Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Nettle & Bone

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

25 reviews

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

Nettle & Bone is a fairytale-like fantasy novel following a young princess on a quest to save her sister from an abusive king.

There were some things I really liked about this. I appreciate a good unlikely ensemble cast, and I particularly liked the dynamic between the dust-witch and the godmother; I also really liked Bonedog and Finder of course. This was my first T. Kingfisher experience and I liked the writing style for the most part – I’d definitely try another of her works on the basis of this one. The world-building was compelling and I would’ve loved to learn more about the kingdoms and the surrounding territories. Without giving anything away, there are some interesting ethical ambiguities to the ending that I can appreciate.

There were also some aspects to this story that really didn’t work for me. The protagonist, and by extension the book itself, skewed YA (which isn’t how it’s marketed); Marra definitely didn’t read like a thirty year old, particularly not given the context. Some of the dialogue felt borderline patronizing (like I was being spoken to as a reader) and the humour really didn’t land for me (it just make the tone feel very inconsistent). Most of all, though, the bits of the book I found most interesting (the magic making Bonedog possible, the Blistered Lands, the dynamics between the Kingdoms) were skimmed over and the bits I found significantly less interesting were foregrounded (particularly the emerging romance which I think would’ve been better just left out). I liked the very beginning few chapters of the book better than the rest.

Content warnings: sexism, intimate partner violence, physical abuse, violence, murder, death

Content Warnings

alexiconic's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-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

5.0

adventurous, fairytale-esque, mysterious, and decidedly dark and mysterious. its everything a fairy tale would be: magical, with odd creatures that go on a quest, in a kingdom far away. but it’s also an adult upgrade, with mature heroes who have their own worries and fears and who have to deal with them to reach their goals, with a dark start to the story and enough cruelty to make a realistic setting.

reading this book was like escaping into a fairytale all over again. i deeply loved it.

Content Warnings

cryptidenthusiast's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny 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

5.0

I was so hooked on this book, I couldn’t put it down! Kingfisher did a fantastic job taking the stereotypes of a fairytale and twisting it on its head. Marra is the kind of main character you can’t help but love and pity all at once, and the ragtag group of friends are great. There’s a good balance between humor, macabre magic and imagery, and a heavy story about a woman’s role in a society that doesn’t care about them.

Content Warnings

manaledi's review

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

This is remarkably cute and lightheaded for a necromancer fantasy. The world building is thin, but it gets away with it because the details of court politics are tangential. It's a story about family and unlikely misfits and never gets all that deep

Content Warnings

h_s_bloom's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

Personal Rating Scale Metrics

Characters: ✬✬✬✬✬
Plot: ✬✬✬✬✬
Pacing: ✬✬✬✬
Writing Style: ✬✬✬✬✬
Diversity: ✬✬✬

This was my first book of 2024 and it was such a great way to kick off the year!

Summary: Marra is the third daughter to a royal family within a comparatively small kingdom which controls a major harbor/trade route. When Marra's eldest sister, Damia, dies shortly after being married off to the prince in a powerful neighboring kingdom, the middle sister, Kania, is sent off to replace her thereby ensuring the safety of the smaller kingdom. Fearing the possibility of Kania failing to produce a male heir, Marra is sent to a nunnery for safe-keeping. Marra is content with life as a nun, busying herself with embroidery and other tasks perhaps not suited to a princess. Upon the birth of Kania's first child, a daughter, Marra learns the truth of Kania's predicament and vows to save her.

Marra is such a lovable and engaging character with such a fun voice and I appreciate that she is a bit older than your typical MC at 30 years old. She really is such a joy to follow along with throughout her adventures giving her honest and bemused commentary along the way. The author does a great job with balancing humor throughout the story despite the serious nature of Marra's quest (Spoiler :

Marra learns that the prince is subjecting Kania to psychological/physical/sexual abuse which only abates while Kania herself is pregnant. As such Kania endures several failed pregnancies which are taking their toll on her body. It is believed that the abuse will worsen once a male heir is produced and she is 'no longer needed'

). Marra is joined on her quest by a grumpy gravewitch and her demon-chicken familiar, a disgraced soldier previously kidnapped and enslaved by the fae, and her own fairy god mother who is not entirely who she presents herself to be.

This book is very much what it promises itself to be in that it is ripe with fairy tale vibes but in the brothers grimm kind of way. There are occasions in which the pacing just seems a little off in that some storylines read as side-quests for lack of a better term. There also it a bit of time-jumping in the beginning of the book which I don't really agree needed to be there. I think Kingfisher may have been trying to grab the readers with a dark and spooky intro where Marra is creating Bone Dog, but I honestly think I would have preferred this book be a bit more chronological. That being said, I was never bored! The writing style is incredibly atmospheric and engaging, I wanted to keep reading all the way up until the end!

Content Warnings

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.0

This is a delightful story with such a unique set of characters. I love that everyone was above the age of 30 and felt really real. They're all just kind of weirdos banded together with a mission which is my favorite genre. i also think it plays with fairy tale lore very well and i love the complicated sister relationship and of course Bonedog is amazing. It did make me cry.

Content Warnings