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_haggis_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Without a doubt, one of the best books I've read in ages.
One of the things I loved most was that Kingfisher/Vernon is so very generous to her characters - she treats them with such warmth. I don't mean that she gives them easy storylines (this is a story of overcoming abuse, of anger at injustice) but she's never snobby towards them, or cynical. She lets them be angry, and upset, and make the wrong decisions and have these wrong decisions impact others, yet she never leaves her readers in any doubt that they are good and are trying their hardest. I think there's a lot of empathy in the way she writes and that is such a rare thing to find. Everyone - from the cursechild, to the drowned, to the women who are too afraid to leave their situations, to the strategic queenmother, to the nuns, and the little old ladies, they're all treated with such dignity. This ultimately was why I loved the book so much.
No review should go without saying that feminism (if this is not anachronistic to use of a fantasy world) also lies at the heart of the story. A (thirty year old!!!) princess goes to rescue her sister from an abusive marriage, aided by a variety of odd characters she meets along the way - in particular two old women. I can't remember the last time I read a book with an old woman as the main character, certainly not two, and certainly not portrayed as powerful and kind and thoughtful and grumpy and lovable. The story is so much about women's relationships and friendships, of pregnancy and miscarriage and vulnerability. Of women used as political pawns and their wombs and bodies sacrificed, and the way women in media are either visible as beautiful and sexual objects (like a prince's wife) or fade invisibly to the background overlooked and unimportant to the story (like the old women and the nun and the "stupid" sister").
Pretty much every character is a woman - as I'm writing this review, I'm realising this more and more. There are so many women. So many different kinds of women. Nuns, Godmothers, grave-witches, women giving birth, abbesses, princesses, queens, middle-aged women on coaches who tell off rude men, kind women who give strangers food and help, the group stop to ask for directions and it's a frazzled mother who gives it to them, they stay at a boarding house owned by a woman and a little girl gives them advice. Just so many women. The story is built on the backs of women and I loved every second of it.
(side note: I especially like that traditionally feminine things are NEVER mocked -- Marra loves knitting and embroidery and this helps them over and over again. The old witches wear dresses, and have large breasts and keep chickens, and this is normalised. Femininity is never degraded - and the characters are never made the lesser for it.)
It's an achingly important story and (importantly) never felt forced. This is crucial, I think, to the best stories and the most progressive. This story isn't centred around women for the thrill and activism but because women exist and their stories and pains exist and deserve to be told. The character's dialogue -- even those moments where it spilled into self-awareness -- never felt cliche or jarring. The dust-wife's wry comment that 'old women never do well in fairytales' is funny, nuanced and a clever commentary, but it also felt natural.
That was another thing I liked so much about the book, every character's reaction to any given situation felt natural. Sometimes they cried, sometimes they were frustrated, sometimes they wanted to give up, sometimes they bickered, sometimes they left and said foolish things and sometimes they focused on the wrong thing in the moment.
The book is highly self-aware and this was refreshing too. It dealt with the tropes of fairytales - of evil fairy godmothers un-invited to christenings, of princes obsessed with princess' skin - and the narrative focuses on heroes and quests (queue the number of times Marra turns to think about the heroes she knew from stories and why the legends never tell of the waiting, of the planning, of not being taken seriously). Yet Kingfisher's writing never slid into the absurd or the coy gloating of satire - it still demanded to be taken ernestly and genuinely.
Three more thoughts before I finish this essay:
1) I enjoyed the love side plot. Maybe other's don't, and that's fine, it's not for everyone. But crucially the love plot never superseded the rescue missionI mean they don't even kiss . Also, I think there's definitely a place for brilliant female heroes to fall in love and it not to detract from their empowerment (especially with kind, gentle, willing-to-kill-abusive-husbands-and-fathers sorts of men)
2) Laundry -- Kingfisher makes time to tell you that Agnes, in a few days of downtime, befriends a local woman and they do laundry together. I just love this, it's mundane, it's simple, it's domestic, it's relationships, it's highlighting women's work. Gah. Love it.
3) A little note. The story is about Marra as much as it's about Fenris and Agnes and the chicken and the Dust-wife and all of them help at different points and all of them have struggles. They couldn't do it without each other and the only thing keeping them together is that they have heard that a woman is being abused and they want to change this. Oh, and Marra, Marra keeps them together. She isn't made out to be special, with incredible powers, or wit, or skills (more often than not she critically underestimates herself). But she loves so much, and she wants to help everyone she can, even if it is only a little kindness. And that I think is why she never comes across as an uninteresting audience double - she refuses to bow to the hardships of the world and remains stubbornly fierce for justice.
One of the things I loved most was that Kingfisher/Vernon is so very generous to her characters - she treats them with such warmth. I don't mean that she gives them easy storylines (this is a story of overcoming abuse, of anger at injustice) but she's never snobby towards them, or cynical. She lets them be angry, and upset, and make the wrong decisions and have these wrong decisions impact others, yet she never leaves her readers in any doubt that they are good and are trying their hardest. I think there's a lot of empathy in the way she writes and that is such a rare thing to find. Everyone - from the cursechild, to the drowned, to the women who are too afraid to leave their situations, to the strategic queenmother, to the nuns, and the little old ladies, they're all treated with such dignity. This ultimately was why I loved the book so much.
No review should go without saying that feminism (if this is not anachronistic to use of a fantasy world) also lies at the heart of the story. A (thirty year old!!!) princess goes to rescue her sister from an abusive marriage, aided by a variety of odd characters she meets along the way - in particular two old women. I can't remember the last time I read a book with an old woman as the main character, certainly not two, and certainly not portrayed as powerful and kind and thoughtful and grumpy and lovable. The story is so much about women's relationships and friendships, of pregnancy and miscarriage and vulnerability. Of women used as political pawns and their wombs and bodies sacrificed, and the way women in media are either visible as beautiful and sexual objects (like a prince's wife) or fade invisibly to the background overlooked and unimportant to the story (like the old women and the nun and the "stupid" sister").
Pretty much every character is a woman - as I'm writing this review, I'm realising this more and more. There are so many women. So many different kinds of women. Nuns, Godmothers, grave-witches, women giving birth, abbesses, princesses, queens, middle-aged women on coaches who tell off rude men, kind women who give strangers food and help, the group stop to ask for directions and it's a frazzled mother who gives it to them, they stay at a boarding house owned by a woman and a little girl gives them advice. Just so many women. The story is built on the backs of women and I loved every second of it.
(side note: I especially like that traditionally feminine things are NEVER mocked -- Marra loves knitting and embroidery and this helps them over and over again. The old witches wear dresses, and have large breasts and keep chickens, and this is normalised. Femininity is never degraded - and the characters are never made the lesser for it.)
It's an achingly important story and (importantly) never felt forced. This is crucial, I think, to the best stories and the most progressive. This story isn't centred around women for the thrill and activism but because women exist and their stories and pains exist and deserve to be told. The character's dialogue -- even those moments where it spilled into self-awareness -- never felt cliche or jarring. The dust-wife's wry comment that 'old women never do well in fairytales' is funny, nuanced and a clever commentary, but it also felt natural.
That was another thing I liked so much about the book, every character's reaction to any given situation felt natural. Sometimes they cried, sometimes they were frustrated, sometimes they wanted to give up, sometimes they bickered, sometimes they left and said foolish things and sometimes they focused on the wrong thing in the moment.
The book is highly self-aware and this was refreshing too. It dealt with the tropes of fairytales - of evil fairy godmothers un-invited to christenings, of princes obsessed with princess' skin - and the narrative focuses on heroes and quests (queue the number of times Marra turns to think about the heroes she knew from stories and why the legends never tell of the waiting, of the planning, of not being taken seriously). Yet Kingfisher's writing never slid into the absurd or the coy gloating of satire - it still demanded to be taken ernestly and genuinely.
Three more thoughts before I finish this essay:
1) I enjoyed the love side plot. Maybe other's don't, and that's fine, it's not for everyone. But crucially the love plot never superseded the rescue mission
2) Laundry -- Kingfisher makes time to tell you that Agnes, in a few days of downtime, befriends a local woman and they do laundry together. I just love this, it's mundane, it's simple, it's domestic, it's relationships, it's highlighting women's work. Gah. Love it.
3) A little note. The story is about Marra as much as it's about Fenris and Agnes and the chicken and the Dust-wife and all of them help at different points and all of them have struggles. They couldn't do it without each other and the only thing keeping them together is that they have heard that a woman is being abused and they want to change this. Oh, and Marra, Marra keeps them together. She isn't made out to be special, with incredible powers, or wit, or skills (more often than not she critically underestimates herself). But she loves so much, and she wants to help everyone she can, even if it is only a little kindness. And that I think is why she never comes across as an uninteresting audience double - she refuses to bow to the hardships of the world and remains stubbornly fierce for justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
Even though there are a few heavy themes, the book is uplifting, it's about overcoming abusers, of recovery and found family.ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse and Cannibalism
anova's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Cannibalism
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.
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
directorpurry's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Animal death
kettijane55's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
THIS BOOK IS ASTONISHING AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND AAAAAAA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Sexual violence, Infertility, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Confinement
enchantedreads97's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Tw: Cannibalism, Violence, abuse
Such a gorgeous cover I have to start off with that. One sister dead, the other a hostage against will. Marra is trapped in a desolate world where hunger gnaws at every turn. Forced to complete three impossibly, but not impossible, duties she leaves the Blistered Lands to journey on. She pretty much needs to complete these quests to save he sister from death by the tyrannical and abusive Kung.
Such a gorgeous cover I have to start off with that. One sister dead, the other a hostage against will. Marra is trapped in a desolate world where hunger gnaws at every turn. Forced to complete three impossibly, but not impossible, duties she leaves the Blistered Lands to journey on. She pretty much needs to complete these quests to save he sister from death by the tyrannical and abusive Kung.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Cannibalism, and Violence
vasha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
5.0
This is a T. Kingfisher fantasy novel, and if you have read a few of her others, you will know what to expect and not be wrong. It's funny, creepy, and thought-provoking by turns; it has powerful, eccentric old women, it has animal companions, it has a very, very well-behaved knight, it has a quest through a world where something inventively horrible is likely to turn up at any moment, and it has a naïve, earnest main character who fumbles through doing something impossible because things simply aren't fair and must be rectified. Sometimes I complain because T. Kingfisher's books are so much alike (apart from "The Twisted Ones" and "The Hollow Places" which are contemporary horror and my least favorite, go figure!) But firstly, what she does is unique and excellent so why object if she keeps doing it; and secondly, each of her books has a subtly different theme. This time, she takes on fairy tale marriages. A queen is playing a tricky strategic game trying to keep her small kingdom from invasion, and one of her moves is to marry her beautiful, sweet eldest daughter to the monstrous prince of a neighboring kingdom. The death of the eldest means the second daughter Kania, a much more steely personality, is the next wife and must become pregnant over and over trying to produce an heir, while the third daughter, Marra, is set aside in a convent. Marra is the hero of this story: she's shy and prone to anxiety, and it takes her a long time to realize just how bad Kania's life is (eventually leading to reflections on how many injustices the whole system of marriages and inheritances contains), and even longer to think of something to do about it, though that thing is just going to someone else for help. She's a very unusual hero in that other people do all the dramatic deeds in this story, and she has the most unlikely of personalities for a leader, but the other members of her quest party defer to her, if only because the whole thing was her idea, she keeps persisting, and she gives the others a reason not to give up or do something else. It's a lovely depiction of getting something done by mutual assistance and by taking one step at a time: Marra goes to a dust-wife, an extremely powerful witch who can talk to and command the dead, and convinces her to set aside the inaction which (and really, it's a good thing) she usually maintains; she helps rescue Fenris, a knight held captive by the Fair Folk, and while he provides the party with skill with weapons, she realizes that he needs emotional support and inconspicuously gives it; she overcomes her prejudgment of her apparently-useless fairy godmother Agnes to find another ally of an unexpected sort (Agnes's accomplishments are some of the most delightful surprises in the book); and the final member of the party is Bonedog, a mastiff resurrected as a skeleton, who really just needed another chance to be a good dog. In this story, a princess saves another princess, or really gives her the opportunity to save herself, and the distinction between good and evil fairy godmothers is hopelessly muddled. This deeply feminist and quietly hopeful book is one that's badly needed, and I expect to be re-reading it many times.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood, Medical content, War, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Torture
affabletoaster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Child death
Moderate: Cannibalism, Confinement, Misogyny, Animal death, and Body horror
Minor: Alcohol, Dementia, Death of parent, Classism, Bullying, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Slavery
beholderess's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Cannibalism, Slavery, Child death, and Animal death
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