of questions about this section maybe they will be answered as I go on but if I am honest I am finding the book a bit slow, harder work than I expected.

Mid read Questions
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
I think Anja is the only character fully fleshed out at the midway point.
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?
Apart from the ones mentioned earlier I like the conversations between Anja and lady Sorrel.

I am three quarters of the way through start of chapter 21.
I have one thing to say WHY oh Why oh Why? (view spoiler)[ do we suddenly have to have the possibility of a burgeoning romance. It is like a novelist cannot get through a book without a bit of hokey pokey thrown in (hide spoiler)]

I have finished I will wait to post my feelings until you have all had chance to read