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shirecrow's review against another edition
3.5
“The tress were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires.”
Nettle and Bone shows the dark side of fairytales. It’s very graphic, twisted, shocking, and very real in a magical kind of way.
A while ago I read “The Hallow Places” by T.Kingfisher and fell in love with the way they brought stories to life. Now a bit (…a lot) later I finally return to Kingfisher and was not disappointed.
Like I said, Nettle and Bone is a rather twisted fairytale so let’s start at the beginning.
The opening sentence is probably one of my favorite openers ever. I don’t know what it is about it but I loved it and reread it multiple times, giddy to continue. The entire first scene was brilliant. You’re basically thrown into the story and from then on you learn more and more while following our protagonist, Marra.
Oh, Marra. I enjoyed and hated her. Being naive is a very core trait of her character if intentional or not I cannot tell since she stays that way from page one to the very last word. She was so naive it made me mad but even worse was her judgmental nature. She thinks she has another person figured out so quick and gets disproven in the next sentence almost every single time. And yet she doesn’t learn. She doesn’t grow from these mistakes but she keeps making them; judging by first glance. It was exhausting because as soon as Marra exploded you knew there was an explanation coming.
Marra is supposedly 30 years old but felt more like a young adult than anything else. So do the other characters.
And that brings me to Marra’s companions. I loved the dust-witch and adored Agnes and Finder as much as I adored Bonedog and the demon chicken. Each character was fleshed out as much as a supportive/side character can be in a 300 page long stand-alone. The dust-wife reminded me a lot of Gandalf in the way she never backed out or flinched when someone challenged her. I enjoyed her power a lot. Agnes was lovely and brought a lightness and mother-like feeling which only benefited the story. Then there’s Fenris. I didn’t quite enjoy his character. There is something about the instant fall-in-love that I cannot stand. The constant need to remind us how tall and big and beefy and swooning he is just made me roll my eyes. I’m someone that doesn’t enjoy romance in the main group; it always tends to feel shallow in a way, forced.
Yet this group of found family touched my heart in the end. I was sad to let them go.
Now to the writing. Like I said earlier, Kingfisher already captured my heart in The Hollow Places and did it once again. I was surprised by how well they managed to write such a different story since a lot of authors find their genre and stick with it. Kingfisher doesn’t care. They break out and try something different and I loved it.
They have a brilliant way of spinning words and creating worlds. They write beautifully, with so much heart, but not enough to make your eyes roll into the back of your head. They bring the world and special places like a goblin market to life so easily that it’s burned into your brain.
The topics in this story are dark and so real. Having such issues portrayed and justice served in a way that real life victims should be able experience too is a bittersweet feeling.
If you’re a fan of chill fantasy with a real edge, this is for you.
Kingfisher has found the perfect balance between quest fantasy and daring discussions of real life abuse and other important, horrible issues.
Kingfisher has hooked me and I don’t think I’ll be able to let them go even if they released me themself. I already have What Moves The Dead sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Slavery, Blood, Grief, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Pregnancy
purplepenning's review
- 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.
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Torture, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Classism
oliverreeds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
beautifulpaxielreads's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism
smoakwithwifi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Miscarriage, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death and Cannibalism
bugaboobear's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
saramarinho's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
eviethebookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Suicide attempt
ticktock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Grief, and Murder