Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Nettle & Bone

The first thought I had after finishing this was "that was fun!" which is a bit unexpected for a book like this. It was dark and broached some ser ous topics, and definitely had some horror elements but was still cute and humourous as well. I found it very well mixed.
I am a bit confused with some things like the Blighted lands. They kinda appeared and disappeared from the story so quickly, and the limited lore we did get about them did not explain enough at all. That is a bit frustrating.

I saw another review where someone said the MC didn't seem 30, but more like 19. I think YA fantasy books have primed us to think that teens are way more capable than they are on average - and of course they aren't average most of the time, they have powers or there's a prophecy and magic involved some how... I can absolutely see how growing up in the protection of first the youngest princess in a castle and then a sort of nun, in combination with a shy and introverted personality leads to a naive and timid adult. I am 31 years old, and absolutely wouldn't be able to do much of what a lot of MCs do in books. It's nice to have something that feels more realistic!

(I do want to take this moment to also acknowledge that there are so many incredible youth who do do absolutely amazing things. The young activist fighting for climate change measures, Indigenous rights and Land Back, BLM, Palestine, etc... are so great. I can see how the heros of YA fantasy could do it, we do have real world examples, it's just also nice to see a random 30 year old with limited life experience manage to do something as well!)

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mishmoshroom's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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taythegreat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was really hard for me to get into. It took me nearly two days to read 68 pages. I think it's a me thing rather than it being a bad book, I just don't think this style of writing is for me. The first third of the book felt a lot like reading Stephen King, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you like the way he writes. I prefer a more flowery/lyrical style of writing whereas his and this book is more to the point.

I liked most of the characters. Marra was aggravating with her constant self hate and kicking herself for being "slow". I would have like to see some character development where she realizes she isn't "slow" she just had a crappy family. Marra was a boss, and I wish she would have realized it by the end of the book. I loved the banter between the Dust-wife and Fenris as well as the bickering between the Dust-wife and Agnes, the Dust-wife was just fun all around. Bonedog, like every dog, absolutely stole my heart, along with the demon chicken.

All in all, I really did love the storyline and was able to finally immerse myself around the point they got to the goblin market. I just don't think this style of writing is for me.

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alexasolis98's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved the story and all the characters. It was surprisingly funny and witty. Only reason it's not a full 5 stars is because I would have liked a bit more development and questions answered.

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thebetterstory's review against another edition

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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!

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