0ivy0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Nettle and Bone is a dark, whimsical, gothic yet cosy fairytale, with some of the most unique and lovable characters I have encountered. It's very much more about the journey than the climax, yet the climax did not disappoint.
30 year old Marra embarks on a quest to save her sister from an evil prince. She encounters three impossible tasks and has the help of a grave witch, a demon chicken, a bonedog, a man they freed from the goblin market and a fairy godmother.
We start part way through Marra's journey, which was slightly confused but in a way that inspired curiosity and made the book itself more unique, before going back to see how it all started.
The world-building was done seamlessly without an exposition-dump, however I wasn't 100% sure what the setting was truly like. I wonder if it would have benefited from a map for visualising the borders of territories and to map the journey.
The book contains great characterisation and every character felt unique both within the book and within the fantasy genre.
Our lead, Marra, is 30 years old, emotional and somewhat naive - sometimes she felt too immature and at times I was confused by her age and timeline for flash backs. We experience the story through narration with the addition of Marra's thoughts in italics, which helps the reader understand her better. Marra is the youngest of three princesses, however she would rather be a nun than to be percoeved as such. Her queen mother puts the people and peace above her kin - however this was explored.
As exoected from a dark fairytale, Nettle and Bone is well-written, though not always as visceral as it could be, with whimsical creatures - a bone dog and a chicken with a demon in it!
It seemed to me that the book had a theme of understanding people and their actions, that they are doing the best with what they are given as well as exploring response to trauma e.g. "this is happening, and I am a part of it, but that is all".
The prose was beautifully written and easy to read whilst remaining complex and romantic. There is exploration of heavy topics, especially towards the beginning, including DA and child loss.
There was definitely more emphasis on the journey and those you pick up along the way rather than the action/climax. Despite this, the climax was well-written and hit well which is surprising to me as I am usually bored by a climax (as they are generally predictable).
The ending was perfect, the plot was tied together beautifully in a bittersweet way.
My only disappointment was that I was told this book contained representation for chronic pain and, although Marra damages her hand, it is not explored enough in her thoughts or plot to be representative for me.
Overall, Nettle and Bone had a fantastic balance of charm, humour, and whimsy vs the darker themes and descriptions. The characters were well-written and unique and the plot both sorrowful but uplifting. I loved this book.
30 year old Marra embarks on a quest to save her sister from an evil prince. She encounters three impossible tasks and has the help of a grave witch, a demon chicken, a bonedog, a man they freed from the goblin market and a fairy godmother.
We start part way through Marra's journey, which was slightly confused but in a way that inspired curiosity and made the book itself more unique, before going back to see how it all started.
The world-building was done seamlessly without an exposition-dump, however I wasn't 100% sure what the setting was truly like. I wonder if it would have benefited from a map for visualising the borders of territories and to map the journey.
The book contains great characterisation and every character felt unique both within the book and within the fantasy genre.
Our lead, Marra, is 30 years old, emotional and somewhat naive - sometimes she felt too immature and at times I was confused by her age and timeline for flash backs. We experience the story through narration with the addition of Marra's thoughts in italics, which helps the reader understand her better. Marra is the youngest of three princesses, however she would rather be a nun than to be percoeved as such. Her queen mother puts the people and peace above her kin - however this was explored.
As exoected from a dark fairytale, Nettle and Bone is well-written, though not always as visceral as it could be, with whimsical creatures - a bone dog and a chicken with a demon in it!
It seemed to me that the book had a theme of understanding people and their actions, that they are doing the best with what they are given as well as exploring response to trauma e.g. "this is happening, and I am a part of it, but that is all".
The prose was beautifully written and easy to read whilst remaining complex and romantic. There is exploration of heavy topics, especially towards the beginning, including DA and child loss.
There was definitely more emphasis on the journey and those you pick up along the way rather than the action/climax. Despite this, the climax was well-written and hit well which is surprising to me as I am usually bored by a climax (as they are generally predictable).
The ending was perfect, the plot was tied together beautifully in a bittersweet way.
My only disappointment was that I was told this book contained representation for chronic pain and, although Marra damages her hand, it is not explored enough in her thoughts or plot to be representative for me.
Overall, Nettle and Bone had a fantastic balance of charm, humour, and whimsy vs the darker themes and descriptions. The characters were well-written and unique and the plot both sorrowful but uplifting. I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy
fraeyalise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
This book was incredibly hard to read at the beginning, especially having a baby recently, and having a relatively traumatic pregnancy.
It's so, so dark at the beginning. I almost put it down, I was in such horror and despair.
But it does get better, and I am glad I kept going.
It's so, so dark at the beginning. I almost put it down, I was in such horror and despair.
But it does get better, and I am glad I kept going.
Spoiler
It is all okay in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child death
Minor: Abortion and Child abuse
twistykris's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? No
4.5
A uniquely funny, scary, dark book that was a joy to read. This is NOT a cozy fantasy by any means. There are elements of cozy fantasy: found family, adventure, humor. But there is a lot of dark content and some mid-high stakes. Please check the trigger warnings.
The world-building was fantastic and it felt like every character was truly fleshed out. The dust-wife was just an absolutely grumpy gem that I adored and her demon chicken made me laugh out loud multiple times (though I wish we could have seen more of what the demon chicken could do and how she came to have a demon inside of her). Marra was a great character, though sometimes her self-doubt got to be a little grating; it felt like every chapter had her inner thoughts of "I can't do this, I'm making a mistake, this is a dumb idea, these people don't want to help me." I understand it to an extent, but it just felt whiny at times.
Not exactly a page-turner at certain points- some of the pacing was a little off for me and it felt like it jumped from plot point to plot point in a weird manner that I only realized later on that it's meant to read like a fairy tale (which makes sense, I feel silly for not recognizing it earlier). Overall a very enjoyable read!
The world-building was fantastic and it felt like every character was truly fleshed out. The dust-wife was just an absolutely grumpy gem that I adored and her demon chicken made me laugh out loud multiple times (though I wish we could have seen more of what the demon chicken could do and how she came to have a demon inside of her). Marra was a great character, though sometimes her self-doubt got to be a little grating; it felt like every chapter had her inner thoughts of "I can't do this, I'm making a mistake, this is a dumb idea, these people don't want to help me." I understand it to an extent, but it just felt whiny at times.
Not exactly a page-turner at certain points- some of the pacing was a little off for me and it felt like it jumped from plot point to plot point in a weird manner that I only realized later on that it's meant to read like a fairy tale (which makes sense, I feel silly for not recognizing it earlier). Overall a very enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Child death, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Cannibalism and Injury/Injury detail
zsabella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
it’s nice to read a fantasy story where the core relationship portrays sisters with its entire range of love and hate, and doesn’t center on a conventionally brave and capable protagonist. you really feel for marra (who is barely recognized as royalty and more of a nun-in-training) who’s as deeply unsure of herself as we are of her. we follow all the lows throughout her journey as she gets flustered, easily discouraged, and exhausted and yet is still driven enough to take on every obstacle thrown her way all for the sake of her sisters. I adored the character relationships and the wholesome team dynamic that supported marra as our atypical heroine.
I love when a story like this immediately reminds me how fun and satisfying a quest storyline can be! for a novel less than 300 pages, this captures the same adult, fairytale-esque energy I’ve been looking for since reading neil gaiman’s stardust years ago. nettle and bone is my first t. kingfisher read (of likely many!), and I have to applaud her for striking a great balance between being lighthearted and emotional. 100% recommend for anyone looking for an entertaining yet cozy fantasy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death
Minor: Abortion, Cannibalism, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
toastedoats42's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Violence, Chronic illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Abortion, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, Medical content, Animal cruelty, and Medical trauma
dohali's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion
notthatlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
Minor: Cannibalism, Confinement, Sexual violence, and Abortion
ketreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I had the joy of finding the Nettle and Bone audiobook in my local library and definitely jumped on this hype train.
and let me tell you, it's SO worth it!
SPOILER FREE REVIEW:
*But also please be aware this book does involve some triggering subjects. While they're not depicted on screen, I thought them worth mentioning*
Nettle and Bone follows the main character Marra and her adventures to save her sister in a dangerous marriage to a Prince.
T. Kingfisher manages to perfectly capture the essence of fae tales, with their mystery and magic, while also managing to add so much character. You easily fall in love with, not only our main character of Marra, but our side characters too as they navigate a bleak and dangerous world to save her.
This book manages to perfectly blend both real and serious issues with a more lighter hopeful outlook. This is done through our main character of Marra, probably one of my favourites in a long time. She takes on the audiences role of 'fish out of water' but continues to have the right amount of naive kindness mixed with crushing realism.
I'm just such a sucker for characters that are genuienly great people, regardless of their world, and who are able to navigate through trials without blind optimism but hopeful kindness.
Overall it was an easy and fast read, and there's a lot to love about it.
(If you're interested in the triggering specifics, I'd be happy to list them!)
and let me tell you, it's SO worth it!
SPOILER FREE REVIEW:
*But also please be aware this book does involve some triggering subjects. While they're not depicted on screen, I thought them worth mentioning*
Nettle and Bone follows the main character Marra and her adventures to save her sister in a dangerous marriage to a Prince.
T. Kingfisher manages to perfectly capture the essence of fae tales, with their mystery and magic, while also managing to add so much character. You easily fall in love with, not only our main character of Marra, but our side characters too as they navigate a bleak and dangerous world to save her.
This book manages to perfectly blend both real and serious issues with a more lighter hopeful outlook. This is done through our main character of Marra, probably one of my favourites in a long time. She takes on the audiences role of 'fish out of water' but continues to have the right amount of naive kindness mixed with crushing realism.
I'm just such a sucker for characters that are genuienly great people, regardless of their world, and who are able to navigate through trials without blind optimism but hopeful kindness.
Overall it was an easy and fast read, and there's a lot to love about it.
(If you're interested in the triggering specifics, I'd be happy to list them!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion
The triggers of spousal abuse, mentions of potential abortion, forced pregnancy are all mentioned but are OFFSCREEN. None of these acts happen on screen, but still be wary of their mention throughout!khakipantsofsex's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Abortion
Minor: Animal death and Suicide attempt
shirecrow's review against another edition
3.5
“The tress were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires.”
Nettle and Bone shows the dark side of fairytales. It’s very graphic, twisted, shocking, and very real in a magical kind of way.
A while ago I read “The Hallow Places” by T.Kingfisher and fell in love with the way they brought stories to life. Now a bit (…a lot) later I finally return to Kingfisher and was not disappointed.
Like I said, Nettle and Bone is a rather twisted fairytale so let’s start at the beginning.
The opening sentence is probably one of my favorite openers ever. I don’t know what it is about it but I loved it and reread it multiple times, giddy to continue. The entire first scene was brilliant. You’re basically thrown into the story and from then on you learn more and more while following our protagonist, Marra.
Oh, Marra. I enjoyed and hated her. Being naive is a very core trait of her character if intentional or not I cannot tell since she stays that way from page one to the very last word. She was so naive it made me mad but even worse was her judgmental nature. She thinks she has another person figured out so quick and gets disproven in the next sentence almost every single time. And yet she doesn’t learn. She doesn’t grow from these mistakes but she keeps making them; judging by first glance. It was exhausting because as soon as Marra exploded you knew there was an explanation coming.
Marra is supposedly 30 years old but felt more like a young adult than anything else. So do the other characters.
And that brings me to Marra’s companions. I loved the dust-witch and adored Agnes and Finder as much as I adored Bonedog and the demon chicken. Each character was fleshed out as much as a supportive/side character can be in a 300 page long stand-alone. The dust-wife reminded me a lot of Gandalf in the way she never backed out or flinched when someone challenged her. I enjoyed her power a lot. Agnes was lovely and brought a lightness and mother-like feeling which only benefited the story. Then there’s Fenris. I didn’t quite enjoy his character. There is something about the instant fall-in-love that I cannot stand. The constant need to remind us how tall and big and beefy and swooning he is just made me roll my eyes. I’m someone that doesn’t enjoy romance in the main group; it always tends to feel shallow in a way, forced.
Yet this group of found family touched my heart in the end. I was sad to let them go.
Now to the writing. Like I said earlier, Kingfisher already captured my heart in The Hollow Places and did it once again. I was surprised by how well they managed to write such a different story since a lot of authors find their genre and stick with it. Kingfisher doesn’t care. They break out and try something different and I loved it.
They have a brilliant way of spinning words and creating worlds. They write beautifully, with so much heart, but not enough to make your eyes roll into the back of your head. They bring the world and special places like a goblin market to life so easily that it’s burned into your brain.
The topics in this story are dark and so real. Having such issues portrayed and justice served in a way that real life victims should be able experience too is a bittersweet feeling.
If you’re a fan of chill fantasy with a real edge, this is for you.
Kingfisher has found the perfect balance between quest fantasy and daring discussions of real life abuse and other important, horrible issues.
Kingfisher has hooked me and I don’t think I’ll be able to let them go even if they released me themself. I already have What Moves The Dead sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Animal death, Grief, Child death, Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death, Abortion, and Sexual assault