Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Nettle & Bone

What a fun way to start a book!

The length was perfect in my opinion. A nice stand alone.

Nettle and Bone is very atmospheric. The vibes reminded me of what it felt like watching The Labyrinth movie. It’s tagged as horror, but it’s not scary, just slightly unnerving. There was a little body horror and mentions of drowning.

The cast of characters is fun. I loved the Bonedog and the demon chicken.

The book has humor to it!

"You need to train him to sit somewhere else," said the dust-wife disapprovingly. "Otherwise you'll have a rooster who thinks he should dive headfirst into your cleavage when he wants to roost."
"It's been a while since any man wanted to dive into my cleavage," said Agnes. "It might be a nice change."

The romance aspect of the book is very soft, almost minimal. It’s sort of implied more than shown. There’s a sunshine x grump vibe in there.

“I hope your dogs are all loyal and goofy and good natured and that your chickens remain free of demons.”

Content Warnings

prosenheim's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

asherabrams's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

slim's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

3/5 for writing, 2.5/5 for story and 2/5 for impact.

Content Warnings

thebetterstory's review

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful 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

Now that was a lovely book. I'm finding I quite like T. Kingfisher's style of not-quite fairy tale retelling, between this and my recent read Thornhedge. The characters are bright and interesting and fun to watch interact, and it's a delight to have a novel with not one, but two somewhat mysterious magical old ladies. The romance is very sweet, with just a few slightly forced bits here and there, and the worldbuilding is interesting without feeling the need to overexplain itself. Recommended!

Content Warnings

jackal_ope's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved this book. More of a twist on a fairy tale than an adventure fantasy, I actually loved how the problems in this novel were mostly solved without direct violence. I aporeciated that the main cast were well into adulthood. The main character's flaws are acknowledged and her actions make sense based on those things. All the characters were charming and by the end I was incredibly invested in their well-being.

Content Warnings

queergoth_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny 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

This is such a great take on fairy tales. It really captures the Grimm vibe while being fun and funny.

Content Warnings

sarahholliday's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.5

What a way to start off 2024! I'm thrilled that I opened up this story on a whim—it happened to be on Kindle Unlimited and I needed a new book to read before going to sleep. I've wanted to read T. Kingfisher's work for a while, now, and I after finishing Nettle & Bone I can't wait to dive into her backlist!

I can see why this won the Hugo for best novel last year—it just feels like a perfect book. It doesn't get caught up in the minutia of the story. If you like to have every corner of a world explored and explained, or all the facets of a magic system laid out for you, I don't know that this is the book for you. I personally love when an author exercises restraint and editorial prerogative when it comes to deciding what they'll reveal to readers. It requires trust in their vision of the story—they tell us what we need to know and nothing more.

Instead of getting caught up in the details of how exactly Marra brings Bonedog to life or THE THING WITH THE INNKEEPER MY GOD, we're allowed to focus on the gradual, quiet ways Marra grows. Her movement from willful isolation to deep-seated connection, from fear and shame around what she hasn't done to confidence in her accomplishments. Along the way we get to enjoy the wit and wisdom of the dust-wife and Agnes, as well as the steady presence of Fenris. I loved that we got to watch his sense of duty and honor evolve as he traveled with the women and discovered a renewed interest in life.

The levity and brightness of the story are punctuated with moments of genuine horror and brutality, which helps the entire story feel balanced. Overall, this was just such a pleasurable reading experience.

Content Warnings

More...