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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed myself, and this was an excellent read for the Halloween season! It’s a book I would definitely recommend for individuals who also love gothic fairytales, revenge quest storylines, and a ragtag group of characters. However, individuals who want to steer clear of storylines regarding domestic violence, violence against women, uxoricide, and infant/child death should pass on this particular book.
Now, SPOILERS AHEAD.
When it comes to Nettle & Bone, something that may be off putting for folks is how blunt the narration style can be (especially in the beginning when we’re quickly covering a good amount of time). I think it worked for mimicking older fairytale narration, but I know it won’t be for everyone. Plus, I find that it really adds to the humor that’s used throughout the book:
“It was hard to be frightened of the unknown when the unknown kept chickens.”
Not to mention, it was nice to see a story use political intrigue in its plotline without resorting to 50 characters, 10 continents, and 500 centuries of lore (which can be good and fun, but it can also be quite exhausting). There’s the larger Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom, and, trapped between the two, the little Harbor Kingdom. The history between those three is plenty for creating those precarious political situations that yield to a death grip on Marra’s royal family. We do also get to see a bit of Fairyland and the blistered lands, and there’s references to the tribes of Fenris’s homeland which lend to a sense of a larger world which is nice. Though I do wish we got a bit more about the blistered lands since that area was used at the beginning of the story, but that was about it. We don’t know much about the blistered lands, and don’t return to it, so it feels more like set dressing to help hook readers at the beginning more than anything else. It would have been nice for there to be a little bit more to the blistered lands, or to see the growth of Marra’s wildness throughout the rest of the book.
“[Marra] was fully aware of how wild she sounded. Part of her recoiled from it. Another, larger part said she that she was kneeling on the edge of a pit full of bones, in a land so bloated with horrors that her feet sank into the earth as if she were walking on the surface of a gigantic blister. A little wildness would not be out of place at all.”
While I love the spooky fairytale vibes, I think what I loved the most were the characters of the main group: Marra, the dust-wife, Agnes, and Fenris. And the familiars of Bonedog, the demon chicken, and the baby chick, Finder. I’m always rather fond of oddball grandmother characters, and the dust-wife and Agnes together were a hoot! A necromancer and a woman hell bent on not being a wicked witch made for an excellent duo; I was so glad to see their stories remained intertwined at the end. I also appreciated Fenris’s humor, too, and how he was able to match the humor of the dust-wife.
“‘It’s a fool’s errand and we’ll probably all die,’ said the dust-wife.
‘Oh, well then,’ said Fenris. ‘I always enjoy those.’”
The relationship between Marra and Fenris was very sweet (with some delightful grandmotherly heckling along the way). They leaned on each other and supported each other with such care without losing focus from, or detracting from, the main mission.
And I really appreciated that Marra was thirty years old. She’s still characterized as pretty naïve, but she’s shown over and over to have an incredible amount of determination while admitting her frustrations over the course of the book. More often than not she seems to feel over her head, laying down the track while the train is moving, but she keeps going and getting her hands dirty to get results. I also really appreciated that her skills in weaving and embroidery were needed skills for the plot and how she was the one to figure out the solution that saved Fenris while preserving her sister’s newfound power as the lone queen.
I do wish that Marra’s magic came up a bit more. Raising Bonedog and spinning a magical cloak of owlcloth and nettles was stated to be quite impressive to the dust-wife, but that’s about it in terms of Marra’s magic. I suppose an argument could be made for when the goblin market saint came for her in the catacombs, but that feels more like a celestial deus ex machina than anything regarding Marra's own skill. I do really like that Fenris and Marra’s future together will involve rescuing other humans from Fairyland. While they may be a knight and a princess, their happily ever after is not a stereotypical fairytale ending with a royal wedding, it’s choosing the lives they want to live and to be free from the expectations of others.
All in all, I had a great time reading this book and plan to read more from T. Kingfisher.
Now, SPOILERS AHEAD.
When it comes to Nettle & Bone, something that may be off putting for folks is how blunt the narration style can be (especially in the beginning when we’re quickly covering a good amount of time). I think it worked for mimicking older fairytale narration, but I know it won’t be for everyone. Plus, I find that it really adds to the humor that’s used throughout the book:
“It was hard to be frightened of the unknown when the unknown kept chickens.”
Not to mention, it was nice to see a story use political intrigue in its plotline without resorting to 50 characters, 10 continents, and 500 centuries of lore (which can be good and fun, but it can also be quite exhausting). There’s the larger Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom, and, trapped between the two, the little Harbor Kingdom. The history between those three is plenty for creating those precarious political situations that yield to a death grip on Marra’s royal family. We do also get to see a bit of Fairyland and the blistered lands, and there’s references to the tribes of Fenris’s homeland which lend to a sense of a larger world which is nice. Though I do wish we got a bit more about the blistered lands since that area was used at the beginning of the story, but that was about it. We don’t know much about the blistered lands, and don’t return to it, so it feels more like set dressing to help hook readers at the beginning more than anything else. It would have been nice for there to be a little bit more to the blistered lands, or to see the growth of Marra’s wildness throughout the rest of the book.
“[Marra] was fully aware of how wild she sounded. Part of her recoiled from it. Another, larger part said she that she was kneeling on the edge of a pit full of bones, in a land so bloated with horrors that her feet sank into the earth as if she were walking on the surface of a gigantic blister. A little wildness would not be out of place at all.”
While I love the spooky fairytale vibes, I think what I loved the most were the characters of the main group: Marra, the dust-wife, Agnes, and Fenris. And the familiars of Bonedog, the demon chicken, and the baby chick, Finder. I’m always rather fond of oddball grandmother characters, and the dust-wife and Agnes together were a hoot! A necromancer and a woman hell bent on not being a wicked witch made for an excellent duo; I was so glad to see their stories remained intertwined at the end. I also appreciated Fenris’s humor, too, and how he was able to match the humor of the dust-wife.
“‘It’s a fool’s errand and we’ll probably all die,’ said the dust-wife.
‘Oh, well then,’ said Fenris. ‘I always enjoy those.’”
The relationship between Marra and Fenris was very sweet (with some delightful grandmotherly heckling along the way). They leaned on each other and supported each other with such care without losing focus from, or detracting from, the main mission.
And I really appreciated that Marra was thirty years old. She’s still characterized as pretty naïve, but she’s shown over and over to have an incredible amount of determination while admitting her frustrations over the course of the book. More often than not she seems to feel over her head, laying down the track while the train is moving, but she keeps going and getting her hands dirty to get results. I also really appreciated that her skills in weaving and embroidery were needed skills for the plot and how she was the one to figure out the solution that saved Fenris while preserving her sister’s newfound power as the lone queen.
I do wish that Marra’s magic came up a bit more. Raising Bonedog and spinning a magical cloak of owlcloth and nettles was stated to be quite impressive to the dust-wife, but that’s about it in terms of Marra’s magic. I suppose an argument could be made for when the goblin market saint came for her in the catacombs, but that feels more like a celestial deus ex machina than anything regarding Marra's own skill. I do really like that Fenris and Marra’s future together will involve rescuing other humans from Fairyland. While they may be a knight and a princess, their happily ever after is not a stereotypical fairytale ending with a royal wedding, it’s choosing the lives they want to live and to be free from the expectations of others.
All in all, I had a great time reading this book and plan to read more from T. Kingfisher.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a very enjoyable, magical, fairytale like read! T.Kingfisher's writing is a treat, I enjoyed all the characters, who are not your typical heroes, and of course, Bonedog!
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I was unsure what to expect from this but was throughly charmed! This was still a somewhat cozy fantasy with a little more stakes,but what I liked was the fairytale nature of this. It was whimsical with a very quirky found family. I found myself immersed but wishing it was longer and really dived into some scenes, but it accomplished the point!
Loved Marra, Fenris, Agnes and especially BoneDog and the demon hen. They were all so charming!
Loved Marra, Fenris, Agnes and especially BoneDog and the demon hen. They were all so charming!
medium-paced