Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

27 reviews

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

mishshell's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cannibalism

bhgold1711's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

I decided to pick up Nettle & Bone because it won the 2023 Hugo. It's a dark book, but I enjoyed it, and I can see why it won the Hugo. It was maybe a bit too dark for me, personally. But I enjoyed it overall. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

storyorc's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very warm read. The (light spoiler)

domestic abuse

plot and hints of otherwordly evil keep it from being quite tame, but the joy is in watching our misfit bunch of heroes' successes unfold rather than any particular tension over whether they will or if it will come at a great cost.

The fairytale magic is described with great visual detail, managing to wring new charm from timeless concepts like wise-women and a goblin market. Our heroine also brings a fresh coat of paint to the classic underestimated-royalty-on-a-quest character by being thirty years old, 'round', and having relatable insecurities. My surprise favourite, however, was the second old wise-woman that joined the party. Over the course of the final act, she shows nuance and power that left my initial estimate of her as an irritating mother-hen looking woefully short-sighted.

I was left wanting a little on the fronts of the demon chicken and

expecting the cloak to come in clutch at the end as a mark of Marra's contribution to their victory

but ending was still pleasantly satisfactory without. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape

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

toastedoats42's review

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

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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

beautifulpaxielreads's review

adventurous dark funny slow-paced

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

4.0

Nettle & Bone was a curious book in many ways. Despite the fact that I gave it four stars, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. I might edit this review one day when my feelings become clearer (but don't hold your breath on that one).

Let me say one thing - the writing is excellent. It's crisp, sharp and elegant. T. Kingfisher is clearly an old pro at this style, and not a word is wasted. I also really appreciated how Kingfisher takes common fairy tale tropes and uses them in ways that are alternately hilarious and profound. The female characters in this book are all incredibly strong, courageous and intelligent, but each of them expresses these qualities differently.

The issues I had may have had a lot to do with the time I took to finish it, despite its relatively short length. The pace was definitely slower than I would have liked, and there were times when the phrasing was just a little too cryptic and philosophical for my taste - I want to be intrigued, not confused!

Overall, this was a well-written, thought-provoking fantasy, but I wish it could have moved at a slightly faster pace.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Child death, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Body horror

Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, and Cannibalism

bugaboobear's review

adventurous dark fast-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

The story was delightful. The characters were interesting and lovable and I'm a little sad to leave them now that I've finished the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Slavery, Grief, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Child death, and Miscarriage

wilybooklover's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

4.5

This author never fails for me! Such a unique, complex take on the classic fantasy quest. Less romance-y than the other books I’ve read from her but no less delightful. The typical T. Kingfisher formula: spooky and a little bit horrifying threaded with humour and underpinned by kindness and hope. Loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Confinement, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Child death, Murder, and Dementia

Minor: Rape, Abortion, Cannibalism, Torture, and Slavery

foxgloveandcrow's review

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage and Physical abuse

Minor: Rape