Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

78 reviews

purplepenning's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• 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. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Death

Minor: Torture, Blood, Classism, Cannibalism, and Excrement

oliverreeds's review

adventurous dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Very good; fantastic found family but the family is kind of shitty. i really loved this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abortion, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Confinement

tigger89's review

adventurous dark 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? No

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this take on dark fairy tales. The opening scenes — set in a famine-ravaged land inhabited by cannibals — set the tone, and the rest of the novel delivers, even as the focus shifts from blatant to more subtle horrors. I found the plot to be very feminist(not that I'd expected any less from T. Kingfisher), with a varied, predominantly-female cast of characters who were all capable and strong in their own ways. The one man who joined their party, Fenris, carries a supporting role equivalent to that of of the others. In addition, Marra read as autistic-coded to me, particularly how she struggled to pick up on subtext and the particular ways she focused on things. I liked that she was allowed to experience romantic/sexual desire(a very minor element, but present), as many autistic-coded characters aren't allowed to have or explore those feelings, which is of course completely inaccurate.

My favorite aspects of the novel were getting to know the characters who worked together on the rescue mission, as well as the clever way they went about it and the various places they traveled through. Some readers might find the way the narrative jumps back and forth from the present to the past in the first half of the novel to be difficult, though I didn't have trouble following it. Really, the only part I didn't like was how the opening pages got me invested in the blistered land, which winds up being utterly inconsequential to the story. I got all hyped for a story about completing impossible tasks in a land filled with people driven mad as a result of cannibalism(yes, in that order), but that's not what the story wound up being about. There is a touch of romance, but it's very much in the background and shouldn't be much of a bother even if you don't like romantic plots.

Does the dog and/or chick(en) die?

The dog is already dead when the story begins(and the circumstances of the dog's death are briefly touched upon, though not explicitly), is brought back to life through magic, and then dies again in combat at the climax of the story. At the end, however, it's restored to life. The chicken does not die, nor does the baby chick, though the chick is briefly placed under a curse that threatens its death.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Pregnancy, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child death, Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Cannibalism

There is a brief scene where the point of view character has a tooth extracted through magical means, with the description verging on body horror.

jenns_bookshelf's review

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

5.0

I am. So in love. This book? Perfection. Fenris?? My beloved. Bonedog? Would die for him. Marra? So sweet, we love her. Dustwife? Amazing. Agnes?? Gods she’s so good too. I’m in love with this book. Cozy, heartwarming, perfect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage

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

amandaerdmanczyk's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was so strange and not at all what I was expecting. Kingfisher has an incredible imagination and writing style. Parts felt a bit jagged and it felt like there may have been a few loose ends.

I wouldn't say it's a true "horror" book, which I'm thankful for because I don't enjoy horror, but there is some disturbing imagery scattered here and there, so maybe don't read it to your kids.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Child death and Domestic abuse

thoseoldcrows23's review

adventurous dark funny 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

4.0

 Nettle and Bone is a lovely cross between sinister darkness and wry humor. I found myself falling immediately for this strange little cast of characters and caring deeply about their safety. The plot, though simple, was engaging and propulsive, and the world was full of enough magic to intrigue and enough shadows to frighten. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and look forward to reading more from Kingfisher this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Child death, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Cannibalism

Minor: Torture, Slavery, Abortion, 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

sarahmiller98's review

adventurous dark emotional

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror and Domestic abuse