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thewitchwhoisabook's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One of the best fantasy books I've read - other people with a taste for fairytales will surely find it so. And it is a deeply feminist book. If it has any flaw, it's that the author, who is primarily a kid's author, has the main character as 30 when a lot of the action happens, but she is rather unbelievably naive and teenager-like throughout (and some very minor elements of the plot accordingly feel like YA fiction more than anything).
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Child death, and Domestic abuse
souriete's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Strangely compelling book about a princess's quest to kill her older sister's abusive husband, a very powerful prince. She gathers a group of unlikely allies with varying abilities on her way to her sister's court.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide attempt and Xenophobia
epsyphus's review
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Instant favorite-- I knew by the first line that I was going to love this book. The imagery was gorgeous and eerie and perfect. Loved the characters and the bit of romance.
Edit for reread: still perfect.
Edit for reread: still perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Violence, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt
astropova's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Confinement, and Dementia
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
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I was sent this proof for free by Titan Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.
I was really intrigued by Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher when I first heard of it. The first two lines of the blurb - "This isn't a fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's one where she kills him." - hooked me right from the start. And it was so bloody good!
Marra is a princess of the Harbour Kingdom, a small and shabby kingdom, but one that has something the Northen and Southern Kingdoms want - the harbour. The Queen of the Harbour Kingdom has married off her daughter to Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom, to keep either Northern or Southern Kingdom attacking for the harbour. Marra has lived in a convent since she was 15, at the insistence of Vorling. He's obsessed with making sure that it's his child, his bloodline, that ends up on the Harbour Kingdom's throne, so his family has control of both kingdoms. So Marra is sent away to be kept chaste. But when the truth comes out that her eldest sister Damia, who married Vorling first, was actually killed by him, and that Vorling now hurts the middle sister he's now married, Kania, she is determined to do something about it. She has to kill the prince. There is no other way to save her sister. But she's not a very good princess, and she's barely a nun, and has no idea of what she can do. She seeks out the help of a dust wife, and it's not too long before a ragtag motley crew are making their way North to save Kania.
Nettle and Bone has a lot of fairy tale imagery and symbols; royalty, fairy godmothers, animals with more to them than meets the eye. But while there are glimpses of fairy tales, nods towards them, I really like how Kingfisher took any of our preconceived ideas and turned them on their head. This is not the fairy tales we have come to expect. In fact, it's something a lot closer to original fairy tales. It has a very dark underbelly. Because at it's heart is domestic violence. A prince who wants to control over everything, to whom women are property. His wife wanting to sit vigil over the death of her daughter brings about a terrible fury. Vorling is terrifying. He killed Damia, and he beats Kania to death. Marra can't sit with this knowledge and do nothing. But there's nothing she can really do. Until she hears of a powerful dust-wife, one who might be able to help.
But Nettle and Bone is also surprisingly light. It definitely has a number of very dark and horrifying moments, but it's also really very funny. It's not a simple case of Marra getting the help of the dust-wife and off they go. There ends up being a group of them; Marra, an awful princess and not-quite nun, a powerful dust-wife who only has power over the dead, a warrior from another kingdom, Fenris, whose honour has him seeking death for wrongdoing, Agnes, a fairy godmother with very little power - or so she'll have you believe, a bone dog brought to life by Marra during one of her three impossible tasks for the dust-wife, and a chicken with a demon in her. I absolutely adored the dust-wife - who never gives her name, but who Fenris calls Lady Fox - and Agnes. The dust-wife is grumpy, stern and forthright, and has some brilliant one-liners. Agnes is slightly doddering and sweet, wants to see the good in everyone, and can't stop talking. She's also incredibly funny and very endearing. Seeing both the dust-wife and Agnes bounce off each other is just comedy genius, and I adored them. Plus the chicken with the demon in her and Bonedog both have their own personalities, and bring their own laughs. Honestly, this group is wonderful!
But on paper, Nettle and Bone shouldn't be a book I enjoyed. I have never read a standalone fantasy I have loved until now. I do not get on at all with comedic fantasy, I tend to find the humour really grating, and would rather the author stopped making jokes. And I really do not like high fantasy stories that are stop-start, stop-start, because there's no real flow to them. Nettle and Bone is a wonderfully short (for a high fantasy, at 324 pages), but completely satisfying standalone high fantasy. It's bloody hilarious. And it managed to have flow despite the numerous times they had to stop on their journey, with the incredible friendship in this found family. Honestly, I absolutely adored it!
I really, really loved Nettle and Bone, and will soon be adding T. Kingfisher's other novels to my bookshelves. I'm really so excited to read more of her work. If you want a quick high fantasy that doesn't get bogged down in complex world building, and balances the dark with so much light, Nettle and Bones could be for you.
I was really intrigued by Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher when I first heard of it. The first two lines of the blurb - "This isn't a fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's one where she kills him." - hooked me right from the start. And it was so bloody good!
Marra is a princess of the Harbour Kingdom, a small and shabby kingdom, but one that has something the Northen and Southern Kingdoms want - the harbour. The Queen of the Harbour Kingdom has married off her daughter to Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom, to keep either Northern or Southern Kingdom attacking for the harbour. Marra has lived in a convent since she was 15, at the insistence of Vorling. He's obsessed with making sure that it's his child, his bloodline, that ends up on the Harbour Kingdom's throne, so his family has control of both kingdoms. So Marra is sent away to be kept chaste. But when the truth comes out that her eldest sister Damia, who married Vorling first, was actually killed by him, and that Vorling now hurts the middle sister he's now married, Kania, she is determined to do something about it. She has to kill the prince. There is no other way to save her sister. But she's not a very good princess, and she's barely a nun, and has no idea of what she can do. She seeks out the help of a dust wife, and it's not too long before a ragtag motley crew are making their way North to save Kania.
Nettle and Bone has a lot of fairy tale imagery and symbols; royalty, fairy godmothers, animals with more to them than meets the eye. But while there are glimpses of fairy tales, nods towards them, I really like how Kingfisher took any of our preconceived ideas and turned them on their head. This is not the fairy tales we have come to expect. In fact, it's something a lot closer to original fairy tales. It has a very dark underbelly. Because at it's heart is domestic violence. A prince who wants to control over everything, to whom women are property. His wife wanting to sit vigil over the death of her daughter brings about a terrible fury. Vorling is terrifying. He killed Damia, and he beats Kania to death. Marra can't sit with this knowledge and do nothing. But there's nothing she can really do. Until she hears of a powerful dust-wife, one who might be able to help.
But Nettle and Bone is also surprisingly light. It definitely has a number of very dark and horrifying moments, but it's also really very funny. It's not a simple case of Marra getting the help of the dust-wife and off they go. There ends up being a group of them; Marra, an awful princess and not-quite nun, a powerful dust-wife who only has power over the dead, a warrior from another kingdom, Fenris, whose honour has him seeking death for wrongdoing, Agnes, a fairy godmother with very little power - or so she'll have you believe, a bone dog brought to life by Marra during one of her three impossible tasks for the dust-wife, and a chicken with a demon in her. I absolutely adored the dust-wife - who never gives her name, but who Fenris calls Lady Fox - and Agnes. The dust-wife is grumpy, stern and forthright, and has some brilliant one-liners. Agnes is slightly doddering and sweet, wants to see the good in everyone, and can't stop talking. She's also incredibly funny and very endearing. Seeing both the dust-wife and Agnes bounce off each other is just comedy genius, and I adored them. Plus the chicken with the demon in her and Bonedog both have their own personalities, and bring their own laughs. Honestly, this group is wonderful!
But on paper, Nettle and Bone shouldn't be a book I enjoyed. I have never read a standalone fantasy I have loved until now. I do not get on at all with comedic fantasy, I tend to find the humour really grating, and would rather the author stopped making jokes. And I really do not like high fantasy stories that are stop-start, stop-start, because there's no real flow to them. Nettle and Bone is a wonderfully short (for a high fantasy, at 324 pages), but completely satisfying standalone high fantasy. It's bloody hilarious. And it managed to have flow despite the numerous times they had to stop on their journey, with the incredible friendship in this found family. Honestly, I absolutely adored it!
I really, really loved Nettle and Bone, and will soon be adding T. Kingfisher's other novels to my bookshelves. I'm really so excited to read more of her work. If you want a quick high fantasy that doesn't get bogged down in complex world building, and balances the dark with so much light, Nettle and Bones could be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion, Cannibalism, Dementia, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt
This book features childbirth, reference to death during childbirth, violence against women, domestic violence and abuse, uxoricide, and references to suicide.breq's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.0
BONE DOG BONE DOG BONE DOG
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage, Cannibalism, Animal death, and Child death
Minor: Abortion
Re: "Animal Death":sebrittainclark's review
adventurous
dark
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
I love a fairy tale inspired fantasy, especially those that acknowledge the frequently dark roots of these storue, and this delivers with impossible tasks, fairy god mothers, and curses.
Marra is the third daughter of a King and soon learns as her sisters are married off one after the other, that the monsters of her world are princes and no one will risk the good of the kingdom to save a princess. Marra must find a way to save her sister and herself from being pawns in someone else's game.
I loved the audio narration, although, I did find the first chapter a bit confusing since it took me a bit to realize it started in medias res, and I hadn't just accidentally jumped a few chapters ahead.
As a note, I've seen a few reviews refer to this book as YA. While there are a few flashbacks to when Marra is a teenager, Marra is about thirty for the majority of the book.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Marra is the third daughter of a King and soon learns as her sisters are married off one after the other, that the monsters of her world are princes and no one will risk the good of the kingdom to save a princess. Marra must find a way to save her sister and herself from being pawns in someone else's game.
I loved the audio narration, although, I did find the first chapter a bit confusing since it took me a bit to realize it started in medias res, and I hadn't just accidentally jumped a few chapters ahead.
As a note, I've seen a few reviews refer to this book as YA. While there are a few flashbacks to when Marra is a teenager, Marra is about thirty for the majority of the book.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Murder, and Suicide attempt
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