Reviews with content warning for Cannibalism - Nettle & Bone

I really liked this book - it's a fabulous little fairy tale! Marra's voice and story are important to hear because any other version of this tale would have made one of Marra's sisters or the dust-wife or even Agnes the main character. And while it may have still been quite interesting to read the story from their perspectives, it's Marra's quieter strength that holds the book together. I like that she subverts the classic princess tropes and that her power is "getting things done"; the impossible happens around her because she tells it it must, and that's that. Marra's voice is also highly accurate and authentic in terms of her neurodivergence and I really appreciate the time and effort from T. Kingfisher on that front. It isn't a device used to make her quirky or difficult or "not like those other girls", its simply 100% Marra.

The trying to buy a chicken panic is so relatable I laughed until my ribs hurt. I will say that my role is usually Fenris' but I could name you five friends off the bat who would have had the exact same inner monologue as Marra.

The dust-wife and Agnes are also both incredible characters and unique spins on the hedge-witch and the fairy godmother. They both make excellent character studies on the difference between a character with certain elements and depth and one who is a paint-by-numbers for a certain trope.

I like that the magic is grounded in its rules and whimsical in its elements and bloody when they need to be. Nothing comes for free but the sacrifices are fair. In fact, the magic is one of the things that reminds me of the older versions of fairytales, those directly copied down from their oral version in this way. The plotting is another. Things happen when they need to because the story requires it, no more and no less. What needs to be explained is and what you're supposed to take on faith you do. There isn't an overabundance of cause and effect or writing characters into decisions to give the story more complexity.

I have two small gripes. The first is that I think there are a few passages that over explain the political situation between the kingdoms and why the prince would choose to marry into Marra's family. The second is that I think the bone-dog scene could have been accomplished without the cursed lands. They never reappear, there's no explanation, and they don't serve a specific purpose, which is odd given the amount of detail we get about the inhabitants and effects of the curse. All we really needed was a cursed bone-pit or a cave or even a small stretch of woods rather than an entire section of the kingdom. It just felt unfinished, a piece from an earlier draft that was never edited out.

Overall, an incredibly fun read, and worth reading for the demon-chicken alone.

P.S. I know that this is not a book that would get shelved under humor. However, the dialogue from some of the characters is too funny to not add that to one of the moods. The wit is top tier.

P.P.S Concerning the content warnings,

there is a scene where Kania describes (in brief) not only the physical abuse from her husband but the context for when they sleep together, that he has his guards watch and seems to derive pleasure from this. It is implied that this is done without Kania's consent and that their time together is not consensual to Kania's fear for her life. I wasn't sure whether that counted as sexual assault or sexual violence and thought I would just add it here.

Content Warnings

bucklace27's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

booksandteatime's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

no_good_wyfe's review

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adventurous dark funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Content Warnings

paige_chastang's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

T. Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She paints a vibrant fairytale world where the tropes of the genre are common knowledge. Magic does what it does because it is magic and is never bogged down with overly long explanations.

Marra is a wonderful protagonist, driven solely by the love of her sister. She grows from a naive woman who took everything around her at face value to someone who is much more aware of the world without being jaded. It’s a breath of fresh air when other authors would have taken that route.

The rest of the characters are equally as charming and well defined, from the grumpy dust-wife with her demon chicken to the loving but secretive godmother who just wants to raise her chickens in peace.

Content Warnings

rosyapple's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nice imagery. starts out more fairytale horror but does get funnier in that cozy fantasy way

Content Warnings

katytron's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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