Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

12 reviews

theirgracegrace's review

adventurous funny tense 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? No

4.25

As a longtime fan of T. Kingfisher's work, Nettle & Bone was a natural choice to read and a very good decision. Kingfisher weaves together fairy tale tropes and folklore to make a world full of fairy godmothers, goblins, and the restless dead. The tale is told with Kingfisher's trademark snark and humour from the perspective of Marra, a young princess whose older sister has become the abused wife of a wicked king. Her task is to kill the king and free her sister, and along the way finds a witch, a dog made of bones, her own fairy godmother, a demonic chicken and a foreign man whose freedom is bought from the Fair Folk with a tooth. The twists and turns of this book are as hard to predict as the mausoleum of the Northern Kingdom, and well worth the ride. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Confinement, Death, Sexual violence, Body horror, Slavery, Child death, Animal death, Grief, Infertility, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Gore, War, Cursing, and Excrement

There is one particular scene where the main character's teeth are made to dance in her mouth and one of them is removed. It is very reminiscent of the "imagining my teeth falling out" dream but can be quite disturbing. There is also a character in the city which has a "curse-child", which is described like a marionette or puppet that chokes and harms her.

zrals's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.0

This is a quick and charming fantasy story that plays with old fairy tale tropes. The characters are memorable and, with the exception of Marra, fun to spend some time with. It's very quickly paced and likely won't take long to finish. The prose is good - it never gets in the way but strikes a good balance between description and movement.

Thematically, it feels like it never really gets going. It's never a full subversion or re-investment in the fairy tale patterns it uses. It's setting is sometimes quite detailed, sometimes quite hand-waved, and it's never clear when or why those things are what they are. Fortunately, it's quick enough that you don't have time to notice much of that, as I found it fell apart a bit if I looked too closely. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Body horror, Classism, and Physical abuse

xwiththevex's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Would be great for a Greta Gerwig adaptation featuring Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh. Big on yearn-core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture

micaelamariem's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! The best thing was the worldbuilding and I wish I had more of it. The characters would drop hints of it with referencing fairy tales and histories I had no knowledge of and really wish they could have expanded on! I also loved the themes of a constant power struggle, the horror of politics and being a woman, how everything may seem impossible, etc. the magic was both terrifying and fun as were the characters! I do wish the romance went a little deeper. I feel unsatisfied with that, but perhaps that says more about me as a person. I also was frustrated with how much waiting and repetition there went into some of the chapters although the adventures made up for it. Overall, I’d recommend, especially to those who like short dark fantasies!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child death, Death, Murder, Classism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Violence

amaranth_wytch's review

adventurous medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Classism, Cannibalism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tallulahlucy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Misogyny

Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Grief, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Classism, Physical abuse, Animal death, Rape, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Child abuse and Violence

purplepenning's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen.

Given that perfect opening line, I wasn't quite prepared for how much chickens would factor into the story — but I'm not mad about it!

Nettle & Bone is a bizarre and brilliant, dark and funny fairytale in the hero's quest tradition. A tradition that it gleefully follows and subverts. It features a simple but stalwart 30-year-old almost-nun/princess, a sharp but secretive dust wife/grave witch, an honorable but disgraced warrior/diplomat, at least one evil but kind fairy godmother, a loving but impulsive dog of bones, and a grumpy demon-possessed chicken. Their quest leads us from a beleaguered middle kingdom by the sea to a haunted stronghold in the north — and through unspeakable lands, markets, and boarding houses in between. Driven, always, by familial love, loyalty, and justice, even in the face of ancient power, its corruption and abuses. Especially in the face of its abuses.  

Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That's the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven't managed. 

I sometimes want a little more lushness and emotion in my fairytales, but only sometimes. I also love this matter-of-fact, face-the-fears, roll-with-the-bizarre, do-the-hard things approach. It gives me Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching vibes — and anything approaching the genius of Terry Pratchett's witches is okay by me. Fans of Nicola Griffith's Spear and Emily Lloyd-Jones's The Drowned Woods should also enjoy this one. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Death

Minor: Torture, Blood, Classism, Cannibalism, and Excrement

ashfae's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Classism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

rachelunabridged's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

lisa_m's review

adventurous dark funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Abortion, Body horror, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Slavery, and War